Ａ ＮＩＧＨＴ ＩＮ ＰＡＲＡＤＩＳＥ
- Twelfth of August, 2014.
ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀʀᴛʏ ʀᴀɢᴇᴅ on around them. Lou's eyes bore into Danny's, curiosity and skepticism painted across her face. "Let's get this straight to the point, why are you here?" she demanded, her tone equal parts serious and exasperated.
The clock had chimed 12 midnight.
Danny took a slow drag from his cigarette, his gaze unwavering as he exhaled a plume of smoke into the air. He leaned back against the kitchen counter, The cigarette hanging casually from his fingers, not held tightly. "Just because?" he quipped with a half-smile.
Lou's eyebrows shot up in disbelief, heaving a sigh that practically rolled her eyes. "Oh, screw that! You can't just answer me with 'just because'!" She crossed her arms, her irritation palpable.
Danny chuckled, his amusement uncontainable. "Easy, Miller," he said, his fake Australian accent, teasing Lou, once again surfacing. "Okay, I want to make things right."
Lou's expression drew a sarcastic response. "Make things right? With who? With Debbie?"
Danny nodded, his gaze now distant as if lost in his thoughts. "Yeah. With Debbie, with myself. I've been away for too long, and I've come to realize that running away..." He paused, and looked at Lou. "doesn't solve anything..."
Lou maintained an unwavering gaze fixed on Danny, almost as though she were scrutinizing his sincerity at that moment. "Debbie would not be able to take this tonight. Please don't ruin her again," Lou warned, her voice tinged with a note of hurt and concern.
Lou has seen the way Debbie suffered when Danny left. She was present the evening Daisy phoned. Following the call, Debbie stayed with her mother for about a week before deciding to return to the apartment. They never found Danny. The day she came back, Lou was taken aback when Debbie embraced her. Debbie's vulnerability caught Lou by surprise.
Danny's eyes met hers, a touch of sincerity underlying his gaze. "I'm not here to ruin anything, Lou. Believe it or not, I've changed. I've learned from my mistakes."
Lou's skepticism was still evident, but there was a flicker of curiosity in her eyes as well, as if wanting to give Danny the benefit of the doubt. "And what kind of mistakes are we talking about here, Danny Ocean?"
Danny took a final drag from his cigarette, then stubbed it out straight on the kitchen counter. Lou could only frown. "The kind of mistakes that led me to leave in the first place. The kind that hurt Debbie. The kind that made me lose sight of what truly matters."
Lou's arms dropped to her sides. "You're saying you've had a change of heart? That after all these years, you're suddenly a reformed man?"
Sarcasm hung in the air.
Danny chuckled, a wry smile playing on his lips. "Reformed might be a stretch, but I've definitely gained some perspective. Maybe I've grown up a bit. And maybe I've realized that life is too short to hold onto grudges and regrets."
Lou sighed, a complex mix of emotions playing across her features. She's caught in the moment of perhaps believing this man who's almost a stranger to her. She hadn't met him before and never knew him on a personal level, except for seeing him in a picture frame on Debbie's bedside table. "You know, Danny, you've got a lot to make up for. You hurt her deeply."
Danny's gaze remained steady and unflinching. "I know. And I'm ready to face the consequences. Even if that costs my sister hating me to hell." And even if Lou did not voice it out, Danny could hear her saying 'She hates you already'. He tried masking the hurt in his voice with a chuckle. But it was obvious he was strained. "I know I can't change the past, but I can certainly try to make a better future."
The party continued to surge around them, the laughter and music intertwining with their conversation. Lou's skepticism was slowly giving way to a sense of cautious hope—a glimmer of possibility that she hadn't expected. Maybe, she hadn't known him well, but Debbie used to talk good things about the man, after all.
"Just promise me one thing," Lou said, her voice serious but not devoid of emotion.
Danny raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. He has always known how Lou Miller has been her sister's companion and source of strength ever since he left. And he couldn't thank Lou enough for that.
"Promise me that you won't hurt her again. That you won't disappear and leave her shattered once more."
Danny's expression softened, and he met her gaze with a solemn nod. "I promise, Lou. I won't hurt her again. I'm here to make things right."
Lou held his gaze for a moment longer as if searching his eyes for any trace of deception. Finally, she let out a sigh and nodded. "Alright, Danny Ocean. I guess we'll see if your actions match your words."
