Thomas's pov

"I knew it!"

The hallway was still, frozen in ice. Kaya's voice echoed out loud and harsh in the air around us, so knowing, so exasperated yet smug that it graded on my tentative eardrums. A breath too loud may break the stillness, a stumbling step may crumble the tense silence that followed her exclamation. Without really knowing what had happened, I knew I had strolled onto a scene that I had no business witnessing. Something was not right here.

Dylan was not looking at me. Judging by his body language, his every muscle wound tight and ready to pounce, I could tell he was shocked, scared even by my sudden appearance. Kaya, who was pressed against the wall opposite me by Dylan's trembling hands, was glancing back and forth between the man in front of her and myself. Her eyes were exceptionally wide, gleaming with an air of unmistakable understanding.

"I knew all along!" she exclaimed again, her voice still unbearably loud in the horribly tense atmosphere that enveloped us. She struggled against Dylan's hands, trying to escape his hold. Dylan remained stiff, his only acknowledgment that I had even arrived being the stone-like silence that suddenly radiated off of him in waves.

Kaya struggled hopelessly against Dylan's strong form until, utterly defeated, she fell back against the wall. No one moved; I hardly dared to breathe. Kaya angled her head slightly to the left, fixing Dylan with a scolding stare. A beat passed, the conversation between them as silent as a cat poised to pounce, and then Kaya turned her head away. Her piercing blue eyes met my confused brown pair, and with the intensity of a thousand suns, she stared again. I wanted to look away but I couldn't; her eyes cast a spell on me, binding me in place. I knew she was trying to tell me something but couldn't say it aloud, not with Dylan standing so close. The desperation in her glare made me wish I could read her mind, but I couldn't. I shook my head, completely at a loss.

Kaya's frustration quickly became clear. She groaned out loud, shaking her head at my supposed stupidity. She cast a fleeting glance up at Dylan again, before her resistance crumbled, and she broke whatever silent oath she had made with him.

"Thomas!" Kaya burst, her eyes never leaving Dylan's face. Her next words came out rushed, as if she was forcing them out before she could be stopped. "Thomas, Dylan likes--"

But her voice cut off as she let out an audible "mmph!". Dylan's hand clasped tightly over her lips, prohibiting her from speaking any further. He was trembling now, but still would not look at me. Dylan furiously shook his head, no doubt silently begging her to stay quiet, his desperation evident even with his back turned away.

"What won't you tell me?" I couldn't help but ask as my curiosity peaked. Despite trying my best, I couldn't help but let a small bit of hurt seep into my voice. I thought Dylan trusted me?

Kaya looked anguished when she heard my tone, her eyes widening in alarm. She squealed, something that sounded vaguely like, "No, no, no!" and began fighting away Dylan's hand again. The struggle was almost pitiful to watch; Dylan clearly overpowered Kaya, both in size and strength. But whereas I probably would have given up trying to get out of his grip, Kaya had the ferocity of a lioness protecting her cubs; she pushed and grunted until Dylan's yelp cut through the air, shaking his hand in pain. I couldn't help but smile; Kaya had bitten him.

"Thomas, it's not like that! It's that he--"

"Kaya, stop!"

Dylan's voice suddenly rang out in the hallway, more desperate and demanding than I had ever heard it before. My eyes flicked from Kaya to him, even though I couldn't see his facial expression. Kaya looked at him as well, though she hid her surprise beneath an exasperated eyeroll.

"What is it?" I pushed further. I stepped closer, feeling drawn to them, to know more, to know everything.

Kaya's thin lips opened once more. The first few syllables of explanation slipped out of her mouth, but then Dylan's hand was silencing her again. His breathing was heavy, so labored it was audible above the blood pounding in my ears. I paused, feeling the weight of his silence pressing down on my chest. I just wanted an answer. I just needed an answer.

And then Dylan spoke. "I wasn't going to tell you..."

His voice was strained, cautious, quivering. I blinked, confused. "Tell me what?" I questioned again.

Kaya stopped moving. She looked over at Dylan, suddenly looking unsure.

"I--I um--" Dylan's voice faltered. His back remained turned to me as he choked out, "I--we're throwing you a surprise party?"

He stumbled over the statement, and I was nearly positive that that wasn't what he was originally planning on saying. Still, it caught me off guard.

"What?"

The question didn't come from me, but from Kaya. Her blue eyes whirled in confusion, suddenly sidetracked from trying to tell me what really happened. Puzzled, I shook my head.

