The following story is purely fiction. I have no knowledge of any person`s sexual orientation except my own and make no claim otherwise, whatsoever. If you're not old enough to be reading this for WHATEVER reason, please leave now. If you are plenty old enough, please continue on and let me know what you think of my second submission to the Nifty Archives. As I'm sure you've seen many other Nifty authors say, if you'd like to continue seeing our creations, please donate to them.
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Being Dylan OBriens Assistant
Chapter 14
I looked at Tyler and said, "You will find your `one', someday. Don't be too eager to find them this soon. Dylan and I are just lucky."
"This is true. I should be enjoying myself. One day it will happen for me." Tyler said, still with a smile on his face.
Dylan was smiling too, but I could tell it was one of sympathy. "Tyler, why don't you come by the apartment Friday night for dinner?" He asked.
"Yeah? Ok. What time? What should I bring?"
"I don't know, 7pm? Bring one of those bottles of good wine you got from that old guy at the last comicon we went to together. He was SO hot for you." Dylan replied.
"NO HE WASN'T!" Tyler practically screamed. "Ok. Maybe he was, a little. Poor guy. I should have had my way with him, the way he was throwing himself at me. I still can't believe he sent me that case of wine after I commented on how good it was. Did you know it was worth almost $20,000?"
"He totally was. Practically drooling over you. It was funny. And I figured it was expensive. The expensive ones are usually the best." Dylan replied.
"Then it's settled. You'll be by at about 7pm on Friday. We'll see you then, Tyler. Dylan and I have dinner plans tonight, so we've got to go so we can shower and change. See ya later!" I said as I reached to pull him into another hug and Dyan did the same.
Dylan and I got into the car and headed towards the apartment.
After a quick workout, shower and a few stolen kisses, we got back into the car and headed towards the restaurant.
Arriving just before 8pm we head inside. Joel is waiting at the podium as you'd expect and when he looked up and saw me, his face lit up and he practically ran to embrace me in a fierce hug. "JASON! It is so good to see you again my friend." Joel said pulling away from the hug. He held me at arm's length and looked me up and down. "You're not eating well enough," he said. "We shall fix that right away!" He then noticed Dylan standing next to me with a perplexed look on his face. "OH! Hello, I'm sorry. That was incredibly unprofessional of me. Welcome, my name is Joel and I'll be your host for the evening."
Dylan stuck out his hand and when it was taken firmly by Joel, he said, "Dylan. Dylan O'Brien. Pleasure to meet you, Joel."
"Can it be true? THE Dylan O'Brien? In my restaurant? Welcome Dylan! I'll try and keep your presence unnoticed. I make no promises though."
"Quite alright. I don't think this is the kind of place that my adoring fangirl base would frequent. I'm sure it will be just fine." Dylan said as he moved closer to me and made sure our upper arms touched.
I saw the look on Joel's face change to one of recognition. "Right then. This way. May I take your jackets?"
We were seated at a larger half booth near the back corner of the restaurant away from the kitchen and Joel said, "I'll put in the drink order now. Your usual, Jason?"
"Yes, please. And water with lemon for Dylan. Thank you."
"Right away. Any appetizers? Will your third be joining you soon?"
"Yes, John Stevenson will be joining us very soon. Please make him feel welcome."
"Of course. Someone will be by with the appetizer menu and your drinks shortly."
"Thank you Joel."
I turned slightly toward Dylan and he was watching me. "What?" I asked.
"Nothing. Nothing at all." His smirk said otherwise.
"There is no story. We're just really old friends. I promise."
"Sure thing. I'll talk to Joel at some point and get the truth." He said with a smile that grew even more.
I knew there was nothing to gain from him talking to Joel more, privately, so I let it go. He may not seem it, but Joel is straight as an arrow and Dylan will be sorely disappointed when he finds that out. I on the other hand, will laugh hysterically.
I already knew what I was going to order for dinner so I picked up the menu and scooted a little closer to Dylan so I could point out the good stuff.
"There aren't any prices. Should I be worried?" He asked.
"Not at all. I'm sure Joel will do something dramatic and things will be fine. Regardless of that, it's ok. We're meeting with your Agent, so it's a `work dinner' which means a tax write-off for both of us."
"Ok. Thanks Babe."
"Of course." Without thinking I placed my hand on his cheek and brought his lips to mine in a very tender kiss. Then I heard a throat being cleared and Dylan's eyes fluttered open slowly and he pulled away with a bright red blush.
He looked towards the sound of the sound and his face turned even redder, "John, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there."
"Not a problem Dylan. You know that. I guess this answers the first question I have to ask you tonight." John said with fatherly smile.
