FALLING AROUND YOU ➵ DANIEL SEAVEY ➵ SEQUEL

22 ➵ The News

Zach interrupted the jumbled chatter of our friends before saying he was hungry. Corbyn quickly agreed as I told them that I would make pancakes. It was already late in the afternoon, but they didn't mind. Breakfast food was the best type of food anyway. Jonah grabbed the television remote putting on a random movie while I got to work on the meal.

Because of my alone time in London, I've gotten quite good at cooking. During high school, I wasn't even sure how to cook an egg, but I slowly grew better over it. It didn't take long for the eggs to be simmered and the pancakes to be cooked. The large group quickly grabbed their own share before heading towards the couch to be squished together for the movie.

I sat near Daniel when he pulled a blanket over us. It honestly felt as if nothing changed, no time separated. We were both back to our original relationship. That's when a quiet thought fled my mind. What about Marie? I butchered my way around my management. Mr. Gray and I both agreed that they wouldn't be parenting me in my private affairs any longer, but that was if there would be no more public intrusions.

What about Daniel's consequences?

The media still doesn't know we are semi back together. How would his management take this? What would happen with Marie and Valerie?

"Daniel," my words felt worry.

There was a small brood in my voice that he could easily distinguish. "What's wrong?" he whispered suddenly a bit alarmed.

"What are you going to do about Marie?" I tried searching for words in his eyes.

The only thing those baby blues held were a weary dread. "I'm not sure in all honesty. I care for her so much as she cares for me. She told me once she had feelings for me, real feelings for me, but they were mostly one sided."

I scrunched my nose. "Only mostly?"

He saw the disappointment on my face. "I mean, I still care about her, you know?" I could tell he wasn't sure how to answer me.

"You told me you didn't love her," he nodded at my statement, "but did you have feelings for her?"

I found myself becoming more and more self-conscious when thinking of his answer. Marie was much more conventionally pretty than me. I mean, she was an incredibly successful model who is trying to make it on the big screen. I shield my face behind pages of a book and slap my name on the cover. Daniel saw my worry easily and gripped my hand.

"I want to show you something," he spoke softly and squeezed it a bit.

I huffed in annoyance because he didn't answer the simple question, but he soon excused us from the rest of the group and headed up stairs. I've been to the band's home dozens of times, so I knew the layout quite easily. Daniel's room was the one at the very end, and when I walked in, it was so unsurprisingly tidy.

I let go of Daniel's hand once he shut the door. "What are you doing, Seavey?" I spoke in a serious tone.

He let out no answer and instead sat on his bed, expecting me to do the same, but I declined. "Daniel, seriously, what are you doing? Why can't you answer the question?"

My frustrations were getting the best of me, but Daniel simply knocked away my insecurities when opening the drawer of his side table. Inside, he reached out a single, crumpled envelope that read "SIENNA" in all capitalized letters on the back. He handed it over to me with ease.