Work Text:
In the still of the night, the radio crackles to life and Hudson’s voice breaks through the silence.
“I miss you.”
Dylan licks her lips and moves to reply with one of her usual jokes– stops when she realizes the words ‘I love you’ are stuck in her throat instead, rising up and threatening to suffocate her. Say it. She breathes in a sharp intake of air that rattles her already aching chest and presses the switch. Don’t be a coward.
“Me too, Joey,” is what she manages to choke out in all her cowardliness. “See you soon.”
No immediate reply– then, a soft laugh and a simple ‘I hope so’ that squeezes at her heart until she’s begging for more mercy than she already was. The words ring in her head long after silence falls once more and exhaling as deep as she can, Dylan settles back down on the grass with her eyes tightly shut.
Maybe next time, she tells herself. Maybe next time.