Work Text:
Dylan could watch a scary movie by himself. He could. In a theater. Alone .
And he was! Ignoring the way his knee was bouncing up and down as he stalled in his car, he was doing great. But, also, he was going to be late for his movie.
With his hand on the door handle, he muttered to himself, “Come on, Dylan. You can do this.”
How this all started was with a game of Never Have I Ever at his and Kaitlyn’s shared apartment. Which he started, because of course he did. It was well into the night, all the big ones having been shared and, to no one’s surprise, Kaitlyn was halfway drunk.
“Never have I ever…” Kaitlyn trailed off, blowing a strand of her short hair out of her face as she slumped against Jacob’s legs. “Yeesh, I don’t know…gone to a movie by myself?”
“Wait, like at a theater? Not at home?” Jacob leaned forward to clarify, jostling Kaitlyn.
She let out an irritated groan. “Yes, you idiot, at a theater. Everyone’s seen a movie by themselves at home.”
Jacob scoffed, leaning back in his chair. “Not Emma,” he said, shooting Emma a glare over the rim of his glass.
Emma shrugged from where she sat across the living room, her legs thrown over the side of the sofa and her sweater slouched perfectly around her shoulders. “Movie nights with Emma Nation are not alone.” She, noticeably, didn’t drink.
“Exactly,” Jacob muttered. It had been three months since they’d both “mutually” ended their fling, but he still seemed butthurt over it. Which was weird, to Dylan anyway. He had the misfortune and fortune of renting a two bedroom apartment with Kaitlyn, so he was often privy to who she was screwing at any time of the year, and he could swear Jacob was her prey of choice for the last two weeks. He could be wrong though. He had been before.
Dylan lifted his whiskey to his lips. “I gotta say, I’m shocked you’ve been to the movies by yourself, man,” he said to Jacob, wanting to lighten the mood. He took a sip of his drink.
Jacob still appeared uncomfortable, his eyes on his lap. “Yeah, dude, got stood up. Didn’t feel like getting a refund. Nicholas Sparks, man. Shit hits.”
Emma snorted, and Dylan noticed Jacob sniffening at her flippant attitude.
“Nothing wrong with that, Jacob. I see movies all the time by myself,” Abi piped up from the couch beside Dylan, obviously trying to lighten the mood as well. Dylan didn’t think it helped.
“Yeah, man, nothing wrong with that,” Nick said from the other side of Abi. He took a sip of his beer, making Dylan think it was a pity drink in Jacob’s favor. But it worked, Jacob’s shoulders visibly deflating.
He nodded at Nick. “Thanks, man.”
“Well,” Dylan leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, “I’ll do a double drink to that, since I’m basically the king of soloing movies. Just not anything scary.” He winked before taking another drink.
“You’ve never seen a scary movie by yourself?” Emma scoffed.
“Uh, no?” He glared at her. “You haven’t even seen any movie by yourself…weirdo,” he added as an extra, futile dig.
She laughed. “And? If I’m gonna do stuff by myself, I may as well not wimp out on the scary stuff.”
“She never makes sense does she?” Kaitlyn said from the floor, starting to slump over. Jacob leaned forward to right her.
Ignoring her, Dylan straightened. “I can totally see a scary movie by myself! Here, I’ll buy a ticket for tomorrow.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket.
“Tomorrow night . Don’t be a wimp, Dylan.” She gave him a compelling pout.
Dylan moved his thumb from where it was hovering over the 1:00 PM showtime, nodding his head in concession. “8:20. PM .” He turned his phone around to show the screen to Emma. “Happy?”
“Ecstatic.” She grinned evilly at him.
“Proud of you, Dyl,” Kaitlyn said before laying on the floor.
And so, here he was. Doing the thing. Proving Emma wrong because it felt too damn good, and Dylan was nothing if not competitive. Maybe Jacob’s bitterness and obsession with Emma was starting to make sense.
The sun was just setting, the sky a burnt orange as Dylan slipped inside the theater, shoving his hands in his pockets to disguise his nerves. He’d purposely gone to the theater thirty minutes away from his apartment, so if he embarrassed himself, he never had to go back again. It was safe.
So why was the hottest guy he’d ever seen working here?
Maybe an exaggeration, but Dylan felt his face flush and hands clam up when he approached the podium. The man gave him a subtle nod of his head.
“How you doing today, sir?” the usher greeted him.
“Uh, great, just super, um….” he lowered his eyes, looking for the name tag attached to his lanyard, “Ryan. How about yourself?”
“Not too bad. Can’t complain.” Ryan took the flimsy ticket from Dylan’s hand, and he prayed it wasn’t coated in his nervous sweat. “You’re gonna be in theater eleven, fourth door on the left.”
