ALL THE LOVE WE LEAVE BEHIND

Chapter 16

"Do you want to stop and grab lunch on the way?" The hunger in my mouth made my stomach grumble, as I tilted my head over to Dylan's wary face.

"We're about 5 minutes from home. We could just order in." He gave an alternative, as I zipped my lips shut.

He had barely talked the entire way, or perhaps the issue was that I had overspoken- ever since we got into the car, I had gone on a rambling spree about how much I enjoyed being there. What I failed to acknowledge was that, while Dylan was as supportive as ever about it, he was reticent about how his day went.

"What's wrong?" I dropped, with my chin towards him.

"Nothing." He crossed his eyes, and losened his shoulders, but that wasn't even close enough to having me fooled.

"You're not the only one that can read minds, you know." I raised my eyebrow, as he smirked, and gracefully admitted defeat.

"It isn't something to gloat over, but 2 of the interns left halfway today, and we already had a very small turnout, so this just means a hell of alot more work for us."

"What?" He asked at my silent grin.

"It's just cute how you're so flustered over work. I never took you to be a dork." I smiled.

"I just care about this place, and it's hanging by a thread right now. This internship was supposed to keep it running, and till yesterday everything seemed pretty hopeful, but today we're back to square one."

The frown in his eyebrows, and the sudden tight grip on the steering wheel, made me hold back on any 'work dork' jokes for the time being. He really did have an attachment to this place, and I understood why; one day, and I was already in love with it. He had been working here for far longer, but his concern for it was far more admirable than I would have liked to admit.

"You're not back to square one Dylan." I held the hand that he had subtly removed from my thigh, as the tightness on the wheel mellowed."The internship started today, and from what I experienced, it was nowhere close to being a flop, and I'm not just saying that, I really mean it. And it's not just me that thinks that way, it's all the other interns, because we had fun. Just because a couple of people dodged the last minute doesn't mean the entire thing was in vain right? I mean don't you always tell me to look at the brighter side of things?"

"There would be a brighter side, had the workload not been so much." He grumbled.

"Well, if it helps, I'm always here." I offered, as he smiled enough for me to know, it was enough.

"Yeah. I know." The twinkle in his eyes gave me the incentive to grin, leaving us to simper the rest of the way.

"Pizza or pasta?" I asked, just as we stepped into the apartment, leaving the car parked at its usual spot outside.

"I was thinking, burgers." Dylan suggested, as I pressed the elevator button, and gave him a judgemental glare.

"Mhm." I punched my lips in, declaring that that was off the menu.

"I'll make you try an incredible burger place, I promise." He pleaded, which I normally would have objected to, but his last restaurant choice did end with me walking on air, so I decided to be complacent.

"Alright, you win." I surrendered, before adding in my last bit. "But only this time."

"Keep telling yourself that, love. I win every time." He whispered, as my mouth gaped open, but before any words could really come out, a distraction arrived.

"Oh. Hi." A surprised Blake walked out of the elevator, as a smile flashed across my face. He was wearing a tee blue turtleneck, had his hair in the same messy look as it did the other day, his face held a sweet tune, and his right hand held an overcrowded plastic bag- was it really possible to appear this handsome while taking out the trash?