hard | daniel seavey

chapter thirty-six

I smoothed out my red dress as I impatiently waiting for Daniel to get here. This would be our first real date out together. Of course we went out in public together, but it was never showed we were something. And if us both dressed up nicely and going to dinner wouldn't be obvious enough, then I wasn't sure what would be. I loved Daniel and wanted to go out like this more often, I was just nervous at what the fans would say. Ever since we started dropping more hints about our relationship, I sometimes took a peek at Instagram and looked on his fan pages; there were the ones who knew and supported it, others who knew but couldn't stand the idea of Daniel having a girlfriend, and others were oblivious.

A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. I looked in the mirror once more. I did a bit more makeup then I usually did and curled my hair, something I never really did. The red bodycon dress popped out nicely against the tan skin I've gained since moving to California and the black heels I wore were enough to give me some height, but still be a few inches shorter than Daniel.

When I opened the door, Daniel stood in the doorway with a nervous look on his face. He wore a white button down and black dress pants. God he looked so perfect in the simplest thing. His blonde hair was styled neatly and he had a new pair of earrings in. His eyes scanned my outfit and he licked his lips before looking at me.

"You're so beautiful," He exhaled, his blue eyes lighter than usual. I stepped forward, placing my hands on his chest and standing on the tips of my heels to kiss him.

"You look amazing too, Baby." I smiled at him. His fingers laced with mine and smiled at me widely.

Daniel's hand didnt leave mine the whole drive to the restaurant. We talked about mindless, but meaningful things the way there. And before I was able to protest about the expensive restaurant once more, he shut me up by kissing me. "Tonight's about you, Pretty Girl." He had said before linking our arms and walking into the restaurant.

We were seated towards the back of the brightly lit restaurant, facing the ocean. The sun was beginning to set slowly. We ordered our food and drinks and we left to ourselves once again.

"So how excited are you for this album to come out?" I asked the most obvious question, but Daniel's face lit up almost instantly.

"You have no idea," He laughed a bit, scratching the back of his neck. "There's actually going to be a release party for it, after Thanksgiving when the boys come back. Our management team thought it would be a good idea. And I know parties aren't your thing, but it would mean the world to me if you came."

"Of course I'll be there." I reached over and placed my hand ontop of his, giving him a reassuring smile. Just as he was about to say something, the waitress brought back our food.

"So when does this book hit the shelves?" Daniel asked once he stopped chewing his food. I smiled to myself. It still hasn't fully hit me. When I told my family, they were ecstatic. My parents even told me they were proud of me, something I had never really heard from them growing up. Most of the pride went towards my sister's. As the middle child, I was always kind of pushed to the back.

"Derek says June of next year, but it all depends on when the publication process." I looked over the ocean as the sun was setting. The sky was now pink and orange, the water now a matching shade. Los Angeles sunsets always seemed to amaze me. "Its so beautiful."

"It is," Daniel looked behind him. I looked at Daniel, like really looked at his features. The sun reflected on his eyes perfectly. His blonde hair was recently redone, making it more vibrant. He let his facial hair grow out a bit, but never let it grow out more than that. His head turned back to me, his lips curling into a smile. He was perfect. Inside and out. His heart was full of nothing but love and humility. It was amazing how hard this man worked for things he wanted, while also putting others needs before his own. It hurt me to know that people have hurt him before, because he really did deserve nothing but the best.

Looking at him, I genuinely realized how much he really does mean to me. And that I'll only ever want him. All of his flaws, mistakes, smiles, jokes, intimacy. I just wanted everything that came with Daniel James Seavey, the man that I was so honored to love.

We finished eating dinner, with me arguing to at least pay half of the check and Daniel refusing. He slid the waitress his card before I could argue anymore. I rolled my eyes playfully as he stood and took my hand, leading me outside of the restaurant.

"Let's take a walk to the beach," Daniel said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me to him. The sun was now gone and the stars twinkled brightly in the clear sky. Daniel held me close to him as we talked and made our way down to the beach.

The sound of Hearts Don't Break Around Here by Ed Sheeran began to play from one of the stores on the boardwalk. I stopped, totally captivated by the lyrics. Daniel smiled down at me and took my hand in his, placing the other one on my waist.

"Dance with me." Daniel whispered. I laced our fingers and set my other hand on his chest. We swayed slowly in the middle of the boardwalk as people passed, looking at each other as we let the music surround us. He hummed along with the music, singing along to some words softly, "She is the lighthouse in the night that will safely guide me home, and I'm not scared of passing over."

"Thank you for tonight, Daniel." I said as the song was coming to an end.

"Anything for you, My Love." Daniel placed a sweet kiss on my forehead. The final line of the song ended, but we still stood there holding each other.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" I blurted. Daniel chuckled and nodded.

"You've mentioned it once or twice." He joked as he tucked a stray hair behind my ear.

"No, like really." I looked up at him, catching the gaze of his blue eyes. "Saying 'I love you' never seems enough when it comes to you. Not in a bad way at all, but it just seems like words never really do justify how much I do love you. I mean, how can so much feeling and admiration fit into three little words? You are my life, and I love you more than love, if that even makes sense."

"Madison Paige," Daniel leaned down and rested his forehead against mine. "Words will never be able to explain you. Just you in general. The way you come out so strong after every battle, how you always put others before yourself and always do what's best. But most importantly, the way you loved me when I thought no one would. Before you, I never knew what love felt like. You're my once in a lifetime dream come true, the kind I use to pray to God for. I may not be your first love, but I will spend the rest of my life being your last."

At this point tears were streaming down both of our cheeks. Not out of sadness or grief, but out of pure love and admiration. I loved this man, God knows I loved this man. In just 4 short months of knowing him and almost 2 months of being together, he's given me a love worth a lifetime. And the fear of losing him became so apparent to me now as I held him close to me.

"You're everything to me. I love you more than anything, Daniel James Seavey."

He leaned down and kissed me tenderly. My hands went around his neck as his grip on my waist tightened. It almost slipped my mind that we were still on the boardwalk and people were still here, but at the same time I didn't care. The kiss was passionate as always, if not more. His lips were gently and soft as they moved in sync with mine. The kiss lasted for a bit more before he pulled away, leaving us both breathing heavily.

"I think we should go home now. These people probably think we're weirdos." Daniel laughed a bit, licking his lips. I nodded and took his hand in mine as we walked back to his car.