Someone's Someone

Someone's Someone - Chapter Twenty Six

Danny....

As I slip my freshly showered body into the new shirt that I bought earlier, I smile back at my reflection as I'm carefully doing up the small black buttons. This is the cheapest cotton shirt I have ever bought for myself, but I didn't want to take the Mick with the money that Henna so thoughtfully gave me earlier today. She paid for my haircut and my beard trim, she paid for me to get myself something new to wear for this dinner thing with Rita, and she did all of that to help me feel better about myself. And I do feel better about myself. My ribs still ache if I overdo things, but I really am starting to feel good about who I am. The nightmare of my homelessness is starting to fade, and again, that's all down to Henna.

How do I repay someone like her?

How the hell am I going to justifiably thank her?

And I will one day. One day, I will thank Henna Nolan for it all.

Now fully dressed, I just quickly run my fingers through my newly cut dark hair, keen to see the woman who is the reason for why I feel so damn great about myself. I haven't seen Henna since we came back from her flat. Although she kept pretending that she was okay, I knew otherwise. I figured she could do with some time to herself, which is why I decided to help her dad in the kitchen. Keith really did get to her, which ultimately has got to me.

Who does he think he is?

I thought he cared for her?

Why is he hurting her?

There is honestly not a single bad bone in Henna. She isn't the kind of person who would ever purposely hurt someone. Which is why I fail to understand Keith. I could be wrong, but from what little Henna has told me about herself and her friend and landlord—he wanted so much more from Henna.

I kind of feel sorry for the poor fella. Who wouldn't want more from Henna? She's sweet, kind, funny, thoughtful, and just a little cutely naïve—that's enough to make a man heavily fall for her.

But I can't be thinking about heavily falling for Henna Nolan.

I know that I am, I just can't be thinking about it.

I've given myself the pep talk. I know what I must eventually do.

But for now, I just need to get my ass downstairs.

**

The sight that I am met with once I am downstairs, literally stops me from taking another step into the main lounge.  There, all by herself and listening to some music, is the prettiest Henna Nolan I have ever seen. She's in skinny jeans and a frilly red gypsy top that elastically sits just off her luminous shoulders, and the whole jaw-dropping look is completed with stiletto sandals and her glossy blonde ringlets cascading down her exposed back.

I just need a moment.

A moment to get my blown away breath back.

And Henna has blown me away. She looks breathtakingly beautiful. The time to herself was obviously just what she needed, because she now looks relaxed as she stares down at the sleeve on the back of a CD.

Not wanting her to see me appreciating her very beautiful view, I try to stroll into the lounge with a very masculine yet casual swagger. "Hey, you look lovely." I had to compliment her, I just had to. The compliment was stuck in my throat like a massive gobstopper!

Her hazel eyes look alight at the sight of me. "Hey, so do you." She's staring at my shirt, then up at my hair, then down to my much neater looking beard. "You look really good." There's something more to her tone now...a little flirtation maybe?