Page 70 of One Night

"So what are you doing for Thanksgiving?"

"I'll catch up on homework, sleep, watch TV."

He looks at me a moment, then lets me go and takes his phone out.

"What are you doing?"

He calls someone and holds the phone to his ear. "Mom. Question. Can I bring a guest to dinner on Thursday?"

"Dylan, no," I whisper. "I'm not going there."

"Yeah, okay. Talk to you later." He puts his phone away. "Ready to head back?"

"I'm not going to your house for Thanksgiving."

"Did I ask you to?"

"No," I say, confused. "But then why'd you call your mom just now?"

"I had to get her okay."

"Okay for what?"

"Let's head back. I need to go home and shower and then I'll pick you up for lunch."

"Wait, I didn't agree to spend the day with you."

"But you agreed to lunch. So we'll start there and see how it goes. You're still coming to hear us tonight, right?"

"I'm not sure." I look over at some guys as they jog past us. They're really slow, barely moving.

"Why aren't you sure?" Dylan asks. "Don't you want to hear the band?"

When I look back at him, I see the hurt look on his face. "Of course I do. I just...I don't really want to see girls hanging all over you."

"They won't be hanging all over me. Sometimes they ask me to sign something but that's it."

"Dylan, I've seen your concerts online. Girls are practically throwing themselves at you. They throw themselves at you wherever we go. Kira says I'll get used to it but I don't know if I will. I know it upsets her when girls do that to Austin. She just doesn't tell him how much it bothers her."

He brings me to the bench to sit down. "Okay, first of all, I don't get near the attention that Austin does. And when I do, I make it clear I'm not interested. I told you, I don't date band groupies."

"Still, it's hard to watch them pawing you while you're on stage."

"Amber you know I'd never do anything with them. Or any girl. I have a girlfriend, and she's the only one I'm interested in." He smiles. "And I want to spend the day with her. If I have to, I'll even help her write those damn invitations so she won't have an excuse not to see me."

"I wouldn't make you do that." I stand up. "Let's go. Maybe on the way back, you'll talk me into emailing the invitations."

And he does. By the time we get back to my apartment, he's got me agreeing to set aside my to-do list for the day and hang out with him instead. He goes home to clean up, then we go to lunch, then a movie, then have an early dinner. At six, he leaves to go back to his place.

***

"You ready?" Kira yells from her room. It's Saturday night and we're getting ready to go to the bar where Vandyl is playing.

"I just need to grab my phone." I run to the kitchen where I have it plugged in.

"What's this?" Kira appears, holding an envelope. I can see the writing on the front. It's in Dylan's handwriting.

"Where'd you get that?" I ask, taking it from her.

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