☆☆☆ Chapter 47 ☆☆☆

His Love

*Daniel's Point of View (POV)*

Ah, there it is. Her lovely home. Ane's cozy, lovely home. All that troubled my mind was thrown to the side, in an instant, with just a glance at it.

Thank the gods that the stars aligned just enough for us to cross paths this way; on my way home from Roger's, Ane called for a driver. I had believed that she would spend the night with her parents, but truly, the gods were working in my favor for once. A part of me missed seeing her home far much more than words can describe. I had dedicated so many years to that place, that I can say with confidence that we know each other intimately. Leaving that home behind after having Ane as my employee was heartbreaking in its own special way.

"Master Daniel, should I park in their driveway, or by the curb?"

It contains three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen separated from the dining room with a simple room divider, and a wide living room space that was reserved for quality family time once every two nights during Ane and Teresa's childhood, after their homework was completed, and reviewed by their father. I recall how their father kissed the top of their heads with pride when there was nothing to correct in their work. It had always warmed my heart, made me feel whole when I sought some form of paternal love. From out the window, I would weep in silence, and clench my chest.

I heard my driver fix his throat. "Master Daniel?"

Watching the television and playing cards were but a speck of the fun they seemed to have back then, in the distant past, long before the sisters became shut-ins. Those were dark times, when they became shells of their previous selves. The living room was nothing but a ghost town, and their parents' minds were elsewhere, wondering what went wrong. My feelings mirrored the parents' in that regard. I came back from North Carolina excited to see the bold, lively Ane after so many years, to only see her holed up in her room, staring at a wall, with scars that terrified me to no end. When she would miraculously come out of the room, someone bitter took over her.

I was helpless; I loved her regardless. I wanted her by my side, wanted to help her in any way I could, and I was lonely, far too lonely. It drove me to gamble with love for once.

Liking someone is fun── pleasurable, even. I would know. I've had a couple of those; Charlie, Helena, Genesis, Liam, Jeremy, I could go on and on── but they were all different from love; they weren't intense, they weren't deep, they didn't drive me mad. They didn't feel as if I were drowning in a hot, murky pool of passion, care, and desire. They were nothing but shiny little pebbles that I happened to find on the road. They left me wandering around for something more, something that I couldn't find in cutesy rocks.

I told myself that Ane was the safest gamble of the two. That I can pick myself up from the ground if I were to lose. That the warmth of her underwear was more than enough to keep me at bay, if I were to lose. I would be safe, and calm, knowing that I tried. I would be able to fantasize about her more accurately. I would know the way she would directly speak to me, the look in her eyes when told of how beautiful she is, the smell and feel of her rich skin. Days I would watch her undress, days I would close my eyes and remember, would become all the more exciting, enhanced by our interactions. I told myself that she would be made into a complete muse, if I were to lose. So sick, and yet, so pure. So sickeningly pure.

And so I hired her, and the rest is history.

My driver turned his head to the backseat. "Master Daniel?"

"Ah, yes, yes," I gasped, adjusting my position, trying to shake away certain memories that were rushing in. "Um, by the curb."

It was dark outside, well over eleven o'clock, but in the moonlight, the generally sturdy home before me showed some signs of being on the older side, such as the cracks on the fading color of its outer concrete walls. The windows were, most of the time, open and curious, looking at passersby with a glow that could be seen from a mile away by those who knew its ins and outs. From the car, I noticed the window by the front door wink at me. It didn't take long for it to guide my eyes into the cozy home's living room, whose ceiling light brightened the room so much so that the pattern of the couch was as clear as day: plaid, with variants of brown. If I squinted my eyes and turned my head to a certain degree, the window allowed for me to peek beyond the living room, into the kitchen. I caught a glimpse of the pearly white fridge by the wall furthest from me, and the large, slim figure of a black man in his mid to late fifties, resting his back against a side of the fridge. His arms were crossed, and his head hung low. Ane's father, Bruno Mayflower. He has yet to meet me. Today won't be the day.

"Master Daniel, to notify Miss Ane of our arrival, would you like for me to hand you the cell phone, or will you knock on her door?"

"The cell, please," I replied. "Actually, can you call? Don't mention I'm here."

Having the Mayflowers meet me for the first time in the middle of the night does not sound in any way favorable to any of us, especially when taking in consideration the news that their daughters have just dropped on them. News that made needles prick my skin, and will, without a doubt, have them wonder about my intentions, depending on how I approach them someday.

