I don't know how long I stand there hugging Dakota but, as I step away, I feel a tremendous amount of guilt for keeping him here. And even worse when I see the wet spot covering his shoulder and when I feel the sweat between the two of us from standing so close in this heat.

"I'm so sorry." I tell him, my tears finally dry as I walk back another step from him. "I got snot all over your shirt." I laugh, my eyes feeling small and swollen.

"It looks better like this. It adds character." He smirks at me, looking at his shoulder.

"Shut up." I chuckle again, tucking my short hairs behind my ear. "Just admit I look disgusting right now and so does that shirt." I picture my frizzy hair and and blood red face mixed with my puffy eyes and wince.

Dakota rolls his eyes. "Don't be such a girl right now. Be proud of yourself that you did it. You let yourself feel and I'm proud of you." His fist punches my upper arm lightly as he smiles at me.

I pretend to rub the spot. "Thanks, Dakota. For everything I mean...being here and all."

"I got to hug you so it's completely my pleasure." He winks, lightening the mood. "Don't worry about it. You can cry on my shoulder any time."

"Well I don't know about that but I am very grateful. You're a great friend." I breathe with a smile, feeling so much lighter.

Dakota pretends to wince and places his hand over his heart. "You've got to go and friend zone me now? You're heartless, Perkins. Truly heartless." He dramatizes.

I roll my eyes before placing my hand on his shoulder and learning forward, placing a small kiss on his cheek without thinking. "You're a dork. I'll see you later." I smile, stepping away to see a smirk on his lips.

"Okay I see you, Perkins. Don't think you're so sly." He winks, raising his brow once before walking backwards to his vehicle.

"Goodbye, Dakota." I reply with a dead tone.

"See you around." Smirks one last time before hopping into his Jeep and pulling away.

I stand there a little dazed and confused as to what just happened; sort of like an out of body experience. I haven't let myself cry that hard in such a long time that I forgot how good it feels to let them flow. My mom used to tell me that tears were healing but, when she left, that wasn't what I wanted to believe anymore.

I turn and face the door once again, this time with a sense of confidence that everything has worked out and everything is okay. Stepping forward, I open the door and walk into the house, immediately feeling even better now that my home surrounds me.

Flopping down onto the couch in the living room, I release a sigh with closed eyes and sit there for a moment in peace. My dad isn't here so I'll have some quiet me time I guess until he gets back. I pull out my phone and peer down at the notifications I've received.

Symphony:
Hey love! I miss you so much, I can't believe I can never get any freaking cell service on this crazy trip. Don't worry, I'm still having a lot of fun and my parents are doing great; they're in their element.

Symphony:
There IS something I'd like to ask you about...? YOU GOT TRAPPED IN AN ELEVATOR!? WITH A BOY!? When I get service again, I'm going to call you and you'd better dish out every last detail.

Symphony:
Anyway, I miss you and I wish you were here! Say hi to your dad for me <3

I smile down at the text messages but I don't bother answering them since I know she's off to somewhere new and she's lost service once again. I'm impressed that she's surviving without it considering she's usually glued to her phone twenty four seven. This trip is proving to be good for her.

I admit that I'm excited to tell her about all that has happened while she's been away. Maybe except for the part about Books and Bagels closing. I'm not too excited about that.

Symphony and I are good friends, we have been for a while. She was there for me when my dad and I were going through a hard time and she helped me through high school seeing as she's always been open and outgoing and, back then, I was even more closed off than I am now. She pushed me to try new things and to widen our circle of friends. But, while I did speak to other people and do my best to be comfortable around them, no one ever understood me like Symphony.

The odd thing is that, while I do miss her and want her to come home, I'm happy for this time of separation for both me and for her. I'm glad that I've gone through this whole thing over the last couple of weeks on my own because I needed to learn to cope without her and to see that I don't need her. I'm my own person and I'm happy that she's off having her own adventure.

Changing my mind, I send her a quick text.

Me:
I miss you too, Sym. I promise I'll tell you all about it whenever you're free. I'm glad you're having fun. Love you, see you in five days!

Dropping my phone onto the coffee table, I stand up and walk to the kitchen, feeling in need of a snack and maybe some coffee.

Doing the necessary tasks and turning the coffee maker on, I turn away from it and open the cupboard filled with my dad and I's stash of snacks and candy. We don't dive into it that often, mostly for movie nights and such, but today I think I need something sweet.

Grabbing a chocolate bar and a bag of Takis, I set them on the counter and close the cupboard doors, opening the cabinet that holds our glass mason jars.

Filling it with ice, I pour in some oat milk. Once the coffee is done and slightly cooler, I mix in a little honey and pour it into the glass, watching as it begins melting some of the ice cubes but then begins cooling and mixing with the frozen ice. I grab my metal straw from the drawer and mix the coffee gently, taking a sip.

"It's missing something." I mumble to myself, opening the fridge and pulling out a can of extra creamy whipped cream, popping the cap off. I swirl it over and into the cup in circular motions until I think there is enough. I grin, taking another sip. "Perfect."