Dylan nodded stupidly as Ryan tore his ticket, handing back his portion. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt the urge to stay. Talk to him. But Ryan was working, and he had an Emma to prove wrong. “Thanks, man,” he said, following his directions. He bypassed the concessions. Nope, he was raw dogging this thing.
He couldn’t help a glance back at Ryan, but, unsurprisingly, the man had moved on and was not looking his way, already helping the next customers that approached him. Dylan tried not to feel disappointed.
He was not going to last the entire film. Dylan had chosen a spot front and center in the theater, because he was competitive (duh), but it was a stupid move. He had no one to hide behind to escape the unsettling feeling in his stomach and gorey images of death, chainsaws, fucking werewolves . Seriously, why hadn’t he checked the synopsis before buying his ticket?
With no one’s hand to hold, shoulder to hide his face in, or ear to whisper lightening jokes in, he focused his gaze around the theater, needing to focus on something other than the images on the big screen. When Dylan looked to his left, towards the theater entrance, his breath caught in his throat, his heart racing for a reason other than the film. It was Ryan, the usher from earlier. He stood with his back against the wall, arms crossed in front of him. Dylan thought he was probably monitoring the theater, making sure no one was up to any nefarious activity, which made a lot of sense. Teenagers plus horror films plus a Saturday night was a deadly combination.
And yet, Dylan’s heart lifted thinking maybe it was… for him? Their eyes locked, and it made his theory seem all the more real. It was dark, but he could swear he saw Ryan’s mouth lift on the side.
Dylan smiled to himself, turning back to the movie. With the handsome stranger nearby, he felt a bit more confident. Which lasted all of two minutes before a jumpscare startled Dylan so much, he let out a startled yelp and kicked his legs out in front of him. Maybe it was a good thing he hadn’t brought any of his friends with him. He wouldn’t hear the end of it from Kaitlyn.
After he settled down, he heard a soft chuckle come from his left. He turned quickly towards the noise, seeing Ryan beginning to school his face into a mask of indifference. But he had laughed . Dylan had heard it. The question was, was he laughing at him kindly or…rudely? Did he think Dylan was a dumb wimp? The thought made his stomach turn uncomfortably.
A few more minutes passed before Dylan began to feel cold. He glanced over to see that Ryan was gone. Damn . The movie began to feel more scary. Dylan cringed back in his seat before a very uncomfortable scene came on screen and he said fuck it . Some things weren’t meant for him. Fuck Emma. That was fine. He was the way he was. And who cares what she thought anyway? The girl was the one who needed to see a scary movie by herself. Dylan was independent and not a wimp.
This last thought deteriorated as he escaped out a back door, avoiding the late night crowd in case he saw anyone he knew, and came to a screeching halt. His heart stuck in his throat because Ryan was sitting on the pavement, his back against the brick wall and headphones dangling from his ears. At the sound of the door banging open and shut, he pulled a bud out of his ear.
Dylan moved to continue on to the parking lot, ready to pretend nothing happened when Ryan spoke up.
“Hey, where’re you going? Your movie doesn’t end for another,” he glanced at his watch, “thirty minutes.”
Dylan hesitated with one foot on the sidewalk, the other on the asphalt. “Uh, nope, it’s over. Long end credit scene.” He gave a cheery smile.
Ryan snorted. “Man, I work here. It ends in exactly thirty minutes, got the schedule right here to prove it.” He pulled a folded up sheet of paper out of his trousers, flicking it in show. “I should know. Planned my break around it.”
“Right. Yeah. Just going for a smoke. Love smoking. Gonna get me a cig…from my car.” Dylan pointed over his shoulder.
Ryan’s mouth quirked. “Pretty sure if you were a smoker you’d have some on you.”
“I…ran out.”
“Movie too scary for you?” Ryan raised a brow, but somehow it didn’t seem condescending.
Dylan’s shoulders deflated. “Yeah, it’s whatever. A friend kind of challenged me to see a scary movie on my own. Well, not really, but I turned it into a challenge, because…yeah.”
Ryan chuckled. The more he did, the more sure Dylan was that he had been laughing in the theater with him. “I get it. You were brave for a minute there.”
“Yeah, I tried.” He shrugged. “Oh well. I’ll…see you never, seeing as I will not be back here ever again.” Dylan turned around with a wave of his hand.
