☆☆☆ Chapter 13 ☆☆☆

A Date!

Nobody except for the both of us. Nobody was driving us anywhere, just Daniel himself. No masculine, muscle maid Grace, not even a random maid or manservant. Just us. I thought at first that it would make us both nervous but seeing that we are usually in each other's company during my work hours it made everything feel strangely natural.

"We're almost there," Daniel chirped with the purest of glee, looking straight ahead. The way he navigated the steering wheel resembled that of a sailor's (though not particularly a seasoned one).

I find myself with a wide grin. "Y'know I didn't think you could drive," I teased.

"Neither did I, until today." Daniel responded with the type of smile that I thought only curious toddlers could do. "What do you think? It's my first ride! Let's hope that I don't crash, yeah?"

...What? "What the hell! Are you out of your mind? Stop the car right now! Stop it right now you psycho, I don't want to die!"

Daniel let out a quick giggle. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" His head briefly turned to face me as his eyes narrowed. "Or am I?"

I didn't fall for his joke this time not because I caught on to him, but rather because my body couldn't afford another adrenaline rush from what he had said. My heart was already beating too hard. "You're a clown," I breathed out, midway into a laugh that blurred the line between a wheeze and an actual laugh.

A few moments later, Daniel claimed that we had arrived to wherever he wanted us to go, but once I looked outside the window I realized that we were literally in a parking lot, and there were no significant buildings around it like a movie theatre or a restaurant. There was not even a music store nearby! Did he really spend his entire week planning for this date?!

☆☆☆

Turns out that Daniel's intention all along was to park the car on the other side of the town plaza so that we could stroll about everywhere (and eventually go to the movies when the time was right), but I hate walking long distances 'cuz of my year-long lifestyle of a bum (I have to grow up and admit that at least), so when I heard his plans for the day I almost criticized him for his poor dating plans, especially 'cuz someone like me agreed to go out with him, but I managed to restrain myself somehow.

We walked plenty of streets that stretched out for what seemed to be miles, and over a thousand grunts escaped out of my system along with complaints of foot pain, but somewhere along the way I actually started looking around and noticed things I never did before, like a small bakery that had been around for much longer than the years I've been alive (after trying out a fresh-out-of-the-oven banana muffin with nuts on the top during the time Daniel and I shared, I was sure to come back there).

By the corner of a lot that was surrounded by wilderness, there was an animal shelter where Daniel told me he happened to have volunteered in in his middle school years, and even passed by to say hello to some people who were still working there. They were friendly and glad to see him, which was a heartwarming moment to witness. I have to admit though that I was surprised that they didn't seem to have a clue 'bout Daniel's notoriety in our neighborhood. Perhaps his reputation is known only to gossip queens like me, or anyone in general that has an active social life with many friends, like me as well (okay, okay, fine, not anymore)?

We also happened to pass by an ice cream parlor that I had often visited throughout all of my school years. It was my favorite place to hangout beside the local arcades or the huge mall next town over, so I thought inviting Daniel to get an ice cream cone with me would be nice, but boy was I wrong, it actually got a bit annoying! He got a single scoop of vanilla bean ice cream in a chocolate-flavored cone and after just one sweep of its surface with his tongue he was overjoyed, describing to me in detail how his life had totally changed and will never be the same again with a child-like glow in his eyes (super cute), but that was obviously not what annoyed me, it was what happened right after. After I ordered mine his eyes narrowed and he stuck his tongue out in disgust, criticizing me 'bout my choice of flavors with an irritated but strangely light-hearted tone; that nobody should ever be eating a scoop of coffee-flavored ice cream topped with a scoop of pickled mango ice cream in a bacon-flavored cone. I defended my choice as I walked out of the parlor with him, but it was to no avail. He raved on and on about it, even as he licked his own with as much of a passion as I licked mine.

It did stop pretty briefly though when midway into crossing the street his cone fell. I had to grab his hand and practically force him to move from the middle of the street so that he wouldn't turn into a human pancake. He almost looked like he wanted to cry, and you know what? I did take advantage of that situation, 'cuz he had annoyed me enough for me to be a petty (pretty) witch── and so I told him that he could enjoy some of my ice cream. The look on his face when I offered some of mine to him was priceless, but it did not beat the face he had after giving it a quick lick! He grimaced almost as if someone had stabbed him. We didn't have to go anywhere else for him to make my day after that, but of course we had more places to go and visit. After all, our main goal was to walk around 'til it was time to watch the movie he had bought us tickets for in advance, as he had said earlier to me.

