Inkeri

Danny's Pride

She decided it was over. She was going to stop trying to find love and live alone. Four years of being with Jeremy and 7 years with Chad had broken her. Over a decade of mental and physical abuse had been enough to break anyone. She just wanted love, was that so hard to find? She knew she did not need a man but wanted a man to share in her success and walk beside her.

Danny would find her sitting on the bench crying again. How could he do this again to her? When would she start listening to him and stop going back. He saw her hurting and had tried to stop it before but she had told him not to. He was there for her each time she fell. He had enough. Too many times he had found her trying to end it. Too many times he had to hold her while she was crying. He was going to fix her if it took all his time. He had had enough of being "just a friend." She needed to see she had love sitting right in front of her if she would just look. But first, he had to wait until the right moment. He did not want to scare her away or cause her to rebound to him, he wanted her forever. He needed to show her that their love is not just platonic.

He knew he needed to get her to eat. He could tell she had been there for a long time, people passing her and no one stopping because in a small town, they already knew what happened. He had been the only one who seemed to care enough to bring her tissues, water, and offer to just sit with her. She knew she needed to talk about what happened but how can she tell him again she had gotten hurt by him. The bruises were showing and the redness in her eyes gave everything away. Danny sat there, silent, still and protective. She had always been able to count on Danny for protection. He was always there when she had fallen for another boy who pretends he is a man. They sat in silence until the stars came out. She never had to tell Danny what happened or what she needed. He just knew. When she was ready, he escorted her to her parents house, made dinner, gave her a kiss on her forehead and told her to call him if and when she needed to talk.

She left Jeremy the following week, once again moving all of her items into her parents house to sort out her life. She did not understand how she could successfully own and run her business but could not figure out how to find someone to love her like she deserved. Regrettably, she would have to go through the separation of possessions and selling their house. It was going to be another long process of trying to find herself.

Danny would find a missed call on his phone from her when he woke up. He missed it by 13 minutes; maybe he would be able to reach her now. Still groggy from sleep, his voice was deep and gravelly when she picked up. She thanked him for taking care of her last week and invited him to lunch as a thank you. He agreed but insisted on picking her up in an hour at her house. She made Danny an iced coffee. She knew Danny well as she had practically grown up with him. If he did not have caffeine, he was a little too much to handle. Fifty-four minutes later, he would arrive at her house looking so much more than the boy next door wearing a full black outfit from his shirt and tie to his shoes. She silenced a laugh knowing he was more than likely overdressed for the location she had in mind for lunch. She was in a summer dress perfect for a casual lunch. She handed him the coffee and asked if he would like to come inside to enjoy it before going to lunch. Danny hesitated, he knew he had to be careful of being the rebounder to her right after the brutal breakup she had just been through but he also knew he wanted her now. He agreed to go inside.

Sitting at the kitchen table, she started wondering how he had changed so much since she had last lived near him. He used to be the scrawny kid next door no one wanted to play with and now he is looking like a well-groomed gentleman. He ended her internal thoughts when he stated he would like to decide where they go for lunch. There was a bistro in the next town he knew she wanted to try and asked if that was ok. She agreed knowing it would be great for her to get out of town for a little and allow herself to relax. They finished the coffee and decided to get on the road to go to the bistro. As usual, she noticed he opened the door for her to get in the car. She was not used to his chivalry. In the last decade, she had always been the last person on her partner's mind. She thanks him and buckles her seatbelt. They drive to the next town and locate the bistro only to find it had closed due to renovations. She had also looked it up during their drive and the bistro website stated it would be opened. However, he knew of a great local restaurant she would love in the area. He stated he would find something else and assured her it was ok. He got out of the car and made a call.