It felt strange, Lea finally being able to call Dylan her boyfriend. At first, he was hesitant. He wanted to express his feelings for Lea, and she knew it. But Sofia would not let go of him. It took patience, but eventually it got a bit easier. He'd hold her hand in front of Jade and kiss her on the lips freely.
One particular night, Lea realized they had come much farther than she thought. She and Dylan lay in bed side by side, a ritual that had started the night after their relationship became official. Usually, Lea would sleep while Dylan watched. He was an insomniac, plagued with terrible nightmares of his murdered ex girlfriend...needless to say, sleeping was difficult for him.
That night an exhausted Lea turned to Dylan to say goodnight, but stopped short when she realized his eyes were shut. It was only after she noticed his deep, even breaths that she realized he was actually alseep.
Dylan Hernandez...asleep, after three long years of being wide awake. Not only that, he was smiling.
Lea smiled too, gave him a peck on the cheek and curled up into his arms to sleep beside him.
The next night, everyone sat around the dinner table, silently sipping their drinks and crunching on their salads. One question burned in everyone's mind, but nobody had the courage to ask it out loud.
"Okay, I have two things to say!" Jade finally exclaimed. Lea and Dylan both looked up at her.
"I am so happy that you two are together," she began and Lea and Dylan exchanged knowing smiles with eachother. "But Dyl, that is not Lay's foot it's mine, and if you don't stop playing footsie with me under the table my fork is going through your eye!"
Dylan's smile instantly fell, and a deep shade of scarlet rose on his cheeks. "Sorry," he murmured as Lea erupted in a fit giggles.
"It's the thought that counted," Lea assured him, stifling a laugh. Then she leaned over the table and gave Dylan a peck on the lips.
Jade cleared her throat to get their attention. "Secondly...--" she began before Dylan interjected.
"You're not done talking?" Dylan asked her, smirking slightly and rolling his eyes.
"Oh shut it, Big Brother, you know you love my voice!" Jade shot back and then continued. "Secondly...you guys went through hell and back to get Sofia's phone records. So far they've done nothing but sit in the middle of the kitchen table. Don't get me wrong, I think it makes a wonderful center piece, but when the hell are we going to crack that baby open and take a look!?"
"I guess we should take a look soon," Dylan responded and then averted his eyes toward his dinner plate.
Lea knew what he was thinking. He wouldn't admit it, but Dylan was scared. Lea never thought about how difficult it would be for Dylan to read those phone records. Part of him didn't want to know about Sofia's hidden life. He didn't want details that would add fire to the burning flame of Dylan's turmoil. Lea didn't blame him for being hesitant, but she knew the only way to further the investigation, was by looking at those records. She had to encourage him.
Lea reached across the table and took Dylan's hand in her own. She carressed it between her index finger and thumb, and smiled reassuringly in his direction. "After dinner...we'll open them, together."
Dylan nodded back and flashed her a thankful grin. "Agreed."
...
"This is it," Lea said quietly to Jade and Dylan after dinner that night. They sat around the coffee table in the living room, staring down at the records.
"In a few seconds we'll be one step closer to Sofia's lover," Dylan finished her thought.
"And one step closer to finding her killer," Jade added in. "Hopefully."
Lea reached down and picked the records off the coffee table. She turned to Dylan and handed them over. "I think you should look first. If you can handle it."
Dylan nodded and took the paper from her. He stared down at it a few minutes, unmoving. Then he looked up at Lea, leaned in and planted a sweet kiss upon her lips. "This won't change anything about us, okay? The way I feel about you...it won't ever change."
"I know," Lea said with a slight smile.
"Now open it!" Jade chimed in, impatiently.
Dylan unfolded the paper and his eyes began to scan the records. Lea and Jade watched expectantly, wondering what he'd find. Several minutes later, Dylan looked back up at them and said, "it's on here. His number is on here."
"Really!? How can you tell!?" Jade asked excitedly.
"I recognize all the other numbers that are listed. Mine, yours, Fia's parents...But there's one I've never seen before. And it's on here more frequently than any other number. Who else could that be?"
"Let me see!" Jade ripped the records from her brother's hands and her eyes scanned the information as well. Her nose scrunched and her eyebrows turned down in confusion. "555-6720...you're right, I don't know that number either. And it is on here a whole hell of a lot. That must be him."
Lea hardly listened to the rest of the conversation that played out in front of her; because that phone number did ring bells for her. In fact, it was so sickeningly familiar it caused her heart to beat ten times faster and bile to rise in her throat. She couldn't believe it. What kind of sick irony was this!?
555-6720...Mason's cellphone number.