When it was almost time for us to head over to the movie theatre and the sun was settling down on the far horizon, we happened to pass by the community park right in the heart of the town as our last stop. In there we sat down on a bench and talked while resting for what seemed to only be a few minutes, but in reality we remained there for so long that by the time Daniel caught a glimpse of his watch it was well over the time for our movie── it was actually almost over by then, but honestly the both of us didn't really mind; we had plenty of fun. Besides, I felt it was better for us to have spent our time talking and learning a bit 'bout each other rather than having to sit quietly watching a giant screen, y'know.

After the park we were ready to just go back home but we were pretty hungry, so the last part of our date involved a quick visit to a Dominican food takeout place that Daniel insisted for us to visit. He claimed that he went there with Roger every time they weren't able to mooch food off of Roger's mother, and that didn't really stick in my head 'til the middle-aged woman in there actually greeted Daniel by name and brought up some sort of inside joke that had to do with Roger coming back to work for her to cook and translate stuff. The entire time we spent there was a blast 'cuz as Daniel skimmed through the menu he almost knew by heart, he kept pronouncing Spanish words that didn't really work out for him. I was surprised that he didn't give up after the first few words but then again he had been there many times to get food. I tried to not be mean and laugh all throughout, but it was just impossible, especially since his cheeks were bright red and it made it all the more worse.

We did end up eating their food and it was amazing. By the time I had finished my food Daniel had already finished gobbling up his and was halfway through licking the plastic container like a dog having his share of peanut butter. Obviously I laughed at that.

On our way back to the parking lot, we were taken by surprise when we noticed that there were a couple of fireflies around us. One of them lit up right on Daniel's nose, and as Daniel became cross-eyed for a few seconds to look at it, I felt my heart skip a beat.

This guy, without a doubt, is adorable, no matter how annoying he gets. I just... didn't want things to go further than what we had, but now, I don't think I have any more excuses for me to be lukewarm about my feelings. Yes, my heart was beating a little too much for him, and the warmth I felt all over when he discreetly found his way into holding my hands during our walk back to the parking lot was something that was all too familiar to me with him around.

Yes, I like Daniel.

☆☆☆

There I was, sitting comfortably on the passenger seat of the car as Daniel's eyes glued themselves to the road, like earlier in the day. This time the windows were down so the odd waves on his otherwise stiff hair shyly danced with the air. The soft fragrance of his hair was tempting me to touch it. It didn't smell like a particularly good shampoo or cologne, not even of his obvious gel, it just smelled like Daniel. I know, I know, that sounds a bit creepy, but certain things 'bout him stood out for me during the ride, and I just kept on goggling without really meaning to.

His eyes, his hair, the firm grip he had on the steering wheel, the way he picked his teeth for stray pieces of food with his tongue── just 'bout everything stood out, and it made me feel so very warm inside, enough so that I felt and heard a never-ending melody of constant throbs all over me.

*Daniel's Point of View (POV)*

I felt so great, better than ever before. Ane and I had a blast, ultimately making the date a success. Sure, I didn't get to ask the serious questions I had for her about her past and the way she treats her sister, but the day was spent well nevertheless. For the very first time I genuinely felt that Ane had no ill thoughts of me and had a valid picture of who I am as well. My lords, I can already tell that as soon as I get back into my room I will basically be a middle school kid babbling and squealing to Roger over the phone about it all; everything that happened today felt like a dream come true.

Stopped by a red light, I found myself peeking over at Ane and noticed something slightly strange, or rather, different: she was staring right back at me with lingering eyes.

Before I could properly process the words forming in my head, I said, "What's up with that look?"

Almost instinctively, she put her head down. "Nothing."

The light turned green, and back I was at driving. It didn't stop me from sneaking several looks at Ane, though. Her eyes were glued back onto me, and it completely baffled me. There was nothing particularly wrong with what she was doing, it just simply distracted me. An Ane that suddenly breaks her walls like that while making it very obvious, is enough for any person to go mad. Did she think I wouldn't notice her somewhat silent but heavy breathing, or how her hands shuffled together in a way that screamed she didn't know what to do with them?

This wasn't something I wanted to notice at a moment like this, but man was it hot in this car.

