The Long Way Home

Two more weeks have passed. Dylan has carefully and methodically tried to get closer to Yue, though he hasn't pushed too hard, because he doesn't want to scare her and reverse all the progress they've made. She was clammed up inside her shell when they reunited merely a month ago, so he understands that it takes time to rebuild a relationship that, for her, was completely burned to the ground when Dylan chose Sheila. For now, friendship remains the main goal.

Surely, little by little, Yue has relaxed around Dylan. She allows him to squeeze her hand every now and then, to pat her shoulder when he praises some delicious meal she cooked, to playfully bump her hip when he's joking... He can sense that she's growing more comfortable around him, and he's cautiously enthusiastic.

What Dylan is unaware of, on the other hand, is that Yue hasn't been able to stop thinking about his words 'you belong with us' and 'family.' Her thoughts wander often-did he hire her just to be close to her again? Was Fran the only person who answered his post? Does he suspect he might be Sam's father, or was he truly satisfied with her lack of an answer that day at the park? Her breathing stills whenever she ponders about that last question.

This evening, after putting the kids to bed, Yue decides for the first time to watch one of Dylan's games. She has not watched him play since they were in high school, and even then, she didn't go to many of his games, but she remembers he was great at it.

The game is coming to an end when she turns on the TV, and the Maple Leafs are winning 2 to 1 against their longtime rivals, the Montreal Canadiens.

The camera zooms in, and Yue sees Dylan glide across the ice, skillfully stealing the puck from a rival, moving fluidly towards the goal line, when a defender of the Canadiens intersects him and knocks him against the boards. The crowd shouts as Dylan is seen wincing of pain on the big screens of the arena.

Yue discovers herself at the edge of the sofa, anxiously clasping a decorative pillow, her inner fangirl coming to the surface. "Ouch! Did he get hurt?" she mutters under her breath.

Glued to the screen, she watches Dylan react immediately, unstoppable as he catches up to the adversary. He steals the puck again and skates with determination to the goal and scores! The fans go wild and the final buzzer sounds.

"Yayyyy!!! He won! They won!" Who knew hockey could be so exciting? "That was intense!" Yue breathes. "But did he get hurt? Does he get many bruises after the games?" Yue wonders out loud, worried for the first time in years about what happens to Dylan.

As the players leave the rink, an ESPN reporter congratulates Dylan for his two goals and asks him a couple of questions. Dylan removes his helmet and shakes his sweaty hair, looking ridiculously handsome even after all that hassle. Then, Yue watches as he kindly smiles at the interviewer and thanks him before answering his questions.

Yue bites her lower lip and something inside her vibrates. This man and his weakening smile are going to be the end of her, and she knows it.

A shriek coming from the television interrupts her conundrum. There are dozens of screaming girls calling Dylan's name while he heads to the locker room, and Yue can't help but think of the many women who, like her, are salivating over Dylan's handsomeness, although, in Yue's case, it's not only about the way he looks, it's his kindness, his polite way of always treating whoever is in front of him, his manners and thoughtfulness... He has become a wonderful man, unchanged by fame and money, just like Mime said.

Intrigued and curious like never before, Yue picks up her phone and starts googling news about Dylan. She finds that he recently signed a lucrative ambassador contract with Louis Vuitton, and pictures of him modeling for the brand are doing things to Yue's body that she has no business feeling for her 'boss.'