Dan sits down next to me and cautiously reaches out to grab my hand. I jump a little bit of course, but his grasp isn't menacing or dangerous, for as he grips onto my hand, he looks over at me with the same glance a lost puppy would. It breaks my heart too, but the two of us know that she is going to be okay despite all the fear and terror we felt once it happened. It scared me knowing I was the one that let it happen, but it scared Dan even more considering he had tried to warn me about it.
"Are you going to stay the night?" Dan asks, loosening his grip on my hand now that he has my attention.
Alice has a mild concussion, so adding a panic attack and her almost drowning would result in her being boarded up in a hospital bed for a night. Her injuries are very minor and scarce, but the two of us are still extremely worried about her condition due to how close we are to her in her social circle. I'm sure she'd be happy to know that we stayed with her until she came to and was able to be discharged.
If any other man was seated next to me, I'm sure I would hugging my knees right about now. However, Dan is somewhat that Alice seems to trust quite a lot. I'm sure he knows about her secrets considering that he knew about Alice's swimsuit and inability to swim before I even noticed. I can't shun him away like I did with him at the shopping mall, for he even helped me pick out my swimsuit even though I was planning on buying this one anyway. Seated next to him as I hold his hand, I am not scared.
After pondering a small amount, I nod. Although I am not scared, I am still quite nervous considering this is the closest I have been to another male in the past eight years. I push my thighs together as my own grip begins to grow stronger, but even as my nerves begin to get the best of me, Dan's hand continues to hold mine despite the fact that I have the raw strength to crush every bone in his wrist. He knows I am going through a lot, but I am unsure how he knows.
"Did Alice tell you everything?" I ask as a very small hint of jealousy finds its way from my lips.
He looks at me with a glance of worry, but it isn't the same look he had in his eyes when he first grasped my hand. By the way Dan's entire body tenses, I'm sure he knows quite a bit. However, I am unsure just where our stories of Alice differ. He may know things I don't know about my best friend, but I have a bigger puzzle piece to fit in. Dan is important to Alice, but I am unsure where it all started.
He shakes his head, for I am sure he can't begin to imagine just how every everything means. With a shaky breath, he lets go of my hand and begins to rather nervously run his fingers through his blonde hair. Despite how calm and collected he is, like Alice, he seems to have quite a bit on his mind that he can't quite tell anyone else. Everyone has secrets that they can't afford to keep, but everyone also has secrets that they can't afford to lose. It is our responsibility to share what we think is right.
"Should I know everything?" He questions, tilting his head back to look up at the ceiling as if he is trying to hold back tears.
I clench my fist as the burden of his words spill out of his mouth. His tone sounds deflated, but he definitely deserves want to know everything despite my heart not wanting to give up my best friend. Although my mind knows it's the right thing to do, I can't help but hold on even though Dan doesn't have an evil bone in his body. Eventually, he'll have to know about it.
My clenched fist calms as a streak of tears appears on his face. He looks back over at me, and even in a time of weakness and pain, he still seems to be completely calm. He's giving me the same look that I gave Alice when I had been discharged from the hospital eight years ago. However, despite knowing that look of fortitude and strength quite well, I can't help but feel regret and sadness as a mirror image of myself inadvertently shows itself. He wants to do whatever he can in his own power to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.
YOU ARE READING
CUTE GIRL COMPLEX - Identity
Romance(Constructive Criticism is appreciated!) Dan, a young third-year college student, has been suddenly asked to go swimsuit shopping with the girl he has liked since high school! However, upon his arrival, Dan realizes that he is not alone on this dat...