“Wait–” Ryan choked out behind him, but Dylan was already halfway across the parking lot. Ryan didn’t seem mean, but he knew if he ever dated him, he’d never get past how much he’d embarrassed himself on their first meeting. Because how could Ryan not think that of him? He’d laughed at him, whether in a kind way or rude way, he had. And, honestly, Dylan’s nerves were fried after tonight. So, instead, he went home, falling asleep to the obnoxious noises of Jacob grunting across the hallway.
Fuck. Me.
Jacob didn’t stick around for the morning. At least, he wasn’t over when Dylan finally got up. And thank the lord for that. Him and Kaitlyn were at it pretty long last night, and he was even considering the movie from last night less terrifying than that .
He found Kaitlyn in their miniscule kitchen, her elbows propped on the counter that separated their kitchen from their living room, a steaming mug of black coffee clasped between her hands. Her hair was still mussed and she appeared to still be in her pajamas. Even though she wasn’t facing him, she sensed he had entered the room.
“Hey, how’d last night go?” she tossed over her shoulder before taking a sip from her mug.
Dylan traced his hand along the counter opposite her before leaning back on it with both hands. “It was okay. Wasn’t as fun of a night as yours.”
Kaitlyn frowned, turning around to face him. She left her mug on the counter behind her and crossed her arms over her chest. Dylan supposed if she was any taller, she’d be intimidating. She wasn’t.
“Look, I can explain,” she said.
Dylan held his hand out, beckoning her on. “Please, by all means.”
She huffed, tossing her head. “The guy isn’t over Emma, and it’s been months . So…I thought I would help him along, ya know?”
He raised a brow. “You thought sleeping with him would get him over Emma? The size of your ego astounds me, Kaitlyn Ka.”
Kaitlyn lowered her arms back to her sides in annoyance. “Everybody knows the old saying: to get over someone, you have to get under–”
Dylan held up a hand. “Right, I know.” He took that same hand and placed it over his heart. “You’re too kind, Kaitlyn. We all honor your sacrifice.”
“Oh, please, I am not pity fucking him. He’s a better kisser than he was in high school, and the man really knows how to–”
“Ugh!” Dylan covered his ears. “I don’t wanna hear it!” When Kaitlyn started laughing, he lowered his hands. “Are you gonna screw Emma too?”
She turned around and picked up her coffee again, taking another sip. “Maybe. I thought about it. But have you noticed her and Abi lately? I don’t wanna get between that.”
Dylan smoothed his hand over their shitty countertop. “Yeah, I did notice that. Don’t think she’d take you up on the offer anyway, Abi or no Abi.”
“Fuck you,” she said, before flashing him the bird. “Anyway, how did your night go? Did you manage to prove Emma wrong?”
“Nope,” Dylan said, opening the fridge next to him, peering inside and looking for their orange juice. “Unfortunately Emma was right. I couldn’t do it and dipped out with thirty minutes left.”
“I’m sorry, Dyl. That was probably more than I could’ve handled. Don’t worry though, I’ll lie to Emma for you, tell her how brave you were.” He could hear the smile in her voice without looking at her, but he shook his head.
“No need. I’m not ashamed of myself.” He turned around with the carton in his hand. He reached up to retrieve his favorite cup, kept on a shelf too high for his tiny roommate, and poured the juice inside.
Kaitlyn nodded her head once. “Good for you. Was the movie at least…kind of good?”
“God, no. But,” Dylan turned around to face her, stalling by taking a sip of his tart juice. He wasn’t sure why he was telling Kaitlyn this. He knew how she was, how she’d never let this go once it was out, but, honestly, he wanted to save something from last night. And even though nothing much had happened with the usher from the theater, it couldn’t hurt to tell Kaitlyn about him. They never even went to that theater anyway. “There was a cute guy working there.”
She raised an interested brow. “Cute?”
“ Hot . In a brooding, mysterious type of way.”
She took a step closer to him, her mug clasped more tightly in her hands now. “Tell me more.”
Dylan shrugged. “Honestly, there’s not much to tell. I kinda beefed it.” His eyes tracked downward to where his socked feet were shuffling on the hard floor.
Kaitlyn’s brows pulled together. “What do you mean?”
“Well, he was cute, which I tracked. Then, when I was in the theater, he came in for a few minutes, probably just scoping out whether anyone was misbehaving. But, I don’t know, we kind of had a moment where we made eye contact. And then, I got spooked during a jump scare and he laughed . And I don’t know whether it was in a good way or bad way.”
“He laughed? Dylan, he probably thinks you’re adorable!”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. It gets worse though.”
She gave him a disbelieving look. “What happened?”
“You know how I said I left thirty minutes before the movie ended? I went out a backdoor hoping to not run into anyone, and guess who was taking his break outside?”
