Way Back into Love ↪ Owen Grady

thirteen ↪ not a minute

    I lay down on the couch, a pillow wrapped in my arms, my head playing hundreds of different scenarios of how things could be. Four days left. Was I hoping that after the dino save of the previous day Roger would reconsider my internship? Yes. Did he? No.

    "Good news: I asked Claire to choose between me and Owen and she chose me" Nick blurted out happily.

    "Bad news?"

    "Owen has a date tonight" he coughed.

    "Good for him" my voice broke. And that's how quickly daydreams die.

    I probably always knew it was never going to happen, not with Owen. I mean, just look at the guy. Too good to be true. The truth is I kept holding on to this unrealistic hope that maybe those words he said to me meant something, that he wasn't just being nice, that he actually liked me that way.

    "I may or may have not told Claire you have a date too, hoping she would deliver the information to Owen"

    "What the heck? Why would you do that?" I groan frustrated. I really wasn't in the mood to dating, obviously.

    "You'll just have to fake it, please go"

    "Who is this date with?" I squeezed my eyes shut, scared of the answer.

    "Oh, eheh, I first thought of Lowery but then I thought nah. So I asked Dyson. The guy already likes you, score!"

    "Are you insane?!" I quickly got up from the couch and went to my brother just to slap his arm. "That is so not right"

    "Geez, weirdo, you don't have to marry the guy! Chill maybe?"

    "Jesus, Nicholas!"

.

    Bad thing: I didn't put much effort into looking extra. I went for a light grey sweater and black leggings. Good thing: at least I was going to get out and hopefully not crawl into a ball and think about Owen.

    I was already on my way to the diner when my phone buzzed. I brushed it off and waited to get there before reading the text. I walked into the place and chose a table. The text was from Dyson. — "I'm so so so sorry, Roger just asked me to cover another shift and I won't be out of here until a few hours :( I'll make it up to you, I promise"

    I locked my phone and looked up so I wouldn't cry in a public place. My first date, even though fake, after that heck of a break-up and I'd been ditched. Nice. I placed my order anyway and sat alone, no big deal, right? Oh, how I didn't know the worst was about to come at me like a bucket of cold water. Owen and his date walked into the diner.

    I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, trying to process everything. Just walk out. Yes, yes. The best option so far. I slowly stood up and stepped towards the check-out counter so I could at least get some food and go eat it somewhere else, anywhere else. All the way there from my table, I felt a pair of eyes following my every movement. Don't let it be him, don't let it be him, please.

    "It'd be twenty dollars" the young girl at the check-out desk informed. I handed her the money and grabbed the box of food. "Thank you, have a good evening"

    Sure thing, Chelsea.

    The outside of the visitors center was almost empty for some reason, with only a few couples and families hanging out around souvenirs shops. I went for a seat on a small marble bench next to the Mosasaurus exhibit, which was incredibly silent. Good. The box of food smelled good but, at that point, I wasn't even that hungry.

    "Never have I seen this part of the pack so empty"

    What was wrong with the guy? Did he enjoy messing me up and making me feel in a certain way and then act like it was a one-sided fantasy?

    "Never have I been here so I don't know" I cut short.

    "Are you okay?" his voice softened drastically and I just wanted to punch him at that point.

    "Yep"

    "You don't look-"

    "I am" I glanced up at him for the first time and I really wish I didn't.

    Owen frowned in a way that additionally broke my heart a little more. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you"

    I looked away and nodded.

    "I can leave if that's what you want"

    My heart ached at how those words sounded coming out of his lips. I was going to regret every bit of the damn decision I was about to make. Ask him to leave? Broken heart because he would leave. Ask him to stay? Broken heart because he would mess up with my feelings yet again.

    I glanced up at him, who already had his gaze on me as he kneeled down next to me. "No, it's okay"

He nodded and thought for a moment, hesitant about whether to speak those next words or not. "Have you been crying?"

    I looked down and shrugged. What I wasn't expecting to feel next was his long warm arms wrapped around me pulling me into a side hug against his chest. My whole body got numb as his scent shut down my whole being. I gave up every resistance and gave in.

    The way he started running his fingers through my hair was sending me. Don't overthink this. The moment was abruptly interrupted by Owen's phone buzzing. At first, he didn't move, but at the third call, he just had to pick up.

    "What now, Barry?" he sounded genuinely annoyed. "What?!"

    He put his phone on speakers for some reason. "They want to shut down the whole park. InGen just landed with a bunch of helicopters. Roger's order is to evacuate every facility and bring the visitors to the panic floor"

    I snapped my head up in confusion. What the heck was going on?!

    "Elle's with me, we will evacuate the nearby. Prepare the quads for the team, stay in position. We knew about the eventuality of this happening"

    "Owen, what's wrong?" I frantically asked as he stood up and helped me up on my feet.

    "We need to evacuate the area. Right now."