Rehab, Actors & Love

Perfect Together

I waited patiently as Della's mom and brothers talked to her. I was eager to see Della and to talk to her, but I knew her family would want to see her first. And alone.

I sighed as I ran my hands through my hair, trying to get rid of the nerves.

"You must be Dylan."

I looked up to see a man walking towards me. I quickly stood up when I realized that this was Della's father.

"Yes," I said, wiping my hands on my pants before reaching out to shake his hand. "Dylan O'Brien."

"It's nice to meet you, Dylan." He said, shaking my hand. "I'm David Palmer, Della's father."

"It's nice to meet you, sir. Your wife and sons are talking to Della."

I let go of his hand and waited for him to walk in to see his daughter. I furrowed my eyebrows when he didn't walk into her room and, instead, nodded as he sat in the chair next to the one I was previously sitting in. I hesitated before sitting back down.

"Dylan, before I go in and see my daughter, I was wondering if we could have a little chat."

"Oh," I stuttered, my hands suddenly shaking. "Sure."

"I'll be honest with you, son. When Della first told us she had found the driver responsible for her horrible accident, I was angry. I couldn't move past the fact that my daughter was spending time with the man responsible for all of her pain and agony the past year."

I felt guilty as he sent me a glare. I held my breath as he sighed. "But, Dells wasn't angry. When she told us who you were, she was calm. She claimed that it was the closure she needed. I wanted to agree with her, but I couldn't. I tired, Dylan. I really did but as her father, I couldn't let it go."

"Sir," I tried to reassure myself.

"But," he interrupted me before I could continue. "She told us that you were trying to make it up to her. The way she talked about you, Dylan, I realized something long before she did."

I looked back up at him to see the expression on his face suddenly change. He looked over at me and sighed. "I realized that she cared for you. More than she should've. And that quite possibly, maybe you did too."

He stopped talking, waiting for me to confirm or deny his thinking. "I do," I said, unable to stop the smile. "I really do, sir. I care about Della. A lot. In fact. . ." I hesitated, but when I saw the look on his face, I had a feeling he already knew what I was about to say.

"I love her, sir," I said, my cheeks burning when I saw the look on his face. "I'm in love with your daughter, Mr. Palmer. I know I probably don't deserve her. I think that every day, sir. And if you give me the chance, I would like to spend the rest of my life proving that to her. And to you and the rest of your family."

I held my breath, waiting for his response. "How do you feel about the accident?"

"I regret it more than anything in the world," I said without hesitating. "For a long time, every time I saw her and looked into her eyes I felt extremely guilty. When I started to fall for her, I still couldn't shake away the guilt. Even though I love her, I will always regret that night."

He nodded, glancing back at her room. I looked down at my hands, thinking about my time at the center.

"Dylan," Della's dad said, breaking the silence. "Before anything, I need to ask you something."

I looked up to see him staring at me strangely. "Of course," I said, suddenly feeling uneasy.

"I know you're this big Hollywood actor," he cleared his throat, "but my daughter is very important to me. I don't want someone to come into her life, just to leave and hurt her even more. I need to know that the young man she spends time with, cares about her just as much as her family does. With that in mind, I want you to really think before you answer my question."

I nodded, waiting for him to ask me. "Dylan, if you had to, would you be willing to give up acting for Adeline?"

"She gave up singing because of me," I said looking down at my hands. I rolled my shoulders, looking back up at him, determined. "I would give up everything for her."

I held my breath, waiting for his response. "That's very reassuring to hear, Dylan." He nodded, slowly turning back towards the door to Della's hospital room. "I love Della very much. All her life, she has never opened herself up to anyone outside the family as much as she has to you. I just don't want to see her hurt. Watching her go through the past year and a half has not been easy. But these last few months, we've all noticed a change in her. And I think it's because of you."

He didn't say anything else as he stood up and walked into Della's room. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as the door shut. I ran my hands through my hair and slumped into my chair.

"You okay?"

I looked up at see Evan smirking at me.

"I can't help but. . . I have this weird feeling that, sooner or later, I'm going to lose Della." I sighed, running my hands through my hair. "And I can't get rid of it. It's like I'm waiting for her to wake up, realize that I'm just the asshole who ruined her life and leave me. I can't. . . I can't lose her, Evan. I wouldn't be okay if she left me."

"The fact that you couldn't handle if she left is exactly why she never will," Evan said as he sat next to me. "Dylan, I've watched both of you these past few months. Together and on your own. Both of you have grown a lot. Because of the other. You changed Della's life, Dylan."

"She changed mine," I mumbled, looking down at my hands.

Evan laughed before sitting back in his chair. "You both need each other. Della needs someone willing to take care of her, even when she resists. She needs a man like you in her life who will be strong so she doesn't have to anymore. You? You need someone willing to give you a fresh start. Multiple times."

"Do you think. . ." I hesitated to get my question out. "Do you think I'm good enough for Della?"

Evan sighed as his smirk turned into a genuine smile. "I'll be honest with you, Dylan. When I first met you, the answer was a strong no. You were nowhere near to being good enough for Della. Why do you think I warned you to stay away from her?"

I bit my lip, waiting for him to hopefully say something more encouraging. He laughed when he saw the look on my face.

"But, now? I've seen how much you've changed, Dylan. An all for Della. You are a completely different person after being around her. I see that. She sees that. Hopefully, you see that too. You aren't the only one who's changed. Della has too. You caused her to open up and finally start focusing on the bright side of things. Because of you, Della is more confident in herself. It's like she was never in the accident. But most importantly, you care about her."

"I don't just care about her, Evan. I'm in love with her. But am I good enough for her?" I asked again.

"Dylan," he sighed. "No one could ever be good enough for someone. Not in the sense that you're thinking. But, you do deserve her. Just like she deserves you."

I sighed as I looked away from him. "I know I should feel better, but. . . She deserves someone better than me. Someone. . . Someone who didn't cause the accident that took everything from her."

"So, that's what this is about," he said with a knowing smirk. "Dylan, how many times has Della told you to stop thinking about the accident?"

I shrugged, causing him to laugh. "I'll take that as a lot," he laughed. "She doesn't blame you for what happened. It happened. It's time for you to move on. I know it's hard, but try."

"How?"

"Simple," he shrugged, still smirking at me. "Love her. You say you're in love with her. Prove it. Spend the rest of your life, not making up for the accident but proving your love for her. Give her the life she deserves with a man who loves her more than anything in the world and who would do anything for her. If you do that, the guilt you feel will be replaced with all the love you show her."