When the Game Changed (Ryan Haywood x OC) (Fake AH Crew)

Chapter 16

A/N: Hey guys, sorry this one took a while to update. I was having extreme writer's block, like on how to put my words into what was in my mind, so this one might kind of suck and it's the shortest chapter so far I believe. I promise I didn't mean to. There won't ever be a lot like this cause I always have everything planned, but this was an exception. Anyways, hope it's not totally butchered, and love you guys! <3

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As soon as Griffon walked Dakota out of the Ramsey home and let her be on her way, Dakota's phone started to vibrate rapidly until she answered while walking to her car.

"Dakota?!" the voice was tired and somewhat jittery, and coming from that person, she was a little worried.

"Burnie? I've been trying to call you because I really needed you and-"

"Dak!" Burnie immediately interrupted the woman, causing her to stop putting the key into the slot on her car door at the sound of his tone. "Look, Ineed you now. We can talk about whatever it was you wanted to later, but right now, you need to meet me somewhere."

Dakota became a little stiff while listening to him on the other side of the phone.

"What's wrong?"

"Look, I'm leaving the FIB building right now, just..." Burnie paused for a moment and sighed, thinking to himself. "How fast can you get to Bean Machine in that little shopping area downtown?"

"Why- why the hell were you at the FIB building on Saturday? You're always off on Saturday unless there's a case."

"I'll explain it all to you when we meet, so how long, Dak?"

"I mean I'm up in the hills right now, but I can be there in about... twenty minutes?"

"Good, me too. I'll see you there."

And with that, Dakota unlocked her car, hopped inside, started it up, and sped all the way to the meeting place, all sorts of thoughts and worries and fears rambling through her young mind that all ended badly.

She had no idea how to feel, because it had been forever since she last even spoke to Burnie. They were both just too busy with things of their own, and she felt bad because she really missed him, but Dak knew that it wasn't anything personal on either of their parts. She didn't even talk to him when Geoff recruited him to help with the Lahey thing though, and it still made her feel bad.

But Burnie was usually the calm person, the one who knew what to do and had advice for everything if Dakota didn't have a mind of her own. So for him to be acting as jittery as he was, it kind of freaked Dak out.

It took her a while to find the Bean Machine whenever she raced herself downtown, because that was the spot that she met Burnie at when they were both working, and it had been a while since the two met there. She almost forgot where the location was, but after a few minutes of idling in the parking lot of the shopping area and looking up and down the street to search for the sign, she found it and exited the car.

Upon approaching the coffee shop, her blue orbs scanned every inch of it to find her friend, and when she spotted a man clad in a black collared shirt, blue jeans, and boots, also equipped with a baseball cap on top of his head out in the patio, she immediately took a sprint to him.

When she got close, Dakota sprung just as the man turned to face her, and the two bodies collided. The man had to put his arm behind her and catch the guardrail surrounding the patio just to keep them up and in the air, one arm snaked around her waist and holding on tightly out of reflex. Dakota refused to let him go even as he seriously struggled to stay up, and she buried her head into his chest, taking in his scent of expensive, good-smelling cologne and his natural musk. Two flavors she missed all too much.