There wasn't a party at his apartment that night, but Dylan wanted to go to the cafe anyhow. Earlier that day, he'd picked one of his favorite books to reread, then went to the library to grab a second copy for Hailey. If she was using his book choices to get to know him, this one was the window into his soul.

"Where are you going?" Alex asked from the couch, his eyes remaining on the television in front of him.

Dylan shrugged on his coat and grabbed the two books from the kitchen counter. "Just grabbing a bite to eat."

"Give me a minute and I'll come with."

When Alex moved to grab the remote, panic flooded Dylan. He didn't want to share Hailey. If his best friend came with, he'd sweep her off her feet and any chance Dylan had would disappear forever. "No."

Alex stared at him for a solid minute before a smile formed on his face and his blue eyes sparkled. "Oh my god, dude. You have a girlfriend, don't you?"

Dylan jerked his head up. "No!"

"But there is a girl," Alex stated rather than asked, his smile growing more cocky by the second.

There was no way out of it without telling him at least part of the truth. "There is a girl, but we're not dating. Her and I are just trying to get to know each other."

"And you do that with your head in a book?" Alex asked as he tilted his head to the side. "Two books."

"She likes to know what books I'm reading, so she can pick up a copy and read it too, so I borrowed a second copy."

The cocky smile faded, and Alex pulled his feet up to rest on the living room table. "So you found a girl who's as big of a nerd as you are. Happy for you, D."

Dylan was going to argue that she wasn't a nerd. She was pretty, bubbly and had the most heart-wrenchingly perfect smile he's ever seen. But Alex was convinced that people who read for pleasure were boring, and he was more than satisfied to let him go on thinking that. It meant that Alex would show little interest in meeting her. "I'll be back later."

The cold didn't hit him as hard, despite the season changing. Every night became more bitter. Soon the snow would come, and with it all the holidays he hated. His parents would want him to come home to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, And New Year, and Dylan would have to come up with a reason he couldn't or had to leave early.

He loved his parents and didn't blame them for what happened to him as a child. He'd hidden the truth from them so well, convinced what happened was his fault. Even after it stopped, Dylan had kept silent, never even telling his best friend. Maybe his life would have been easier if he'd just told everyone. Alex wouldn't push him so hard to be around women. His parents wouldn't have worried about him so much in his teens or even now.

But that look. Dylan could never deal with the look of pity. Worry was easier, as was annoyance, but pity got into your head and did shitty things. He didn't want anyone's pity, he just didn't want to go back to that town. That street.

When Dylan entered the diner, he saw only one other table, his vacant as it usually was. No one ever wanted to sit by the server station right next to the kitchen and bathrooms. No one but him. The only thing different tonight was seeing Hailey behind the long counter, talking on the phone with a serious look on her face.

Rather than go to his table, he went up to the counter and took a seat there.

"I'll be fine, mom, I promise. I gotta go. There's a customer." Hailey hung up her cell phone and shoved it into the pocket of her apron, forcing a timid smile onto her face. "Hey!"

She wasn't fooling him. Not one bit. "What's wrong, Hailey?"

Though they'd never exchanged names, she wore hers on a tag on her shirt, which worked out as Dylan never would have found the balls to ask.

Hailey shook her head, trying to make her smile appear more genuine and failing at it. "It's nothing. There's just been some muggings in the area, and my parents are worried about me walking home alone. I'm from a small town, so they're not used to this."

Dylan had never been here at the end of her shift since he had classes in the morning. "What time does your shift end?"

"Five in the morning, which is a silly time to worry about getting mugged. But last night, a victim of the mugging ended up dead, so it's just got us all on edge."

He checked his watch. It was eleven now. The first class Dylan had tomorrow was at eight in the morning.

"So, cheeseburger, fries and a coke?" Hailey asked, trying to bring the conversation back to normalcy.

Dylan shook his head. "I'm going to go back and get some sleep. Let your parents know that someone's going to be here to walk you home."

Hailey's lips parted as she stared at him. "I can't ask you to do that."

Her comment made him smile. "You didn't. I offered. And I'd like it very much if you accepted, but if you wouldn't feel comfortable with that..."

"I graciously accept," Hailey cut in. "But if I'm going to trust you to protect me, I should know your name."

"Dylan."

Hailey held out her hand. "It's very nice to meet you, Dylan, and nice to talk to you."

He shook her hand, taking his time with the menial act that meant everything to him, and scared the shit out of him at the same time. He couldn't remember the last time he'd touched someone of the opposite sex on purpose. Probably never. But this is what she did to him. Hailey made him want to work through the worries and difficulties, and try.