I Fell In Love With A Stranger (Dylan O'Brien LS)

Chapter 1

Jessica

I never believed in love at first sight.

I believed in timing. In control. In keeping my head down and my expectations low. Which was exactly why I was walking down the street half-distracted, texting my best friend about work, when I collided with someone so hard it knocked the breath right out of me.

My phone slipped from my fingers. Ginger ale exploded down the front of my shirt, cold and sticky, soaking through the fabric.

"Are you serious—" I started, already crouching to grab my phone.

"I'm so sorry."

I froze.

That voice—low, familiar—pulled my attention upward, and suddenly I forgot about the ruined shirt and the cracked screen. He was tall, dark-haired, and painfully recognizable. His expression was all concern as he picked up my phone and handed it back to me like it was something fragile.

"I really wasn't watching where I was going," he said. "That's on me."

"It's fine," I said quickly, brushing at my shirt even though it was a lost cause.

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a handful of tissues, offering them without hesitation.

"Here."

"Thanks," I murmured, blotting at the mess.

"I'm really sorry, um..." He hesitated.

"Jessica."

"Dylan."

My chest tightened.

"I know who you are," I admitted.

A smile spread across his face, slow and warm, and I hated how easily it made my pulse stutter.
"I didn't mean to bump into you—or spill ginger ale all over you," he said, rushing the words like he was nervous.

That made me laugh. "It's really okay. It's just a shirt."

I took my phone from him, aware of how close he was standing, how the city noise faded around us. This was dangerous territory. I should leave.

"Well," I said, forcing myself to step back, "I should probably go."

And I did—before I could second-guess myself.

Dylan

Damn.

She was beautiful in a way that caught me off guard—confident, sharp, and way too easy to imagine across a table from me. And now she was walking away.

Say something. Now.

"Wait."

She turned, and I closed the distance before I could talk myself out of it.

"Not to be weird," I said, voice low, "but would you want to get lunch sometime?"

Her lips curved into a smile that felt like a win.

"I would. Just not today."

"Oh." Disappointment settled in fast.

"I'm meeting a friend," she said, then hesitated. "But tomorrow could work. If you want."

I smiled. "Tomorrow sounds perfect."

"Give me your phone."

She blinked, then handed it over. I typed my number in and passed it back just as someone shouted my name from across the street.

"Dylan!"

I turned and waved. Tyler jogged over, stopping short when he noticed Jessica—and her soaked shirt.

"Who's this?" he asked. "And why does she look like she lost a fight with soda?"

Her eyes widened. "You're Tyler Posey."

"Guilty," he said, laughing.

She stepped back, smiling at both of us.

"I should go."

"See you tomorrow," I said.

She nodded—and then she disappeared into the crowd.

Tyler and I started walking again.

"So," he said, "you like her."

"I just met her," I replied. "But yeah. I do."

He shook his head. "Let's get to work."

I nodded—but my mind was already on tomorrow.