"We weren't going to tell you," Dylan explained carefully, "but I guess now you know. It's for your birthday."

His lie was more obvious than his quivering body. I snorted, and Dylan all but jumped.

"Dylan, my birthday was nearly two months ago."

Another pause. Dylan was caught red-handed, and he obviously knew that. Still holding Kaya's mouth closed, he began moving towards the elevator, now saying, "Well, then it would've been a big surprise, eh?"

He chuckled, albeit awkwardly. The doors to the elevators flew open when he hit the button, and he dragged Kaya inside. Kaya was shaking her head frantically, trying to convey with her eyes what they were really talking about. I saw Dylan wince as her teeth closed down on his palm again, and he released her as the doors began to slam shut.

As the doors were just centimeters from closing, Kaya finally yelled out, "No, Thomas, Dylan admitted that he--"

But her statement was left unfinished as the elevator doors fully clicked close.

__________________________________________________________________________________

I stood staring at the doors for an unreasonable amount of time, half of me thinking that Kaya and Dylan would pop out again to explain everything that had just happened. It was idiotic of me to expect them to give me a truthful answer, as they had clearly been having a private conversation when I arrived, but I couldn't help but be a bit resentful. Whatever they had been talking about, it obviously involved me, unless they both knew another Thomas. I doubted that, judging alone on how weird Dylan had been acting around me and how he flat out refused to let slip whatever they were gossiping about. If I was involved, I should know why, right?

Letting air out of my lips, I finally admitted that the doors weren't going to suddenly fly open and Dylan wouldn't come stumbling out of the elevator, begging me for forgiveness as he spilled exactly what it was that I wasn't supposed to know. I pressed my finger into the elevator button much harder than I should have, hesitating as I waited for the doors to reopen. When they finally did, I ushered inside, no longer having any desire to return to Will's party. My motions became robotic, guiding me back to my room despite my distracted mind.

I was halfway down the hall leading to my room when I was broken from my reverie by my phone buzzing in my pocket. I jumped, immediately pulling it out into view. Part of me hoped for Dylan or Kaya's face to appear, but no such luck.

An unknown number illuminated my screen, so I slid across the end-call button without a second thought. However, as I began sliding it into my pocket again, my footsteps never faltering, the buzzing began again. Raising an eyebrow, this time I answered the call.

"Hello?" I asked. My eyes flicked from door to each door that lined the hall, looking for my familiar room.

A raspy breath. Then, "Thomas Sangster."

I froze in my tracks, my heart falling to my feet. It felt as though I had just plunged into icy water as my entire body convulsed, my expression nothing short of utmost shock. That voice, I knew that voice. I heard that voice every time I picked up my leather journal, everytime I opened my DMs on twitter. It was dark and raspy and intimidating, and made dread course through my molten veins with just a few short words.

"Reggie Mills."

My lips barely moved as I said it. I felt as though I had just been hit by a car, the air wooshed from my lungs, my very core jolting in pain. I wished desperately that this was some horrible dream.

"How did you get my phone number?" I asked in a voice just above a whisper. My hand tightened on my phone, my palms suddenly growing sweaty.

"I have my sources," he replied. His voice implied the calm before a storm, the restless unease of an ocean before the hurricane. It made my stomach squeeze in fear.

I nodded, though he couldn't see me. I hardly dared believe this was actually happening. I'd only spoken with Reggie twice since we had talked in the bathroom, one time to tell him I'd do the bet, and one time to tell him his bet was impossible. Now, every feeling of horror and fear that had gripped me as I stood in the tiled floor of the bathroom, listening as Reggie laid the parameters of the bet, began to flood me again; this time however, I wasn't excited nor curious to hear everything he had to say. My fingers twitched, desiring nothing more than to hang up the phone.

"How can I help you?" I asked again, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. This phone call couldn't mean good news.

Reggie gave a dry laugh that held no humor. "Can't I call to say hello?"

I hesitated. I wanted to say no.

Luckily, Reggie spoke up again before I could puzzle out what to say. "We have a problem, kid."

I gulped, licking my lips. My eyes stayed glued to the carpet beneath my unmoving feet, the only thing keeping me grounded.

"Oh?" I managed to reply. My throat felt constricted, as if my fear had glued it shut.

There was a rustling on the other end of the line. I pressed the phone closer to my ear, dreading the next words out of his mouth, but wishing they'd come sooner. I held my breath.