Kaitlyn lifted a hand to her mouth. Dylan had a moment to be thankful it was her he was telling this story too. None of his other friends would’ve understood why he was so embarrassed about the whole ordeal. Maybe Abi. But none of the others.
Kaitlyn cringed. “I’m sorry, Dylan.”
He shrugged again. “Anyway, he totally clocked me and I even tried lying so I just looked like an idiot. I bolted as soon as I could.”
Kaitlyn considered his words for a minute. Then, she straightened, setting her mug of coffee on the countertop behind him.
“You have to go back,” she said with resolve.
“Um, Kaitlyn, did you not hear any of what I just said?”
“Yes, I did, and I don’t think things went as badly as you’re perceiving them. I’m not saying you have to do anything or make any moves, but you should go back.” She turned away for another few seconds, biting her lip as she pondered something. “Look, there’s a new Seth Rogan movie out this Friday, and you know Jacob’s gonna wanna see it.”
“Wait, wait, wait–you want me to not only go back, but go back with you and your fuck buddy, Jacob Custos? ”
“Shut up, Dylan! That’s not the point! My point is maybe it’ll be better with us there, but I think there’s something worth exploring here, I do. I mean, the guy clearly thinks you’re funny for some reason.”
“I am funny!”
“Anyway, you don’t have to ask him out or anything. But just see if there’s anything there when we go again. And if you don’t, at least I’ll get a look at him. Plus, Jacob’s got some new weed. We’ll get high for it. It’ll be fun. Come on, what do you say?”
Dylan scratched the back of his neck. “I think this is the worst idea ever. But I’m in.”
Dylan still thought it was the worst idea ever when all three of them walked into the theater that Friday night, thoroughly stoned. But maybe it was his anxiety talking, amplified in his current state of mind.
Ryan was once again at the podium, and it seemed like his smile was a little more stilted as he tore their tickets. Dylan tried to give him a big smile back, but he probably looked like a creep. Oh God . This dude was gonna think he was not only a coward, but a fucking stoned weirdo.
Kaitlyn, however, didn’t seem to notice the way her mouth was opened as she stared at him. Oh yeah, she thought he was hot, too. Too bad Ryan wasn’t giving her much attention, his gaze still focused on Dylan. To be fair, when Dylan was high, things got rather tunnel visioned, so that was why he was so focused on Ryan. He wasn’t sure why the guy couldn’t look away from him . He looked almost disappointed. No, he was probably pissed and grossed out by Dylan. That was why he couldn’t look away. Like a spectacle you can’t look away from him. And, in his case, it was a droopy eyed loser he couldn’t tear his eyes away from.
“Theater two, first door on the right. Enjoy the show.” Ryan’s words seemed more curt than they were last week. Dylan really shouldn’t have smoked shit. He was starting to second guess everything, more than his usual overthinking.
The three of them immediately forgot what he had said the minute they were past him, so they had to puzzle their theater out together, which really shouldn’t have been as hard as it was.
When they were seated, Kaitlyn turned to him, her mouth still ajar.
“Oh my God, Dylan, if you don’t hit that, I will.” He thought it was rude of her to say something like that in earshot of the person she was screwing, but Jacob didn’t seem to mind as he shoveled popcorn into his mouth, though most of it missing its target.
Dylan groaned, throwing his head back on his seat. “Don’t you already have someone?” he whined.
Kaitlyn shook her head. “I don’t have a someone . I have a Jacob , so I’m actually single.”
“Yeah, dude,” Jacob said, leaning over Kaitlyn to speak to Dylan. “We’re only boning. Besides, Emma’s gonna want me back in no time . Trust me.”
Jacob leaned away, focusing back on the previews seemingly oblivious to how Kaitlyn slowly closed her eyes, still facing towards Dylan. Dylan’s mouth fell open, and he could feel a smile itching at the corners of his mouth.
When Kaitlyn slowly opened her eyes, it was to find Dylan staring at her in open and shocked amusement.
“Wow. So you’re telling me your vag didn’t make Jacob magically get over Emma?”
“I…admitingly that was a really stupid plan. That fucker must have been using me, too, to make Emma jealous.” She shook her head. “I gotta end it.”
“Oh no, I’m sure he’ll be so heartbroken,” Dylan said sarcastically.
“Shut up, Dylan,” Kaitlyn hissed at him through clenched teeth.
“Hey, guys,” Jacob whispered, leaning across Kaitlyn’s lap once again, oblivious to her obvious annoyance, “can you stop talking? I wanna watch the previews.”
Dylan gave an amused smile, enjoying the drama that was taking the attention off of him and his crush. “Sure thing, man.”
Kaitlyn just rolled her eyes.