Taking my snacks and beverage to the living room, I sink into the couch and turn on the television, scrolling through Netflix. I decide to switch up my normal routine and save The British Baking Show for another day, opting for an episode of Agents of Shield. Maybe I'm just in the mood for some violence, who knows.

Opening my purple bag of Takis, my jaws water as the scent of the chili and lime hits my nose. Reaching into the bag, I pick up a single crunchy piece and bite off the end, the crunch being my favorite part as I chew, my mouth burning slightly from the spice.

I know that coffee and a spicy snack probably isn't the best idea for my digestive system at the moment but, right now, I'm just a little sad and I want what I want at the moment though I know I'll regret it later.

By the time the first episode is over, I've already eaten one fourth of the bag of Takis and eaten the whole chocolate bar, my coffee halfway gone.

I start the next episode, setting what's left of my snacks onto the coffee table and curling up on the couch. I watch about half of it until my eyes become heavy, my irises burning from all the tears I've wept today.

✰✰✰

My dad doesn't come home until around seven, rushing in the door apologizing for being late and effectively waking me up. I must have been exhausted because I slept for about three hours.

"I'm so sorry, Lillian, I got caught up at work and since I'm leaving they had me doing all of this unnecessary paperwork and it was just awful. But I brought you your favorite." My dad grins, holding up a red and white bag.

I give him a tired smile, sitting up on the couch and rubbing my eyes. "Thank you, dad." I reach for the bag and he gives it to me before taking a seat on the couch.

"How was work?" He asks me, pulling out his own sandwich and waffle fries from the bag.

My smile falls a little as I look down at my food, picking at a fry with my fingertips. "Uh...it was fine. Amelia told us that Books and Bagels is closing but other than that it was great." I laugh darkly, taking a bite of my chicken tender.

My dad stops eating, his head slowly moving in my direction as his mouth drops open. "Wait, what? Why?"

"The owner is losing money on it. Something about online books and the overhead of having a three story book store, I don't know." I sigh, opening a container of chick-fil-a sauce and dipping my fry into it, shoving it into my mouth. "I just don't understand why this had to happen." I mumble through my mouthful of food.

My dad pauses, folding his hands in front of him as he thinks. "I mean...it makes logical sense but I know that B&B means a lot to you and I'm so sorry that it's happening. Are you okay?" He asks me, his eyes searching my face as if there will be bruises and scrapes.

I nod, picking up another tender. "Yeah I'm okay. I was really devastated but Dakota - " I stop myself, realizing that I don't really want to tell my dad about what happened as to not have it blown out of proportion, "I mean after Dakota took me home, I cried and now I feel better." I give him a smile and he gives me a slightly more sad one back.

His reaches for me hand, his enveloping mine as he squeezes it tenderly. "I'm proud of you, Lilybug. I'm proud that you let it go and didn't let it consume you." He pats my hands a few more times before pulling it away.

"Thank you, dad." I tell him, turning back to my food.

I listen to my dad tell me about his day and about how everyone at work is ticked at him for leaving but he doesn't care because he's moving on to bigger and better things.

I've always admired my dad and his optimism. Granted, when he does get in a pessimistic mood, he can be a real downer and very hard to communicate with because he's stuck in his own pool of self pity. But, usually, he's the one encouraging me, always looking on the bright side of things, and always here for me in any way I need him.

So I happily sit and listen to what he has to say as I chew on my fries and finish off my chicken, slightly sad when my chick-fil-a sauce runs out, and nodding along with what he's saying.

After we're both finished both speaking and eating, I grab both of our trash and walk it to the kitchen throwing it away. When I return, he thanks me and we both snuggle into the couch and pick a movie. Well he picks a movie; a really old Tom Hanks film about a private investigator with OCD and a large messy dog. I have to admit, it's pretty funny and the dog is really cute but once it's over, I'm ready to head upstairs to my bedroom.

"I think I'm going to hit the hay, dad." I stretch, pulling my blanket off of my and laying it over the back of the couch.

"Okay, kid. Goodnight." He smiles at me as I lean in and plant a kiss on his cheek, gathering my snacks and bringing my coffee to the kitchen sink before jogging up the stairs.

I change into a pair of gray Champion sweatpants with a drawstring, pulling them tight around my waist, and a loose white stretchy v-neck. I tie the shirt in the front on a small knot, about an inch of skin showing between the waistband of my pants and the material of my shirt.

Feeling comfy, I jump into bed and lay on my back, scrolling through my phone for something to do. I tap on the Instagram app and swipe up, liking a few photos including one Symphony posted of her on the cruise ship, standing by the railing in a cute sundress and a bright smile, her long blonde hair blowing to the side as she fights to keep it from her eyes.

I smile at the photo before swiping past it. Struck with sudden curiosity, I hit the search icon and type in Dakota's first and last name. When nothing comes up, I search Samantha's name and, with a triumphant smile, I click on the profile that looks to belong to her.

