He scoffed. “You are. I was a fool to let you go back then.”
“You didn’t have a choice. I didn’t give you a choice.”
Danny adjusted the way he was sitting so he could look at her. He cupped her face gently and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. “I could’ve stopped you, followed you, and demanded you speak to me. What happened was wrong. I was wrong. I was being stupid and careless.”
“You peed on me, Danny. I got stung by a jellyfish and instead of calling your dad, you just whipped it out and pissed all over my leg, which made it hurt even worse. Not just that, but everyone…” Kelly covered her face. Danny hadn’t intended for her to relive the horror of that day, but he was truly trying to save her. “And then to make things worse, you didn’t show up to take me to prom.”
“I didn’t think you wanted to go with me,” he said quietly. Against his best wishes, everything flashed before him. The incident on the beach, the aftermath, and prom.
“Can I tell you something?”
She nodded but didn’t look at him until he removed her hands. “I had such a crush on you back in school that I just wanted you to notice me so I started watching Friends, thinking if we could connect over your favorite show, you’d want to date me. At first, I started acting like Joey because he made everyone laugh, then I thought Chandler was funny and your favorite, and finally I realized you liked Ross best. The thing is, I didn’t need Friends to get your attention, but I was hooked so I continued to watch. When you got stung… I don’t know, the jellyfish episode popped into my mind, even though I knew that wasn’t really how you treated a sting.”
“I miss that show. I learned so much, yet nothing at all. I wanted the fantasy and the reality I got was you,” she paused and looked at Danny. They both smiled.
“I’m sorry, Taffy. For everything. Mostly for hurting you.”
“I think being stood up is worse than being peed on.”
“I think it hurts as much as finding out the love of your life wasn’t at college.”
Kelly glanced at him and then looked away quickly, making him feel two feet tall. He wanted to apologize again but it was important for her to know he hurt as well. “I made mistakes, Kelly. I’m man enough to admit it now, and I would’ve admitted it then if given the chance.”
“I’m such an idiot.”
“You were a teenaged girl who got peed on, in front of her entire senior class, and then stood up for prom. Honestly, I’m surprised I’m still alive.”
“My dad wanted to kill you, especially after I told him you whipped it out.” She tilted her head and smiled at him. He stared at her for a moment, taking everything. He was on the beach with his girl, the one who disappeared from his life so many years ago, and things felt right.
Danny laughed. “I can’t believe you told your father how I just ‘whipped it out.’ God Kel, I was young and stupid, head-over-heels for you.” Kelly snorted and fell into him. It was good to see her like this, to hear some happiness come from her, to know she felt comfortable enough to confide in him. He pulled her legs over the top of his. Much to his delight, she allowed him. In a way, it was as if they hadn’t lost fifteen years. All too soon though, the mood turned somber. “We had been dating for a while when this happened. We had plans to go away and start a life in California. I honestly thought I was helping. I didn’t know it would cause you so much more pain. Not just physically.”
She nodded. “Earlier, I was thinking about that day and looking back, I was incredibly immature. I should’ve laughed everything off, rolled with the punches, but I was hurt. Our friends, they were like vultures, and now Melody and Chad want me to face them at the stupid reunion.” Kelly tapped the screen on her phone and held it up for Danny to see. “She’s feeling better,” she said as she showed him the live video of Kori sleeping.
He almost made a comment about going to the reunion but now wasn’t the time.
“That’s good.” She started to pull her legs away, but Danny held on. He didn’t care if this moment wasn’t going to last forever, right now, he was going to use it to his advantage and show her he was still the same guy she used to love. He wanted a second chance. Danny wanted Kelly back in his life, as his girlfriend. He knew this the moment she sat down in his office. It took only a couple of hours after seeing her for him to know she was the one for him.
“Her name was Serena. We met at the end of my sophomore year. She was a senior and working in my advisor’s office. I was going in to change my major, again.” He looked down at the sand and shook his head. “She pursued me heavily. Maybe it was because I was going into medical school and anyone from Stanford pretty much had it made if they worked hard. I don’t know. Anyway, she graduated and took a job at some startup company. By my senior year, she was hinting at marriage and I was nowhere near ready. I wasn’t even sure I loved her in that way. When I didn’t take her hints, she laid it all on the line for me.”
“Did you get married?”
He shook his head. “Not even close. I told her I wasn’t interested. The break-up took weeks. She kept trying to convince me that we were good together, that we’d be a power couple. Thing is, I didn’t want any power. I just wanted to be a doctor like my father, a general practitioner, and when I told her as such, her nose literally scrunched. It was as if my profession wasn’t going to be good enough for her. That’s when I knew it was over. There wasn’t anything worth saving.” He paused, stretched out his legs and looked up at the sun. It had already started to warm the air. Today was going to be blistering.
He took a deep breath and glanced at Kelly, hardly believing he was sitting on the beach with her right now. Not just that, but she was letting him touch her, platonic or not, it meant something to him.
“Serena had told a couple of mutual friends that I was wasting my talents by not going into plastic surgery, which to me was the typical money maker and medicine shouldn’t be about money, it’s supposed to be about helping people. That’s what I wanted, so when my dad called and asked me to take over his practice, the answer was simple.”
“I’m sure your friends were happy you came back.”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve been back for a few years now and the only one I hang out with is Neil.” He looked at her for her reaction. Neil was the only one who didn’t engage in the mob mentality of hazing. The glint in her eyes told him she was happy, which in turn made his heart race a bit. He didn’t want to think about what could be, but he couldn’t help it. He’d give anything to have the chance to get to know Kelly again, to be a part of her life.
“Where’s she at now?”
He shrugged. “I left after my residency, didn’t bother to tell her.”
“That’s kind of harsh,” she laughed.
“Eh, not really. If given the choice, would you tell Alan where you were?”