Short Stories | Sean x Kaycee

Can I Be...

An AU. 

(Forgive me, my writing is rusty.)

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"Finally. The Kaycee Rice that my guy has been talking about ever since. It's so nice to finally meet you," Dylan Mayoral said in a thick British accent, eyes twinkling as he took my hand in a polite handshake, before glancing behind me where Sean stood, flashing him a shameless smirk. Then he turned back to me. "You're way prettier in person, if I may be forward –don't look at me like that, Sean. It's true."

I think I have an idea how Sean was looking at him, so I giggled.

"And you freaking killed it a while ago. You're a beast," Dylan said, overly gushing, and I could feel my neck and cheeks flush, still unable to take compliments well. I only told him a soft thank you over a small chuckle.

"God. No wonder Lew's head-over-heels for you," he said, grinning.

How I wish that's how it all went. But of course the reality is like a painful bitch-slap on the face. On my face.

"Finally. The girl that my guy has been talking about. It's so nice to finally meet you," Dylan said, shaking the dainty hand of the tall, slender brunette a couple of feet from me, flashing Sean a smile who was standing on the girl's other side.

"You talked to him about me?" A look of genuine surprise overcame her pretty features, surprised at the information.

They had been in four dates after all. Yes, I've been counting.

"Of course," Sean replied, giving her his boyish, dimpled smile before wrapping a muscular arm around her waist, hugging her to him.

"I've heard so much about you! Can't wait to hear more from you, Mandy – oh holy shit." Dylan said enthusiastically, before he got distracted. And the distraction was apparently me.

I put up a warm smile as he took a few steps towards me, and I was awkwardly wiping away the sweat from my face with a flannel. I have a heard a lot about Dylan from Sean, and though we never met in person, I had actually talked to him in Face Time where Sean introduced me and included me in their conversations sometimes.

"Kaycee freaking Rice," he grinned widely, engulfing me into a hug as if we were long-lost best friends, and I couldn't help but giggle as I accepted the gesture. "Finally we meet."

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Dylan. I can now say you're a real person," I joked. With the amount of stories I heard about him and videos I've seen but not really meeting him, sometimes I thought he was a figment of everyone's imagination.

"I can say the same about you," he laughed as he fell into an easy conversation with me, forgetting my best friend and Mandy behind. "And honestly, you're so much beautiful in person. And you fucking owned the floor tonight –I'm sorry for my language. But really, I'm not really sorry."

I could only laugh and thank him and casted a look at Sean who wasn't paying attention to Dylan and me. He was talking to Mandy, tucking a loose strand behind her ear as she listened to him.

"So how long are you staying here in LA?" I asked, turning my attention back to Dylan, drinking from my jug. His class tonight was the first of the many classes he's doing during his stay.

"Almost two weeks. So I still have plenty of time to hang out with you guys," he said, including Sean and Mandy to our conversation. "Still haven't recovered from the jet lag though so I'm pretty much exhausted. What are your plans after this?"

"Oh, I have to drive Mandy home, then go home after, too," Sean said, slinging his arm over Mandy's shoulders.

Dylan turned to me as I slung my bag over my shoulder. "Oh. I'm staying over at Sean's. As usual," I said casually, chuckling awkwardly. "My parents asked him to babysit me, and my car's on repair, so that's that," I said quickly, rolling my eyes for effect.