Fall for You ➳ D. O'Brien [1]

➳ 13

Cara was sitting in the backyard of her childhood home, where she'd crashed last night instead of returning home to Spencer, when Dylan started facetiming her. The sun was glaring down at her, but thankfully the Aspirin she'd taken earlier that morning was already subduing the pain in her head, and so she was watching her sister play in a paddling pool with their four-year-old cousin, Emily. Paisley was asleep in Cara's old room, which she'd been doing in the last twelve hours since she and Paisley stumbled into her room with Thea, who'd left a little while after she'd woken up.

"Hey," Cara said to Dylan when his face turned up on her screen, smiling softly at him. He quirked a brow at her.

"You look really good for someone who's apparently 'hungover as hell'," He hummed, referring to the text she'd sent him when she woke up.

"I always look good, thank you Dylan," She smirked, glancing up towards her sister as she heard a squeal.

"Someone sounds like they're having fun," He chuckled, moving to sit on a nearby sofa.

"Moony's in the paddling pool with our little cousin, Emily," She explained, smiling at her sister when she turned a questioning gaze to her. "I'm talking to Dylan!" She called out to her sister, who nodded once before she was shot with a water gun.

"Tell him I say hi!" She called as she lifted Emily from the pool, spinning her in the air.

"Moony says―,"

"I heard," He smiled, "How come you aren't joining them?"

"I'm waiting for Paisley to wake up," She shrugged, "And also for my Mom watching the episode of Sons of Anarchy that she's on so she can drive us home,"

"Do you and Paisley live together?"

"No, she lives with Thea ― who actually left a little while ago without Paisley," She rolled her eyes, "We were originally going to move in together, but then Spencer asked me to move in with him, so," She shrugged again, "Paisley and Thea have only been living together for, like, a week longer than me and Spencer? Maybe less, maybe a little bit more? I don't know," She laughed.

"I don't think I've talked to Spencer before," His eyebrows knitted together.

"You said you wanted to steal his dog,  he said you couldn't," She grinned, "Pepper, remember?"

He nodded, "Oh yeah, I remember that cute little fluff ball,"

"I prefer cats to be honest," She hummed, "But, I do love dogs, too. I'm trying to convince him to let me adopt a kitten," She pursed her lips, "He doesn't like cats,"

"So, Spencer's your―,"

"Oh!" She laughed, "Sorry, yeah. Spencer's my boyfriend, has been for nearly two years now," Dylan's smile fell for the briefest of seconds, but it reappeared so quick that Cara was sure she must have imagined it. It was probably just― just a glitch in their cameras or something.

"I'm not quite sure what to say right now," He laughed, "I feel like congratulations is too much and I'm glad is too weird? What am I supposed to say when someone tells you they've been with their boyfriend for two years?"

"That's nice?" She suggested, "You're so lucky to have found someone that is willing to put up with you in such a cruel, cruel world?"

"I'll go with the first one," He rolled his eyes, "That's nice,"

"You're an ass." She chortled.

"Oh my God," Paisley groaned as she came out the back door, "How are you sitting out in the sun?" She dropped onto the floor beside Cara and rested her head on her shoulder, squinting at the brunette's phone screen. "Is that Dylan O'Brien?"

"Is that Paisley Jane?" Dylan retorted with a laugh.

"It's Paisley Jane Smith, actually," Cara corrected him, "I should probably go now, Dyl. I'll talk to you when I get home?"

"I might reply late, I've got to be back on set in ten," He said, "But, feel free to spam me with whatever useless thought pops into your mind,"

"So, the usual then?" She smirked, "Bye, Dylan,"

"Bye, Brooks. Bye, Paisley," He grinned, then yelled, "Bye Moony!"

Cara slid her phone into the pocket of her jeans when the call ended, leaning against Paisley, who hummed besides her. "So, how does Spencer feel about Dylan?" She asked, aiming for nonchalance, at which she failed.

"He'd prefer if I spoke to him less," She frowned, "But, he doesn't mind that I'm talking to him. He understands that we're friends, and knows that he can't stop me from being his friend. He trusts me," She smiled, bringing her knees up to her chest.

"Of course he does," Paisley smiled, "He's in love with you, has been since he was sixteen, and you've never given him any reason not to trust you,"

"He could do a hell of a lot better than me, Pais'," She bit her lip, "I always thought he was in love with you,"

"That's ridiculous," Paisley laughed, "He's only ever had eyes for you."

---