That seemed to set the mood for the rest of the movie. It was kind of funny, but honestly, Dylan was too high to understand or keep track of anything in the film. Besides, his mind was way too occupied with thoughts of Ryan. He couldn’t pay attention to anything.
He came into the theater once, but he didn’t even look Dylan’s way, even when Dylan couldn’t look away from him. He probably looked like a sad, stoned puppy.
Dylan was still feeling pretty down when the movie ended and they all filed towards the exit. He didn’t even bother looking at the podium to see if Ryan was there. Instead, he focused on Jacob and Kaitlyn, who were walking ahead of him bickering about something. Leave it to Kaitlyn to end their situationship before they could properly talk at home. But, to be honest, those two were always bickering, so it may not have had anything to do with their situation at all.
As they left the theater and Dylan’s shoes scuffled over asphalt, his hands strayed to his jeans pockets, wanting to slip in his headphones and listen to the perfect moody music to fit his current state of emotions. And then, his heart sank to his stomach.
Where was his phone? Maybe it wasn’t pressed against the front lining of his pockets, because he hadn’t felt its familiar bulge. He shoved his hands in both pockets, shuffling around for it. He was about to start stripping out of sheer, high panic when he suddenly remembered he had left his phone in the cup holder in their theater.
“Shit. Shit. Hey guys!” he called to Kaitlyn and Jacob, who were aways ahead of him by now. He waited until they turned towards him with questioning looks before continuing. “I left my phone in the theater! I’m just gonna head back and get it. You guys wait in the car.”
Kaitlyn nodded her head, and Jacob gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up. Dylan turned on his heel and raced back inside, stopping at the podium.
Where none other than Ryan stood. Talk about fucking awkward.
“Uh, heyyyyy,” Dylan said, coming to a stop in front of the podium. The lobby was fairly empty at this time of night, most people in their theater or some late nighters getting popcorn from the concessions stand before their show started.
Ryan raised a brow, giving him an amused look. “Can I help you?”
“Yeah, I…” Dylan trailed off, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “I think I left my phone in the theater.”
Ryan nodded his head, lifting a radio to his mouth. He went to press the button on the side, but stopped, looking at Dylan. It wasn’t a personal look or anything, but his eyes were so intense that it sent butterflies fluttering in his stomach.
“Theater two, right?”
“Wh–what?” Dylan blinked rapidly, clearing the spots from his eyes that had started to appear because they were dry as shit.
Ryan’s mouth twitched. “You were in theater two, right?”
“Y–yeah. Right. I think? How’d you know?”
He shook his head. “You’re very…memorable.”
What the hell did that mean? Dylan shook his head, not wanting his mind to go down that path of overthinking. He probably was just referring to how Dylan naturally grabbed other people’s attention. He was good at it, and had often been told he was. It was nothing to overthink.
“Hey, Max, did you find a phone in theater two?” Ryan spoke into the radio.
A loud buzz of static came through, and Ryan cringed back before adjusting the volume to something lower.
Then, “What kind of phone?” came through the radio.
Ryan looked up at Dylan, raising a brow.
“Uh, iPhone X,” he said, nodding his head.
Ryan repeated this into the radio. The voice responded with, “Gotcha, buddy. I’ll be right up there.”
In a few minutes, a shorter man with a spray of freckles and floppy hair tucked beneath a hat came out to where they stood. When he did, Ryan appeared to get awkward, looking down at his feet. The guy, Max, Dylan remembered, didn’t appear to notice, reaching over to hand Dylan his phone back.
“There you go, man!”
“Thanks…” Dylan nodded his head, “...man.”
Max grinned. “My name’s Max. It’s nice to meet you….?”
“Dylan.” He gave a small smile, thinking it was weird because he just realized Ryan didn’t know his name. And they were also kind of ignoring him here. It seemed like Max and Ryan were closer than just coworkers.
“Nice. Nice to meet you, Dylan. Well,” he looked at Ryan, clapping a hand on his back, “I’ll leave you to it. These theaters aren’t gonna clean themselves.” He turned, leaving them both in the awkward wake of whatever that was.
“So,” Dylan said slowly, “is he your…boyfriend?”
Ryan snorted, finally looking up to meet Dylan’s eyes. “Hell no. He’s just a friend. I’m…kind of close to him and his girlfriend.”
“Oh, cool. Cool.” Dylan paused, looking around the lobby and thumping his phone against his thigh. He should probably leave, but he couldn’t seem to. Whatever it was, something about Ryan made him hesitate.
“Do you…have a girlfriend then?” Dylan prompted instead.
Ryan was definitely smiling now. “Nope. I’m a free agent.”
