KaylahDemi, Aw... I'm sorry to hear that it almost made you cry, but I hope that since it was able to evoke that kind of emotion from you that means it was a well written chapter? :) I hope you continue to read and this story!

Fourteen

Kyler was having a hard time falling asleep on the way to meet her father. Instead, she stared out the window and watched the clouds go past. The blue sky eventually turned black and the only sound Kyler could hear was the hum of the plane and Dash's soft snores. Kyler closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, but something was keeping her awake. Her mind was reeling with thoughts about her parents and Dash. She was terrified to meet her father, more than she had been to meet her mother, but she was excited at the same time. She knew she needed to sleep though, or she would be exhausted when they landed and would be too tired to talk to her father.

She tried to clear her mind and focus only on falling asleep. But without thoughts of her parents to occupy her mind, she began to think about Dash. She was curious as to where their relationship stood now, and if there was any hope to getting it back to the way it used to be. She liked the comforting feeling of leaning against him and feeling safe beside him. She had missed it. She was getting the impression that Dash had missed it too, which filled her with a strange warmness. She hoped that Dash was planning on giving her a second chance. She wanted to prove herself to him and his family. She wanted to make up for everything she had done…

"I hate to wake her…"

"No, no. It's alright. We need to get going."

Kyler's eyes fluttered open and she yawned. "What' going on?" she asked in a groggy voice. She saw the pilot standing in front of her and felt Dash's arm around her shoulders. She didn't remember falling asleep the previous night.

"Sorry, ma'am," the Garrick said, "we didn't really mean to wake you so rudely, but we've arrived at our destination."

"Oh…" Kyler said, brushing her golden hair away from her face. "Alright then, thank you." She looked up at Dash, who smiled at her, and then stood up.

"I've made arrangements for us to stay at a hotel so that we can shower, get something to eat, and to change. And then, tonight, we can sleep there so that we don't have to sleep in the plane again. I know that it can get really uncomfortable after a while." Dash said, also standing up and leading the way off the plane. He waved goodbye to Garrick and then continued out of the hangar, heading for the street to wave down a taxi.

"But Dash… I haven't brought any clothes with me. I don't have anything to change into." Kyler couldn't believe she had been so stupid to not bring a change of clothes with her. But then again, she hadn't expected to be gone so long. She thought they were just going to be away for a few hours, not several days.

"That's alright," Dash said, taking her hand. "I can go out and buy you something."

Kyler knew there was no point in arguing with him because Dash was the kind of person who would keep fighting until the other dropped it. He was too stubborn to sway. She sighed as Dash got the attention of a taxi driver and it pulled up in front of them. They climbed inside and Dash told the driver the address of the hotel.

It was a twenty minute taxi ride, filled with small talk with the driver and country music playing from the radio. Kyler stared out the dirty window, watching the city whirl by. Dash's hand rested comfortingly on her knee as he spoke with the driver. Kyler wasn't listening to their conversation. She wasn't interested in the trivial things they were discussing. She was thinking about her meeting with her father, which would be taking place in just a few short hours.

They finally arrive at a large hotel, which looked way too fancy for Kyler's taste. She and Dash got out of the cab and stepped inside of the building. They walked up to the front desk, where Dash signed them in. A bellhop came to their side and offered to show them to their room. The room Dash had gotten was on the fifth floor of the eight story hotel, number 531. It was large, complete with a kitchen area, huge bathroom, king-sized bed, big screen T.V., and a comfortable sofa. Kyler was blown away, both by the looks of the room and her estimation of what the price must have been.

After the bellhop left, Dash turned to Kyler and said, "Why don't you get into the shower, and I'll go out shopping. I'll be back before you finish."

"Now wait a minute," Kyler said, grabbing his arm so that he couldn't leave. "I want to know why you found it necessary to spend so much money on a hotel room. I would have been satisfied with something simple. Hell, I would have been satisfied with just sleeping on the plane again! Why go through all this trouble?"

Dash shrugged. "It wasn't any trouble, really. And I thought I might as well snatch this up since I can afford it. I thought you'd like it."

"I do like it," Kyler said with a sigh. "What I don't like is the fact that you are spending so much money on me. It makes me uncomfortable."

Dash gently patted her shoulder and smiled. "Well, don't let it. I promise, it's fine. Now get in the shower." He playfully pushed her to the bathroom and then slipped out of the room to shop.

Kyler sighed once again and then did as she was asked. She had to admit, taking a hot shower after being stuck in the plane for so many hours felt amazing. She hadn't realized how sore her muscles were until the hot water began helping them loosen up. When she was finished, she wrapped a large, fluffy red towel around herself.

"Dash?" she called softly as she shyly stepped out of the bathroom. She could hear the T.V. in the other room, so she called out Dash's name again. She didn't move any further than right outside of the bathroom door, not wanting to place herself, or Dash, in an awkward situation.

"I'm coming," Dash responded. She heard him shuffling around the other room, before his footsteps signaled him approaching. "I hope this is alright," he said, handing her a bag with the name of a store she'd never heard of printed on the front. "I can't say that I'm an expert at shopping for woman's clothing, but I've bought enough gifts for Violet and my mom to have a decent idea of what to get."

"I'm sure it's wonderful," Kyler replied, taking the bag and stepping back into the bathroom. "Thank you, Dash."

"No problem," he said with a smile. "Just let me know if you need anything else, alright?"

Kyler nodded and shut the bathroom door. She placed the bag on the sink and opened it up. Inside the bag were a hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, a knee-length, navy blue summer dress, and a red box. Kyler brushed her hair and teeth, and applied her deodorant before slipping on the dress. It fit her perfectly, hugging her curves in all the right places. She turned and looked at herself in the full length mirror, unable to suppress a smile. She then turned her attention to the red box that had also been found in the bag. Inside of it was a small bottle of perfume. Kyler gasped when she realized that it was the perfume that she always wore.

"How did he know…?" she whispered to herself before spraying it on herself. Once she was satisfied with herself, she left the bathroom to join Dash on the couch.

"Wow, you look beautiful," Dash said as she sat down beside him. "I take it the dress fits then?"

"It fits perfectly," Kyler responded. "Thank you Dash…"

"No problem! I was going to get you some jewelry or make-up, but I wasn't sure what you would like. But, I think you look perfectly fine the way you are now, so I'm happy I didn't get anything else."

"You really shouldn't have gotten me any of this. I feel really bad… I promise I'll pay you back."

"Don't," Dash said, standing up to take his own shower. "It was my pleasure, I promise. Now, I'm going to go shower, then we'll get some lunch, and head off to see your dad. Sound good?"

"Sounds excellent," Kyler replied, smiling at him.

I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update. Thanks for reading!

Mew Painappuru