A New Life

sixty two.

"Both of your faces says it all,"

Abby's POV

Friday, April 3rd (same day)

"Are either of you guys hungry?" Danielle asks as we walk into her house after a long day on set. Danielle and I had decided that it would be best for me to stay here another night, knowing that we would both be a little anxious about the hearing tomorrow.

"Si, extremely." Stefania replies, flopping down on the couch and immediately throwing her shoes off. "Today was such a long day," she leans her head back and brings both of her hands up to her face.

"I know," Danielle agrees, sitting down on the couch right next to Stefania. I stay quiet, feeling my anxiety about the hearing tomorrow beginning to bubble up, and sit down on the chair on the other side of the room.

"Abby?" Danielle asks.

"Hmm?"

"Are you hungry?" She asks again.

"Um..." I trail off slightly. "Not really," I admit. Danielle looks at me thoughtfully for a minute, causing me to break eye contact nervously and look down to pull at my fingers.

"I'm going to go use the bathroom quickly," Stefania says quietly, I'm assuming because she can sense that Danielle wants to say something to me, and places her hand on Danielle's thigh before standing up. I've grown much more comfortable with Stefania recently as the three of us spend a lot of time together, but I know Danielle tries not to be the one to initiate certain conversations when other people are around.

As Stefania walks out of the room, Danielle holds one of her arms out.

"Come here," she says quietly. I hesitantly stand up from the chair and walk over to the couch, into her extended arm. She wraps her arm around my waist and pulls me down onto the couch next to her, immediately bringing me in close to her own body. She keeps one hand wrapped around my waist and brings the other one up to my head, pressing it close against her chest. I close my eyes and let out a deep breath, listening to her heart beat steadily, feeling extremely thankful that Danielle always knows what to do to calm me down. We sit in silence for a moment, allowing my thoughts to run freely through my mind in the safety of Danielle's embrace...the only place I truly feel safe enough to let my emotions fully come out.

"What are you thinking?" Danielle asks calmly after a few moments, not letting me out of her grip.

"I'm scared," I admit quietly, not elaborating because Danielle and I both know she knows what I'm talking about. She doesn't respond for a moment, but rests her chin on the top of my head.

"I know," she finally replies. "But like we've talked about, if for some reason this doesn't work out, nothing about what we have will change, okay? I won't ever let anything in this world take away what we've built together. I love you...so much...and I am promising you right now that no matter what happens tomorrow, I will always do everything in my power to make sure you know that."

I clench my eyes shut, feeling the burning sensation of tears threaten to pour out. But I know that this is a situation where once I start crying, I won't be able to stop. I take in a deep breath, gathering my senses before saying anything else.

"I love you, too," I manage to get out without letting any tears fall.

"What can I do for you, beautiful girl?" She asks in a quiet voice, stroking the back of my head with her hand. I shake my head ever so slightly, knowing that there is nothing more Danielle could be doing in this moment.

"Just...keep holding me," I say in a weak voice, the words cracking as they exit my mouth. As soon as I say this her grip tightens. I hear the bathroom door open, followed by quiet footsteps leading into the living room.