if you stay // m. daddario

22. Apologies

//matt's pov//

After the phone call with Dani ended, everything in me shattered. I didn't want her to do this. I know I've been acting like I don't care about what happens between the two of us, but I really do. I care too much to the point where I just go along with everything because if that's what she wants then that's what I'll give her. But now it's different. I don't want to follow her demands. I want to fix this and I want to fix it now because the thought of me losing her is just cruel. No one wants to lose a girl like Dani. She may not be the most perfect girl in the world, but she's all a guy really needs and I need her more than anything.

I remember there was a day when we were walking around the park and we promised each other that we would fight through everything together. We would always fight with each other, side by side. Always. She told me that she knew I was a mess and she liked it. She liked how I was a mess, a mountain of clay that has yet to be sculpted into a beautiful piece of art. That was the moment I realized that she wasn't just a girl who will just come into my life and then go when I least expect it, she was a girl who would stay in my life no matter what happens. That's what I love about her. She always likes a good fight. But like all others, she has to have her breaking point. We all do. Her breaking point was the day she left to go film the Death Cure movie. That was also my breaking point.

But now I'm tired of everything that's happened. I'm tired of going along with everything just to give her peace. I need to fix this. I can't risk losing her. Not this time.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Alberto asked as him, Harry, Em, and Kat were dropping my off at the airport because I was going to chase after Dani.

"Yes. I need to do this for us. You guys know how important she is to me now, I can't lose her." I said as they all smiled sympathetically at me and I flung my bag over my shoulder while grabbing my luggage from Harry's trunk.

"Please don't screw anything up," Em and Kat said as they gave me a hug and the other two boys did the same after.

"I won't. I promise. And I plan on keeping this promise." I said as I headed inside to check my bags in and board the plane.

//london //

I took a deep breath and grabbed a cab to take me to my hotel. And when I got to my hotel, I quickly took a shower and got dressed before walking to the art gallery where Dani's exhibit will be held at. I wanted to surprise her at her art exhibit today. But when I got there, it seemed that I was the one who was surprised.

Right as I got there, Dani and Dylan were right there next to each other. They were talking with Dom and their mom. Now although they're in a group, Dylan had his arm around Dani and it seemed like she didn't mind at all.

"Matt," Dani said as she turned her attention to me just as I was about to walk out. I just shook my head and walked away as I saw her run after me. "Matthew!" She yelled as we were now outside the art gallery.

"I came here to surprise you," I yelled as the tears started forming in my eyes, "I thought, why not give her the benefit of the doubt? Everything you read on the internet is fake. Or at least most things are."

"It's not what it looked like. You know that."

"Really? Then why didn't you stop him?"