“Nice. Same.” Dylan smiled back, which prompted Ryan to give him a gentle nod. “Hey, actually,” he started. The fog was starting to clear in his mind, the entire interaction with Ryan and Max and losing his phone sobering his mind enough to where he could think clearly. He liked this guy, and thought he was cute. And he had nothing to lose. If Ryan rejected him, he would simply never come to this theater again. Easy! Except this theater tended to play indie films that the theater near him didn’t, but Dylan would live.
He unlocked his phone and handed it back to Ryan, who took it with a startled expression. “Plug your number into my phone.”
Ryan glanced from the phone back to him. “Smooth.”
“Sorry…can I have your number? I think you’re cute and I’d like to get to know you more.”
Ryan nodded. “Alright…yeah. I think you’re cute too.”
Dylan was glad Ryan had accepted the phone and was looking at the screen and not him so he could hide the blush rising up his neck. When he was done, Ryan handed his phone back to him casually, the screen still opened to his contact info, which simply read: Ryan. The man was no nonsense.
Dylan locked his phone, slipping it back into his pocket. “I won’t call you right now to prove you gave me your actual number and you didn’t just give me a fake. I’m not that cruel.”
Ryan smiled. “Your kindness is noted.”
“Well, I’m gonna head out, and I’ll hopefully text you later. You know, if you did give me your number, that is.”
He nodded. “I’ll be anxiously awaiting your text.”
Dylan hid his smile as he turned and headed back out to the parking lot. He wasn’t surprised to see Jacob and Kaitlyn still bickering in the front seat. But, he slipped into the backseat of Kaitlyn’s car and tugged his headphones free from his other pocket, plugging them into his phone. With the perfect playlist queued up, he swiped to his contacts, shooting Ryan a short and sweet message.
Dylan: this is dylan!
He got a response within a couple of seconds.
Ryan: This is Ryan.
Dylan: don’t be on your phone at work! wouldn’t want you getting in trouble for me ;)
Ryan: Haha. It’s away now. Have a good rest of your night.
Dylan: you too:)
“Hey, Dylan, did you get your phone back?” Kaitlyn appeared to finally notice him in the backseat, her eyes meeting his in the rearview while Jacob snored from the passenger seat.
He nodded. “Yup.” He wiggled his phone in his hand to show her.
“Good. Glad none of those teenage twerps working there thought they could get a free iPhone out of their minimum wage job.”
Dylan looked down again at his phone in his lap. “I would understand if they did. But glad it’s safe.”
He didn’t know why he didn’t tell Kaitlyn about getting Ryan’s number. It felt like something fragile and fresh and didn’t want to ruin it by telling everyone. Not right now. Not yet.
Dylan and Ryan agreed to go on their first date at a frozen yogurt joint downtown. Not at the theater to see a movie, Dylan had pointed out, to which Ryan responded with a curt
Ryan: I am not taking you to my place of employment on our first date.
Dylan: you don’t wanna show me off?
Ryan: Of course I do. Another time. My coworkers will give me too much shit if I bring you there on Saturday.
Ryan: I won’t be able to focus on you.
That last text had sent a tingle down Dylan’s spine, imagining the mysterious and cold Ryan wanting to focus on little ol’ him. It made him feel special.
Dylan was getting a glass of water from the kitchen, almost ready to leave for his date when he found Kaitlyn on their living room sofa, a glass of wine in hand. Wine wasn’t Kaitlyn’s drink of choice, so seeing her drink it now signaled to him something was wrong.
As he inched closer, he saw a trade paperback in her other hand. She was reading? It could only mean one thing.
Dylan peered over her shoulder and hesitantly said “Did you end things? With Jacob?”
Kaitlyn sighed, setting her book down and taking a sip of wine before turning around to face him, her arm on the back of the couch. “Yeah.”
“You okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Like I said, it was nothing romantic.” She shook her head again and took another sip from her glass. “The man sure can fuck though.”
Dylan laughed half-heartedly. “But you still don’t wanna fuck him when he clearly isn’t over Emma?”
Kaitlyn pointed at him with her glass. “I don’t wanna fuck him when he’s clearly trying to use me to make Emma jealous. I have more respect for myself than that.”
“Sure you do. You guys are gonna get married.” He turned towards their apartment door, but Kaitlyn called out behind him.
“Where are you going, buddy?”
He turned around with a hand on the doorknob. “Uh, out. Because I’m an adult. Who has free will.”
“That’s what you think.” She leaned forward to set her glass on the coffee table before striding towards him. “Seriously, where are you going?” Folding her arms, she leaned her hip against the entryway to the kitchen.
“ Mom …” Dylan started.
