Chapter Two

One week later Georgie barely would speak to Dillon; all their dates were held in the stiff tension that distrust causes. They struggled through dinners and movies where Dillon tried his hardest to make up for her misconception about Libby. He brought flowers, serenaded to the best of his ability; he even brought lunch to one of her study sessions for everyone there-even Alex. Nothing seemed to work though. She never warmed up to him and never mentioned that she believed him. His play practices were now viewed with the same angry suspicion that he had once had about her studying. At one of these practices dangerously close to show-time and the night of the first dress rehearsal, he sat slumped in the front row of the theater, buried in tickets, costume bills and his worry about Georgie. From up above him down-stage, a voice came brightly.

"Hey Dairy Queen, what do you look so down about?"

Dillon frowned and cocked an eyebrow at his lead actress.

"Excuse me? Did you just call me Dairy Queen?"

Libby Jacks hopped down from stage to front row, a dizzy height that didn't seem to make her blink. She replied simply,

"Dillon Quartermaine…DQ…Dairy Queen, got it? I thought it was clever to be named after a fast food joint."

Dillon tried his best not to grin at the silly comment and muttered, covering his mouth with his hand,

"Actually it's Dillon Hornsby but-

"Dillon Hornsby!" she screeched, loud enough for everyone in New York to hear. "Well, DQ, no wonder you use Quartermaine. Hornsby's not something I'd wanna go by. Before all this mess, I just hated Norton. The kids at school used to call me Snortin' Norton. It was horrible; they'd make fun of me constantly. Call me piggy, say I lived in a sty, that kind of kid stuff."

Dillon looked at her amazement. In his entire life, he hadn't quite been treated with respect but he had never been treated like that. His peers had always liked him even the snotty European kids he had had to grow up with. Libby shrugged like a duck shaking water off its back.

"Oh well," she said. "Look at me now. My name's Jacks and I've got an inheritance of millions. It's funny how what we think is right and what's just a part of life can suddenly change and turn out to be just a waiting room for something bigger. Kind of like waiting in those wings over there before you finally step into the spotlight. Life's great, isn't it? What a movie."

Flushing a little after her passionate speech, she shook her head which was done into the curls her character wore.

"God, listen to me. What a preacher-just because I hit a little luck in life."

"No, no you're right," Dillon quickly interrupted. "That was-wow, exactly what I feel! I keep hoping for that life's really like that."

Libby stared at him with those clear blue eyes like she was staring right into and what she said put shivers down his back.

"Maybe it's time you step into the spotlight, Dillon. Leave waiting rooms behind-there's so much more out there."

A tense silence fell between them and they just looked at each other, each wondering what the other was thinking. Emily's chipper voice broke the moment as she half-walked, half-waddled down to them.

"Hey you guys, what's all the chit-chat? Libby, get in your costume right now! We start rehearsal in fifteen minutes1"

Libby rolled her eyes playfully and patted Em's belly as she passed.

"Don't worry, Mommy-you're talking to a pro."

Emily watched her leave with an a affectionate smile, then turned to Dillon a very obvious surveying look upon her face. Lowering herself in the seat next to him she patted his knee.

"Dillon, I'm not trying to be an overprotective cousin or anything but I think I know what going on. You and Georgie have been having problems, right?"

"No, no," he denied. "Me and Georgie are fine. We're just both really busy, that's all. I don't what you've heard."

"I haven't heard anything-don't worry. Lamaze classes and baby department stores aren't exactly the rumor mill though. I've just seen the way you and Libby click sometimes. I mean, you do have a lot in common."

"Well, a little," he said quickly. "But its just because we both love films, that's all. She's a smart ass and weird and is cocky way too often with me."

"Hmm, just like someone else I know," Emily muttered softly to herself. "Well okay then, Dillon. I just wanted to let you know that the greatest advice I ever got from a very unlikely source told me to just follow your heart and don't be afraid to let go of the past."

"Oh, don't worry," he exclaimed loudly and uncomfortably. "My heart has no involvement in this at all but hey, I'm really swamped so I'll head to the office and uh, call people…um, our ticket takers and stuff. So I'll see you in fifteen."

