Strange // Ryllon

twenty

I nervously tap my foot against the ground as we drive. I'm on the verge of tears, my heart is aching, and I feel sick.

"What if they're lying?" I ask.

"About them being together?" Brendon asks, obviously confused why I would ever accuse them of that.

"No, I mean about Dallon. What if he isn't actually fine but they realized I'll get super worried about it so they're lying and saying he is alright?"

"Well..." Brendon begins, so I look at him. "He... isn't exactly fine."

My eyes widen and my heart drops.

"What?"

"Spencer texted me privately before we left and said Dallon is really... off, I guess. He hasn't said a single word since they left the hospital, he hasn't been sleeping, he's been constantly staring off into space, and apparently he dropped his phone and just walked off, and he's so distant quiet and Spencer's getting scared. You're gonna help him, though, remember?"

I nod and try to steady my shaking hands by gripping my sleeves tightly. I'm wearing Dallon's sweater, I realize that now, and I hug it close.

We pull up to the house and I'm first to get out. I hurry to the front door and frantically knock. Breathing starts to get hard, my chest is filled with so much anxiety that it hurts, and-

Brendon places his hand on my shoulder and gives me a sad smile, a way of trying tell me it'll be okay. I nod.

The door opens and Spencer hesitates. I can see it, but I send him a pleading look and he sighs, then steps back.

"He's upstairs," he tells me, and so I run in and up the stairs, then down the hall.

He is laying on his bed sideways, staring at the ceiling with a sad look planted on his features. He slowly looks at me, and then it changes. His eyes widen a bit and he quickly stands up. Jon, who is sitting next to him, looks up, then turns around, but I don't break eye contact.

"Hey," Dallon says.

I'm in love with him.

I walk up to him, place my hands on the sides of neck, then immediately crash my lips against his. He doesn't hesitate to kiss me back, because yeah, he likes me too. He holds me close by my waist. Our bodies are pressed together and my left hand moves to his hair, pulling him even closer.

I hear talking downstairs and I realize now that Jon has left the room.

I pull away and look him in the eyes. I look terrified, I know I do, because I am.

"Why are you crying?" He asks me worriedly, hands moving up to wipe my tears away. I hesitate, looking at him sadly, and he tenses. "They told you, didn't they?"

"They told me you were in the hospital and then I pieced together why," I inform him quietly.

"Why'd you leave?"

A tear runs down my cheek and I remember what Brendon told me.

"Because I'm terrified of falling in love after Brendon, and... I fell madly in love with you," I say with a small chuckle. "I was scared of losing you so I thought if I pushed you away then I could get over you, and I would've ended up like you but worse if I didn't stay with Jon," I explain. His expression changes slightly and he looks more worried and cautious. Only Jon knew about all the suicidal thoughts and attempts and breakdowns and whatnot, and I didn't think I'd ever open up about it to anyone else.

"You're in love with me?" He asks quietly. I nod.

"Very much so," I say. He breaks into a smile.

"Man, that really would've been good information to know after you left," Dallon says, and we both laugh. "I'm madly in love with you too."

My eyes light up and I nearly gasp. I knew he liked me, I didn't know he was madly in love with me.

"Really?"

"Why else would I be kissing and holding you all the time?"

We laugh again and I pull him into a hug. We hold each other tightly and I snuggle into him.

"Can I stay the night?"

"Please do," Dallon tells me. "I don't want you to leave."

"I won't. By the way, everyone downstairs knows I'm in love with you. Apparently, it was obvious," I say jokingly. Dallon chuckles lightly, the sound vibrating up through his neck and chest, and I feel my heart skip a beat.

"Soon we can tell them that we're..." he says as we pull away, and we stop. "What are we?"

I take a deep breath, look into his eyes, and smile a bit. "Together?"

Dallon smiles the cutest smile I've ever seen and says, "Will you be my boyfriend?"

"Yes."

He pulls me closer somehow and kisses me. My left arm wraps around his neck and grips his shirt and my other hand remains on his jaw.

"By the way," he manages to say a few things in between kisses, "when we kissed... in the... kitchen..."

"Yeah?"

He lets our lips move together for a few seconds, then pulls away completely.

"I didn't want it to be a one-time thing, I was just trying to do everything I could to keep you staying here because of how much I liked you, and I was afraid you hated me," he explains.

"I bet we both would've gotten together sooner if we didn't try to convince each other that whatever happens between us was platonic."

Dallon laughs and kisses me again. I don't think I could ever get tired of him kissing me. A single kiss from him is enough to make me feel like I'm on top of the world.

He pulls away and takes a step back.

"Should we go down now?" I ask. He nods, the smile fading away into a nervous expression.

"Yeah," he says.

"It's gonna be okay. I've got you now," I say, smiling shyly as I take his hand. We walk out of the room and down the stairs to join the others.

"How do we even prove it to you?" I hear Spencer ask.

"I wanna see you kiss," Brendon says as Dallon and I step into the living room. Jon and Spencer turn to each other and kiss, and Brendon and I stare in shock and fascination. Dallon tenses.

"Woah," we all say in unison, and they all turn to me and Dallon.

"Did it work?" Brendon mouths to me. I smile and nod. "Yes! I... feel like such a third wheel right now," he says while looking to the two couples in the room.

"Wait, are you two together now?" Jon asks us, so Dallon nods and holds up our hands. I kiss his cheek and he looks down while smiling like and idiot. I laugh a bit and hug him, and he kisses my head.

Brendon was right.

It is gonna be okay.