“Spill, Dylan.” She cocked a brow.
He sighed, rolling his eyes. “I’m going on a date. With Ryan. From the theater.”
Kaitlyn’s eyes widened and she uncrossed her arms. “No shit. How did that happen?”
“Well, while you were busy bickering like an old married couple with Jacob–”
“Watch it.” She pointed at him.
“I went back to get my phone I left in the theater. And he remembered what theater I was in. We exchanged numbers. It just…kind of happened.” Dylan shrugged.
“I’m proud of you. Well, have fun, use condoms, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“I’m not gonna fuck Jacob,” he said, trying to hide his smile.
Kaitlyn shook her head. “You’re not gonna let me ever live this down, are you?”
“Nope! Enjoy your lonely evening!” He left the apartment to the sound of her groan.
“Sooo tell me about your friends. You said one of them challenged you to watch a scary movie by yourself?” Ryan said slowly, swirling his plastic spoon in the vanilla and caramel froyo he’d gotten at the little shop.
They’d decided to sit at the tables outside the shop. And things had been awkward. Dylan hated sitting in silence, but he and Ryan hadn’t really talked about much over text. Maybe they should have, then they’d have conversations to continue here, on their date. To be fair, Ryan wasn’t the easiest to start a conversation with; he kept his cards pretty close to his chest, but he was glad he was making the attempt here. Dylan could tell it meant a lot to him.
Dylan smoothed back his hair, which was getting thrown around in the gentle wind. “Uh, well that was Emma. She’s the newest to the group.”
“You have a group? I’m jealous.” Ryan smiled slightly, taking another jab at his froyo.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “It’s just something I never had. My only friends these days are Max and Laura.”
Dylan remembered Max from the theater, but the mention of a girl made his stomach churn. “And Laura is…?”
“Max’s girlfriend.” Ryan seemed to be able to tell what Dylan was thinking, because he huffed a laugh. “Not interested in her.”
Dylan nodded, nervously spooning some of the frozen yogurt coated in gummy bears, chocolate chips, and rainbow sprinkles in front of him. “Cool, cool, yeah, totally makes sense.”
Ryan laughed again, making Dylan’s cheeks heat. He was feeling pretty damn special. Somehow, he could tell those laughs were rare for Ryan.
“Yeah, but Emma and I aren’t close. My friend, Jacob, and her started hooking up about six months ago, but don’t anymore. But she just kind of…stuck I guess. Much to Jacob’s disappointment.”
Ryan raised a brow. “And Jacob…?”
Dylan smiled, because he could tell Ryan didn’t actually think he was interested in Jacob, but was teasing him for earlier. “Not interested. Not my type.”
“What is your type?”
Dylan shrugged. “Broody, mysterious, alluring.”
“Huh. Wouldn’t consider myself alluring .”
“Oh, trust me. You can be very alluring. Lured me right in when you tore my ticket that first time.”
Ryan laughed, shaking his head. “I’m flattered. But, tell me about your other friends. I’m deeply interested in the group dynamics here. How’d you meet Jacob?”
“Um, well I met my best friend and roommate, Kaitlyn, in college, and she and Jacob have been inseparable since childhood. They recently started hooking up, but stopped. Because, ya know, the Emma situation.”
Ryan smiled and nodded his head seriously. “Right. Drama.”
Dylan choked out a laugh. He found it hard to believe Ryan was interested in any of this. It all seemed so every day and ordinary to him.
“And then there’s Abi and Nick. Abi was in a few of my art classes in college and Nick is a friend of Jacob’s. We all just discovered we work well as a group.” He shrugged.
Dylan had his right hand resting on the tabletop and Ryan stretched his hand out. overlapping it over his. Dylan flipped his palm up so their hands were clasped, Ryan smoothing a gentle circle with his thumb on Dylan’s hand.
Dylan could feel his heart pounding in his ears. He could admit he was a little flustered. To be at the center of attention for someone like Ryan felt very, very good but also very scary.
“So, uh, how’d you meet Max and Laura?” he said, hoping his voice didn’t come out as shaky as he thought it did.
“Not much to tell. I met Max working at the theater and he asked me to hang out one day at his place, which he rents with his girlfriend. We played video games and Laura eventually joined us, and I thought any person who can whoop my ass at Call of Duty is a friend of mine.” Dylan could see his Adam’s apple bob as he briefly glanced down at his lap. For some reason, Ryan’s words that he was jealous of Dylan’s friend group made him think it wasn’t very easy for Ryan to make friends, and that if you were in his life, you were pretty special. “They’re good people. Things haven’t been the easiest with my family, and they’ve been the best type of support I could ask for.”
