Page 37 of The Assist
He crosses the space between us, slowly, like he’s giving me time to tell him not to. But I don’t. I’m too caught up in the way his steely grey eyes are softer now, the way his usual bravado is stripped back to something real.
“If you want to talk about it...” he offers.
I swallow hard. Being close to Dylan does strange things to my brain and I can’t help but spill my worries. “There’s not much to say. My dad’s not been great recently and he’s getting worse. He’s more forgetful and distant. Angry even, at Mum and everyone else. We’re still waiting for a proper diagnosis, but the signs aren’t good.”
He nods, cautious with his reactions. “That’s heavy.”
I huff out a sarcastic laugh, but it breaks halfway through. “Understatement of the year.” His hand comes up, brushing a stray strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers linger for a second longer than they should and I freeze.
So does he.
His thumb grazes my cheek, and my breath catches. We’re too close; there’s merely inches between us now, and I can feel his breath on my cheek. The air between us is charged, crackling with something we’ve both been pretending isn’t there. But itis. It’s always been there, bubbling underneath the surface.
He leans in, slow, and careful, like he’s afraid I’ll bolt. My heart is thudding so loud I’m sure he can hear it. I tilt my face upwards, my lips parting slightly, and then right on cue, the door bangs open and we jump apart.
Danny pokes his head in. “Oi, Diesel, Jonno says if you’re not on the bike in sixty seconds, he’s confiscating your protein powder.”
Dylan sighs, dragging a hand through his hair. “Tell him I’m hydrating.”
Danny smirks. “You look like you’re about tohydrateall over Mia’s face.”
“Get out, Danny,” I snap, my cheeks flaming and my palms sweaty. Seconds later and we’d have been busted. He winks and disappears.
Dylan turns back to me, a crooked smile playing on his lips. “Saved by the bell.” His hands are now safely tucked into the waistband of his joggers.
I clear my throat, heart still racing. “You should go.”
He nods. But before he turns to leave, he pauses. “I meant what I said. You don’t have to go through it alone.”
And then he’s gone, leaving the scent of his cologne and the ghost ofalmostin his wake.
I press a hand to my chest. Shit. What the hell are we doing?
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
DYLAN
Iknow I should focus on the cooldown, on keeping Jonno off my back. But every time I zone in, my brain drags me back to Mia. The way she looked at me before Danny burst in; like maybe she was finally going to let herself fall.
And then there’s my dad.
That’s the part that screws me up more than I like to admit. He hasn’t called after the game. Again. Not a text, not a thumbs-up emoji. Nothing.
It messes with my head.
I think about that night when I was fifteen, just before he left, when I got scouted for juniors. I came home buzzing, still in my gear, and he didn’t even look up from the telly. Just said, “Hope you don’t choke under the pressure.” No congratulations. No pride. Just a warning, like success was something dangerous.
And yet, I still want it from him. That nod. That ‘you’re doing alright, son.’ As pathetic as it is, I still crave it.
Jonno always tells us pressure’s good; it makes diamonds. But sometimes, I think it cracks you wide open, especially when you never learned how to hold yourself together in the first place.
This week with Mia, it’s like whiplash. One minute, Iwant to kiss her senseless, and the next, I’m scared I’ll ruin everything if I try. And that fear feels a lot like the one I used to get around my dad. Like no matter what I do, it won’t be right. Like getting too close will only invite disappointment.
There’s a version of me that knows what to say, what to do; charming, easy-going Diesel. But with Mia? That version doesn’t feel like enough. I want to be real with her. Raw. The kind of man who doesn’t have to earn affection like its performance-based.
But that’s not how I was built. I learned early that vulnerability didn’t get you jack shit.
And yet, here I am, aching for a second chance at that almost-kiss, wondering if Mia sees something in me worth staying for. Wondering if I can even be that guy.
