Love's Final Destination

Chapter 11 - More Confusion

"Why would he be jealous, Cher? Is it because I still care about Leo or something? Or does he think our friendship doesn't matter?" I asked, completely lost in thought.

Cher exchanged a quick look with Annika before they both started laughing, and I stared at them, even more confused. What could possibly be so funny?

"Oh my God, Ava, you really have no idea, do you?" Cher said, trying to catch her breath between giggles.

I raised an eyebrow. "What are you two on about now?"

Before they could answer, Annika turned toward Dan, who was sitting on the couch, engrossed in his mobile game. "Dan, get over here! You have to hear this."

Dan groaned, not taking his eyes off his screen. "What now? Did Daniel finally confess or something?" he asked casually, his focus still on his game.

"Confess? Who? Confess what?" I repeated, my confusion growing by the second. What was going on?

Dan paused his game, setting his phone down and looking at me with an expression that screamed, Seriously? "Daniel. I'm talking about Daniel. Don't tell me you've never noticed."

"Noticed what?" I asked, blinking at him, genuinely clueless.

Dan leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms, looking like he couldn't believe what he was about to explain. "Ava, you have everything Daniel wants in a girl. You are literally his ideal type. Don't you get it?"

My mouth fell open as I stared at him, completely speechless. "Me? His type?" I shook my head, trying to make sense of what he was saying. "That doesn't even make sense. Daniel's my best friend. He's been nothing but kind and protective. That's what friends do."

Dan sighed heavily, looking like he was about to give me a crash course in relationships. "Yeah, but there's a difference between being protective as a friend and being protective because he's into you. Come on, Ava, he's been all over you recently. Remember that night you got drunk and called Leo? Daniel answered your phone, and he almost broke it in anger when Leo's name popped up."

"I... I didn't know that," I stammered, my mind racing. "I just thought he was being a good friend. I mean, other friends are protective too, right?"

Cher shook her head, still grinning. "No, not like this. Daniel's not just protective he's invested in you. It's not the same. He's always around, always there to check on you. You haven't noticed that?"

I thought back to all the times Daniel had been there for me, all the moments when he seemed to go out of his way to make sure I was okay. I'd never thought much of it, chalking it up to friendship. But now that they were pointing it out, maybe there was more to it than I realized.

"Don't you like him, even just a little bit?" Annika asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

I froze at her question, caught completely off guard. "What? No, I... I don't know," I stammered, feeling a rush of uncertainty. "He's my best friend. I've never thought about him like that."

Dan leaned forward, raising an eyebrow. "But you haven't not thought about it either, right?"

I was about to protest when Cher chimed in. "Oh my God, you do like him, don't you? You're just realizing it now!"

"No, no," I said quickly, shaking my head as if that would somehow clear my thoughts. "He has a girlfriend, guys. Kelly. Remember? I can't... I shouldn't feel that way about him."

Dan's teasing expression shifted to one of concern. "Yeah, that's the thing. He's with Kelly. You don't want to get caught up in something that'll hurt you, Ava. If he's got feelings for you, he's the one who has to figure that out. Don't let yourself get dragged into something messy."