Billboards and Benches

Chapter 44

"Pickles!" Is giggles on the other end of the phone.  She missed his voice. She knows that it takes him forever to call if he ever does but it's nice to hear him. He loves just talking to calm his sister down. She did that for him for years of their childhood. When she went missing he stopped sleeping he couldn't ever calm down and he could never sleep. Then he went missing and Dylan found herself talking to the empty space around her. When he went missing she was really alone. He used to spend most nights at her house with her. He was sixteen she has her own place now he's eighteen and living god knows where for god knows what reason. "I miss you babe!" He smiles into the phone that she has on speaker. Her boyfriend looks nervous but he knows she wouldn't have played it out loud if he wasn't supposed to hear it.

"I miss you too, you should come home." She rolls her eyes. Shawn sits behind her kissing her neck softly. He feels threatened by whoever is on the other line and Dylan knows that just as well as Andrew.

"Did I make him mad?" He laughs softly. "There's a reason you don't put me on speakerphone when your boyfriends are around. You know how Gerald was." He's always hated her boyfriends. Every single one of them until now. She dated a lot of people for press she never expected to end up with Gerald and she wasn't ever sure if she wanted to. He was never what her brother wanted for her. When Andrew used to spend all of his time with her she was with Gerald. Every time Gerald got around to visiting her he would accuse her of cheating because Andrew was around. He hung up every time Andrew tried to call. When he left he left because his parents didn't understand him and he felt like he had no one left. Dylan was almost never answering her phone and every time she got a call Gerald ended it. "I like this guy better. He hasn't hung up on me yet." He smiles. He's never said that about any of her boyfriends before now.

"He feels threatened and I can tell but he won't hang up on you. He's too good for that. He'll just make me feel bad instead." She teases and his eyes roll. "He would love to meet you Drew. You need to come visit okay?"

"I would if I could." He sighs. "I miss you, I just needed to hear your voice." He hates that this is the way it is. He hates that he has to call her up every few years just to hear his sisters voice so that his stress levels will go down.

"What's stressing you out?" She sighs lifting her phone and leaning further into her boyfriends chest. "I'm here for you, always. You know that but it helps if you tell me what's making you so nervous." He hates when she asks him about it. Ha hates that she always wants to know if he's hurt or upset. He loves her for it but it's annoying. He can't tell her anything either.

"I don't want to talk about it. I just wanted to hear you." He sighs. When their mom was pregnant she used to spend hours just talking to her moms stomach. It was her baby brother and she was so excited about him. All she wanted was for him to love her and play with her.

"Babe will you go start on dinner?" She turns to her boyfriend who nods. He kisses her cheek softly and stands.

"I was not threatened, by the way." He huffs. They both start to laugh and he walks out of the room.

"I love you!" Dylan calls back with a smile. "He proposed Drew. We're getting married as soon as he gets back." She smiles sinking into the pillows.

"How long does it take the man to cook dinner?" He laughs. She smiles but can't find herself able to join in on his laughter. "I-I was joking pickles. I'm sorry." He mumbles at the lack of response from his sister.

"It's not your fault. He joined the army. That's where he's going before we can get married". She whispers peeking out her bedroom door. When she sees nothing and lay back down on her bed. She wishes she could've kept Drew home and safe from the outside world but instead he's missing and he calls her once every few years from a blocked number. No matter how many private investors her family hires they just can't find him.