Started With a Lie

Chapter Fifty-Two

                I step onto their porch. There's a small swing in the corner with a floral patterned cushion on it. I imagine little Daniel swinging happily on a summer day or pre-teen Daniel listening to music or sixteen year old him having his first kiss on the swing. It's strange. I haven't known Daniel that long and yet I feel like I have been with him forever. It sounds incredibly cliche but that's just how it feels.

             "Ah, that swing needs to be fixed again," Joanne says, shaking her head as she stands next to me. She yells into the open doorway to the house, "Rogerio, que debe arreglar el swing de nuevo, querido!" She turns back to me, her short brown hair swaying. "I wouldn't recommend sitting on it. Daniel broke his arm once from it."

               A smile eclipses onto my face as I turn and see Daniel standing there, rolling his eyes and cheeks turning pink. "Oh, really?"

           Joanne laughs. "Yes, it was hilarious really."

           "Mama!" Daniel says, begging for her to hold back her "when Danny was a kid" tales.

             A quick ding comes from inside the house. Joanne raises her eyebrows and says, "Oh, that must be the turkey. You kids make yourself comfortable. Daniel can show you up to the rooms and the rest of the house. After that, a hand in the kitchen would be deeply appreciated! Be right back." She scurries away as I nod, smiling at how motherly she is. The insides of my chest burn a little. I didn't think I'd miss Mom so much but Thanksgiving and Joanne together just makes me want to cry.

           Daniel gently touches my chin and makes me face him. "Hey, you okay?"

             I breathe in and roll my head back to stop any tears. "Yeah, fine. Just a little homesick—a little mom-sick. You know...the usual."

        He purses his lips and then frowns. He isn't wearing his glasses today and contacts only since his mother loves it when he cleans up. His beautiful eyes are full of emotion. "I wish I could make it better and remove your pain."

          I place my hand over his on my face. "It's fine. I'm happy being here where you grew up. Thank you for having me."

          Daniel takes my hand in his and then kisses it. "Thank you for coming." He lets our hands down, intertwined. "Now, enough of this sadness. Would you like a grand house tour of the Daniel Rivera household?"

           Rolling my eyes, I smile. "Oh yeah, because the whole household is named after solely you. On with the tour, Mr. Rivera."

             He kisses my cheek before leading me into the house. It smells of apple and cinnamon and I can see several candles around the house as we travel by. He shows me the basic rooms downstairs—living room, kitchen, dining room. We go out to the backyard porch where he gives me a tour again of every corner of the small yard. Eventually, he leads me to his bedroom.

             It's actually not much different from his dorm room. Just a couple more band posters and the bed sheets are black and white. There are a couple books on his desk and music CDs on his shelf. It's mostly clean except for a couple random pieces of clothing on the mini couch in the corner.

            "Not bad," I comment, walking around his room after we step in.

          "Thanks." He closes the door behind him and jumps onto his bed, kicking back with his arms behind his head and his legs crossed. "God, I missed this bed."

           My eyes wander from his stupid Christmas socks—it's not even December—to his dark jeans to the nice button up shirt he's wearing today. Without his glasses or scruff, his face appears younger and brighter. His jaw is more defined and his long eyelashes are more easy to find. Let's just say everything compliments him well today.