Deep Breath | Daniel Ricciardo

Part Thirty-Seven

🎵 it'll be okay - Shawn Mendes 🎵

We were the last to disembark the plane, I thanked the crew as I left. Daniels car was waiting for us as we exited the airport but I pulled my luggage from his grasp and made my way toward the taxi's.

"Where are you going," Daniel called out to me. I turned back.

"I'm getting a taxi to the room I rented?"

"What do you mean, you aren't staying with me?"

"You are joking right," I huffed

"Let me explain please, then I'll take you wherever you want to go." He paused for my reply, "and you need to see a doctor!" He whispered.

I needed to decide in this moment if he was worth anything. Was he worth my time, was anything he said going to change my opinion of him.

Yes, I owed him that, I owed him one last chance. The care he was taking of me earned him a chance.

"Ok," I replied walking past him to get in the passenger seat of his car.

"I know you heard what I said, to max in the garage" he started. "I didn't..."

"If your explanation is you didn't mean it," I interrupted. "then you can save it"

"I shouldn't have said those things, I shouldn't have played up the big game. Acted like a dumb immature kid, wanting to have one over on the young guys." He took a breath.

"It wasn't even just you Daniel, Michael let me fall for you knowing it was all a lie."

"No it wasn't all a lie, he didn't say anything because he knew I had real feelings. He warned me not to hurt you"

"Well you did. You fucking broke my heart." I sniffed starting to cry. Daniel placed a hand on my leg and I pulled it away. "Don't Daniel"

"I'm sorry, I don't want to see you like this. So repulsed by me."

"Did you agree with max in the beginning" he looked at me confused. "That I looked like an easy shag. That I was just going to jump into your bed the second you let me?"

"No please don't say that"

"You didn't protest did you, when Max said those things. You wanted fucking extra points for the work you'd put in" I was angry again now. "I fucking work hard in my job , I don't need people thinking I fucked you to get where I am."

"No one thinks that"

"The mechanics that heard you do Daniel. Did you tell Max, all those times you had me in your bed. All the times you touched me. Did it score you points."

"No I would never"

"How can I trust you. How am I meant to believe anything you say Daniel." Tears were falling down my face now. "I let you in, told you things I've never told anyone. Let you see my darkest parts and you betrayed me."

"Was any of it true," I sniffed, "did you ever even feel anything toward me."

Daniel pressed on the breaks hard and pulled over.

"Jesus, Libby!" He turned to me. "I've never felt like this before in my life, I've never felt love for another person like I feel about you. The moment I saw you blush at my words, as soon as I saw the light of your smile. The way you let me in to your world. The trust you put in our relationship, to share your past when you'd never dared to before. I love you Libby. I love you like I've never loved before and when I saw what my words had done to. When I saw how I hurt you, I was so angry at myself. Seeing those guys hands all over you. When you kissed Carlos I..." he took a deep breath in. "I will spend all my days protecting you, trying to prove my love to you, if you'll just let me. Just give us one more chance. Please."

I sat taking it all in, I had no idea he felt so deeply about me. I wanted to trust him again, to go back to before. "You broke my heart Daniel. I was all in, I was ready to... that night I found out, I was ready to have sex with you. Let that last barrier between us fall. And you betrayed me the very same day" I whispered looking into his eyes. "That broke something inside of me. It was like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. All those people at work heard you, how do I look at them knowing they think I'm just here for you to shag."

"Please don't say that," I noticed tears falling down his face. I didn't like that. "The things I said about your job just aren't true, you're amazing at your job, you didn't need any handouts from anyone. It breaks me to think you don't know how much I love you. I've never regretted anything more than I do right now."

"I looked like such a fucking idiot at the club last night" I was crying again. "I just confirmed everything you'd all said about me. Did Carlos kiss me because he knew about the bet. Were they all testing how easy I was."

"No, you know why Carlos kissed you, you kissed him first. I have no right to say anything about that. I'll tell them, I'll make sure they know that what they heard wasn't true. I've told max already, I told him how much you mean to me, made sure he knows the joking stops. And I'll tell anyone who'll listen."

I was still sobbing, "ok," I said. "I can't forget, but I'm going to try and forgive you."

"What happened last night, after you left the club?" He asked looking at me with teary eyes.

"I can't Daniel," I sobbed harder now. My whole body was shaking."please don't make me"

"Ok, let's just get you home." He replied pulling back into the road and making his way to his house.