"Anything to drink, Mr. Stevenson?" Joel asked quickly to try and divert the awkward situation I had just placed us in. I gave him a thankful smile as he looked to me with a smile of his own.
"Yes, vodka martini, shaken with a lime twist, please."
"Right away." Joel said walking away looking slightly over his shoulder to make sure everything was ok. I smiled and winked at him to help assure him all was well. He smiled back and turned to the task at hand.
I stood and presented my hand. "Mr. Stevenson, I'm Jason Andrews. Dylan's new assistant and boyfriend."
John took the proffered hand and with a firm grip, shook it. "Yes, well. Let's get appetizers and dinner ordered before we get too much into the muck of the evening." He said with a smile and a nod to Dylan. "Dylan, it's good to see you. How long have you been in town? And why wasn't I told you were?" He asked.
"I've been in town since Wednesday. I'm sorry for not calling or emailing. It's been kind of hectic. A lot has changed in the last few weeks." Dylan says a little quietly and looking at his hands in his lap. He's slightly ashamed of his lack of responsibility, but John cuts that off right away.
"I completely understand, Dylan. From the look of that kiss, things are going really well. I'm pretty sure this is something very new and we need to discuss its impact. But not yet, and I do not foresee any major issues. So, Jason, what's good here?"
"Everything." I say as Joel comes back with a tray of drinks and appetizer menus.
"Sorry, your server is having to baby a very needy table. I'll be taking your order. May I sit while you look over the appetizers?"
I can see John isn't impressed with Joel's `unprofessional' request. So I interject, "Of course, Joel. It has been so long. I need to catch up with you for just a few minutes. John, you'll have to excuse Joel here. He's a total drama queen and when I'm around, he thinks he can just neglect his duties and banter with me."
"That is not true." Joel says sitting down in the booth next to me. "I just haven't seen you in months and I'm a little disappointed that this appears to be a work related dinner. I apologize, John, if I'm being a little unprofessional here, but you understand, I'm sure. I haven't seen Jason here, in a while and I need just a couple of minutes."
John's taking a sip of his drink at the moment and after the liquid touches his tongue and his eyes go wide, he savors the flavor and then asks, "Who's the bartender, I need to make sure he gets a good tip for this incredible drink?"
"That would be me. Your compliments are `tip' enough. Thank you. I take it you like it?"
"Damn straight I like it. Do you know how difficult it is to find someone that can make a proper martini in this town?" John asks taking another slow sip of his drink. The ecstasy of the goodness clear on his face.
"I'm glad you approve." Joel says smiling and turning back to me. "So, Jason. Things have been well?"
"Yes, quite well." I say, putting my arm around Dylan and pulling him just a bit closer.
"I can see that." He says, smiling a little bit bigger. "So, how long are you in town for this time?"
"We have a couple more weeks before Dylan needs to be on location for a shoot for the next Maze Runner film." I reply.
"Good. So I'll expect a couple more phone calls then?" He asks.
"Of course! And probably a social call too. I'd like to see you, the kids and Belinda outside of work, if we can make it work."
"Absolutely!" He says. "In that case, let me get your orders and I'll leave you be so you can get back to work."
We order a couple of appetizers and then our meals. Joel thanks us and leaves us to it.
There wasn't much to go over so John, Dylan and I worked out some small details and enjoyed our food when it arrived.
After dinner had been eaten and an after dinner coffee served at my recommendation, the topic of discussion turned heavy.
John started, "Dylan, I have the answers to most of my questions already, but I wanted you to know what has been going on behind the scenes the last couple of days."
Dylan nods his head and grabs my hand under the table. I give it a reassuring squeeze and I say, "Let us have it John. I'm sure we can handle it."
"Of that, I have no doubt." He replies. "First off, I was notified of an Instagram post minutes after it was made. It was of you and Dylan kissing in the parking lot of the Production Office. It was titled `Dylan O'Brien off the market? And with a guy no less...' I got ahold of my Instagram contacts right away and had it pulled. There hadn't been too many views and even fewer shares. They've all been taken care of. But the troublesome part is the hashtags that we've seen popping up. I've done what I can with them. But there is just too much going on. I can't hold back the storm. We need to get in front of this as quickly as possible. I'm starting to get phone calls from major media outlets asking questions."
I had been watching Dylan the entire time John was talking and I had seen him lower his head and slump his shoulders. I knew what was coming and I was heartbroken for him. He had been so happy the last few days, but the reality of the situation was starting to make its presence known. He was scared and I understood why. He had just come to terms with his sexuality and being who he was, it meant that he had to either bury the truth or embrace it. It was going to be an incredibly difficult decision to make and I was certain I was going to be there for him. No matter what. I squeezed his hand again and he looked up at me and offered a slightly forced smile.
