So This Is Love? {NYSM: J. Daniel Atlas}

Chapter 17

Distant voices brought Amber back into reality from where she had been drifting as she sat in the vanishing sunlight that was streaming in from the living room window. She jerked out of her daydream and just managed to raise her stolen tuna sandwich to her lips as the door swung open.

"You're sure he didn't recognize you?" Henley asked.

"Yes!" Jack Wilder answered irritably, "My Italian accent was dead on! Now give me my sub!"

Amber felt her breath leave her lungs as she peered at the speaker.

"Well Danny boy over here has to let go of his death grip on the bag first," Merritt chimed in irritably, "Oh and any time today would be nice, Dan."

The little group pushed through the small door, squeezing tightly side by side as they all tried to fit.

"How, many, times, have, I, t-told, you, Merritt," Daniel groaned as he stuffed the paper bag though the door and tried to shove past Jack, "Don't, call, me, Danny!"

He gasped for air as he finally managed to fit through the over crowded doorway and stumbled inside the ramshackle apartment.

His blue eyes were filled with irritation as he looked up, fully prepared to say something particularly nasty to Merritt, when his eyes fell on Amber.

She swung her legs two and fro underneath the table she sat on and grinned cheekily at him.

"Hello my elusive captors!" She smiled through a mouth full of tuna. She felt a piece of bread nearly fall from her mouth as her eyes landed on Jack.

He waved weakly at her and smiled slightly, revealing dimpled cheeks.

Amber blinked at him, skillfully hiding her surprise and carefully stuffed the tuna back in her mouth with two of her fingers before glancing over at Daniel.

He was eyeing her with disgust and wrinkled his nose at the smell of the fish.

Merritt squeezed through the door next and snatched the bag of food out of Daniel's surprised hands. He pulled out his sub and dropped the food to the floor unceremoniously as both Jack and Henley groaned.

"Is that my sandwich?" Merritt asked as he glanced over at Amber's hands.

"Was it your sandwich, is a better question," Amber replied as she licked the remainder of the food from her fingertips.

Merritt grinned at her.

"It was four days old."

Amber opened her mouth to reply when Daniel cut her off.

"What are you doing out of your room?" The control freak asked at high speed as he snatched up Amber's arm and began directing her back the way she had come.

"It was unlocked!" She snapped pulling her arm from his, trying to ignore the tingly sensation that traveled through her from where Daniel had grabbed her arm.

She brushed away the emotions quickly. The tingles most likely came from the bruise that would come from his overly forceful grab.

Daniel stared at her for a full ten seconds before looking away at anything but her.

"Well we will definitely make sure that never happens aga-WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BOOKSHELF?

The curly-haired male practically flew over to the high wooden shelf and began to dance before it. A distraught look came upon his features as he saw that all of his precious meticulously alphabetized books were now color coordinated. But what set the man off most of all was the fact that near the center (not dead center, near it) of the colored books was a totally different colored book. For example, all the green books had a purple book shoved in the midst of them.

Daniel's hands flew from where they had been shaking at his sides to his hair and pulled.

"What, have you done!" He nearly screeched at Amber.

Amber nonchalantly wiped her hands on her pants and glanced past the man's laughing comrades at the bookshelf.

"Well, if you think that's bad, wait till you see your bedroom."

Daniel's whole face turned ghostly white before he stalked over to the hallway. He refused to run so as not to show his complete stress over the fact that not only had this woman upset him, but she had also humiliated him in front of his peers.

The other Horsemen followed the man into the hallway, eager to see what other mayhem Amber had caused.

Daniel's hand was trembling as it touched the doorknob leading to his room. Partially from anger but mostly from terror at what he would find on the other side of the door. Taking a shaky breath, Daniel closed his eyes and opened the door.

The loud guffaws from Merritt sealed his worst fears as the door swung wide.

Daniel slowly opened his eyes and felt his jaw drop from sheer horror.

His entire room, his previous sanctuary that he could visit to escape the madness of this new life, was in utter disarray.

When Daniel had first moved into this apartment with the other Horsemen he had claimed this room and then meticulously moved all his possessions inside. Everything had a purpose and an order.

Daniel walked into the room and let out the deep breath he hadn't known he had been holding.

This room was unrecognizable to the young man. Everywhere he looks something had moved or was out of place. If he had not known exactly which room was his, in the apartment, he would have guessed it was someone else's.

Furniture was shoved in different places. His dresser was facing the wall, blocking his drawers therefore stopping him from being able to access his clothing. His bedsheets were turned inside out then put back on the mattress. His pillow cases were inside out and hanging like curtains from his only window. His curtains lay like rugs across the wooden floorboards of his room. All his cards (which had been organized by number, color and suit) were scattered around the room. They were peeking out of lampshades, under his dresser and lurking inside his pillowcases.

Only one thing seemed in place.

A small white card lay, almost dead center on his bed.

Daniel walked over to it and gently picked it up.

It read as follows,

Welcome Home, Jerkbutt Daniel Atlas ;)