Disappeared [ Dylan Sprayberry Fanfic ]

Chapter 21

Daniel's POV
I watched carefully, for the last time, her chest rising slowly, brown hair splayed out over her boyfriend's chest. A smile crept up on me before I could fight it off, this was how I liked to see Bridget, sweet, dreaming, peaceful.
"You know its your fault." I jumped at the sound of a voice, tipping over an empty can of Mountain Dew in the process. I turned half way towards the culprit while bending down to pick up the soda.
Crystal stood there, looking particularly pissed, arms crossed tight over her chest--lips tensed.
"You're going to give me shit about this until I leave, aren't you?" I sighed, rubbing my eyes.
"Yeah," Crystal shrugged,
"You deserve it."
"And why do you figure that?" I asked, pulling the knitted blanket up around Bridget's chin.
"Why couldn't you have just given it up the day she turned you down?" She demanded, leaning against the side of the couch.
"It would've been so much easier to leave, you know? You've always been like this, Daniel."
"Like what, exactly?" Dylan shuffled underneath Bridget, wrapping an arm around her waist in the process.
"Poking in other people's relationships." She said matter-of-fact, raising her eyebrows. I swallowed hard, scrunching my eyebrows.

Of course this had been the exact same conflict I've been having with myself the moment I took that first step on Bridget's front porch. I'd considered all of the outcomes of me falling for a girl I can't have--this, being one of them.
"Its not like I find joy in breaking people up," I said skeptically, quietly, "If that's even what I'm doing. Bridget helped me in a way you just don't understand..." Instead of defusing the bomb ticking inside Crystal, I only seemed to make her angrier,
"That's the fucking line you're going to play? Bridget and Dylan belong together."
"That's what everyone keeps on saying," I closed my eyes as pain rattled through my skull,
"I'm sorry for pursuing happiness. I'm sorry for wanting her. Is that what you want?" Crystal didn't say anything for a while, just kept her eyes on Dylan and Bridget on the couch.
"And I'm hearing all of this from the girl who'd been a total bitch to her best friend about loving her brother." I added, beginning to massage my temples. She still didn't say anything, but glared at me. I knew what this was about--not Bridget, or Dylan. It was about us, it'd always been about us. And I was sorry. It was true, it would've been so much easier to convince myself Crystal was the one I wanted, and not Bridget, but you can only fool yourself for so long.
"All i'm trying to say is," She gritted her teeth, eyes on fire,
"Its your fault you're in this mess."
"What's the crime in loving someone with my whole heart?" I questioned, asking the question I've been wanting to shout to the world in fact, that what indeed, is wrong in following my heart so to speak. Cheesy or not.

Crystal stared at me, speechless for a moment. She turned her back on me, and stormed off into the kitchen--and that was supposed to be the end of it. I stood up and went after her. I wasn't leaving at a wrong note; not with anyone.
She brought two cups of hot chocolate to the table, sliding one over to me as she plopped down, chewing angrily on a blueberry muffin. I pulled the ceramic cup over and looked down. Vanilla creamer with cinnamon. Our drink since we were kids.

Bridget's POV
"Got everything?" I asked as Daniel dragged the last bag out of the elevator.
"Pretty sure." He shrugged, looking at the pile of black suitcases on the concrete. The four of us just stood there, a billion words to say, but none brave enough to start. I let out a breath as Daniel stepped up to Crystal.
"I'm going to miss you." He said sincerely, pulling Crystal against his chest so hard she gasped. Leave it to Daniel to start what the rest of us couldn't. She started sobbing, so loud and hard I was afraid I was going to start. She wrapped her arms around his chest tightly, and he planted a kiss on the top of her head. Daniel pulled away, holding her at arms length, and gave her a studded, lopsided smile. Crystal stood up on the tips of her toes and kissed his cheek. He gave her one more squeeze before moving on to Dylan.

They kind of sized each other up for a moment, both scowling. Dylan extended a hand, and Daniel accepted it.
"I owe you, man. And--"
"We had our differences but you still love me, yeah, yeah." Daniel recited as if he expected this. Dylan chuckled in response to this, and patted his shoulder. Daniel dragged his eyes over to me and I stared at him, trying to engrave everything into memory. Daniel was wearing low strung black jeans with checkered suspenders hanging off of the belt loops, a black t-shirt that showed off his dragon tattoo well, and silver snakes curved through his ears.
We moved towards each other seemingly at the same time and entangled our arms around the other's body in turn.
"Bridge huh?" Daniel leaned on his elbows towards me, with his head propped up on his hands.
"I'm Edward, this must be destiny." He mused, grabbing my hand from over the register and pressing his lips to my knuckles. Wow, I haven't heard that one before. He buried his head in my neck, and inhaled softly.
Daniel squeezed his eyes closed, and inhaled slowly. Then his eyes opened again, and he was looking at me.
"Here," He said, sliding his fingers underneath one of his rubber wristbands. It was yellow, the white words read, 'Keep Your Chin Up'. Daniel took it off of his wrist and handed it to me.
"I want you to have it. As a reminder."
"God, I'm going to miss you so fucking much, you know that?" He whispered. I could safely say, Daniel was squeezing the life out of me, both literally and metaphorically.
"Shhh. Shhh." It took me a moment to register the voice coaxing me back into reality, some part of me wished it was Dylan, but I was crazy, not stupid. The familiar smell of Daniel's cologne engulfed me, as he pulled me into his chest, arms wrapped around me so tight I could barely breath.
"I'll miss you." Is all I could manage, with all that he's done for me, with all that he's given up for me.
"I thought that," I stared into Daniel's dark brown eyes as he spoke,
"If I could pretend I was indispensable to you, it wouldn't matter if my little sister was dead or you didn't love me back. I thought it'd be okay." He looked at me, he seemed to be in so much pain that I could physically see it eating away at him. I could see it now, Daniel thought that if he concentrated on me being happy, he could forget.

He detached himself from me, arms still wrapped around me. I suddenly became very aware of Dylan's presence. I looked back at him, and he was pretending to be interested in the rock at his foot. I leaned in, giving him a small kiss on the tip of his nose.
"See you, Sunshine." He grinned, bent down, and rearranged his things as a man over the intercom indicated 5 minutes before flight number 4 was leaving. He looked back at Crystal,
"See you later." I found this easier to accept than "good-bye", even knowing I probably wouldn't see him face to face ever again, none the less it was comforting. She waved, unable to speak, tears spilling from her cheeks, sobbing noises escaping from her lips. Daniel slowly turned his back on us, and strode away. I forced a smile as Dylan walked up beside me, wrapping an arm around me. I watched the back of his head until it was swallowed up by the crowd of airplane-goers.
"See you later, Daniel."

As we turned and began making our way out of the airport, I looked up at Dylan. A warm smile spread across his lips, his blue eyes as radiant as the first day I met him. It'd already been established I'd wait forever for Dylan, now, all I had to do was spend the rest of it with him.