The drive to Daniel's was silent between us since I didn't want to listen to any music for once. I just wanted to listen to the wind. Daniel allowed it without any questions or complaint. My window was all the way down and I leaned my head out slightly, resting my head on my arms that were on the car window seal. It may be cloudly, covering the night sky, making it darker than it originally was before but I still find peace in this weather. Daniel kept glancing at me throughout the whole ride, most likely to check on me.

"Harmony" I heard my name being called out. 

I had fallen asleep by the time we got to Daniel's house. My eyes fluttered open to look at Daniel, who was standing outside my door with a smile. I gave him a tired smile in return before sitting up properly, my neck feeling stiff. When Daniel opened the door for me, I didn't expect him to snake his arms under my arms and legs to pick me up. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he carried me towards the front door. I rest my head on his shoulder. I had almost forgotten about Evelyn until I remembered that this was also her house and I wasn't ready to see her again.

"Wait, I can't go inside! I don't want to see Evelyn, not now" I said frantically, now feeling awake and alert. Daniel paused in front of the front door and seemed to chuckle as if this were funny. I glared up at him. "What's so funny?" 

"You sound like you're scared to face her when you just punched Sylvia in the stomach" he laughed.

"That's different, she hit me first so it was only fair" I argued. 

"You can always do that same back, at this point she deserves it" he joked with a grin. I rolled my eyes. Inwardly, I agreed with him, she did deserve a punch and I probably would if I hear her say one more thing that insults me or Daniel or anyone else that I care about for that matter. But for now, I don't want to start another fight, I just want to rest and not face her. Her screeching may give me a headache. "Anyway, Evelyn isn't home, she's gone over to that guy she's with, what's his name? Kale?" Daniel smirked. I giggled. 

I knew he meant Keith. Thank god she wasn't here. Daniel was surprisingly able to open the door since he had his keys in his hands already, I was just scared he would let me go. He entered the quiet and pitch-black house. He navigated his way through the dark, upstairs and into his room while I looked around, wondering where everyone had gone. I know Evelyn isn't home and that it's late, probably past midnight but it's like his parents aren't sleeping nor are they home. When Daniel placed me onto his bed, I decided to voice my thoughts.

"Where are your parents?"

"Date night, except tonight they're staying at a hotel and will be back by tomorrow midday" he replied. I nodded as Daniel sat at the edge of his bed and brushed my hair out of my face. 

"How are you feeling? Honestly" he asked.

"I feel fine, nothing I can't handle" I reassured him. He nodded but he didn't look like he believed me though he didn't say anything about it. I got up from the bed with Daniel staring at me with a frown and a hint of worry in his eyes. It was cute to see him worry though I was fine. The only thing Sylvia did was prolong the healing process of the bruise on my stomach. The pain had subsided ages ago. Her punches are not as bad as Joseph and Shane when they're in a pissy mood worse than a girl on her period and that's saying something. "I'm only finding something in your room to change into because I'm not about to sleep in this dress," I said to ease his thoughts as I walked over to his dresser to grab one of his shirts. 

"Aw but I like the sexy dress you're wearing, it shows off your beautiful body" he complained.

My cheeks heated up in a blush as I clutched his shirt in my hands. I spun around to face him to see that he was smirking while leaning back on his elbows, staring at me. I bit my bottom lip and looked away. The situation of us two being here, alone, is starting to hit me slowly but surely. I hate that he's looking at me like that because it makes me want to kiss him, especially since I'm already under the influence of alcohol. It reminds me of the night he kissed me when he was 'tipsy'. I regret drinking the amount that I did because I'm tempted to make a move but I have to hold myself back. 

"Stop looking at me like that" I demanded while grabbing another shirt from his dresser and chucking it at him. 

Daniel threw his head back and laughed when it hit his chest. I glared at him but decided to ignore his laughter that sent shivers down my back. I changed my clothes in the bathroom into his black rolling stones hoodie, my favourite hoodie of his. I quickly washed my face before grabbing his jacket and my dress as I exited the bathroom. Daniel gave me a once over when I entered his room again, the lust in his eyes prominent. I ignored it, putting the clothes on top of his dresser. I went to sit beside him on the bed but Daniel was quick to grab my waist and pull me down to lie next to him. I let out a small squeak of surprise.

