“Reese.”A hitch in Judith’s voice stopped me, and I looked at her again.“I realize it’s not appropriate to ask, but you seem most likely to have and give me an answer.Is Brandon okay?”
Some of my mood faltered.
“That good, huh?”she asked.
I shook my head.“Give him a little more time?I get that you’re running a business and you don’t have a lot of time, but just a little longer.”
“I don’t wait on things for most people, but he really is a friend, despite the way our working relationship has changed,” she said.“If you talk to him before I do, tell him I said Merry Christmas.”
I doubted I would, but I agreed anyway.
A group of us went to lunch to celebrate, and mostly managed to ignore the empty spot where Brandon would normally be.At the end of the meal, I gave Danny a goodbye kiss and told him I’d see him at home.
Back at my apartment, I put on my headphones and danced and sang around the room.This felt good.Ridiculously good.Like a giant weight had been lifted from my chest.
Danny brought takeout home, and we celebrated some more with alcohol free bubbly grape juice and curry from my favorite place.
When we were done, we cleaned up and settled onto the bed to sit and watch TV.
The way Danny was watching me made me nervous.He’d barely smiled in days and now there was a spark of light in his eyes as he searched my eyes.
“Do I have something on my face?”I tried to keep my tone light.
He booped my nose.“This.”
What the…?I laughed.
“I want to tell you something, but I don’t want you to think I’m saying it because of Brandon.”It was the first time Danny had said his name since that first night he showed up here.
And I was more on edge than ever.“Okay?”
“This is between you and me.The timing isn’t good now, but there will always be an excuse and it’s important I tell you now.This is because of you, and not because of my broken heart.”
My emotions hovered on a ledge that divided hope and despair.“You’re killing me, Smalls.”
Danny smiled and cradled my cheeks in his hands.“I love you, Reese.I always have.It’s been different kinds of love over the years, but I have always, always loved you.I see you now and my heart swells and I can’t stop watching you and I love waking up next to you and…” He shook his head.“This is all cluttered.”
“No.It’s wonderful.”I was laughing and crying at the same time.“It’s amazing.It’s… I love you too.”It was hard to talk through the tears, so I crushed my mouth to his instead.“I love you so much, and I’m so sorry—”
He cut me off with another kiss.“I know you are.We wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe it.You’re such an important part of my world, Reese.I need you in my life.I want you by my side.”
“I want to be here.”It felt as important to say that asI love you.“I want to be here with you and never leave.”
“I mean, notnever,” Danny teased.“You can’t follow me to work every day.And you’d go nuts if I watched you work all the time.”
When I laughed I nearly choked on my tears.“You’re such a dork.”
“I’m your dork though.”He wiped a sleeve across my cheek, smearing the tears more than drying them.He pressed his lips to mine.
“You are.And that means more to me than I could ever put into words.”
A whisper in the back of my mind reminded me we weren’t healed until he made things right with Brandon, but tonight was about Danny and me.We could conquer the world if we were together, and that included figuring out what to do about his stubborn ass of a boyfriend.
Twenty-Nine
Brandon
I spentmy weekend fluctuating between rage and grief and resisting the urge to send Danny a text.