Lydia woke up to the sun blinding her through a slit in her curtain. Though her eyes wanted to remain closed permanently, she peeked at the time. Across the room, her clock displayed a large red '9:02'. She groaned and rolled towards the wall. Her alarm was set to go off in 28 more minutes. She had to work the lunch shift, which was the last thing she felt like doing. She had been up late the night before, stir crazy and left alone with her thoughts, she couldn't keep Dipper away. The thought of Dipper, even in her half-asleep mind, was enough to get her to crawl out of bed. She swung herself into a sitting position and reached for her blinking phone.

Dipper

Hey… I'd like to see you before I leave… I'm at The Rock. I'll probably leave around 9:30.

The message had been lingering in her inbox for 10 minutes. Her heart skipped a beat and she jumped out of bed. Half asleep, she stumbled to the bathroom. After doing her business, she decided she didn't have time for a shower. Sliding down the hall and back into her room, she looked for work clothes. There were no uniforms hanging in her closet or in her drawers. Instead, they all lie in a dirty mess on her floor. She sniffed a few garments before throwing on the least smelly pair. In the mirror above her dresser, she stared at herself. She looked hungover and sleep deprived. As much as she wanted to look adorable and put together, she had to be to work immediately after seeing Dipper. She threw her wavy hair into a bun, put on some deodorant, and sprayed a cloud of vanilla spray around herself. She skidded down the stairs after putting her shoes on, grabbing her keys and purse from beside the closet.

"Going somewhere?" Her dad called out, from the living room.

"I'm going to be late for work!" She exclaimed frantically. "See you in a few hours!"

She didn't want for a reply, bolting down the driveway. Her house, of course, was nowhere near The Rock Inn. She hadn't thought to call or text Dipper back letting him know she wanted to see him until she was already driving. Driving as fast as she could without becoming subject to a police chase, Lydia sped through Astoria. It was a few minutes past 9:30 when she pulled into the parking lot at the motel. Her eyes darted across the lot looking for Dipper's car… she didn't see it anywhere. She tilted her head back to the ceiling and let out a frustrated and tear filled yell. If she didn't think her car would fall apart at the touch, she would've beat her steering wheel.

Catching her eye, Dipper's car came barreling around the corner. Lydia had forgotten there was a back lot at the Inn. She threw her car into park in the middle of the lot and leapt out. She yelled his name, hoping her voice would reach him. His car lurched in her direction, coming to a smooth park next to her vehicle. He climbed out and walked towards her. Without saying a word, he grabbed her hand and tugged her close. His hands moved to rest gently around her neck, and he pulled her face to his. Lydia wasn't surprised or startled, just pleased that he did it. She relaxed into his hold, putting her arms around his waist and parting his lips with her tongue.

When they pulled apart, Lydia was startled at the look on Dipper's face. His eyes were a rich brown that, for a moment, she got caught in. Up close she could see every detail of his skin. She tried hard to memorize the placement of every freckle and pore. She looked down at his lips before kissing him again briefly, this time softer. She was infatuated with the way he felt against her. Another peck of their lips. Dipper pulled back, his hands slowly drawing circles on the back of her neck. His fingertips sent shivers down her spine.

"Only someone as cute as you could look that good in a Burger King uniform," He quipped with a smile, finally breaking the silence.

Lydia laughed and pulled away from him, "Hey now!"

"And the smell of grease is somehow less nauseating," He added.

"I'm sorry! I didn't have any clean uniforms and I was desperate to see you before you left."

She blushed, realizing what she'd said. Dipper grinned and leaned in for another kiss, which Lydia granted with ease.

"What now?" She muttered.

"I… I don't know," He admitted. "But I couldn't leave without seeing you… without at least trying."

"Do you have to go?" She jokingly said with a defeated laugh.

He tilted his head back and stared into the sky for a moment before letting out a strenuous sigh, "We can do this, right? We can try?"

"Whatever 'this' is," Lydia admitted, doubtful and anxious. "It's crazy, right? Dipper, we're 6 hours apart, and I leave for school-"

He silenced her with a kiss, then rested his forehead against hers, "Just be quiet, Lydia."

"They're legitimate concerns," She pressed.

"What did you repeat a thousand times yesterday? 'Don't fear the unknown, whatever the circumstance'?"

"You heard that?" She muttered under her breath.

"I couldn't keep my eyes off of you, Lydia. Of course I heard it. You can call me crazy all you want- call whatever this is between us crazy- but give it a chance. You didn't barrel over here to see me just to turn me down, did you?"

"This is crazy," She stated. "But why not?"

Dipper kissed her with excitement, "That's a better answer."

She rested her head against his chest. They stood for a long moment. There in the middle of the parking lot at a motel, time stood still for a glorious minute. Dipper didn't care about anything other than Lydia pressed against his chest, and she was focused on holding him long enough to remember the feeling. One of them had to break the moment.

"I have to get to work," Lydia said, almost inaudibly, into his shirt. She looked up at Dipper, who's eyes were fixed somewhere in the distance.

"Okay," He finally said, glancing down at her. "I guess I've got to leave, too."

"Please drive safe," Lydia almost begged. "And text me when you get home."

"Of course," He smiled. "We'll talk tonight, right? The Shack closes at 6… I might make it in time to work today."

He laughed and Lydia was mesmerized.

"If I don't go I probably won't have a job anymore… not that that's a bad thing…"

Dipper kissed her again, lingering. Lydia took a step back and gave him a smile. Dipper walked her the few steps to her car and dipped down to kiss her again, bidding her a drawn out goodbye. Threatened with the loss of her job, Lydia finally had to leave. Dipper felt alone and vulnerable standing there. He got in his car and resumed his GPS, setting sails to Gravity Falls. He drove in silence.