I turned my attention back to Ane's home as the driver punched in the number to the Mayflower line. Through the window, I spotted a much older version of Ane; mature, big-boned, and with meat in all the right places, rushing to the telephone on the living room wall. Her figure was spotless, and seemed soft to the touch. Akosua Mayflower. My type of woman. I'll admit, I once had a wild dream of her in my younger days that left me physically drained and confused. One of my best dreams, hands down. Knowing where Ane's genes come from, I know for a fact that I will be left breathless for years to come. Can't deny the truth.

The call ended in a matter of seconds. Soon enough, Ane walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, along with her father and Teresa. They all hugged before Ane waved them a goodbye.

Her hips swayed to her sides as she reached for the door. Her chest followed along, perky and lively. For a brief moment, she pulled on her turtleneck blouse, one she wore without a single doubt in my mind to hide away all of the hickeys from last night. Fuck. I found myself lifting my shirt up to my lips, flustered from the thought that Roger may have seen mine. He didn't even comment on it!

I adjusted myself once more before Ane came out of the house.

Too much excitement for the day, in both the good way, and the bad way. Patience, patience, Daniel.

☆☆☆

After closing the car door, Ane's fine backside pressed itself against the seat, and adjusted itself accordingly. A sigh escaped out of her before her eyes, by chance, landed on me. A flicker of panic rose in them.

"Oh, oh shit!" she exclaimed, jolting a bit. Her hands instinctively covered her face, but she forced them back down when she realized who exactly she was looking at. On their way down, they trembled. "Daniel, what the hell! Don't scare me like that, I thought I was alone!"

I chuckled. "I didn't do anything."

My girlfriend held a hand against her chest. "Exactly! Say a quick hello or somethin'! I'm not tryin' to die here from a goddamn heart attack," she grumbled, shaking her head. A few moments of silence passed, allowing her to collect herself. "Why're you here, anyway? For me? Thanks, I guess, but you really didn't have to worry. It... it went well. Mom and Dad, they... they're glad that we finally opened up." Her other hand grabbed a hold on mine, and squeezed it. It was hot to the touch. "Sorry if you were already sleeping. I, I didn't think you would be told of this."

She eyed the driver for a brief second, more than likely waiting for some form of apology. Not a single peep came out of him.

"Ane, it's fine. I was on my way to the residence," I said, squeezing her hand back and inching myself closer to her. Upon leaning my head on her shoulder, I noticed the dampness of her blouse. "I was at Roger's."

"Roger's, huh," she mumbled. Her bloodshot eyes followed the homes passing us by. They faced mine again when wilderness surrounded us. "What did you do there?"

I rested and took a shower there, after fainting on someone's lawn. Jade was there, almost made me lose it for the second time in the day. Made that sicko cry and beg for forgiveness to Roger and I. Only calmed myself down for Roger. Even then, I was angry at him, for being who he is. He lacked any form of hatred for her, and denied her of having anything to be sorry about to him. Claimed she was cornered and had no choice but to have him become a monster, for her survival. That for all she knew, the underworld may have had tabs on him long before she brought him down. That no, she wasn't his connection to his alias. That she could live on and repent, similar to him.

But no── hell no. She deserves shit. Those who dare to hurt the souls I love deserve nothing but shit. Simple as that.

Jade doesn't deserve his support or kindness, and he can't see it. He'll never see it. Too kind, too understanding for his own good. I was angry, because Roger's like me, and it scared me. Reason and empathy had raised him, too. It became one with him, even. It's more ingrained in him than in me.

I left out of there, fuming.

Ane's hand gave me a firm squeeze. "Daniel?"

"Nothing. Nothing much happened there," I muttered. When the words came out of my lips, I realized far too late that my teeth were grinding against the pressure I had put them under with my jaw. Everything in my face hurt as soon as I forced myself to relax. "I was a little under the weather after what happened in the morning and I, um, I thought that going over there would make me feel better. Talked a couple of things through with him."

Her own jaw clenched itself. "Wait, wait a second── you told him about me?"

"No, no, I didn't say anything that you may have in mind. He doesn't know a thing," I replied, resting our hands on her soft lap. It stung me with its scorching heat, and put her hands to shame. A small jerk escaped her when I moved closer to her knees. Something is clearly wrong.

Out the window, my rising anger went. "Ane, are you alright?"

She gave me a gentle nod, and insisted that she was fine. Her short breaths, and the sweat beads trickling down her neck, however, told another story. Outside, yes, the weather may be comparable to a desert since we were in the middle of a Floridian summer's heat wave, but the cold creeping in from the car's air conditioner brought goosebumps to my skin. Surely, she must be feeling that chill on some level. She wasn't hot for physical reasons. Something was clearly on her mind, and I worried that it could lead to one of the unhinged moments that I have witnessed her go through once too many times.

Would things be alright if I pressed her to speak, or if I tried to change the mood?

