Daniel's phone kept ringing, and ringing, and ringing as he drove me home.
"Are you going to answer that?" I asked with my elbow on the center console leaning over into the middle of the car. I was too exhausted to sit up right but I wasn't in the mood to press my head against the door of the car, that's what I had hit my head on last time.
"Didn't you just learn your lesson about talking on the phone while driving?" He tried to joke but I could tell it was strained.
I thought back to the moment in the hospital. I don't know if he had spoken to me or not, but I snapped upright and he was suddenly there. I would never in my entire life forget the way he had looked at me. And when our bodies connected for a moment all of the pain I felt had vanished, momentarily of course. There was no one else in the entire hospital, no, the entire world, in those moments we were connected in the most intimate of ways. It was as if the line that divided Daniel from Ryan had vanished and for one deliriously beautiful and brief moment we were one.
And then the way he'd ushered my mom out. The possessive tone he'd taken with her. The way he'd wordlessly dressed me. A very painful realization had struck me. I loved him, which I already knew. But I realized suddenly that I loved him so much I wanted to spend my life with him. And not in the way of two people who happened to be sharing a child together. No. I wanted to be a family together. Build a house and buy a stupid dog. I wanted a life together.
It was a sickening realization, as they always were with Daniel. The idea of actually settling down with someone was frightening, I had always sort of assumed I would. But I always expected it would be more out of obligation rather than actual want, or God forbid need for someone else.
But once we had stepped out of the hospital we were in the real world again. The world where I couldn't just marry him because he got rid of my mother, the world where he had already built his house and bought his dog, the world where I was on the outside looking in.
"Is it...?" I asked knowing I had no need to finish my sentence.
"I can't be certain, but probably." Daniel said not seeming to be concerned at all. He took one hand off the wheel to dig in his pocket and pulled the phone out handing it to me.
My heart literally stopped as I took the vibrating device in my hands. "Y-you want me t-to answer it?"" I asked with a gaping mouth.
"No I wouldn't go that far. But you were worried about who it was. Is that who it is?"
Relief washed through me. I loved Daniel, and I did want him to leave Victoria for me, but I could not be the one to deliver the message. I looked to the phone just as it stopped ringing. With shaking hands I hit the button centered at the button and the screen lit back up. There was no passcode required to unlock it so I was free to scroll through the call log. "She's called you quite a few times." I told him and watching to gauge his reaction. He didn't appear to be worried.
"What about texts?"
"You want me to read your text messages?"
"I'm telling you that you can. Not necessarily that I want you to. I'm not going to be angry if you do, but I probably won't be jumping for joy either." I watched him carefully for a few more seconds. "I'm telling you Ryan, if you're curious about anything to go ahead."
It seemed odd, for someone who was so persistent about hiding our relationship to be so open about anything.
"Go on." He urged this time so I turned my attention back to his phone.
I looked at him one last time before closing out of his call log and opening the messages. I couldn't decide if I wanted to do this or not. If Daniel and Victoria were still very much in love, did I want to know? Would I feel scorned if I opened his phone and saw that we had no text messages between the two of us? Not that we actually texted often, nor sent anything racy. But still.
"What did she say?" He asked interrupting my thoughts.
"She said..." I finally trained my eyes to the phone. "Where are you? Question mark. You disappeared. Answer your phone. Danny? And well, it pretty much goes on like that." After a few more seconds of hesitation I scrolled further up their conversation. I was completely invading his privacy, but he'd given me permission, hadn't he?
Their conversations were pretty cut and dry.
Victoria would ask him if he would be home for dinner and he would say no, she would ask if he was staying in late again he would say yes. The most detailed and interesting thing I came across was their discussion of the dog needing his claws trimmed and the scratches he'd left on the hard wood floor.
Further and further up I was scrolling through their conversations, and further and further back I was digging through the months. I came across a simple "Do you still love me?" From Victoria to Daniel, he had replied back asking her why she would even ask a question like that and she had not responded back to that.
