Like No One Could | Danny Amendola

Chapter 7

** Unedited - thanks for reading

I never answered Danny's text. I couldn't find it in myself. When I got home that night, Danny was sitting at my counter, with a class of whiskey on the rocks.

I closed my door and shuffled to the other side of the counter so I was looking at him with an eyebrow raised. "Babe? Are you okay? How much have you drank?"

Danny looked up from his phone, and his eye were red and watery. "This is only my second... But... Why didn't you answer my text? Why have you been acting so weird? Is... Is it because we're finally moving in together? I... Jess... I'm at a loss... I don't know what's happening to us," he ranted.

I let out a sigh and shook my head. "Are you sure you've only had two?" My voice was soft as I leaned across the counter and grabbed his hands.

"Yes," he mumbled. "Babe... I-I need answers... Why are you acting so distant? It's killing me! Jess... Please... I love you... Are you not happy anymore? I'll do anything I can..."

I sighed. "Lets... Lets move over to the couch... away from the alcohol. Please, babe," I begged and moved over to his side and pulled him from the bar stool.

Without saying a word, he let me pull him over to the couch, where he collapsed and I sat down next to him, angling myself toward him. "I... Danny... I overheard you talking to Jules on Wednesday..."

Danny looked at me with his eyebrows scrunched. "About what? We were together the entire time... All we talked about was how awesome it will be to be neighbors... Babe... You're scaring me."

Tears began to surface. "I don't know how long this is going to last Danny," I mumbled as I motioned between the two of us. "I-I think we want different things."

"Wait... What? What do you mean we want different things? I want you, that's all I want, Jess," Danny instantly shot back as he leaned forward and grasped my hands in his.

I shook my head. "Y-You want kids and I don't, Danny."

His loving look turned into a blank one, and his grip on my hand tightened. "You what?" The tone of his voice was complete surprise. His brown eyes looked at me, shock displayed on his face.

Tears continued to fall down my face as I looked at him. "I don't want to have kids, Danny... I just... I'm sorry. I know this is a deal breaker... I understand if you break up with me," I mumbled and let out a sob. I pulled my hands from his and moved as far away as I could from him, where I pulled my knees up to my chest and cried.

After a second, Danny let out a huff, causing me to look up at him. He was sitting at the other end of the couch, his elbows resting on his thighs and his face in his hands as his shoulders slowly shook. 

I let out a sob and stuffed my face back into my knees. This was it. This was the end of what we've built up for a year. The best thing I've ever had was about to be done, but, him letting out a long huff broke my out of my thoughts. I looked up at him.

His face was no longer in his hands; he was looking at me with his puffy brown eyes, and tear covered cheeks. "I-I... I love you, Jess... I do... but... I've... I've gotta go... I can't do this right now," he choked out and moved his forearm up to wipe his nose. "I'm sorry, babe."

Without another word, he pulled himself off the couch, glanced down at me as he let out a sob, and shook his head. Next thing I knew was he was walking out the door.

I began to sob harder. "Danny," I mumbled through my crying. "Please come back... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."

My life just walked out the door because I don't want to give him what he wants... I have no clue when, but sometime through that night, I managed to move myself to my side so I was curled up in a ball and sobbing into the back of my couch.

I've just thrown a year down the drain... No I didn't... it was the best year of my life. I never thought I could love anyone as much as I loved Danny.

Sometime the next morning, I was awoke by my phone alarm going off at it's normal time. I had a massive headache, a stomach ache from not eating, and didn't want to move an inch. I felt like I didn't have an option... I did what I'd never done in my adult life... I called in to work.

I clicked on Mark's contact and the phone began to ring. "Hey Jess, to what do I owe this pleasure," he asked, oddly chipper for the morning.

"Hey Mark... I don't think I can make the uh... road trip... I've... I've got the stomach flu," I lied and sniffled a bit.

"Oh gosh! Alright. It's a short one.... We should be fine without you... Thank you for letting me know. Rest up! We're going to need you for the photoshoots next week," Mark replied. "I'll let you go. Get better soon, hun."

"Thank you, Mark... I'll be watching the games on TV. Have a great trip," I mumbled before I hung up.

I threw my phone across the room, it sounded like it took a pretty hard hit against the wall, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I lied back on the couch and leaned down to grab my fuzzy blanket. Once it was draped over me, I snuggled into it and slowly began to drift off.

When I was woken up from my sleep again, there was a bang out in the hall, and then some voices-- the voices belonged to Danny and Jules.

Fuck-- it's November 1st already.

"Ah fuck! Sorry... Let's get this chair into the elevator... Tommy said he'd stay down there to help you get it into the truck. This is the last one, right? I'll meet you guys at the town house in a bit... Okay? Did Jess say if she wants her stuff to be moved yet?" Julian's was speaking.

There wasn't a response right away. "Uh... She didn't say last night... I mean you could try and call her to find out. She's on a road trip," Danny casually replied. How was he pretending like nothing happened? Maybe he really didn't love me... He doesn't seem affected at all... Tears began to pull from my eyes. 

"Is everything alright? You two like talk about everything," Julian pointed out after a second.

"Yeah... She was just really tired when she got home from work... Went to bed right away," Danny mumbled. "And she had to leave this morning... So I didn't want to bother her. Let's get this in the elevator, then I'll meet you at the townhouse."

He was lying through his fucking teeth. What the fuck?   

Neither of them talked, then I heard footsteps walking down the hall, toward my door. A key was put into my door, then Julian walked in. He couldn't see me because I was on the other side of the couch where I wasn't visible. I stayed quiet, and acted like I was asleep.

That's when my phone began to ring on the other side of the living room. "What the hell," Julian mumbled as there were footsteps. He squatted to pick it up. "What the fuck did she do to her phone?" He got up and turned around, that's when he saw me. "Jess, what the hell?! Are you okay?"