"Daniel!" I whined. Daniel simply nuzzled his head in between the crook of my neck as he cuddled me from behind. I giggled at the ticklish feeling of his nose trailing up my neck. "Daniel, I need to sleep" I kept giggling in between my sentence. 

"You can still sleep, I'm not going anywhere," Daniel mumbled, his lips brushing against my neck. 

"Yes but you are tickling my neck" I pointed out. 

"Sh! Sleep" he whispered. 

I rolled my eyes but closed my eyes nonetheless, embracing the comfort of his warmth and the softness of the mattress. He pulled the blanket up to cover us both. He kept his arms around my waist but pulled me closer so I was pressed against his chest. I could feel each breath he took. I didn't fall asleep straight away, though I know Daniel did because I could hear and feel his slow even breaths. I placed my hand over Daniel's and closed my eyes, deciding to go to sleep. Just when I had almost completely drifted off to sleep, I felt lips being pressed against my cheek making me smile. 

                                   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up to the sound of a loud clap of thunder. I almost jumped out of bed but a pair of arms around my waist stopped me. In an instant, my head began to hurt. It felt like it was pounding. I hate myself. I remembered everything from last night up until Daniel and I fell asleep on his bed together. It was currently pouring rain. Streaks of light lit up the sky from the lightening and stream into the dark room. The sound of rain hitting the roof was all I could hear. Usually, I'd find it soothing in the morning but it was just making my headache worse.

"How are you feeling?" I heard a tired mumble from behind, startling me. 

"My head hurts" I muttered into the pillow bitterly.

"You really are a lightweight, just like I thought" he teased. 

"Just because I'm hungover, not hyped up on alcohol, and have feelings for you, it doesn't mean I won't hit you, I won't hesitate" I threatened. The vibration of his chest from his laughter against my back made me shiver. I instantly missed the warmth of his embrace when he let go of me to sit up. I wanted him to stay in bed a little longer. 

"I'll get you some Advil, do you want something to eat?" Daniel asked, coming into view and stretching his arms. I stared at his toned torso that peeked out from his shirt when he did. 

"Yes please," I grinned. 

Daniel smiled and kissed my cheek before exiting the room. I sat up and yawned. From the window, you couldn't even see the street or houses across from here. The noise of the rain seemed to echo through the silence. It's morning but it feels like night time with the gloominess from the clouds. I decided to check my phone incase my mother messaged me. I looked around until I realised that I forgot my purse in Kylee's car. I cursed under my breath. Shit, I need to message her before she starts frantically worrying about me.

"Can I use your phone?" I asked Daniel when he entered to hand me the Advil and some water. 

"Sure" he shrugged before exiting the room again after thanking him. I quickly swallowed the Advil and drank the water before grabbing his phone from the nightstand to type in my mother's number. I listened to the dial tone, waiting for her to answer. It was already one in the afternoon but I don't know how long its been raining for and it would be unsafe to be on the streets in this weather if she were to drive home. I hope she's safe and she didn't go home to an empty house.

"Hello?" I heard from the other end. 

"Hey mum, it's me," I said.

"Harmony? Oh my god, are you ok?" my mother asked frantically, the worry in her voice was clear.

"I'm fine, I just left my phone in Kylee's car, I'm staying at Evelyn's house instead today, did you get home alright?" I asked. 

I still haven't told her about my fight with Evelyn yet. I don't want to worry or anger her. She would be fuming if she heard what Evelyn said to me. I can't put my problems on her. I can handle Evelyn. It's been a week since I talked to her and I'm fine, maybe more relaxed without worrying about her seeing me and Daniel and going psychotic. I don't know when I'll be ready to face her again. There's a small part of me that hopes that Evelyn was lying and it really was the alcohol talking but a big part of me knows that she drops truth bombs when she's drunk so there's no way.