I had made my decision. He wasn't capable of saying anything at the moment. So I said, "John, I think Dylan and I need a little time to discuss the implications of this kind of decision and the pros and cons of each outcome."
"Is this how you really feel, Dylan?" John asked of him. Being the ever protective figure he was supposed to be and making sure I wasn't speaking for Dylan out of turn.
Dylan had been looking at me and his smile had brightened considerably when he had heard what I had said to John. He turned to him now and stated, "Yes John. That's exactly how I feel. Can I call you tomorrow afternoon?"
"How about you come by at 3pm tomorrow. I set aside a couple of hours in case there was some work we needed to do after you make a decision."
"Sounds good to me. How bad do you really think this will be?" Dylan asked John, looking him in the eye for the first time in several minutes.
John took a second to digest the question before answering, "Well Dylan, since you've become more widely known, you've kept your personal life very quiet and there has always been speculation about who you spend your free time with. So this, this is like setting a fat kid free in a candy store. They're going to take anything they can and most likely will blow it out of proportion. But you're not the only one we have to think about here. I've checked into Mr. Andrews here and he has quite the reputation too. Did you know that he's highly sought after by the elite of the elite? He has a waiting list a mile long."
Dylan whipped his head to look at me, "WHAT?? Why didn't you say anything? Why did you agree to be my assistant if you have people already waiting for you?" He asked, bewilderment apparent of his face.
I squeezed him into my side a little tighter. "I think the answer to that question is pretty apparent." I smiled big at him and then winked at John, who laughed out loud.
"What? How is it apparent? I don't get it. Why are you laughing, John?" Dylan asked, still stumped as to what we were on about.
John recovered enough from laughing to say, "I think it's pretty obvious why he took you on."
With Dylan still looking lost and confused, John continued, "He was clearly interested in you and wanted to befriend you. He made an exception, took a chance, really. A gamble that benefitted both of you."
I saw the light bulb turn on behind Dylan's eyes as he continued to look at me. Then he smiled and blushed. He turned his face away as I started to lean in for a small kiss. But I was determined. I put my hand to his face and brought him back to my mouth and kissed him lightly. I smiled at him and turned back to John. "We'll see you tomorrow at 3. Is there anything else pressing that can't wait until tomorrow?" I asked.
"No, nothing at all. This is pretty much it. I need to get going anyway, my dog walker called out tonight, so I've got to get home to take care of him."
Joel still hadn't brought the check yet but I assured John it would be taken care of. I rose from my seat as John did and shook his hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you, John. I'm glad I've got you in Dylan's corner as well."
"Likewise, Jason. Look after him. I don't have as much influence as I once did."
"I'm still in the room, you two." Dylan said as he stood and gave John a hug. "Thanks John. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"You'd do just fine. Especially with this one at your side." John said. "Have a great evening gentlemen and I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."
Joel then approached the table. "Things seem to have gone well." He stated.
"Yes, they do. At least for now." I said taking my seat again. "Did you bring the check with you?"
"You know as well as I do, that your money is no good here. Now get out before I call in the backup."
"Okay okay. I can tell when I'm not wanted." I replied, getting up and taking Dylan's hand to help him from his seat. "I'll be calling soon to schedule something."
"You better." Joel said, walking away.
I dropped two $100 bills on the table and turned to leave. Dylan and I got our jackets from the front and walked to the car. We got in and started driving towards home. We started talking about the coming storm. During the short ride back, we didn't get much accomplished, but I knew, deep down, that things would work out. I could still tell that Dylan was still scared. I also knew that I'd help him with whatever came his way. I had no fear for myself. Only for him.
At that thought, I reached for his hand and brought the back of it to my lips. Kissing it gently and holding it tight as a comfortable lull in the conversation fell over us. We enjoyed the quiet until we got back to the apartment's parking garage. I turned to him after turning the car off and just looked at him. It caught him off guard and he giggled slightly when I didn't get out.
"What?" He asked.
"Nothing. I just wanted you to know that I'm here. No matter what."
He then leaned towards me and kissed me.
We got out of the car and started walking to the elevator. He reached and took my hand and we held hands all the way to the door of my apartment. We changed and then sat on the balcony continuing to discuss what was coming late into the night. Eventually going to bed together and cuddling closely.
~~~~~~*
This is my second attempt at fictional writing, please let me know what you think of it by emailing me redmondgayguy at yahoo dot com.
--- Kindly, Jason