The Love Complex (Completed)

-19-

" If you find someone who makes you smile, who checks up on you often to see if you're okay. Who watches out for you and wants the best for you. Who loves and respects you. Don't let them go. People like that are hard to find." -Franz Kafka

That night, the pair sat awkwardly on the cotton grey couch and watched one of Regina's old works. Once Dylan had come back, Regina had managed to stir the conversation away from the events of the day before. She had asked another question and eventually that led them to watch her old drama together.

"This is a pretty good script," Dylan told her when the first episode was halfway over. He had sat silently throughout most of the episode not asking any question and just watching attentively.

"Thank you," She said, glancing over at him before she looked back at the TV.

"I got this script rejected twice before someone saw its worth. The original script was a mess, the second detective wasn't even in existence." She confessed with a small chuckle.

"Wow, but it's so good. You really have a talent for making thrillers."

The compliment took Regina a bit off guard, and she didn't look at him as she blushed. Despite her hard work, she hadn't really been complimented by anyone aside from Maddy and her parents. Most of the time, she was met by people who didn't see or understand the directions she wanted to take with her work. This had led to a few arguments with directors and producers.

"I'm glad you like it." she finally said with a smile, "I really enjoyed working on it. Being able to have it being displayed on the small screen made it all the more worthwhile."

Dylan nodded with a smile. There was a look on his face that she hadn't seen before. His smile was wide and bright and his eyes were bright with light as he looked at her. She remembered the night on the terrace when he had reached over to dry her tears. The same fluttering in her stomach began to happen once again, and she turned away from him feeling nervous and embarrassed.

As they watched the remainder of the show, Regina kept her eyes on the TV. Her sweaty palms ran against the cotton fabric of her joggers; her heart still beating oddly against her chest.

Thursday morning, Regina woke up extra early. Dylan had advised that they head to her parents for lunch instead of dinner. A happy smile spread in her lips as she walked to the bathroom to wash her face and get her day started. She had texted her step-mother at night so that they wouldn't be caught by surprise.

Once she had made herself presentable, she went to the living room. Dylan was sitting in the love seat reading one of his medical books. He had not bothered to look at her as she sat down on the other couch and turned on the TV. The sound of Valentina's voice filled the room as a commercial played with her as the leading lady.

Due to the sudden disruption, Dylan looked over at her a bit annoyed.

"Sorry," she mouthed before turning down the volume. Dylan didn't say anything, instead he went back to his book.

Every chance he had, he would pull out a medical book and read. In fact, it was rare to see him watching TV. Regina looked at him intently, though she often looked away just in case he noticed. This, of course, did not happen. His back was straight and his eyebrows furrowed together as he glared at the book, taking in all the knowledge. He was completely submersed in his reading.  It amused her a bit, but at the same time she also felt admiration.

She gulped, her eyes going back to him. He tilted his head to the side as he looked over the book. His muscles relaxed and a small smile spread on his lips, before it disappeared again and he looked seriously at the book. Regina looked at his chest. It rose and fell with every breath he took. She wanted to sit closer and look at the book. She wanted to know what it was about, why he couldn't seem to put it down. 

Eventually, Dylan turned to look at her. Regina looked away feeling ashamed for staring.

"Aren't you going to have breakfast?" He asked her, completely oblivious to her staring a few seconds before.

Regina looked over at him and nodded nervously, "Yes," she said before standing up and heading to the kitchen.

Dylan had woken up early, and had gotten breakfast ready. Regina got a plate and made her way back to the living room to continue to watch TV. However, when she got back, Dylan had gone upstairs.

She frowned a little before she noticed and tried to hide her disappointment from herself.

A few hours passed uneventfully. Regina watched the clock every once in a while, she regretted waking up too early. Her eyes were slowly giving up and before she knew it, she fell asleep.

Her dreams were often strange, but that particular dream was odder than the others. She sat down on a bench in her high school. It was senior year and she was looking at her classmates as they played basketball a few meters away. The scent of wet grass filled her nostrils and she covered her nose and mouth with her hand so that she wouldn't sneeze.

She sat on the bench for a few minutes, her eyes wandering toward the track field a few feet away and then moving back to the basketball court.

"Can I sit here?" A male's silky voice interrupted her gazing and made her turn around. His tan veiny hand was grasping the back of the bench lightly. Regina looked up at his face and noticed those full cheeks and big dark eyes.

The boy looked at her expectantly, waiting for her answer. Eventually she nodded, a great big knot forming in her throat as he sat down. She looked at him intently, but he didn't seem to mind. His eyes were glued ahead, toward the basketball court.

After a few minutes, he brought a large book from his backpack and began to read. Regina couldn't help but stare amazed. Her heart felt full and she smiled brightly.

The feeling was hard to push away. She felt like she was sitting on a cloud instead of a bench, a great pink cloud with a scent of cotton and fresh pine. The boy looked over at her from his book and smiled at her, his white teeth showing. He reached over and touched her face with one of his hands.

"Wake up," he whispered into her ear. He continued saying this a couple of times, each time it becoming louder and louder. Until it finally annoyed her.

"We should head over to your parents." Dylan said, once she had opened her eyes. It was the same face that had plagued her dreams. His eyes looked intently at her for a few seconds before he moved away and started walking toward the door.  

She could still the warmth of his hand on her cheek.