Danny offered her a half-smile, a glint of determination in his eyes. "Fair enough, Miller. I'm here to prove myself, not just to you, but to Debbie and myself as well."
As the party continued to unfold around them, Lou and Danny found themselves in the kitchen, meeting for the very first time. Two people who were once part of Debbie's life. The tension between them had shifted, replaced by a tentative truce founded on the possibility of redemption and forgiveness. And as the Malibu sky darkened further, their conversation seemed to weave its way into the fabric of the night, a thread of hope amidst the chaos.
ᴛᴀᴍᴍʏ'ꜱ ᴛᴇᴀꜱɪɴɢ ꜱᴍɪʟᴇ played upon her lips, a familiar expression that had etched itself into Debbie's memory over the years. She uncrossed her legs, shifting her weight as she leaned back against the edge of a well-worn couch, her fingers loosely wrapping around the stem of her glass. The contents within glistened, catching the light in a way that matched the glint in Tammy's eyes.
"How did your alcohol tolerance improve? I'm impressed," Tammy quipped, her own glass finding its way to her lips for another sip.
Debbie offered a sidelong glance, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. "Let's just say some people improve too."
Tammy raised an eyebrow, a mischievous spark in her gaze. "Don't tell me you've developed a drinking habit for the past five years without telling me?"
Debbie chuckled, her laughter laced with warmth. Although it was true that she had drowned herself in liquor for almost a year after she and Lou broke up, but it hadn't lasted, and she was far from the heavy drinker Tammy was suggesting.
In fact, It was Tammy, who is already barfing at the moment, for her to notice that Debbie has not been really drinking a lot since she arrived at the party.
"Maybe I did." She said, of course, it was a lie. But Tammy's eyes exaggeratedly widened, and Debbie could not help but laugh at her.
"Oh, Ocean. What has Miller done to you?! You know what? You should really talk to her."
The topic at hand was Lou, and it seemed inevitable that any conversation with Tammy would circle back to the enigmatic presence that was Lou Miller. Tammy would never stop. Speaking of the great Lou Miller, as Debbie watched over the women who were still sitting peacefully on the couch once again, Lou's presence appeared to have vanished from sight. Debbie pondered for a while where could she be. She must be with that brunette girl again. And why should she care anyway? Dismissing the thought, she looked back at Tammy.
Debbie rolled her eyes, exasperation and fondness coloring her expression. "One topic at a time, Tammy," she retorted before pushing herself up from her seat, her glass finding a temporary resting place on a nearby table.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Tammy called out.
"I am going to get you some water to drink, lady."
"Okay, I'll be right here!" Tammy responded. Debbie did not wait long as she walked over to the kitchen. She moved past a few people as she tried her best to manage to pass by them. The DJ continued to mess up with the music, and the crowd could care less—they were just there, dancing like wild souls wanting to be possessed.
A few steps, and she's finally near the kitchen.
ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴠᴇʀꜱᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ Lou and Danny flowed, and the kitchen offered a haven of intimacy amidst the party's uproar. The words exchanged were a blend of accord and intrigue, like a carefully orchestrated dance of words that hinted at deeper currents. Yet, amid their banter, Lou's acute senses alerted her to an approaching presence. Shit!
Danny wants to talk to her sister, but he didn't plan to talk to her sooner this night. He told Lou he needed a little bit more courage to do so. But Debbie Ocean was there, walking towards where they were seated. A few people crowded at the entrance, and Debbie could not see them from where she stood.
"Debbie's coming over here!" Lou whispered urgently to Danny.
Danny's eyebrows shot up, and his expression was one of bewilderment and mild panic. "What do I do?" he asked, his eyes darting around as if seeking an escape route.
Lou's mind raced, attempting to formulate a plan. Her gaze swept the kitchen, seeking a plausible strategy. A glance at the left corner brought an idea to mind, and she saw the refrigerator standing there.
"The refrigerator!" she hissed.
Danny's eyes widened even more. "No way I'm gonna hide inside that refrigerator!"
Lou rolled her eyes, irritation momentarily outweighing her facade. "Idiot! You're not gonna hide inside it! Open it and pretend to find something in it!"
Danny wasted no time, swiftly standing and positioning himself in front of the refrigerator, his back turned to the kitchen's wide entrance. He swung the door open, feigning interest in its contents, though the tension in his stance gave away his act.
