The Final Chance by Cait Marie
Dylan
“Maybe this was a mistake,” Dylan said as he opened the hotel room. He dropped his bags once inside and then flopped backwards onto the bed. “She was with someone else.”
“Yeah, but you’re the one who stayed in her room,” Gavin said through the phone.
Dylan scoffed. “In separate beds.”
Gavin chuckled. “Did you expect anything else?”
“No…” With a sigh, Dylan sat up and looked around. The queen-sized bed was much softer than where he slept the night before. He got up to open the curtains, taking in the view of the city around him. “Thanks for the room by the way.”
“Yeah, well, you can thank my parents’ separation. Instead of trying to make things better, or even explaining his side of things, my dad just keeps giving me money. He bumped up the limit on my credit card, so I splurged on your room. Feel free to rack up the room service bill while you’re at it.”
Dylan moved to grab his bag. “I’m sorry, man.”
With a huff, his friend said, “No, it’s for the best. My mom deserves to be happy. I just feel bad that she’s going through this at all.”
“At least she has the Westons next door. She’s not alone.” Dylan pulled out new clothes.
“Yeah, Lila’s parents have been there for her. Lila and I are going to drive down next weekend too.”
“That’s good,” Dylan said, walking into the bathroom—the one bigger than Beth Ann’s entire dorm room. He tossed his clothes on the counter and began popping open the different mini bottles of soap and shampoo to smell.
“Any ideas on when you’re coming home?”
Setting the soap down, Dylan looked in the mirror. He didn’t have an answer. At least not one that would make anyone happy. He put a hand on the back of his neck and took a deep breath. “I don’t know.”
“Well, I was serious about the room being yours as long as you need,” Gavin said. “And if you need money, just let me know.”
Dylan had enough in his savings to get by for a little bit if he didn’t have to pay for the hotel, but he still thanked his friend then told him goodbye. The huge walk-in shower was calling his name. New York in winter was no joke. He hoped the warm water would erase the remaining cold from his bones. But all it did was give him a quiet place to think, and it consumed him.
He thought about the hurt in Beth Ann’s eyes the morning she walked in on him and Sarah. Just as he’d planned, she made assumptions anyone would. Except he hadn’t expected to see that kind of pain. She lived in New York, a fact she reminded him multiple times those couple of days, and she just wanted some fun.
Dylan didn’t think she’d care. All they’d done was kiss, and given the way she made him promise to stay friends no matter what, he thought she meant she didn’t want more than that—that she didn’t want more than friendship. She didn’t feel the same as him.
He turned off the water. It didn’t matter what he’d thought; he hurt her through intentional actions. If she ever forgave him, he’d make sure he never broke that trust again.
As he got dressed, he went through the plan that had started to form on the plane ride. It was ridiculous and sporadic, even for him. But he needed to do something. Beth Ann had her own life here in the city. She couldn’t just drop everything and spend all her time with him. Not that she would ever consider doing that. No, only he was that spontaneous.
His parents refused to help him with this endeavor, and he didn’t want to keep using Mr. Miller’s money—regardless of what Gavin said. Dylan needed to find a way to earn money quickly if he wanted to stay in New York.
He might not have known how to win Beth Ann back or prove that he wasn’t the horrible person she thought he was, but he knew it couldn’t happen if half a dozen states separated them. Making the impossible happen was his specialty. So, it was time to make the circumstances turn in his favor.
He’d find a way to stay here. Because he wasn’t leaving this icy city until Beth Ann believed him—believed he would do whatever it took to prove how much he cared for her.