The Sister Between Them

Chapter 22

Dani found herself sobering fast after the encounter with Rocco, she was wide awake, and her brain would not shut off, no matter how hard she tried.

She wasn't sure what to think of the fact that not only was he dreaming about her, but obviously, it wasn't a good dream if he woke up and all freaked out like that. When she found herself wrapped in his arms as he panickily held her, she wanted to melt there and tell him never to let her go. 

He quickly dropped his eyes away from her when she asked about his dream, telling her he remembered it even if he said he didn't. Maybe he just didn't want to freak her out or something.

"Maybe you should stop trying to figure out what every little thing he says and does means," she scolded herself quietly.

She groaned out loud and made her way to her bathroom. A cool shower would clear her head or, at the very least, quiet it down for the night so she could sleep. She spent a reasonable amount of time relaxing in the shower. The cool water did help. She wished she would've gone easier on the drinks at that barbeque. She couldn't stop worrying about what she had revealed to Lexi, who was as drunk as she was. What if Lexi had drunkenly told Dante?

Dani hadn't even told Kara about her secret crush in any of their chats yet, despite her begging for some scandalous Sun City gossip. Mostly because she didn't want to say it out loud, never planned to. She was sure this crush would fade once she found a cute guy to distract her.

Dating someone and taking her mind off things it shouldn't be on was the smartest thing she could do.

 Instead, she messed it up and told Lexi, one of Rocco's best friends. What an idiot!

She'd been living alone, well off and on with Kev, for a long time. She craved domestic bliss, but it had seemed so out of reach. She told herself that being here and feeling like a family was probably what was getting to her. Plus, Gavin was so perfect. She instantly fell in love with him. He was like a little clone of Rocco; no wonder it was mucking up her feelings.

Her crush on Rocco was no more than an extension of her strong feelings for her nephew combined with her loneliness. That's all it was.

 It wasn't a crush at all, she decided. He was a friend and a brother-in-law, and that's all he would ever be. She felt better as she left the shower, having convinced herself. Hopefully, she could also convince Lexi too.

She was still a bit shaky from the booze, but she was mostly sober. She wore her favorite flannel pants and a loose tee shirt and combed her hair before leaving the bathroom. She decided to watch TV for a while and left her room to sit on the couch in Gavin's play area. Just as she was about to turn the TV on, she heard noises coming from above her in the kitchen.

Rocco must be awake, she deduced; maybe he had another nightmare.

Despite her objections, her feet ignored her brain, and she started for the stairs. 'Just checking to make sure he's okay. It's a nice thing to do,' she told herself.

As she got up towards the door, she heard the fridge closing. She paused for a second to take a breath before walking into the kitchen.

"Hey, did you have another..." Dani stopped in her tracks as she came face to face with Alyssa. Who gave her an odd look as she cocked an eyebrow.

"You're home," Dani said lamely.

"Yeah, thanks to you," Alyssa rolled her eyes at Dani, "I had to take a red-eye home."

She sipped the water bottle she must have grabbed from the fridge and sat at the table. Only Alyssa would be dressed in skintight black jeans and a lacy little red shirt with sky-high heels at two in the morning and after getting off a plane. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun, making her face look thinner. She had a full face of makeup that looked like it had just been done.