Page 128 of One Night

"Why are you acting like this?"

"Like what?" She checks behind her, then turns back to me. "Dylan, I don't have time to talk. All my tables are full and I'm already behind."

"Then I'm coming over tonight so we can talk."

"You can't. I have to work on a paper."

"So now it's a paper?" I sound angry. It's because I'm tired of this. I'm tired of her avoiding me and not telling me why.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asks, also sounding angry.

"You've been giving me excuses all week. You won't even let me stay over. Why won't you let me see you?"

"I have a lot going on, okay? I can't spend every minute with you." She glances back at her other tables. "Are you going to order or not? I'm gonna get in trouble if I stand here all day."

"Just forget it." I drop my menu on the table and get up and leave. When I'm at the door, I look back and see that Amber's gone, probably back in the kitchen.

What the hell just happened? Was that our first fight? But why did we even have it? I went there to see her and she seemed happy to see me but then she just changed, acting like I wasn't her boyfriend but just some random guy who came in for lunch.

And she never wants to see me anymore, or even talk to me on the phone. Something is making her this way but she won't tell me what it is. I have to find out. I don't want this getting out of hand and leading to us breaking up.

I'm not losing her. I went all those months without her, thinking I'd lost her, and I did, but this time that's not going to happen. We have something good here and I'm not letting it go.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Amber

It's Thursday night and I should be studying but instead I'm sitting on the couch watching TV because I can't study when my mind keeps wandering to Dylan. I hurt him today at lunch but I didn't mean to. He surprised me and I didn't know what to do. I've been trying to avoid him all week to give myself time to think about how, or if, we move forward.

On Sunday, I was ready to be all in, wanting a future with him. I loved that he showed up and surprised me at my apartment. I'd missed him, and when I saw him I couldn't believe how happy I felt. It proved to me how much I love him, and made me want to forget all my doubts about love and just be with him.

Then Monday came and my mom called and told me she'd hired a divorce attorney. My dad filed the papers, and according to my mom, he's trying to make her sell the house and move someplace smaller since it's only her and Britt living there. That made my mom even more angry with my dad and she spent a half hour telling me how much she hates him and doesn't know why she ever married him.

I didn't want to listen to her go on and on but I felt like she needed to get it out so I just waited until she was done. But listening to her talk that way about my dad, the man she used to love, really bothered me. I still don't understand how a relationship gets to that point, but knowing it can made me panic about my relationship with Dylan. So when he called me later and asked if he could come over, I made up an excuse for why he couldn't. I needed time to think about our relationship and where it was going.

And now, four days later, I'm still not sure what to do. When I saw Dylan at lunch, I felt that burst of happiness I feel every time I see him. But then I remembered that my mom used to feel the same way about my dad and I wondered if I'm just setting myself up for heartbreak. With my past relationships, I've never worried about that because I didn't love the guy. But I love Dylan, and I love the feelings that come with loving him. The happiness. The joy. The excitement. But if it's all just going to go away someday then why am I doing this?

There's a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Kira says from the kitchen while I remain on the couch. "Dylan," I hear her say.

Shit. What is he doing here? I'm not ready to see him. I don't know what to say to him.

"Is Amber here?" he asks.

"Yeah, she's right over there," Kira says.

Traitor. She knows I'm avoiding him.

I sit up and see him coming over. "Hey, Dylan."

"Hey." He has a serious look on his face as he comes over and sits on the chair next to the couch. "Thought you were working on a paper."

"I was, but I wasn't getting very far so I thought I'd take a break."

"And you couldn't call me during this break?"

"Um, guys," Kira says from behind us. "I'm just gonna walk down to the corner and get a coffee. I'll be back later."

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