It was almost eerie how Ane said something along the lines of being a little too warm just as the thought had crossed my own mind, but I did put up the windows and turn on the air conditioner.

Ane claimed to be experiencing a small fever after some time, so I stopped the car on the side of the road and reached over to her forehead. Her eyes followed every move my hands made with a certain glow written all over them. Yes, her forehead was blazing hot, but it felt off. It didn't really feel like a fever.

The hand that had once touched her forehead slid down to her cheeks, and they felt just as warm. They didn't stop there, though. It continued its journey, greeting her neck and right shoulder, and then stopped midway onto her right arm. The feeling of her skin made me want to desperately gasp for air, solely because I realized my body failed to breathe since the very moment I dared to move my hand, but I miraculously recovered from it in a smooth manner by forcing myself to routinely take in great portions of air and releasing it all as calmly as possible. I did my best to not jerk my hand away from her arm with lightning speed during that time, but I am more than sure that in Ane's perspective it looked like an awkward attempt at doing so.

I did not want to see Ane's reaction to what I did in general, but by the time I moved my hand away from her body it was far too late. I found her looking right into my eyes, with her own completely locked into mine with no intention of finding something else to watch. They didn't seem angry. It made my heart get stuck right in the middle of my throat, and I almost choked on it. What could possibly be going on in Ane's mind?

When she settled a hand on mine, I no longer had to wonder: she wanted something out of me.

She didn't struggle to have a firm grip of my hand, and once she held it captive for good, she used it to caress her cheek. The way she looked at me as she encouraged me to touch her made me once again realize that I was not breathing. This time, unfortunately, I wasn't able to smoothly recover. I found myself panting, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't stop myself. I let my hand go, immediately using it to cover my face in the hopes to calm myself down, but... fuck, it failed to work.

Now I seriously didn't want to look back at her, considering that my face was being burned at the stake from a mix of mortification and excitement.

From then on I knew that anything Ane could possibly do during that very moment would make me feel completely helpless, but I really didn't want her to see me aroused. I forced myself to look out the window, and begged anyone that could possibly be watching me up in the sky to stop my heart from racing any further. I am clearly not mentally ready for Ane. I would rather die than to have her see a bulge pop up from under my pants, which was kind of already building up and making it stuffy down there and it's making me go mad, fuck──

"Daniel, you're really cute," Ane blurted out. She placed a hand on my cheek, turning my head to face hers. I felt an out-of-body-experience when I noticed her eyes oozing with a sexy form of amusement.

"You have a fever, Ane," I choked out, ready to say anything to make her back off, even if more than half of my mind screamed to touch her.

"Yes," she purred, "but I want to hug you. Can I?"

Ane, with a small fever? Please!

She pressed her body against mine, and her arms wiggled their way to my back, begging me to hug her back. I felt the burning sensation oozing from her body to my chest and everywhere within me, just like her eyes had seeped into my soul. I barely had enough self-control, but I used every single drop of it to keep my head in check; I knew that Ane would hate me if I were to lose my mind, so I couldn't just leave her on me like that.

Taking a deep breath, I rushed to open the door to the driver's seat, and swiftly moved Ane over to the back seat and cuddled her up with my spare sweater. Any single flash of her skin and there will no longer be a gentleman Daniel around.

"Are... are you stupid? This will only make me more heated up than I already am," Ane complained, now refusing to look at me, which was good. Very good, actually. I quickly closed the door behind her, releasing the long-held breath I had stuffed into myself out into the darkness and flashing fireflies. I stood outside for a while, taking in the calm atmosphere and silence. It managed to calm me down enough to sit back onto the driver's seat with more than half of my normal thoughts.

Even after I was back in the car, I remained quiet, looking out the window and keeping to myself. Of course, this was all true until I heard Ane try to crawl out of the backseat. At that moment I couldn't help but grin, it reminded me of who she really was. "Don't move, and don't look at me. That's what got you like that," I told her.

Of course, we both knew. Ane was not having a fever, she was going through something else, just like me. From the back I heard a grunt, and I imagined her rolling her eyes. "It's just a fever," Ane insisted. I didn't dare reply, and she caught on to that, bitterly. After a second or two, she grumbled: "I'm keeping this frickin' sweater."

