October 2010

Dylan accepted the coffee from his boss's hand outside the cafe and took in a breath of the crisp spring air. In a month, this restless city would subdue. The colleges would let out for the summer, and the students would go home to their families. People would travel North to their summer homes to go fishing and biking, getting a relaxing break before returning to their city.

It was astonishing how an area so populated would empty for three months, leaving Dylan at peace for just a short time.

Not that it mattered too much. Since he worked mostly from home, coming into work only twice a month, he didn't have to deal with the crowds often. Still, for three months he'd be able to walk the streets at night, enjoying his solace in the early dawn hours.

The surprise meeting he had with Richard was thoroughly out of the blue. Richard was reluctant to allow him to work from home so much, but he got more editing done than anyone else who worked for his small company, so he mostly left him be.

"Your mother called me yesterday," Richard stated as they began walking. "Asked me if I'd be willing to give you vacation time so you can visit them."

Although Dylan only lived two hours away from his home town, it might as well be on the other side of the country. He'd lived in this city and worked for Richard for just under three years, and had spent exactly one weekend visiting his parents. They'd expected he moved after college to be closer to home, but it was for the job.

Not that he didn't love his parents. It was their small city he despised. So much of their neighborhood still reminded him of her, even though she was long gone and even though it had been years since he last saw her face. His parents visited him twice a year, and he hoped that would suffice for them.

"I've been busy."

"Of your own volition," Richard pointed out to him. "You're an exceptional worker, Dylan. No one is disputing that. In fact, I'm fairly certain you only take your weekends off when they come to visit you, but you're going to burn out if you keep going at this speed. You also need to have a life. Answer your phone when it rings. Go out on a date. Hell, get a dog. Something that shows you don't live for work alone."

"I answered when you called, didn't I?" Dylan pointed out before taking his first drink of coffee, the heat blazing his tongue.

However, Richard had a point. The date thing would not happen, but he was walking through life like a zombie. When Richard called, it was the first time he answered his phone in a week. It wasn't shocking that his parents felt the need to go through Richard.

"Jane wanted me to tell you that Alex and his fiancé moved back."

With those words, Dylan's body seized to move. Every bone felt lethargic, every thought floated away like a cloud of dust.

Richard seemed to notice his frozen stance and turned to face him. "I thought you'd be pleased at the news. The two of you go back a long time, if memory serves me right."

They did, but that wasn't the issue. "He's marrying Hailey?"

"I believe that was the young woman's name. Do you not like her?"

Dylan swayed his head, unable to comprehend the news. He'd missed four calls from his parents over the last week alone, and at least a few from Alex over the last month. Dylan never checked his voicemail. "I'd met her first," he muttered as he ran his fingers through his hair, talking more to himself than to Richard. "I loved her first. This wasn't supposed to happen."

Dylan wanted Hailey to be happy. That's all he wanted for her. But in his gut, he truly believed the relationship she had with Alex would wane. He would cheat on her, or grow bored. Not that he wanted things to end that way, but that's how all of Alex's relationships ended.

They weren't meant to find their happily ever after with one another. She was supposed to find someone else who would give her the happiness she deserved. Someone who would take her far away from his world.

"I see," Richard spoke under his breath. "Is Alex aware of that?"

Dylan shook his head again. "Nothing ever happened between us, and I pushed her away before she could get too close. Alex didn't even know that her, and I knew each other. We both decided it was best not to tell him, since there wasn't much to tell."

After looking down at his coffee cup for a full-blown minute, Richard spoke. "Your mother said he wants you to be the best man at the wedding."

The best man.

Between the two, Dylan wished he could persuade himself he was the better man. But in all Alex's flaws, he wasn't too crippled inside to show love. He'd just been disinterested in the emotion until Hailey walked into his life.

"I guess the question is," Richard began when Dylan remained quiet, "is if you love her enough to fight for her?"