After I felt I was getting no where with their life I went back to the log of messages and glanced briefly at ours, just to see how frequently he deleted them. He didn't.
"Do you feel better?" He asked and moments later the phone began buzzing in my hand again.
"No. Not really." I said and dropped it into the cup holder.
He shot me a half glance and then turned his full attention back to the road. We drove in silence the rest of the ride back. When we arrived back to my apartment Daniel parked and hurried around to my side of the car.
"You're going to step on a needle or something." I muttered as he was still in his socks.
"It's not my fault you choose an apartment in this neighborhood." He said with a smirk.
"Hey." There was nothing wrong with my neighborhood. "Oh." I groaned as he put his arms around my waist and hoisted me out of the car.
"Are you-"
"I'm fine." I muttered back. "Just really, really sore."
"I wish I could trade places with you."
I didn't have the heart to tell him that I hated that expression. Instead I gave him a pitiful smile. I was okay once I started moving again, just from sitting for so long had me really stiff. We made it up to my apartment without a hitch but boy was I relieved when I arrived at my bed.
Daniel pulled his shoes off from my feet and they thudded onto the ground. "Come on baby, we need to get your clothes off."
I groaned in response and rolled onto my side.
He sighed heavily and pulled my leggings off easily. "Don't you want to get a shower?" He asked unzipping my dress. I groaned again. "Last chance, do you want the dress off?"
"Fine." I moaned and sat up. He pulled the dress over my head and I flopped back onto the back without hesitation. I was just so tired, so, so tired.
Daniel's phone rang again. "Hello?" My eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice and I rolled onto my back to be able to see him. "I know, I know. I'm sorry." He sighed into the phone. He sat down on the edge of the bed with his back to me. "I didn't mean to scare you. I'm fine, see?"
I propped myself up on my elbows, fully investing myself into the conversation.
"I didn't answer because I was driving." He was quiet for a few moments, listening to her speak. "I'm at Ryan's."
I forced myself upright. "Daniel are you sure-"
"She was in an accident Tor." He sounded annoyed instantly. "No she didn't call me to get her we were on the phone and I heard it happen. She didn't have to call me, of course I came." Silence again. "No. Not yet." More silence. He finally stood up and strolled out of the room. I could barely hear him now as he walked through the house and further from me.
From what I could hear he told her she was being absurd and heartless. That he wasn't going to leave me alone and she needed to take a 'chill pill.'
I laid back down and listened to the muffled argument. Typical things like "Well I'm sorry you feel that way" reached me and more dramatic things like "If that's the way you feel maybe I shouldn't come home at all!"
When Daniel finally came back in and slipped on his shoes I nearly lost it.
"You're still awake?"
"You're leaving?" I countered.
"Of course not. Well, I guess technically. I'm going to get your prescription filled. I'll be back in no time."
"Oh."
"Oh?"
"I just...I don't know, I just thought you were. I mean she's, well...I don't know."
"She's furious and she thinks it's inappropriate."
"Well isn't it?" I shot back and sat up again.
"Probably." He said simply. I watched him watching for more. "She's a bit shaken. She went upstairs to finish this painting she's been working on and when she came back down I was just gone. I didn't think when I left, I just heard the crash and...the next thing I knew I was yelling at the receptionist. I don't even remember the drive to the hospital, I don't remember getting out of the car. I'm surprised I didn't end up in a cot right next to you. I just had to be there for you."
"I don't know what to say." I admitted and looked down.
"Don't say anything. Lay down. Sleep. I'll go and fill your prescription. Tomorrow we'll give your insurance company a call, I'll take care of your car, and your hospital bill, everything. I'm going to take care of you both." He promised and leaned forward to kiss my forehead just before disappearing.
I was left alone in silence to take in my thoughts. I would be asleep in only minutes, dreaming of a world where Daniel and I were happy and together.
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Welllllll? Here's your new update. This chapter was pretty good to Daniel and Ryan. Their relationship is definitely getting stronger and I think in this chapter (and the last) Daniel really showed unconditional love.
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