Even if she was allowing her attitude to eat her up, from the rear view mirror I could tell that eyes still lingered on me. I seriously loved the attention, it was all I ever wanted from her, but today of all days was not a good day for that── I'm getting a little too excited. "Keep it, then. It would be a favor to me."

"I... um, okay," I heard her mutter. A few moments later, she sighed. "Daniel, look at me."

Before I completely turned to face her, I faced the most comfortable breast heaven. It was not a good thing for my recent self-recovery though. "It was just a crazy fever. It looks like it only goes away when I'm not touching or looking at you... or thinking about you, if I spend too much time with you," she insisted again, like the stubborn beauty she is. "Thanks for getting me out of it by bringing me to the back."

Sure, sure. It was a 'fever.'

How in the world could she not tell that she was, in simple words, excited? Is she in denial? Did she just always think she had a fever whenever she felt this way? Has she ever felt this way? No, I might be stretching it there, she's nineteen, she's old enough to have experienced it at some point, right? Has she ever even touched herself, then? Yes, no?

My lords, her soul may be too pure for this world.

Compared to Ane, I know enough to be a decent teacher for her somewhere down the road, regardless of the fact that it's mostly due to the combination of imagination, triple-x videos, and magazines rather than real life experiences── which is by pure choice, by the way. Sleeping with people I don't love is essentially pointless. It's fun and quick to relieve sexual frustrations, sure, but it's far from passionate; it's more or less empty, and that's a fact I'm grateful to have discovered years ago, when the gods above aligned the stars for me to be with someone who fit the bill.

I'm hoping they could align the stars with Ane now.

So yes, for the moment, I may be seen as a hopeless fool in the pursuit of her love and attention, but that will change. Here was Ane, on a date with me, eyeing me, oblivious to her excitement. The wheels are turning slowly but surely, are they not?

"No problem," I said, hiding back a smile. Can't wait to teach her.

She let me go, and I didn't have to be told even once to start the engine again.

☆☆☆

I was wrong to think our fun time for the day was over as we walked up the steps that would lead us to the front doors of my residence. It turns out that I had yet to experience the best part of the day── a complete heart to heart conversation.

We did in fact intend to go our separate ways, but somewhere along the way we decided to walk together to the pool area. Though it was late into the night by then, the faint light provided by the moon and the supporting lights from the corners of the pool were good enough for us to see each other. It did not mean, however, that I had any intention to be near the pool itself, but when Ane slipped off her sandals, sat down on its edge, and sunk her legs in, I felt obliged to follow her.

We were looking up at the moon quietly for a good minute before I noticed Ane preparing herself to speak. Cocking her head to the side, she slowly asked, "Why are we here again?"

I could not help but chuckle. "You wanted to stay outside to hear the crickets for a little longer."

"Oh! Yup, that was it."

A pleasant wave of silence embraced and allowed us to idly listen to the chirping of the crickets out in the bushes. It didn't last too long, though. Roughly five minutes into it, Ane broke off the silence with a few stray splashes of water. I did my best to shield myself from them, but my slow reflexes barely did much. Noticing my reaction, Ane surprised me with a giggle, followed by a small, distant smile.

"Y'know, I never thought I would ever date anyone after what happened to me."

I immediately sprung my legs out of the water and hugged them. "Really?"

"Yeah, I... I was too hurt to trust anyone like that." Ane bent down and watched her fully submerged feet and gurgling toes. "I'm surprised── but not surprised── that I agreed to spend the entire day with you as a date. Do you know what I mean?" One of my eyebrows raised themselves in question. "I still... I still feel like I can't trust anyone like that, and yet, here you are," she sighed, shaking her head. "I mean, don't take it the wrong way 'cuz I, like, um... "

Her eyes were wavering. "It's fine, Ane, don't worry about what I may or may not be thinking," I began, inching myself closer to her. "I'm glad you're opening up to me. Let it out or vent it out if you want, I'll take it. This is your own time."

Ane gave me a copy of the small smile from moments ago. "I think it's just that... you're you. You're Daniel. You're surprisingly sweet. You pay attention to things. Sometimes, you go overboard. I learned today that you can be childish in a cute way, too. You're your own person. You could be just the right remedy for a broken person like me, and I know... I know that you're not... h── him. I know, I recognize that not every guy is the same, but he was once a nice person in my mind, too. My trust was broken and I'm still afraid. Not so much of you getting closer to me, I guess, but of him... coming back to get me... and other stuff, I guess... I think? I don't know. He just... broke me."