"It's about our little bet," Reggie began to explain in an offhand voice. "I explained it to my boss at The LA Times and he's ecstatic to run the story."

I gulped around the knot in my throat. "Then what's the problem?" I asked, already guessing and fearing the answer.

"He wants to run it in a month and a half."

I shook my head, fear pulsing like a light inside me. No, no...please Reggie, no...

"So?" I asked, calm on the outside. Better to play dumb, to let him confirm my fears himself.

"Wow, you're thick, aren't you?" Reggie asked, annoyance now lacing his voice. I could almost see him in front of me, his disgusting mustache stirring as he deeply breathed, his large gut rumbling as he grunted. "It means that I'm limiting your time left on our deal."

"No!" I yelped immediately. My head shot up, glancing around to make sure I was alone. "No, Reggie, you can't do that. Dylan and I are just friends right now; he won't fall in love that quickly--"

"Well, you better get a move on, huh kid?" Reggie snarled.

"Reggie, I'm supposed to have three more months! Don't you realize how hard it was for me to get as far as I already am?" I pleaded. Desperation gripped me in its cold talons, and I wasn't really thinking rationally anymore. "We aren't even dating. I can't--"

My voice failed. For a reason I couldn't understand, I felt the beginning of tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. I blinked quickly, refusing to cry right now.

Reggie's voice almost seemed amused with how upset I was getting. "You have a month and a half, kid. 43 days to be exact. That's pretty generous of me too, considering. I'll have less than a week to write my article."

I shook my head again, something I was doing way too much of today. This couldn't be real. I had all but forgotten about the bet, and now it was being rubbed in my face, taunting me, terrorizing me. For a brief moment, I regretted it. But then I thought of what I had to lose and what there was to gain, and well, what choice did I really have?

"You're fucking crazy," I muttered, dejected. It was pointless to keep arguing. Reggie was going to do as he pleased no matter what I said.

Reggie's voice changed when he replied. Dark, gruff, angry, he barked out, "Don't make me mad, Sangster."

I pressed my lips together into a thin line. I wanted to back away, to drop my phone and run in the opposite direction. I knew that I couldn't; he'd find me again.

"Reggie, one month is impossible," I tried one more time. I couldn't do it. There was no hope.

"43 days, actually. And it better be possible. I promised my boss," Reggie said. His patience had worn thin, I could tell by the anger in his voice. Then he added, almost threateningly, "Or would you prefer I gave my boss an article revealing you as the fraud you really are? You don't want me to tell him about Elijah, do you?"

And this time the tears glossed my eyes over, the familiar name making me entire body ache in longing. In hurt. In betrayal.

The carpet had to have been ripped from beneath my feet, because there really were no further options for me. I was just barely keeping my head above the water's surface as Reggie tried to drown me; if I refused what he demanded of me, I was sure to be submerged.

"Thomas! There you are! I've been looking everywhere!"

Kaya's voice broke through to my thoughts, breaking the bubble I had felt enclosed in. I turned to look at her, watching as she ran down the hall, her cheeks tinted red. She approached, her mischievous smile falling when she saw my torn appearance.

"Are you okay?"

Was I okay? No, I wasn't. I was terrified and scared and suppressing memories that I hadn't visited for five years. I felt like Reggie's prisoner, his doll to use however he pleased. He had me trapped, cowering like a fearful animal, with no escape. I was not okay. I was definitely not okay.

"So you agree, Thomas?" Reggie asked into my ear, oblivious to Kaya's appearance. My mouth fell open, wanting to break apart, to sob.

Kaya was looking at me expectantly. Concern laced the corners of her eyes, as well as a wild excitement. I stood with the phone pressed to my ear, feeling both painstakingly present and as if I was a million miles away.

"43 days," I finally agreed. It was a promise to Reggie but a plea to Kaya, who I had just sealed my unforgivable fate to, though she had no idea.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Reggie replied, his voice significantly happier now. "I'll talk to you soon, Thomas."

The line went dead, but I didn't lower the phone. I stared in horror at Kaya, who looked bewildered by my stance.

"Thomas?" Kaya repeated, stepping closer.

I lowered the phone to my side, staring at it as if it were evil. I closed my eyes, afraid to cry in front of Kaya. Then, with a shaky breath, I smiled to hide my pain.

Kaya looked relieved. "You're okay?" she reassured again.

I nodded without saying a word.

Kaya smiled too. The familiar light of excitement ignited in her eyes again, and I almost laughed at her change in persona. She bit her lip as she scanned my face, taking in all of my features. I felt exposed, like a turtle without its shell.

