Station 53

Realisation

This chapter has NOT been edited.

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"Do you love each other?"

The counsellor's words echoed in my mind over and over again throughout the whole night. When he had first asked us that question earlier during the day, both Daniel and I stopped breathing as we stared at the counsellor. The counsellor in return simply chuckled and told us to think about it in our own time before our next counselling session. 

And think I did. Although, it was to the point of going crazy. 

Those five cursed words continued to play in my mind over and over again without rest. I tried watching a movie to get my mind off of it but even that didn't work. So instead, I searched up a super catchy songs that will get stuck in my head. The song was just horrible so it was pure torture but at least it made me forget the cursed question... momentarily.  

Only minutes later, the question was being blasted in my head over the horrible but catchy music I was forcing myself to listen to. 

With an aggravated growl, I jumped off my bed and went to get some fresh air on the balcony. 

I walked up and down trying to rid my mind of the crazy question but it was as if my brain was a broken record that just couldn't stop replaying the sentence  I so badly wanted to forget. 

"Do you love each other?"

"Do you love each other?"

Over and over again it continued to play until it suddenly changed and morphed into a more annoying question. 

Do I love Daniel? 

Did I love Daniel? I mean, I couldn't deny I enjoyed his company and I really liked having sex with him. But were my feelings beyond that of friends with benefits? I didn't know. I tried thinking about everything I felt when I was with him to come to a conclusion but that only confused me more. 

How do I even know if what I'm feeling is love? I had never even been close to being in love before and had sworn off of it after seeing the way it had affected those I knew. 

I suddenly froze as my mind began to drift into a dangerous territory. I quickly closed my eyes and took some deep breaths, removing those anger-provoking thoughts from my mind. 

I don't know how  long I stood there to try and get my thoughts together but it must have been hours considering the sun had started to rise and the black sky brightened. I sighed before deciding I should take a quick nap before my class. 

Just as I was turned to go back inside, I froze upon seeing Daniel's large frame slumped onto my bed. 

When did he come in? 

I tiptoed inside and stood above him, gazing down at his sleeping form. Had it been any other time, I would have hit him with a  pillow to wake him up but right at this moment, he looked so peaceful that I couldn't bring myself to wake him up.

Instead, I gently lay down on my arms beside him and watched him sleep. 

Daniel was a handsome man. There was no doubt about it. He was the type of guy that stopped people in their tracks just so they can take another look at him. He didn't have perfect features but somehow his tall but dainty nose and full but uneven lips came together to make a beautiful picture. His eyes were his killing point though. His eyes - which formed into tight slits as he slept before me - were a dark golden colour which were identical to the colour of his hair. He had large, puppy like eyes and although he had a very well refined facial structure, there was something very soft and boyish about his looks. Maybe it was the cute sun-freckles that adorned his nose and cheek-bones or the child-like and innocent way he smiled, I wasn't too sure know. But he often made me want to wrap him in a blanket and protect him from the evils of this universe. Just thinking about it made a warm smile grow on my face. 

"Can I open my eyes now?" he lazily asked, causing a small gasp to escape my lips. He chuckled as his eyes fluttered open. "Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt your examination but I was getting bored."

"H-How long have you been awake?" I stuttered as I quickly sat up from my position. 

Instead of answering, Daniel also sat up and leaned his head towards me. I automatically leaned backwards as my eyes widened. Before I could lean too far back though, Daniel caught my face in between his hands and leaned forward with a smirk on his face. My heart fluttered as his humour laced eyes began examining my face, inch by inch. 

"What are you doing?" I asked barely above a whisper. 

"It's only fair," he grinned as he continued to study my face. His eyes slowly travelled from my eyes to my nose and stopped as they fell on my lips. 

I was about to reply but before I could even open my mouth, Daniel leaned in closer so that his hot breath tickled my lips. All thoughts escaped my mind and my heart began to beat really fast and loud - so loud that I was sure Daniel could hear it. 

From then on, everything began to happen in an extremely slow motion. Daniel's eyes slowly trailed back up from my lips to my nose and finally stopped once they reached my eyes. 

"Can I?" he asked, each word teasing my lips. He looked from my lips to my eyes, asking for permission to kiss me. 

My hands curled on my sides and without a single thought, I nodded and Daniel's soft lips finally landed on mine. 

Just like usual, it was a kiss that managed to make a kaleidoscope of butterflies erupt in my stomach and me feel warm and happy. But unlike all of our other kisses that usually lead up to sex, this one wasn't the lustful or rough kiss we usually shared. This one was soft and passionate but instead of sending a warmth throughout my whole entire body, it sent a gorgeous warmth straight to my heart, making me feel overwhelmingly giddy. 

Daniel pulled back from my lips and began to place soft kisses all over my face. With each kiss, my heart only accelerated more and more. 

I suddenly felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes and before I could push them back, the dropped down my face. Daniel slightly pulled back and suddenly I was weeping. 

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked as he placed a soft kiss on each of my eyes before pulling back and wiping my tears away. 

"No," I sniffed as I pathetically wiped at my nose with my sleeve. 

Daniel helplessly watched me, confused about what he should be doing in that very moment. Or if  he should be doing anything at all. 

"Then why are you crying?" he asked, his voice breaking off at the end of his question. He dropped his hands down to his side and tilted his head in a confused manner. 

I wiped my tears away and tried to calm myself down before I lifted my gaze to meet his. I took his hands and placed them on my lap before I began to gently squeeze, as if to calm myself down. 

"I have been thinking about it the whole night," I sniffed as I tried to put my thoughts into words. "And I think I finally have an answer." 

The look on Daniel's face told me that he was not understanding a word I was saying. I breathed in a couple of deep breaths before I confessed my true feelings to him and to myself for the first time. 

"I like you," I told him as I continued to stare into his eyes. "A lot." 

***

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 

I quickly want to mention that there's not a lot left to this story. There's literally only a couple of (intense) chapters upcoming before Daniel and Isabella's story ends. :( 

Thank you so much for sticking with me and being patient throughout. I really appreciate your support! 

And as always, thank you for reading this chapter as well.

Let me know your thoughts on this chapter and/or your thoughts on this story ending soon. :)