Almost is Never Enough- IM5/Dalton Rapattoni Story (Wattys 2016)

Deep Sleep and Deep Talks

*Luna's POV*
On the airplane home, Cole and Will insisted on sitting on either side of me. I let them, seeing as I probably scared them to death when I ran away. Dalton sat with Gabe and Dana in the handicap seat, not speaking a word.
   "You must have been horrified through all of this, Lulu," Cole said, holding one of my hands.
   "Yeah. I would be," Will said, holding the other.
   "Can we not talk about it? I mean, it's over, and I'm fine. There's no use in bringing up the past." Honestly, I was just trying to forget the fact that I had put both Dalton's life and my own in danger. It was traumatic to even think of. I was just glad that I got the worst of it, but the fact that Dalton had to be in a wheelchair because of me haunted my mind.
   "How are you so calm about all of this?" Gabe asked in the aisle seat next to me. "I mean, you almost died. You were stabbed, for goodness sake-"
   "Gabe," I cut in, "I said let's not talk about it."
   "Right," Gabe said. "Sorry, Luna."
   "We're just glad you're back with us," Dana said. "We love you."
   "I love you guys too," I said softly. I laid my head on Cole's shoulder, falling into a much-needed sleep.

*Dalton's POV*
   I saw Luna sleeping, seeing how exhausted she was. She needed sleep, and I felt so bad for her. If I hadn't insulted her that day, none of this would have happened. Even though nobody blamed me anymore, I still blamed myself. I got her into this mess, and I almost didn't get her out. If Andy had been as evil as Madison, I don't know what would have happened.
   "Dalton? You okay?"
   Gabe and Dana were looking at me with concerned looks on their faces. I looked over at Cole and Will, but they were both watching Luna. It was cute really, they were like her bodyguards.
   "I'm fine," I said to the guys. "I'm just glad she's okay."
   Gabe smiled. "She loves you, you know. We can all see it, even if you can't. Even if she can't."
   "I'm sure she does. I made her run away, I got her kidnapped. I bet I'm Desirable Number One on her list."
   "Would you quit that?" Dana chimed in. "We've all moved on, dude. It would be best if you did the same."
   I rolled my eyes, turning to look at both of them. "Would you be able to forget if you almost got the girl you love killed? Would you be able to forget the look on her face when she was stabbed, or the sight of her lifeless body after it had been thrown down a flight of stairs?" They were both silent, looking down. "I didn't think so."
   "I'm sorry, Dalton," Gabe whispered. "I didn't realize-"
   "Don't worry about it," I replied. "It's not your fault."
   "It kind of is."
   I looked at Gabe. "How is this your fault?"
   "You got mad at Luna because I was with her on the roof. You thought I was... you thought we were together. If I hadn't been up there with her, you would never have gotten angry at her. This is, overall, my fault."
   Dana had had enough of this. "Would you two idiots stop blaming yourselves? Or do I have to remind you who kidnapped her? This is Madison's fault. She's the one that got jealous of Luna when she moved in with Cole, she's the one who broke up with Dalton, she's the one who locked both of you in a warehouse basement. This is no one's fault but hers."
   Gabe and I knew he was right. We knew that Madison and Andy were at fault. As soon as Luna was okay to leave the hospital, we called the cops and had Madison arrested for kidnapping. Andy turned himself in, getting himself arrested as well. I was relieved to hear they wouldn't be bothering Luna anymore.
   "You love her too, don't you?" Gabe asked.
   I smiled. "Yeah. I guess I do."