Kaya heaved a great breath. She looked hesitant, afraid even. But as she spoke, her face smoothed over, relief evident in her smile. "Thomas, I have good news."

"What is it?" I asked. I slid my phone into my pocket, throwing Reggie and the deep resentment I had for him into the back of my mind. I hoped it actually was good news this time, and not something bad like Reggie's announcement. Although, the news Reggie had given me was probably the worst I would ever, in all of my life, receive, so no matter what, Kaya's news would be better news.

"Dylan likes you."

I knew by her tone that this was exactly what Dylan hadn't wanted me to know. I also knew that she didn't mean as a friend, but as a romantic interest. For the second time in this hallway, I froze, my heart flipping over and yet falling in dread.

Kaya looked enthralled, giggling at the way my mouth had fallen open in shock. She resembled a little girl passing on the secret of her best friend's crush, nervous but excited. I expected her to look guilty, but nothing of the sort shadowed her face. If anything, she looked as though she had just spilled the best statement in the world.

I blinked dumbly. I was surprised, no doubt. It seemed almost too good to be true if I'm being honest.

Unlike when I had gotten Reggie's news, my heart didn't fall due to fear. It felt more as if I had missed a step while walking down a staircase, and for the few fleeting moments where I wasn't sure whether I would land safely or painfully fall, my heart had soared, leapt from my chest. I had felt elevated, secure and then suddenly unsafe.

But at the same time, I couldn't help the sinking feeling of dread that fell over me like a cloak. Too many what-ifs sprang to mind, too many questions I couldn't answer. I didn't want to think about Dylan liking me, because that only meant he was one step closer to having his heart broken. And as much as I didn't want to admit it, I didn't want to see him get hurt, especially because of me.

I felt relief too. Relief because there was hope that Dylan might love me. Relief because the bet wasn't over yet. Relief, knowing that Elijah and my past would stay as my own little, private secret.

And all of this happened within the same second. My mind was too clouded by fear of the bet and dread of the future and hope for my career to actually stop and think about what this all really meant. If I had just stopped thinking for a moment, maybe I would have realized that Dylan O'Brien was attracted to me. Maybe I would have realized what that meant for our friendship. Maybe I would have noticed how my heart quickened its pace as Kaya spoke. Maybe I would have felt my face flush and the smallest, deepest part of my heart soar in glee.

But I didn't. Maybe I was too distracted by my petty problems to pay attention to the beautiful, special, tremendous moment being born right in front of me.Yet I didn't see any of it.

I looked at Kaya again, as if only processing that she was here. I could have hugged her, had my arms and legs not felt so heavy on my body. My lips moved, building words and secrets that made sense to me, but were nothing to anybody else. She bit her lip again, blue eyes wild.

"43 days," I whispered again. This time however, the words weren't heavy on my lips. It wasn't a statement for me to fear, but a promise. Within 43 days, Dylan would be in love with me.

A/N

um this is shorter than usual oops I'm trash

however I wrote all this within five hours which is so so good for me. usually it takes about twelve so can I get a hell yeah

on another note:

Okay so let's be real, there's some great fucking fanfiction on this site and I think it's about time we start spreading love. I've got a few recommendation for Newtmas and Dylmas stories below, but if you think I missed any, please feel free to comment. Let's all read each other's work and appreciate the amount of effort that goes into every word written. There's so many great stories on Wattpad, and I'm v sorry that I can't include them all right now. Here's a few you should check out:

1. Remember Me by newtoffs . You're probably reading her other story Yours Sincerely (if you're not wtf are you doin man), but Remember Me is one of my fav fics on this whole damn site. It's sad and angsty and beautiful and Newt has Alzheimer's and ugh. Not many books make me cry but this one did. check it out.

2. Text Me (Dylmas) by skystxlinski.
This one actually has me laughing. It's so cute and funny and you'll love it I promise.

3. Gasoline (A Newtmas Fanfic) by runnerinbeaconhills . Thomas is a mess, Newt is a mess, I was a mess. It was super angsty and super good. The writing was, once again, phenomenal.

That's all I'm going to do tonight, but I promise there are loads more. please check out these fics, it will be worth your time.

okay, tonight's joke is thanks to skystxlinski :

what kind of shorts do clouds wear?

thunderwear

thanks for reading, oh! thanks for 25k reads (like fuck what??) and thanks for just being you

until next time,

//sam\\