A five hour shift felt like a five year shift. Lydia finally made it home. She stumbled through the front door and shed her keys, bag and shoes. In doing so, she released a stench that wafted across the house. Her sister, Annie, and her best friend Danielle were on the couch, giggling over something when Lydia arrived home. They both let out an insult over the gross smell.

"I've had a long day, guys," Lydia protested. "I don't feel like fighting with you."

"I'm not fighting," Annie stated flatly. "You just smell. Like, bad."

"Well I'm going to take a shower," Lydia snapped, tensely, stomping up the steps.

She was angry at her job. She was angry that Dipper was gone. She was upset that she was alone when all she wanted was to be back on the beach with Dipper, baking under the sun next to a beached ship. She had cried the entire way to work and the entire way home. It wasn't just that she was afraid and excited and lonely- a bag of emotions all at once. It was that someone was now suddenly her friend. After a year of loneliness, she got a taste of having a friend. She got a taste of the warmth of another person. She missed talking to someone other than her family or peers at work. She missed Dipper before they even met. Now that they've crossed paths, she was destined to miss him even more.

Her shower was well needed, and she no longer smelled like a gym bag. She put on her favorite pair of old pajamas: a tattered volleyball t-shirt and a pair of yellow bottoms adorned with monkeys. She climbed into bed opened her laptop. She had over a day's worth of social media to check up on, plus read all the new material from the blogs she followed. There was still about an hour until Dipper was set to arrive back in Gravity Falls, so she leaned back and tried getting caught up on normal teenage girl things. Though she didn't have any friends from school, she still liked to see what everyone was up to. She absently scrolled through the blogs she followed for a few minutes before pulling up Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained. Though she'd been over every inch of his blog before, she began reading some of his posts. She could feel his personality through the words, and she got to hear his voice in the videos.

Her phone rang, and she jumped to find it beneath the covers. She looked at it with a sigh, seeing her dad's name on her screen. She answered it with an almost annoyed 'hello'.

"Grumpy right off the bat, great," He responded. "Anyway, Tim's daughter got hurt at softball practice and I've got to stay to cover his shift. I won't get home until probably ten, and your mom is working until God knows when. You're going to have to order a pizza for you and Annie."

"And Danielle," Lydia huffed.

"Okay, and Danielle," He sighed. "There should be 40 bucks in my sock drawer. And don't get something the girls won't like."

"Okay, dad, I got it," Lydia pushed. "Pizza, no anchovies and pineapple. Easy. See you later."

She climbed out of bed and padded down the stairs to see Annie, Danielle, and two other girls in the living room.

"Does dad know you have all these people over?" Lydia announced.

"We're practicing for Seven Brides," Annie stated, matter-of-factly, referring to the musical the local theater was putting on over the summer.

"Well he's staying at work until closing time, so we have to get pizza for dinner. We can get two large pizzas from Gigi's with the money I have, so pepperoni and cheese and?"

"I'm actually a vegetarian," One of the girls quipped. "So the other one will have to be just cheese."

Lydia rolled her eyes, "Okay. Whatever."

She looked up and dialed Gigi's phone number as she climbed the stairs, ordering the two pizzas. She had barely hung up with the pizza place when her phone rang again- and this time it was Dipper. She smiled instantly, answering it enthusiastically.

"Hi!"

He laughed, "Hello, beautiful. You sound like you're in a good mood."

Though he was miles away, Lydia shrugged, "Today has been exhausting, but I'm glad I get to talk to you. Was your drive okay?"

"Yeah, luckily there wasn't a lot of traffic. I'm defiantly not going to leave my house and go to the Shack though- I'm beat."

"Good, I'm selfish. I'd rather have you talking to me."

The two talked and laughed like school children. Dipper told Lydia all about growing up in California and spending time in Gravity Falls every summer. They talked about their favorite foods and movies and music. And then… the doorbell rang.

Lydia let out a, "Fuck! The pizza! Hold on, Dipper!" as she ran out of her room and into her parents room. She dug through her father's sock drawer and nearly tripped down the stairs trying to balance the phone and the money. Her sister stood at the base of the door with a young pizza guy, both watching the train wreck unfold. Lydia slid across the hardwood floor, her socks adding an extra push in the direction of the pizza guy. She stumbled into him, apologizing profusely.

"Here-" She clamped both twenty dollar bills in his hand. "Just keep the change. I'm sorry, again, really sorry!"

Confused and entertained, the kid waved goodbye to Annie and her friends, then turned and left the house. Annie set the pizzas down on the table beside the door and scolded Lydia.

"I go to school with him, Lydia. Way to embarrass us."

"Like anyone cares, Annie."

Annie looked at the phone in Lydia's hand with slit eyes, "Are you… talking to someone right now?"

"Just give me the pizza. I'm starving," Lydia injected, changing the conversation. "You guys better use plates. If you get pizza sauce on the couch mom will kill you. She will literally murder you guys."

"Whatever," Annie rolled her eyes and motioned for her friends to follow the two into the kitchen.

Lydia quickly plated herself a few pieces of pizza and grabbed a soda from the fridge before carefully scaling the stairs again. Once settled in her room she checked to make sure Dipper was still on the phone.

"I'm so sorry," She apologized. "I forgot I ordered pizza, and then I like, ran into the guy and Annie was being Annie and I just really wanted some pizza-"

Dipper interrupted her with a laugh, "It's okay! Pizza is a serious subject, Lydia."

The two managed to get back to their string of conversations about everything and anything while Lydia chowed down on pizza, and long after the pizza was gone. Lydia loved that Dipper felt like home. She loved that time didn't exist when they were talking. She was infatuated with everything and anything involving Dipper… and she hoped that she wasn't pushing it too quickly.