Lou's heart raced as she watched Debbie's approach. The seconds ticked away in rapid succession, each one amplifying the sound of her own heartbeat. Debbie's footsteps drew closer, the rhythm of the moment as delicate and unpredictable as a waltz.
Debbie entered the kitchen, her gaze fixed on the open refrigerator door. It seemed her attention was ensnared by the man's strange presence, and she moved with a natural grace, entirely unaware of Lou's proximity. Lou's breath caught in her throat as the gap between them closed, their proximity unnervingly close.
Time seemed to hang suspended in that space, and Lou found herself staring at the woman with whom she longed to have an exchange of words at least tonight. Well, she tried to, only to find Debbie enjoying some man's company outside at the gazebo.
Words, usually her forte, escaped her grasp, slipping through her fingers like grains of sand. This was the closest they had been since the party began, and the magnitude of the moment was palpable.
Debbie paused, her presence radiating warmth, familiarity, and something that Lou couldn't quite decipher. For a moment, their gazes locked, and Lou's heart yearned for something her brain was too cowardly to admit. But the weight of the past and the complexities of the present hung between them like an invisible barrier, leaving Lou grappling for the right words to bridge the gap.
Amid their silence, Danny's exaggerated rummaging in the refrigerator added an oddly clever layer to the scene. Lou's lips twitched, caught between the gravity of her emotions and the absurdity of the situation. As she looked at Debbie, so close yet impossibly distant, a thousand thoughts and emotions coursed through her. But at that moment, none found their way into words.
The air seemed to thicken as Debbie's voice broke the silence. "Lou... You're here..."
It was awkward. And Debbie could curse herself for trying to act civil as if everything were normal. Great!
Lou shifted slightly, her body language betraying the internal turmoil she was experiencing. "Uh, yeah..." as she tried to show the most pretentious smile.
"It's much quieter here, I guess," Lou said. Her heart still raced, and she was certain that her hands were now sweating. Her fingers tightened around the glass she held, a futile attempt to steady herself against the rush of emotions. Lou hoped to talk to Debbie tonight, but she didn't expect their first conversation to be like this. Oh! Screw you, Danny!
"Wh–Why are you here?" Lou's question hung in the air, the words leaving her lips before she could fully process them. She winced internally at the unintended edge in her tone. What the fuck? That wasn't how she intended to start their conversation.
Debbie's brow furrowed. The question had caught her off guard, and she struggled to find the right words. "I'm just going to get a glass of water for Tammy. Debbie could not look Lou in the eye, that's for sure. "You know her when she's drunk."
Lou nodded, realizing the awkwardness of her question. She felt a bead of sweat form on her temple as her nerves threatened to get the better of her. However, her attention was momentarily diverted by the sounds coming from Danny's direction. He continued to fiddle with the refrigerator, his attempts to seem inconspicuous more comical than convincing. Lou suppressed a frustrated sigh. Shit.
"Oh, I think the water's being served by the waitresses too! There, over there!" Lou pointed out, attempting to redirect Debbie's focus away from whatever refrigerator charade Danny agreed to do.
Debbie's face softened. "Oh, right. I didn't realize. Thank you," she replied, the awkwardness of the moment clearly affecting her as well. With a brisk nod, she turned and walked away, her hurried steps indicative of her need to escape the situation.
As Lou watched Debbie's retreating figure, a mixture of emotions swirled within her. Relief, disappointment, longing—all mingled together, creating a tumultuous storm. She let out a slow breath, feeling a strange sense of emptiness as the woman who had once held her heart disappeared into the crowd.
And then, from the corner of her eye, Danny's voice cut through the air. "Is she gone now?"
Lou turned to him, her irritation bubbling to the surface. "Yes. You bastard! You owe me a favor!" She shot him a half-amused, half-annoyed look, her words laced with a playful edge. The tension might have eased momentarily, but the evening was far from over, and the complexities of their interactions remained as unpredictable as the waves crashing on the beach outside.
Once again, Tammy was right, Lou and Debbie will talk just before the night ends except that it was a completely unexpected and awkward interaction. Debbie cursed through the air: Oh, God! fuck me!
- I wrote this last night. I woke up today with such heartbreaking news. Condolences to Bryan's family and, of course, our woman, Sandy. I just want to hug her so badly. ;(
Rest in eternal peace, Bryan...