Page 94 of Obedience

Dylan bit the inside of her lip to keep from smiling widely at the inadvertent confession of “my Dylan”.

‘Dylan,' Greta said again, flushed and flustered. ‘This is Dylan.’

‘Table for two, guys?’ a hipster server with an impressive beard and a man bun called out, his hands pushed into the front pocket of his denim apron.

‘Yeah, mate. Thanks,’ Dylan replied, turning back to the couple. ‘Nice to see you, Prof. Lovely to meet you, Kate,’ she spoke with sudden confidence, guiding Greta forward by the elbow as though she’d just arrested her.

‘Enjoy your food,’ Kate said kindly.

‘You too,’ Greta replied, despite the fact that the couple were leaving the cafe.

They exchanged a goodbye that was as bizarre as the hello. Relief washed over Greta as the interaction ended, but it was quickly replaced by something much heavier.

‘Oh my fuck,’ Dylan breathed, finally sliding into a chair at the little wooden table the server had shown them to.

The room was small and loud. Condensation dripped down the windows, the air immediately stifling. The clatter of crockery, gurgle of the coffee machine and the low hum of conversation created a cacophony of sounds that, layered with the potent mixture of smells, made Greta immediately nauseous. She didn’t sit down.

‘Dyl, I need to go.’ Her eyes shimmered with unspent tears.

Immediately reading the seismic shift in Greta’s demeanour, Dylan jumped back up. After making a quick excuse to the server, she took Greta’s hand, holding it tightly as they stepped back into the sunshine.

‘Shall I get us an Uber?’ Dylan said softly.

‘It’s such a lovely day. Can we walk?’

‘Course we can.’

***

‘Are you okay?’ Dylan asked tentatively as they stood in the lift. Her tone was fragile, loaded with the fear that what had just happened would finally make Greta run.

‘Yeah, I think so.’

‘It won’t change anything, G. You were honest with her. If you’d lied about us and then—’

‘I know, Dyl. Let’s just leave it,’ Greta said evenly. The lift doors slid open on Greta’s floor. ‘Wait here,’ she requested, sending a surge of stomach acid into Dylan’s throat.

‘Why?’ Dylan was unable to hide the panic in her voice.

Greta turned, rocked back on her heels, then held Dylan’s chin with one hand and kissed her on the lips. ‘I’m just grabbing my car keys. I’ll be two minutes. Give me that and hold the lift.’ She took the overnight bag from Dylan’s hand and stepped out.

Dylan blew out a sigh of relief. ‘Where are we going?’

‘To see your mum,’ Greta threw over her shoulder as she walked away. ‘And then mine.’

Chapter twenty-four

Watch ‘Milk’ first

Pulling the car door shut, Dylan could barely contain herself. Not only was she in the driver's seat of a 1998 Black Jeep Wrangler; but Greta was by her side in the passenger seat. Greta hadn’t panicked. She hadn’t run. She was just...there.

Dylan whistled through her teeth as she turned on the ignition, letting out an excited series of pitch-shifting “Ooohoohoos” as the engine roared to life. ‘What’s her name?’ Dylan asked.

‘Ingrid,’ Greta replied without missing a beat. ‘I wanted this car the moment I saw Stuart driving one in Queer as Folk. She’s my baby.’ Greta’s brows pulled together as she chewed the inside of her cheek. ‘Please don’t drive fast, you’ll give me heartburn.’

Dylan chuckled through a smile she knew was probably embarrassingly goofy, and definitely one Greta had never seen before . ‘I’ll treat her exactly how I treat you.’

‘Don’t fuck her, Dylan,’ Greta deadpanned as she unscrewed her lip gloss and flipped down the sun visor.