message to the heart [Wattys2015]

mtth// bonus chapter

Dylan's POV

This hasn't been edited yet, I apologize

"You actually hang out here?" I smirk as I enter the old library in Portland. O'Brien and Posey follow behind me as Malia spins around, looking me straight in the eye with a huge grin on her face.

"This is Powell's books! One of the biggest bookstores in the world! It's not old, it's history!" she exclaims, her eyes lighting up and her mouth forming the happiest grin he had ever seen her have. Malia turns around and starts walking down the stairs leading to a section of the book store called "Rose Room". She turns back and looks at us, motioning for us to follow her.

"I'm not really a book person, I prefer, you know, watching stuff," Posey chimes, looking around at the array of books that surround all of us on tall shelves.

"Then you three can look handsome while I surround myself with the holy item that is books," Malia says as she starts pulling a book off the shelf and flipping it over to read the back. I cross my arms and look at all the books around me, until I notice O'Brien staring in one direction. I peer around the shelves to see a girl reading a book. Her hair was a multitude of brown curls that fade to auburn, light freckles dotting her face, crystal blue eyes carefully inspecting the words on the page. She was beautiful, not as beautiful in my opinion as Malia, but to O'Brien, she was the only star in a black sky. I walk over to stand next to O'Brien where I nudge his shoulder.

"Go and talk to her," I smirk as he turns around to look at me, startled.

"What are you talking about?" he stutters as Posey comes up on his other side.

"After your recent breakup, you need to get back on the prowl man!" Posey laughs, putting his arm around Dylan as he looks disheveled.

"Talk. To. Her. Or I'll do it for you," I speak as O'Brien nods his head, brows creased.

"I'll talk to her, nothing too bad can happen, nothing bad can happen," he mutters, walking over to the girl while Tyler and I share smug looks. We both head over to where we can overhear the conversation without them noticing us.

"What book are you reading?" we hear him say as the girl looks up.

"Umm, 'Lord of the Flies'," she answers, looking at the cover before looking up at Dylan.

"How do you not know?" he smiles, leaning against the book shelf.

"It's called checking out books, I don't actually own it," she says.

"Well, since you seem to be a master at finding books, mind finding me one?" he asks, biting his bottom lip.

"I don't even know your name and you expect me to just help you embark on a journey in a ginormous book store," she raises an eyebrow, putting the book back on the shelf without breaking eye contact.

"Dylan, my name's Dylan, and yours?"

"Athena, but my friends call me Thea," Thea offers her hand, which Dylan shakes, their eyes never breaking contact. "Do you want to still find that book or are you going to check me out all day?" she smirks as Dylan narrows his eyes, dumb founded.

"I'd like to find a...book," he mumbles as Thea raises her eyebrows at him.

"And you'd also like..?" Athena crosses her arms, tilting her head up higher to meet O'Brien's eye level.

"And I'd also like, what?" Thea smiles at him, looking around before the realization dawns in Dylan's eyes. "Oh! That....yeah uh, could I have your number?" he laughs nervously as Thea grabs his hand and takes a pen from her pocket, scribbling down her number as O'Brien looks at us, holding a thumbs up with his other hand.

"Now, are we going to find that book?" Athena grins, taking Dylan's hand in her own and dragging him farther into the store.

"Did O'Brien finally talk to her?" Malia says from behind us as Posey and I turn around.

"What?" Tyler asks, confused.

"How did you guys not notice him looking at her the second we walked into this room? I was just waiting until he made a move," Malia admits, looking up from her book at us. Tyler and I both look at each other, and then back at her, and from our expressions, Malia sighs, putting back the book and stomping her way over to the both of us. "Why don't we go and find ourselves a quiet corner to read, or discuss your intelligence?" she laughs, putting her arms on both of our shoulders and leading us deeper into the library.