THE CHURCHGOER
Who doesn't like good things?
***
BONUS CHAPTER
*****
Daniel stumbled all the way to the back room looking like a drunk man when he was just fatigued with sleep. Church seemed to be the only place where he seemed to be able to get some sleep without his usual nightmares and he was just catching up on missed time when Araceli woke him up.
He composed himself before he got to the stairs and briefly climbed up them before turning into the unfamiliar back room of the church. He knew the priest and he followed wherever he went, but the church was new to him.
“Daniel,” Martin said in a tone of acknowledgement, not having to look behind him to know who had stumbled into the sacristy. “What brings you here?”
“The usual,” Daniel said as he rubbed the remaining sleep out of his eyes. He then set to work on putting away the little prayer books where he knew they most likely belonged.
“I mean what brings you to Spain?” the priest asked, shaking his head at Daniel who remained oblivious to his humour.
“Oh... Business.”
“And then to my church?”
“Am I not allowed to come to church?” he asked, peering over at Martin who worked with a simple smile on his face.
“You are,” Martin shrugged. “But ever since I've known you, you've never been a churchgoer. It's uncharacteristic of you to show up here.”
“I needed to see you,” Daniel finally said, stopping his game of running around the bushes. “She wanted to do a confession and I didn't trust any other priest around our area.”
“So you track me down?” Martin asked, a surprised laugh bubbling out of his chest.
Daniel frowned and peered at him through a raised eyebrow. “I've always known where you've been. I always know.”
“And you only choose now to come visit me? You hurt me, child.”
Daniel rolled his eyes, but said nothing as he turned back to the shelf in front of him in an attempt to hide his smile. After a moment of silence between the two friends, he finally spoke.
“There's something that she said...” he trailed, catching Father Martin's interest. “That's got me thinking.”
“And that is?”
“She said that she wanted me to find peace.” Daniel looked up from the hymn book in his hand and met Martin's curious gaze. “But I realised then that I always feel at peace when I'm with her.”
While Martin kept on a calm exterior, inwardly he was singing to the high heavens in happiness.
Daniel was like the son he couldn't have whenever they saw each other and, while he knew he had his demons, there was a deep fondness that he had for him.
He had known Daniel ever since he was just ten, found on one of his benches too early in the morning praying to God about things that no ten year old should be worrying about. Martin had a certain image of the rich where they had everything they wanted and lacked problems, but Daniel must have been an exception.
The boy had suffered ever since he left the womb and while he was almost the only one raising his sister, nobody was raising him. So Martin took every chance he could to teach him about anything he needed to know while answering the curious boy's questions whenever he could. Along the way, they developed a strange but unbreakable bond.
“That's a good thing.”
“Maybe,” Daniel shrugged, not wanting to dwell on it. He didn't even know why he brought it up. “She kind of... keeps me sane.”
Why are you still talking? He asked himself.
“She's the yin to my yang.”
Shut the fuck up.
Martin smiled at the playful boy. “And have you told her this?”
Daniel shook his head and turned away. “She'll get big headed,” he joked, dusting off the last pamphlet. “She'll probably realise by herself at some point, though.” A smile made its way to his lips as he thought about her. “She's smart like that.”
“She is,” Martin agreed before getting up and walking over to the uncomfortable red benches - those things weren't allowed to be called sofas. “Sit,” he said calmly. “Let me pray for you.”
*****
No particular reason for this. Just saw that a bonus chapter was next and decided to post it.
Next chapter is as unholy as it can get so prepare yourself. It's the last smut scene in a looooonnggg while.
Anyway, what yall think of this new version of Daniel? The song might apply to him as well so ;)
YOU ARE READING
His Woman (18+)
Romance"This," he gestured to Vincent's corpse, "is what happens when you betray me," he hissed. He grabbed my chin and pressed his thumb painfully into my cheek again before continuing, "don't ever betray me." Without hesitation I said, "I won't." I didn'...
