Page 82 of See You in Your Dreams

Firming my jaw, I shake my head, ignoring the anxious twinge in my gut. “Nah. Tell them to come join us.”

“You sure?”

I nod. “Why not? I can’t keep hiding from the world forever…right?”

Dylan’s face splits into a beautiful grin. “Right.”

By the time his friends arrive, we’re finishing up our meals. I’m still not exactly sure what Dylan had ordered. All I know is it was some sort of sandwich absolutely stuffed full of toppings, and it was damn delicious.

“Hey guys,” Dylan says in greeting. I nod at the three of them as they slide into the booth across from us, Cat and Robbie together with Alexis at the end.

“Hey, Dylan,” Cat replies. Her gaze flicks briefly to me. “Ash. I’m surprised you answered. Lately, it’s been hard to pin you down.”

Before Dylan can reply, I say, “Sorry. My fault. I’ve kind of been monopolizing all his time.” I rest my hand on top of his where it rests on the table, snaking our fingers together.

Cathmphs, seeming at least somewhat appeased by my response.

Alexis looks at our linked hands and smiles. “It’s good to see you so cheerful, Ash. You’ve seemed a bit down the past couple weeks.”

“I was. But Dylan spent the night last night, and we worked a few things out. In bed.” Dylan brightens to beet red while Cat barks a laugh.

Alexis huffs, fixing me with a disapproving frown. “I already have to deal with that kind of crude humor from Cat. One of you is bad enough.”

“Aw, come on, Lex,” Cat says, leaning into Alexis’ side and batting her eyelashes. “Don’t lie—you love us.”

“‘The course of true love never did run smooth,’” Robbie says.

Dylan squints. “Why does that sound so familiar?”

“Because it’s a quote fromMidsummer Night’s Dream,” I reply, nudging him. “And Shakespeare has a point.” I meet Dylan’s gaze, holding it as I squeeze his hand. “Still, it’s worth every second of the bumpy ride.”

Cat’s eyes narrow on Dylan’s face. “Speaking of bumps, what the hell happened to your eye? It looks like someone dumped an entire tube of black mascara on it.”

Dylan blushes self-consciously. “It’s, um, kind of a long story…”

As he fills his friends in on what had happened with Tommy, our server returns to check on us. Cat, Alexis, and Robbie order their own meals while Dylan and I grab some shakes.

Conversation and laughter ebb and flow around me, and I allow myself to relax as much as I can. For the first time in as long as I can remember, with Dylan’s friends across from us and Dylan himself by my side, I feel like I truly belong.

Epilogue

Dylan

I peer into thedarkened aquarium, the thick glass catching my reflection in the dim light. Look, stingrays!” I say excitedly, tugging Ash’s hand.

Their sleek gray bodies glide gracefully through the water, their barbed tails ramrod straight behind their billowing fronts. Ash joins me beside their enclosure with a disgruntled huff.

I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. “What?”

“Nothing. It’s just…do they have to cram so many of them in so close together?”

I turn back to the stingrays, noting that Ash has a point. There’s a good dozen or more of them, their wide, flat bodies practically sliding over one another as they swim about. The enclosure shimmers, more than half of them vanishing.

I shoot Ash a grin. “There. Better?”

“Much.”

We watch the stingrays awhile longer before continuing on, the hallway curving into another exhibit, this one for tropical fish.