“Yeah, Max seemed pretty nice. Hey, can I ask…did you…happen to tell him about me?”
Ryan’s mouth twitched. “Yeah. Should have known the guy couldn’t keep his mouth shut, but I didn’t think you two would ever meet.”
“Well,” Dylan said, squeezing Ryan’s hand, causing him to look up, “I’m glad we did.”
Ryan smiled. “Me too.”
For the next few hours, they walked along the sidewalks downtown, occasionally popping into some shops, occasionally holding hands. Ryan didn’t completely open up to him, not yet, but he learned that he had a younger sister, who he mostly took care of on his own since his mom was never at home. He also learned that Ryan was working at the theater to save up for animation school. Dylan shared how he’d studied quantum physics in college, but was working in radio for the time being. It felt good, knowing Ryan didn’t have his shit together either.
At the end, Ryan walked Dylan to his car. Dylan’s heart was really beating now, so hard he was afraid Ryan could hear it.
But he didn’t appear to care, even if he could. Dylan felt safe with him, and he had the suspicion Ryan wouldn’t be annoyed with or fazed by much when it came to all his eccentricities.
“Soo…” Ryan started.
“So.” Dylan tilted his chin to his chest, hoping the look he was giving Ryan was adorable and not creepy.
Ryan smiled. “I’d like to do this again…I think.”
“You think?” Dylan teased.
Ryan rolled his eyes. “I know .”
“Well, that’s too bad, because–”
Dylan was cut off when Ryan inched closer to him, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to his lips, stopping him in his tracks. He was so caught off guard he blindly reached out his hands, gripping them in the sides of Ryan’s shirt. The kiss didn’t last that long, merely a brief pressing of lips. By the time he realized it was happening, it was already over.
Ryan had put his hand to the back of Dylan’s neck, and he kept it there as he looked at him rather smugly.
“You were saying?”
“Yeah, I, well…I would–I’d like to do this again, too.”
“Good.” Ryan nodded, taking his hand away. Dylan’s neck suddenly felt cold despite the summer heat. Ryan stepped back, but he didn’t turn away yet. “Text me?”
Dylan felt a smile tugging his lips up. “Yeah, you betcha I will.”
One month later…
Dylan could feel Ryan’s sigh in his ear from where he currently hid his face in the other man’s neck.
“Dyl, we’re still in the previews.” His voice was pitched low, and it vibrated nicely in Dylan’s ear.
Dylan lifted his head. “I’m sorry, man, sometimes these previews are even scarier than the actual movie.”
Even in the dark, Dylan could see Ryan’s lifted brow.
“Okay, maybe not scarier , but just as scary! Besides,” he said, pausing to give him a flirtatious look, “maybe I want to be comforted by you.”
“Well, uh, that’s why I’m here. But you don’t want to wait until you actually get scared?”
“Who says I’m not actually scared?”
“Dylan…”
Dylan leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to Ryan’s lips. He felt a rush of satisfaction seeing Ryan’s puzzled expression when he pulled away, knowing he’d flustered him.
“Careful,” Ryan said softly, their faces still inches apart, “Max might have to kick us out if we’re just in here making out.”
Dylan pouted. “How else will you distract me?”
Rylan shrugged. “I don’t know. Just by being here.”
Dylan smiled. “You’re so right. With your alluring presence.”
Dylan wasn’t spooked too much during the film, with Ryan sitting next to him. But the few instances where he did jump, Ryan was there to laugh with him, offer a kind smile, and grip his hand. The whole experience was just more enjoyable than it was a month ago. Dylan still saw plenty of movies on his own, but this felt special. It felt right . Like horror was meant to be enjoyed with Ryan.
“You know,” Dylan said as they left the theater, winking as they passed Max and linking his hand with Ryan.
Ryan looked over at him. “Yeah?”
“If I was ever caught in a horror film situation, I think I’d want you next to me.”
Ryan smiled. “That makes sense. Same here.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’d totally save your ass.” Ryan grinned stupidly.
Dylan rolled his eyes. “Please. I’d be saving yours . It would be capital h hot .”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
“You’d only save me because I’d let you.”
Ryan frowned, his brows pulled together. They were outside now, the summer night cool on their skin. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
Dylan stopped them on the side of the parking lot to grip Ryan’s face between his hands. Ryan’s frown tugged down further.
“Trust me, it does. I’m the one who figures everything out and you’re the hot, clueless one who helps me through it, following my lead, of course.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, man.”
Dylan smiled. “My place?”
Ryan smiled, nodding his head eagerly. He stepped back out of Dylan’s reach, extending a hand towards Dylan’s Prius. “After you.”