My heart sank. "Where is he now?"

"I don't know," she choked out, with a wobbly shrug. "For all I know, he could be right here listening in from the bushes, or getting what he deserves, or all the way in Australia drinking lemonade, or s-somethin'."

I found myself releasing a strong wind of air I failed to realize was stuck in my chest until the moment I felt my face turn blue. I tried my best to let it go smoothly, closing my eyes for a second or two. "Ane, if you let me, I will help you."

"No, Daniel, you're doing just fine. You're already doing a lot more than you think you are. You don't have to do anything else. I don't want you to do anything else."

"But── "

Her eyes dug deep into mine. "No." A short answer, but sharp enough to dig deep once again.

I wanted to help her, but I didn't want her to think that I am being a push-over for once; I cared too much about her to hurt her like that, so I gave up and said "fine."

I can only wonder what his name is now, but someday── I swear, I will find him and see if justice has already been served for him. If not, I will be sure to have it served up for him real good. My mind didn't fail to linger further on the subject, but it was interrupted at just the right time by Ane's sigh. Thank the lords above that Ane brought me back, I was less than a centimeter away from plotting some sick plan against the human scum that hurt her, more than willing to dirty my own hands.

"I think that maybe by playing this in-and-out game of romance I'm trying to subconsciously move on with my life, but I do think I like you now. It's just... I'm afraid that I might just be using you without knowing it. I sometimes even realize that I'm using myself, too, and every time that I do, I just... I just start breaking down until I grow an even stronger shell that traps me further inside. I can't stop the cycle. I'm afraid, Daniel, that one day I won't be able to realize it anymore and will never be able to get out of it. The confidence I once used to protect myself from getting hurt again has... gobbled me up into an ugly, ugly person." I noticed tears well up in her eyes, and it tugged at my heart. "I hurt everyone, just like my sister says, and I especially hurt her. I blame her for my own issues, and it's not like she was able to do anything 'bout what happened, and yet I... " My arms curled up on her shape, doing their best to keep her from breaking down. It didn't do much, but she continued to let it happen. "She probably has it worse than me── after all, I wasn't alone. She was there with me, unable to even move her fingers, unlike me."

Every single word that came out of her lips was a punch to the stomach. I didn't even know what to reply to her. It was just me and my thoughts; not even a peep was able to come out of me. All I could do was hold her together. She continued crying out her concerns until tears could no longer come out of her system, further into the night.

By the end of it, Ane was hugging me back, completely hoarse and exhausted emotionally. Her feet, out of the pool, were pruned. Her eyes were puffy, ready to sleep. Her full, thick lips were dry and quivering from the ghosts of her tears. I rubbed her body with the warmth of my hands in an attempt to soothe her, feeling the bumps of the scars on her wrists, and found more in many other places as well. It pained me every time I felt one, but the fact that she was there with me, breathing and safe, calmed me down.

Ane, without a doubt, is beautiful inside and out. All she needs is to heal, and everything will be crystal clear. I just don't get why anyone else can't see that, aside from Teresa.

It was then that I finally decided to say something.

"It's fine with me if you use me. If it helps you, I don't care. As for everything else, take your time, Ane. Things will eventually place themselves where they need to be, you just need time to heal."

It's not like she's taking advantage of me, anyway. I know I'm starting to become someone she cares about, and that is more than enough for me right now. More than anything else though, what really matters── and the only thing that should matter, is Ane herself. Who else but Ane? Nobody.

☆☆☆

When enough time passed for Ane to recover herself enough to speak, the sun was already poking out of the trees that resided far from the residence. I was honestly about to nod off into a heavy sleep myself like she had done in my arms for the past few hours, but the small movements that she began to do gave me enough of an adrenaline rush to remain awake. I understand I should have carried Ane to her room but I don't work out enough, if any hours at all per year, to carry an average full-grown human, let alone a big beautiful woman with fat in all the right places and then some.

Ane's first words of the new day, in an almost unintelligible mumble, were: "Stay by me, Daniel. Promise me that."

In honest words, I simply couldn't hold back. Seeing as my arms were already wrapped around her, I held her tighter. "I'll definitely stay by your side. I'm going to stalk you every minute of the day."

Almost as if she had the strength all along, which I assure you she did not, she threw me into the pool head first.