Right There || Dylan O'Brien

chapter twenty-eight; winter

They were exhausted after a few rounds of Twister, sitting or lying on the couch in different positions and rubbing whatever was aching. For Clara it was her back, eyes closed to still the pain with her hand on Dylan's shoulder. His hands hurt; apparently having Seana's feet standing on it for a second by accident wasn't very comfortable. Well, the freaking game in general wasn't comfortable but who was there to blame? Himself.

Then he realized something, caressing the back of Clara's hand with thumb as he sighed against her hair. He wasn't sure how to ask her to come with him,  killing time by doing what he was doing right now. Sitting, enjoying the feeling of her in his arms and hearing her breathe slowly.

"Aren't you supposed to do something, Dyl?"

The question, more like statement made Clara sit up, turning to Dylan in curiosity. A smile formed around her mouth. "What are you supposed to do? Is it important?"

Thank you so much, Crystal. He didn't want to move, no that wasn't because of his hand or legs, perhaps the rest of his body but because of Clara. How many chances was he going to get to be with her like this? Freaking Crystal.

"Depends on how you define important," he gave a her wink, ignoring the urge to glare at the dark brunette and standing up lazily. As he continued to hold her hand, he pulled her after her to his bedroom. He closed the door behind him.

"I define important as something that is..." she waited a moment while sitting down on the bed, giggling softly when nothing came up into her mind. "...important."

He laughed and opened the drawer of his nightstand to grab the present. It was a thin box, wrapped in black and blue. What was in it, he only knew. Well, next to the fact Holland had been asking her questions just to be sure that he would buy her something that she liked, and she could have a tiny clue.

"Important or not, the last present you'll be getting tonight is from me. I wasn't sure what to buy you, Holland and Crystal both helped me but eventually I remembered what you said... you know, at McDonalds, when we first hang out. You asked what you preferred, summer or winter. You said, 'winter. It's the best season of the year'..." he paused, nervous smile appearing on his face. "You remember?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"So, I thought about that. But then you said to Holland you wasn't sure what you'd do if I would buy you jewelry, a necklace." He laughed, mentally cursing himself. Did he really have to talk this much? You could just give it to her, dumbass. "I don't know what I'm doing, I'm never sure what I'm doing but what I hope is that you're going to like it-..."

"You didn't have to buy me anything." When he handed her the box, she gazed at him with her blue eyes and smiled. "I already am so thankful that you're doing all this. I don't know what's going through your mind-..."

"Yes, I had to. I wanted to."

A sigh left her mouth, shaking her head as she began to unwrap it.

Dylan was just impatiently waiting for her to open it entirely and see her reaction when she saw what was it in. He had been stressing over it for days and not only for such little thing, but for this day. This day had to be perfect.

And he succeeded, because when Clara took the necklace with the snowflake pendent out of the box, a wide smile was tugging on the corners of her mouth. She wrapped her arms around him to hug him, to thank him and it was the best feeling. Especially when he heard a giggle in his ear as he pulled her closer, "it all makes sense, what you said. Winter, a snowflake. I mean, like-... Dylan, what is wrong with you? You can't just do that."

"Buy you something for your birthday?"

She let go, softly hitting his chest with a dramatic groan. "No, I mean... like, be so amazing. I've never met anyone like you-..." Heat flowed to her cheeks when she realized what she was saying. What time was it? Blurting out things like this was what she did when she was tired. No, she had to keep quiet, not say a word ever again.