The Boy Next Door

Chapter 17

⠀⠀⠀Dustin and Wyatt stroll down the aisles of the town's convenience store looking for last minute Valentine's Day gifts for the girls. Dustin and Jessie gave up on the holiday years ago, so he wasn't expecting to have to get her anything. Hayden told Wyatt he didn't have to get her anything, and he believed her until his sister told him that it was a trap girls used to see if a guy would still get them stuff.

⠀⠀⠀"I don't get why she's even mad at me," Dustin complains. "I proposed to her almost two months ago, and she said yes! She was ecstatic. Now, she told her dad, and he says he doesn't approve, and she's pissed at me for some reason. Her dad flippin' loves me, so the whole Conway family is just confusing me."

⠀⠀⠀Wyatt shrugs. "I don't get girls. If she says she doesn't want anything big for Valentine's, how the hell am I supposed to know that it's a trick? I just do what she says."

⠀⠀⠀"Does she want me to un-propose? Am I supposed to prove to her dad that I'm not a disappointment? I don't understand!" Dustin cries.

⠀⠀⠀"I don't understand anything," Wyatt adds. "Life was so simple, and now everything confuses me."

⠀⠀⠀"Dude, you're still in the honeymoon phase. You haven't even reached the hard part," Dustin says.

⠀⠀⠀Wyatt's eyes bug out as he grabs a large teddy bear holding a box of chocolates. "There's a harder part?"

⠀⠀⠀"What the hell am I supposed to get her to make up with her? I don't even know what we're fighting about!" Dustin growls.

⠀⠀⠀Wyatt scans the aisle they're in looking for a potential gift for Dustin to give Jessie. "Get her one of those gigantic bears. Lucy says girls love those."

⠀⠀⠀Dustin nods his head and walks over to the bin where bears that must be at least six feet long are stacked. He grabs one, tosses it over his shoulder, and returns to Wyatt. "Okay, I'm ready to pay."

~ ~ ~

⠀⠀⠀Hayden opens the door as soon as Wyatt knocks, not even bothering to wait a second to make him think she wasn't sitting there in anticipation. He steps inside quickly in order to escape the cruel Midwestern February. As soon as he hangs his coat, she grabs his hand and tugs him down the hallway to her room. She makes sure to leave the door open to please her stepfather.

⠀⠀⠀"This is for you," Wyatt says, handing her the stuffed bear.

⠀⠀⠀Reaching over to her bedside table, she retrieves a bag and hands it to him. "For you."

⠀⠀⠀Honey, now much larger than she was when Hayden first brought her home, jumps up onto the bed and lays down next to the couple, pawing at the wrapping paper Wyatt just pulled out of the gift bag.

⠀⠀⠀Wyatt holds up a CD questioningly. "Please tell me you did not make me a mixed CD."

⠀⠀⠀Hayden giggles and begins to lean in towards him. "I could tell you that, but then I'd be lying."

⠀⠀⠀He shakes his head. "Are we in the eighties or something?"

⠀⠀⠀She pulls back from him and slaps his chest. "Don't make fun of me! I put songs that remind me of us on it. I thought it was cute."

⠀⠀⠀He leans forward and kisses her. "It's very cute, Hay."

⠀⠀⠀She crosses her arms over her chest. "I know you're making fun of me, so if you don't want to play it tonight like I'd planned, then we won't. I purposefully put upbeat songs at the start for when we talk and eat the pizza I ordered and slow songs at the end for when we..."