My head remained on her shoulder, stiff and on alert, as I pursed my lips. "Ane, I worry about you. I... I just want to make sure that you're alright."

"I know," she mumbled. Her head, like I had seen her father's do, hung low.

"You mentioned that it went well, with your parents," I said, carefully. "Want to talk it through?" Her head shook furiously at that. Two beads of sweat from her face dropped onto my cheek. "Okay, Ane."

Silence overwhelmed us both, to the very end of our ride.

☆☆☆

Ane's soft quilt enveloped me with her smell, along with a sense of calm that I couldn't begin to measure, and it made me susceptible to slumber when all I wanted was to see her come out of the bathroom. I needed to make sure that she was completely fine before sleep became an option for me, but the mighty sound of the shower running in her bathroom gave off the illusion of rainfall, and it made my eyelids feel heavy.

I quickly pinched my forearm to give myself a wake-up call. Afterwards, I rolled over to my side and ran a hand past my torso, to keep myself excited. The blood flow rushing down there did a great job in keeping me awake, but the moment I started to think of my comfort under the quilt, the drowsiness threatened to overpower me. A pinch fixed that.

I followed that pattern for a couple of rounds, until, finally, I heard the door from the bathroom creak.

Ane tiptoed her way out, in sync with the chirping of the crickets outside, and dropped her sweaty clothes into her laundry basket. Her exposed skin glistened in the moonlight that peeked in from the edges of her curtains, and had me staring for longer than I cared to count. Her figure stood still, watching its gorgeous self from the full-length mirror by the corner of the room, with the moon's help. I noticed her fingers stroke the protruding bits of scar tissue on her face and arms, as her mirror counterpart kept a firm grasp on her attention. Every stroke seemed to have triggered a memory in some way or another, but she stood strong, held herself together.

Something felt different in that moment. Perhaps, the fact that she was looking at herself without breaking down or looking over her shoulder, was what made me feel that way. She didn't leave such an impression on me last night. Last night, she was vulnerable. She still is, of course, but the Ane that stood before me in that moment brought me to tears. Hope and pride swelled within me, telling me as they did so, that she'll make it someday. That she'll grow; heal.

"Daniel, oh my god," Ane suddenly began, snapping her head to me. "Why're you crying? Don't! Don't cry! ...Y-Y'know what, nevermind I get it, alright? I get it, I know I've stayed quiet for too long and I'm sorry, okay? But calm down, I swear, I'm fine. I'm alright. Don't cry for me, you sensitive little runt. Everything went well. Put some trust in me!"

Words failed to come out of me. They left me stammering incoherent things.

Ane rushed over to me; left her mirror counterpart behind. Her hands cupped my cheeks, and with their thumbs, wiped away tears that I didn't mean to distract her. "Back in the car ride, I... I wasn't freakin' out. Well, okay, maybe a lil' bit── but I didn't mean to scare you. I was, it's just── I had just grasped onto the reality of it, is all. That, that it's out there, out in the open. That they knew. That you knew. And I was called a booger, for god's sake!" Tears continued flowing, and I couldn't control a single one. Her eyes were fixed on mine, lifting up spirits I didn't know were down. "Daniel, goddamn it, it's okay! I cried enough at my parents' house. Why would I go do that again on the ride here, huh?! How, how do I call that── uh, I felt a weight leave my shoulders, and it made me feel weird. I was, like── oh! I was going through a catharctic moment... or somethin' like that. Felt really weird."

"Cathartic," I sobbed. "That's not what it looked like."

"Oh shut up, you," she snapped, rolling her flawless eyes as she did so. A healthy dose of confidence that had not existed before tonight radiated off her body, and had my heart skip a handful of beats. Something was clearly different, in the best of ways. "I'm telling you, it's the truth."

Overwhelmed with what was before me, I jumped at the opportunity of crashing my lips against hers. I couldn't control it. Luckily enough, she wrapped her arms around me and leaned forward, welcoming into her all the love that I offered, as well as the kisses from the moonlight sneaking in from the curtains. She urged me to do more, even. She led my hands to places I had only touched last night. She had been waiting for me to do it again.

I obliged; I gave in, and put her down. "Ane, you are your own force of nature, you truly are," I sighed into her lips. Her body swayed as my hands moved along her voluptuous curves, and everywhere in between. "You'll make it someday, you'll grow."

"I know, Daniel," she eventually moaned. "I know that now."

Healing, one step at a time. "Healing's a collective effort from a handful of people, Dan, and it starts with the one who's hurt." One step at a time, and I won't be there for all, but she'll be alright. I'll hold her hand whenever I can; support her. Please her. Love her to the end of time.