"I'm sorry. I just, all the time that I've been here, everything just gets screwed up. And I thought that if I left then you guys would be able to have everything go back to normal. But obviously I failed at that so…"
"Don't ever think that! Everything that has happened hasn't solely been because of you Reighleen. Please, don't think that, and if you do think about running away come talk to me, okay?" Danny said whilst stroking my cheek.
I smiled then realized the light I saw coming through the sheets was sunlight.
"Can we go to, uhm, that place now?"
"Yes of course, then we can go out for breakfast?"
"Okay," I said with a small smile.
So after going to the clinic and getting the morning after pill, we went to the Waffle Shop.
"I didn't realize how hungry I've been," the smells of cooking waffles and pancakes floating up my nostrils and causing a grumble in my stomach.
"Well it's a good thing we've come here then huh?" Danny replied, scanning the menu.
"Reighleen?"
I turned around hoping it wasn't who I knew it was. "Hey Nathan…"
"I was going to call you after I finished breakfast with my sister but I guess I won't have to now," with his cute grin atop his face.
"oh cool…"
He came over and leaned in to kiss me, and it took all I had not to flinch away. I discreetly scooted away, or I thought I tried to.
"Is something wrong love?" he asked, backing away a respectful distance but kept his worried eyes on me.
"Everything is fine. I'm just getting a hint of a cold and I don't want to get you sick is all," I told him, somewhat proud of the lie I made up.
"Oh alright. Well, I'll leave you to your breakfast then and call you later. Bye love," kissing my cheek before leaving.
As soon as he left, the waitress took our order and left us alone in our lonely booth in the corner.
"Is it normal to act like that? I mean, he's not the one that did it so I shouldn't be terrified of him, right? There must be something wrong with me. I used to be a screw up, but now…now I'm-"
"Reighleen, be quiet," Danny demanded as he slid from his seat to the one next to me. "It's perfectly normal for you to act this way. You've gone through something horrible and your body needs to cope somehow. And you were not a screw up okay? Nor are you one now."
"Danny, I'd like to believe you but…I just, I wish I could rewind and not be born. Then everything would so much easier for everyone. And I'm not just saying that. Then my mother wouldn't be in such an angry state because my father would probably still be alive, you would be happier, Nathan could have another more deserving person. The list goes on and on."
"Are you done?"
"Uh, for now…" I said skeptically, surprised by his response.
"Good. Because starting today, you are going to burn your bridges. All those bad memories, all those images in your head that make you want to shake with fear, all of those words you just said, hold on to them. After we eat breakfast, I am taking you somewhere special where you will let go of them all and leave them behind and start new."
"Uhm…I'm guessing I don't really have a choice do I?"
"Nope," he said with a proud smile and started eating his chocolate chip Belgium waffle.
So after eating all we could of our breakfast, he started driving further and further out of town.
"Are you going to tell me where we're going yet?"
"Nope," he said, turning the stereo up louder.
I huffed out air and pretended to pout for the rest of the ride. Which ended up being in the middle of nowhere in the woods.
"What are we doing here Danny….?" I asked suspiciously, wondering if I should worry or trust Danny.
"Don't worry Reighleen. Trust me, you will thank me when you're done."
With that said, he grabbed my elbow and guided me up a curvy path, shaded by tall redwoods. Moss surrounded rocks jutting out in spots, ferns growing every which way, just barely making room for a path.
"This is kind of beautiful…" I announced softly in awe.
"Not even the best part love, not even the best part."
With that I decided walk along in silence, taking in the relaxation the sun filtering in through the leaves brought.
"We're almost there. Be prepared to be happy," he said after 5 minutes of walking.
As I was about to remark about his statement I heard the sudden crash of waves off in the distance. We ducked under a low hanging branch, and I was hit with the sensational, literal breath taking view of the ocean. The wind blew my hair in circles around my head and weaseled it's way through my sweater to make me shiver. The waves I heard a few minutes ago were now filling my ears.
"Now let it out. Let everything out. Scream at the top of your lungs!" he had to scream in my ears due to the roaring of the waves underneath the cliff a few feet away and the wind blowing in our ears.
I looked at him like he was crazy.
"Go ahead!" he urged. Then, out of nowhere(probably due to the fact that I was still refusing to start screaming at the top of my lungs at random), he started to scream. Like really scream, the kind of scream you'd yell when getting killed. "Now you try it!" he yelled over the wind and waves.
I peeped out a puny scream, not used to the freedom of using my outside voice.
"I can't hear you!"
I let out another yell, it was barely heard over the gusts of wind and crashing of the waves.
"Reighleen!! I can't hear yoooou! Think of everything. Anything that you've wanted to scream about, cry about, everything! Scream like if you don't, your heart will explode, like if you don't, you'll lose everything…!"
Then I screamed. I screamed like I wanted to when my mother beat me. I screamed like if I didn't, then I would crumble away and let the past hold on to me. I think I screamed for a good 5 minutes straight, only pausing to catch my breath once or twice then collapsed into a heap to the ground. Then I started sobbing like I did a night ago, but this time, these were tears of change. These were the last tears I'd shed for the past.
Danny gently held me in his arms while I cried for another 10 minutes. I finally calmed down and just sat there sniffling in Danny's arms. For the first time I think in my life, I felt calm and relaxed.
"Thank you Danny, you have no idea how much you've helped me over the years. I don't think I've thanked you yet for being there for me…or at least brightening my day. You saved my life Danny. And for that, I will never be able to thank you enough," I said, ignoring how corny I sounded.
"Reighleen, it was no problem. Really, if anything you’re the one that saved my life. So I guess you could say we're even. Pinky promise me that we will never grow apart from each other okay? Because I honestly don't think I'd be able to live without you."
He held out his pinky for me to shake with mine. My frail pinky latched onto his and we held our hands like that for a few minutes, not saying anything; the only sound being the ocean beneath and the wind whistling through the air.
"Well, I think we should get back now. Neither of us told anyone we were going somewhere…"
"Yeah sounds like a good idea. But, seeing as how our pinkies are still linked, promise me that we will keep no secrets from each other, and if something is bothering either of us, we will go to each other whenever. Okay?"
"Sounds like a fantastic promise love!"
And with that we walked back to the car, with our pinkies still linked
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Authors note: Thank you for reading! If you could take a mili-second to just press the vote button I would be super happy. I hope you guys are having an awesome weekend/week! Spread peace, love, and happiness!