With that he hurried away at a quick pace, practically running away from his cousin, leaving her shaking her head in disbelief.

……

Sitting on top of his cluttered desk, Dillon snatched up the phone and dialed the number memorized on his heart. His heart leapt when for once Georgie picked up.

"George, hi! You picked up! Wow! So hi, how's the brain-stuffing going?"

"Great." He barely recognized the cold voice on the other end. "Listen, is this important? Me and Alex are trying to memorize logarithms. Can this wait?"

"Hey, logarithms," he laughed weakly. "Sounds like tons of fun. Um, sure, I just wanted to hear your voice today. Maybe we could get together tonight."

"We'll see. Goodbye, Dillon."

"Right. I love you," he put in quickly but the dial tone was his only answer. Swearing forcefully, he threw the phone off the desk, plunging his head in his hands. Why did Georgie suddenly hate him? What had happened to the love he thought they had? A knock on his glass-paned door made him draw up straight and force a civil query.

"Yeah, what is it?!"

Tentatively Libby poked her head in, viewed his grumpy expression and stepped carefully in.

"Um, Emily asked me to come get you. She wants to start rehearsal a little early so she can make her doctor's appointment and still see the whole practice."

Dillon let loose a long breath and jumped off the desk, trying to look normal. He ran his hands through his newly short hair and then noticed his actress was only half in costume. She still wore boots and her flapper's dress was half on, blue jeans on underneath.

"What are you doing?" he exclaimed. "You're not ready yet!"

"Brilliant deduction, Sherlock Quartermaine," she looked disgusted. "Emily sent me anyway. Don't ask me why."

Dillon groaned,

"The hormones must be going to her head. Here let me zip you up."

Turning her back to him, Libby snorted,

"And what would you know about pregnant hormones anyway?"

Dillon chuckled,

"Is that unladylike sound why everyone called you Snortin' Norton?"

She balled her fists for a playful sock when she felt his warm fingertips on her cold back as he grasped the tiny teardrop-shaped zipper. All the way up her spine, his hands brushed her skin unintentionally. When it stopped at the nape of her neck, she turned with bated breath and looked up at him. Inside her stumbling head she tried to stir up a quick remark. Dillon didn't even realize what he was doing until his head was completely lowered and his lips were touching hers. It suddenly felt very unreal. Her lips were small and warm and were sticky with gloss. When her mouth clasped onto his fully, a shock went through of them until Libby's hands lay on the back of his neck and he held her by the waist. Gently they kissed and very slowly with the same gentleness, they drew apart. Dillon's eyes suddenly went wide with horror at what he had done.

"Libby, I-I-I didn't mean-"

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's just nerves, that's all. Just dress rehearsal nerves," she shrugged nonchalantly, monitoring him closely. When his face was washed in relief, she didn't show the pain she felt. Without another word, she walked out of his office, taking a part of him with her. Guiltily Dillon stared at the picture of Georgie on the wall.

……

Dillon sat in his car in the Scorpio's driveway, waiting for Georgie to return home. When she was dropped off and she noticed him sitting there, she frowned in confusion and bent down to his rolled down window.

"Dillon, did we make plans?"

"No, no we didn't. I just need to talk to you and since you avoid me on the phone, I had to see you face to face. Get in please."

Looking worried she opened up his passenger door and sat beside him a safe distance away. Dillon gazed right into her eyes with burning surveillance.

"Georgie, do you love me?"

"Dillon! Of course I do! How can you ask that?"

"Because I don't think you do anymore," he said flatly. His statement hung like deadweight in the air. He continued, "Am I what you want anymore, Georgie? Because lately it seems like I have nothing to offer you."

"It's just college is coming and-"she stuttered.

"Exactly. College? What am I supposed to do while you run off to Massachusetts or something? I don't think you need me anymore. You've outgrown what we had together and I'm not mad at you for that. In fact, I applaud you. You've never let me get in the way of your dreams."

"Dillon, I'm sorry." Tears shone in her eyes and Dillon took her hand.

"Don't apologize, baby. Just go off to college with no regrets and leave us with some good memories. I need something different these days too."

But inwardly he was thinking that he needed someone.