#dylea

"Just, act natural." He told the brunette on his arm before the front door swung open and standing before them were none other than Janet and Richard Black. His mother’s face was lit up in a small, pleasant smile, though his father appeared nothing but tense. His smile, unlike his mother’s, was obviously forced. Still, Dylan could never deny that looking at his father was almost like looking in the mirror. 

"Dylan, dear, you’re late." His mother spoke first, stepping forward to place a kiss on his cheek. Dylan Black was never late, and he could have sworn that this was the first time. All thanks to Lea Browning, who couldn’t find an outfit that pleased her in time. Suffice to say, he was not all that happy with her at this point. “Twenty minutes late too. I’m surprised, and disappointed. You should have called, son.” His father commented, though his mother’s voice quickly drowned his out as she smiled down at Lea. “And you must be Lea. Darling, we have heard so much about you. Come in, come in, dinner is almost ready.” 

The house was as it always was; pristine and cleansed to perfection. The table was set with not a single thing out of place and a bouquet of colored flowers centered in the middle. Lea’s eyes danced around the interior, and Dylan was just about to ask what she was thinking when his mother ushered them around the table. Food was served, glasses were filled, and awkward silence settled until his mother looked up, her eyes darting between Dylan and Lea, before she finally opened her mouth to speak. “So, how did you to meet?” 

-

After a dinner filled with questions and rehearsed answers, the four of them walked to the front where they paused by the door. His father’s arm was wrapped around his mother’s thin waist, and Dylan and Lea stood next to each other in front of them. His father hadn’t asked a single question the entire dinner, though as they stood, he apparently decided he wanted to ask, “You two are serious, then?” 

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Dylan nodded and moved closer to Lea, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her against his side. “We are.” Though his father, as observant and suspicious as he was, looked absolutely unconvinced with a creased forehead. Dylan turned his head and surveyed Lea, and realized he hadn’t taken a moment to really look at her all evening. Her long brown hair was in curls, her makeup done by the hand of an artist and her skintight dress accentuated every area it covered. “She is… really something else.” He spoke with less stiffness before leaning over and kissing the side of her head. 

Parties were something that Dylan always found a waste a time, and yet he was standing in the middle of one anyhow. And for a reason he would never admit aloud, considering it was all because of a certain brunette that was currently dancing against some brute of a man that looked as if he were much too old for a college party. In fact, Dylan wasn't sure if he was even enrolled. As he pondered over this fact, Dylan only realized that he'd been staring when someone slapped him on the back, and he pulled himself out of whatever trance he lost himself in. 

"Shit, you're here!" Alex was drunk, and Dylan could tell from his loud, slurred voice that reeked of alcohol. "You look mad," he stated, and Dylan quickly pulled his mouth up into a smile and shook his head.

"I'm fine." Smiling the same forced smile, he took a sip of the drink he'd been nursing the entire time he's been at the over-crowded get together. "Nice party." Dylan spoke the lie before casting another glance over at Lea, wondering how drunk she must be to let that asshole grip her waist in his large, meaty hands.

"Damn, she is hot." Alex threw an arm over his shoulder, and when Dylan followed his line of sight, he noticed that his drooping eyes stared in Lea's direction as well.