Remember Me || A Blake Griffin Fanfiction

Chapter Fourteen

Two weeks later

"This is so fucking ridiculous," Dani mumbled, running her hand through her hair. She tossed the phone on the counter, a light thud echoing throughtout the kitchen.

She leaned against the counter, holding her head in her hands. This was the third time this week she had been shot down a job opportunity, solely due to her health condition. Every employer gave her the same reasoning and meaningless apology each time.

Quite frankly, Dani was pissed. She knew she was more than qualified for the job, yet her "illness" was holding her back once again. Finding work was just as hard as she remembered, and she didn't think she would have another opportunity like she did with Linda. Luck just didn't seem to be on her side.

"You okay?"

Dani looked up to see Blake walking in the kitchen headed towards the fridge. He was shirtless, wearing a pair of sweatpants. Sweat dripped from his body, as a result of the strenous workout he just participated in. Dani subconsciously bit her lip, forgetting where she was for a moment.

The clearing of Blake's throat shook her out of her trance as a vibrant crimson flooded her cheeks. "Uh, yeah. Well, no. Not really." She sighed.

He leaned against the counter adjacent to her, water bottle in hand. "Talk to me."

Dani let out another sigh. "I got turned down again. This time they didn't hesitate on shutting me down. I barely answered the phone before they told me that I wasn't qualified. What kind of bullshit is that? It's fucking waitressing; how qualified do I need to be to get a basic ass job that I already have experience in?" At this point, her eyes were filled with rage and her hands were balled up into fists.

"Relax, Dani. They'll be more opportunities, I promise you. You just have to be patient. Come give me a hug." He said with a playful hint in his voice, opening his arms.

"Ew, no. Take a damn shower, you stink." She mumbled, turning away from him.

"Oh really?"

Dani's eyes narrowed slightly before she took off running from out of the kitchen and into the living room. Even with the head start, Blake was right on her heels. He caught up to her and grabbed her, both of them falling on to the couch, laughing.

"You are so disgusting," Dani said in between giggles.

"You love it though."

The sound of Dani's phone ringing broke the two out of their laughing fest. She squirmed out of Blake's arms and made her way back to the kitchen, silently praying for good news.

"Hello?"

"DANIELLE NEWMAN I SWEAR TO GOD."

Uh-oh. Dani squeezed her eyes shut, mentally kicking herself for once again forgetting her best friend. She was in some deep shit.

"YOU GO OFF TO LIVE WITH A BALL PLAYER AND YOU JUST FORGET ABOUT ME AND CAM. WHAT KIND OF FRIEND ARE YOU?" Avalon yelled into the receiver. If Dani didn't have hearing problems before, she certainly did now.

"Hi, Ava." Dani mumbled.

"Don't "hi, Ava" me. How about "sorry for hurting your feelings, Ava" or maybe "sorry for treating you like a step child, Ava"? Not a single phone call or text message. I feel so disrespected."

Dani just shook her head at Ava's comments. There was no one she knew as dramatic as her best friend. It took her a few minutes to get her to calm down, but when she did, Dani remember how much she missed talking to Ava. They were on the phone for about forty-five minutes before Ava suggested going out to dinner.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in ages. I'll bring Cam if you bring Blake." She bargained.

"You would probably bring Cam either way."

"Come on, Dan," Ava whined. "I need to meet the guy you're living with. Again."

"I'll see what I can do."

There was a pause before Ava spoke. "I still can't believe you're fucking him."

"And that's my cue to hang up, I'll text you later."

"You better!" Ava yelled before Dani hung up the phone.

She walked back into the living room to see Blake on the couch, watching a movie. She sat down next to him and tried to focus on what was happening. However, she grew bored and turned to face him.

"Do you want to come with me to dinner with Ava and Cam?"

His eyes met hers as he raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking me out?"

A violent blush sprung upon Dani's face for the second time that day, much to her dismay. "I mean, they'll be there and I didn't want to be a third wheel and I didn't want to leave you here alone, you know? Unless you wanted to be or you had plans or something. If you have plans that's fine I'll just-"

Blake's chuckling stopped her in her tracks. "Dani, relax. I'll go with you, I was just kidding."

Dani relaxed from her tense state, yet remained embarrassed about her sudden awkwardness. In the past couple of weeks, Blake never brought up his confession and neither did she. It made things slightly awkward between them and she hoped that she could avoid going back to that conversation.

Blake, however, probably didn't feel the same.

---

A few hours later, the four were settled in a booth at a restaurant not to far from Blake's house. When they first met up, Cam and Blake hit it off instantly while Dani gave Ava silent pleas to refrain from asking inappropriate questions.

"So your birthday is coming up in a few days, Dani. Any big plans?" Cam asked from across the table.

She shook her head. "I don't know, man. I'm still looking for a job."

Ava opened her mouth to say something and Dani glanced at her, causing her to think twice about her choice of words. "Maybe you and Blake could do something." She said, a smile playing at her lips.

"Yeah," Blake spoke up from next to Dani. "Maybe."

"Who knows, maybe I'll have a job by then." Dani shrugged, pushing away the idea of her and Blake from her mind once again.

Ava, however, tried to push the subject. "Or maybe you and Blake-"

"I actually have to go to the bathroom." Dani interrupted, getting up from the table. Ava shook her head as she watched her best friend walk away.

When she got to the bathroom, Dani stood in front of the mirror and began retouching her makeup. She thought about what Ava said. Who knows what she was going to do for her birthday? She wasn't even sure if Blake wanted to do anything with her, he had his own busy life. She never did anything important anyway, her birthday was just another day, plus a few cards and a cake.

She didn't expect anything drastically different this year, even if she was living with Blake.

After a few minutes of contemplation, Dani left the bathroom and headed back to the table. When she reached the group, they were all silent.

"What did I miss?" She asked, sliding into her seat, a small smile on her face.

"Oh nothing. Nothing at all." Ava said with an almost apparent smirk.

Dani looked over at Cam who seemed to be busy on his phone and at Blake who was suddenly fascinated with the other side of the room. She raised her eyebrow and let out an "mhm" before sparking up another conversation.