Crescendo

Chapter 35

I sat in the car, wondering if I was making the right decision. Traffic passed me, but I stared into the street. Daniel was already at the gate, waiting for me. I had texted him to go through security, hinting that I might not make the flight.

I wanted to believe that it would be that easy—that I could turn around, go to my condo, and give up on whatever might have been between us. But what would I be going home to? Nothing. So why was I scared of leaving it?

I tilted my head back on the headrest and shut my eyes, squeezing them shut as if not seeing the world meant it didn't exist anymore. I was tired, exhausted from grieving. Being betrayed by Jay was just the tip of the iceberg—an iceberg that stretched far below the surface. It was always more than that. I put all my trust in him. At one point, I believed he was inherently good and that I was at fault for what went wrong between us.

Then, all at once, my beliefs were flipped. And in the wake of that was Daniel being honest with me in a way that I couldn't rely on anybody else to be. More than that, he was sad, just like me. I had spent so much time pretending to be okay. But there he was, confirming that he wasn't completely okay either.

I wanted to know more about him, about what led him to step into oncoming traffic. I wanted to hear about his life. But facing his father and deliberately going against his wishes likely wouldn't end well for us. And Stella—well, she had a vendetta against me, and that would never change.

I sighed and grabbed my purse, leaving my car in the long-term parking lot and grabbing my luggage before I changed my mind. I had no other choice, after all. I could stay and be the same person I had always been: sad, alone, the author with a dead mom, or I could leave. I had spent the last two years trying to fit in with my newfound fame and the crowd it brought. Maybe, hopefully, the trip would break me out of my routine.

I hurried across the crosswalk, waving at the cars that let me pass. I didn't have long before boarding ended because I waited until the very last minute to make my decision. And as always, TSA was a nightmare. Heat prickled up my neck as I waited in a line that stretched on forever. By the time I made it to the front, I was yelled at for forgetting to take off my watch.

I groaned but tossed my jewelry into the top pocket of my bag, stepping through the metal detector quickly and retrieving my things. There was nothing quite like a midday airport sprint to test your cardio endurance. I dragged my stuff behind me, panting as I ran to the gate farthest away from security. By the time I made it to A31, I was gasping for breath.

The gate waiting area was empty except for one familiar silhouette. Daniel sat at the end of the airport, not far from the desk. He's waiting for me, I thought, trying to swipe stray pieces of hair out of my face and the shimmering sweat off my forehead. Do I want him to know how out of shape I am?

I suppose there was a lot of time to figure those things out about each other. I stepped forward with my boarding pass in hand, but before I could reach him, he turned, spotting me and immediately standing.

"You're here," he said, his eyes wide. Lines creased across his forehead as he stared at me, shocked that I stood in front of him. So why did he wait?

"I am." I wanted to explain the phone call, the traffic, and my third mental breakdown of the day, but there would be time for that. There would be time for everything.

He shook his head in disbelief. "I thought you'd changed your mind."

I did. My text was bland and negative. I swallowed the guilt building in my throat. "I'm sorry. I want to be with you." I twisted the hem of my shirt, releasing it when I realized. "Besides, how would it look if you left your girlfriend behind?"

Daniel raised an eyebrow, but his lips twitched. "That would be awful PR."

I nodded, greedily accepting his forgiveness. "Tess would be pissed."

"We can't have that," he said, finding humor in the idea. The hostess announced the last boarding call, but I wasn't ready yet. I pulled the manuscript out of my purse and handed it to him.

"I brought you something to read," I said, fighting the urge to snatch it back and toss it in the bin. I bit the inside of my cheek while he turned his attention to the unpublished novel in his hands. "I need your opinion of it."

Daniel leafed through the pages, smiling when he saw the title. "Is this-"

"Yeah," I answered, hoping he found it charming and not ridiculously creepy. In the week I had to pack, I managed to finish my next book. It wasn't what I had planned, but it was good. At least good enough to appease Tess and my editor, but Daniel's approval might be harder to earn. I remembered the red ink on my first paper and prayed he forgot his pen.

"I'm sure I'll love it," he said, tucking the book beneath his arm and walking with me to the door. We scanned our boarding passes and hurried down the jetway. And as we settled into our seats, my nerves subsided. At least until Daniel pulled out his glasses and started the long process of reading Crescendo.