I stalk her page for a few minutes, smiling at an older cute black and white photo of her and her boyfriend, Winter, on Valentines Day. I finally find a photo of both her and Dakota on her page, clicking on his and checking for a tag on the picture.

I laugh and roll my eyes at his username; @thehottertwin. Tapping on it, it takes me to his personal page and, as I expected, it's filled with beautiful photos he's taken and edited. Most of them I didn't see when scrolling through his camera roll.

My eyes zero in on his most recent photo posted about a day or so before we got trapped in the elevator. It's a mirror selfie of both him and Sam, the two of them both looking at the screen of his phone with soft closed lipped smiles. I smile at the caption; she's not so bad...sometimes.

My thumb goes to swipe out of the picture but my eyes widen when I accidentally double tap the photo and a white heart shows up directly in the middle. I quickly unlike it but, by now, it's too late. If he's on his phone, he will have most definitely seen the notification. Please don't be on your phone.

The thing is, I'm not even following him so it's completely obvious that I was stalking his page. At least it was only the first photo? And it's not like it was a selfie of just him. Sam was in it too so it's not that bad, right?

I jump slightly when my phone begins to vibrate, Dakota's contact showing up on FaceTime. I let it ring until it stops and the Missed FaceTime call from Dakota (1) notification shows up. Sadly he calls again and, with a groan, I pick up. Angling the phone towards the wall, I say nothing when Dakota's face shows up way too close to the screen.

"Well hello there." Dakota gives me a smirk and my face reddens as my heart pounds guiltily in my chest.

Finally, I break. "Why can't you just be nice and pretend nothing happened?" I sigh in defeat.

He gives me a puzzled expression. "What are you talking about?"

Relief pours over me. "You mean you don't know what I'm talking about?" I finally show my face on the call, my bun atop my head sagging to the side slightly.

Dakota holds a straight face. "No."

"Oh okay cool." I laugh nervously, my heart rate slowing down.

"Unless you're talking about how you liked my photo on Instagram and told my friend Peter that you and I are dating." He breathes the words nonchalantly as he looks down at his screen. He seriously needs to learn how to use the right angles because looking up his nose isn't exactly my favorite thing to see.

My face reddens a deeper shade of red and I can practically feel the heat coming off of it. "You're the worst!" I fume, feeling completely humiliated. "This is so embarrassing." I whine, covering my face with my hand.

Dakota chuckles. "Stop it, Lillian. I'm just playing with you, it's not a big deal. I've stalked your Instagram a million times." He finally holds his phone as a higher angle, setting it on something to keep it steady.

"You have?" I keep my face covered but my tone lowers significantly.

"Well duh." He laughs, "Everyone does it, it's not a big deal. The only reason you didn't know is because I'm a professional stealthy insta stalker."

"That sounds really creepy." I laugh, feeling a bit better now that I know he's not going to grill me on my reasons for searching him up on social media.

"Look who's talking." He teases with a smile.

"Shut up." I chuckle. "At least it was the first time for me."

"Yeah, true. I'm pretty sure I've memorized all of your photos." He laughs before pausing, "Actually no, that's creepy, forget I said that."

"Okay." I laugh, shaking my head.

"So..." He changes the subject, "Is there a reason why Peter texted me and asked me if I'm actually dating you? He said, and I quote, dude, are you actually dating this girl? And then he literally sent me a photo of you at dinner with your dad." He chuckles.

"Are you serious?" I groan, "I'm so embarrassed."

"He should be embarrassed I mean who takes photos of random girls?" He chuckles, giving me an empathetic look.

"He asked for my number and having a boyfriend seemed like the easiest way out." I explain with a sigh.

"Yeah I kind of figured that instead of the other option that involved you harboring a secret obsession with me." He pretends to sigh sadly before smirking, "I have to admit though, you looked ravishing in that dress. Did you do something different with your hair?"

I throw my head back, laughing at his nonchalant tone. "I just put moose in it." I tell him, not bothering dealing with his previous statement.

Dakota gives me an odd look. "Like the dessert?"

"No." I can't stop laughing. "It's a hair product."

"Oh." He drawls out, "Well it looks great and if you look that great on a dinner with your dad I wonder how amazing you'll look on our first date." He winks, a grin appearing on his face when my mouth opens in shock.

"We're not going on a date."

"What?" Dakota cups his hand around his ear, tilting the phone to face his bedroom walls as his mouth fakes static sounds. "There's a poor connection screen up right now. I can't see you therefore I can't hear you."

"Dakota - "

"Ah." He stops me, "Don't say it. You will fall for me, Lillian Perkins, so don't embarrass yourself by denying it now and eating your words later down the road." Dakota grins at my baffled expression.

"We'll see about that." I chuckle, "Goodnight, Dakota."

"Goodnight." He laughs, hanging up before I can. I roll my eyes at the phone but my smile betrays me.