"I'm staying at Silas', my coworker's place until the rain stops, it's good that you're at Evelyn's house, I wouldn't want you at home alone in this weather, I want you to be safe ok?" my mother reassured me. I sighed with relief. I may not know Silas personally but from what I know during the time I met him at the hospital, he seemed like a good person. It was kind of him to allow my mother to stay with him until it was safe to drive and go home. I trust my mother's judgement. She wouldn't stay at anyone's place unless she fully and wholeheartedly trusted them. She's very cautious. 

"Ok, stay safe" I advised.

"You too Harmony, I'll see you soon." 

"See you later."

I hung up the phone just as Daniel walked in with a tray that consisted of orange juice and a plate with a stack of pancakes, butter and maple syrup on the side. I was taken aback, I didn't think he was going to cook. He placed it in front of me and sat down. He watched me, waiting for me to eat but I handed him a set of knife and fork to share since this was way too much for me. It may be lunchtime but I'm not feeling all that hungry to eat a whole stack. Plus my headache hasn't subsided just yet since the Advil hasn't completely kicked in yet. 

I thanked him before we both dug in. After we finished eating, we put the tray aside on the nightstand. Daniel gave me a serious expression. It worried me. Either I'm in trouble or he wants to talk about last night. If he's going to talk about the kiss then I don't know how I'm going to respond. I kissed him to wipe that smug smirk of Sylvia's face. That and I wanted to kiss him rather than the stranger that was originally next to me.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked with a frown while playing with the hem of Daniel's hoodie.

"I wasn't going to bring this up last night but I wanted to talk about the bruises on your body" he stated. I froze, not expecting that to be the topic of conversation. I completely forgot for a split second that the bruises still hadn't healed but I'm sure I covered them up yesterday.

Wait, did I? Damn it I can't remember, this is not good

"H-how do you know about that?" I stuttered.

"Last night, you may have had makeup on but you forgot that once you washed your face and changed, I could then see the bruise on your eye, cheek and I can bet you there's one on your stomach" he explained. I frowned. 

I completely forgot that I had washed off my makeup that concealed the damage on my face. I shouldn't have been so stupid. I didn't want him to find out about the bruises. It sounds stupid, even when I say it in my head. I just wanted to keep him out of this. I don't blame him for Joseph and Shane targeting me, even they failed at what they wanted to do. I wasn't ready to see his reaction. I wasn't exactly proud of the bruises that represented my weakness, my inability to fight back. I probably look horrible now that I had washed away my make up. 

"Ivy was also the one that told me about the bruises" Daniel added. My head shot up to look at him with wide eyes. How did she know about that? There's no way, she was never there when Joseph and Shane were around to corner me. They always made sure it was clear before they did anything. I don't know how she found out unless she was hiding.

"Ivy told you? How did she know about the bruises?" I voiced my thoughts.

"She told me that she saw you two days ago when you went to the antique store, she noticed the bruises on your face, yesterday proved she was right" he replied. 

I looked down at my fumbling hands to avoid his gaze, feeling embarrassed and ashamed. Two days ago I did go to the antique shop but only for a quick ten minutes to buy the Van Gogh replica painting I saw a week ago that I wanted to put up on my bedroom wall. It was the 'Starry Night' one from 1888 where he painted it on the bank of the Rhône. I wasn't expecting anyone to see me that I knew. I didn't even notice Ivy though I wasn't exactly looking for her.

"Why would she tell you about it?" I asked, probably avoiding the inevitable of explaining Joseph and Shane to him.

"Are you really asking that right now?" he fumed.

"Hey! Don't get mad at me! Either way, you two had no right to butt into my business!" I argued, deflecting from the real problem.

"Harmony, you're hurt and you've been continuing to let it happen without telling anyone, letting yourself go through it alone, of course, it's going to be my business when I see you hurt," Daniel spoke softly. I sighed as I contemplated the difficult decision of whether to tell him the whole truth or not. I know I trusted him but it doesn't mean I can easily admit without feeling dread sitting in the pit of my stomach. Speaking up is always difficult because I'm admitting to an incident that I was vulnerable to but tried to be brave each time.

"Ok...Ok, I'll tell you" I mumbled while nodding. 

Daniel smiled encouragingly. He grabbed my hand and intertwined them to give me a reassuring squeeze. It gave me the strength that I needed to speak. I smiled in return before taking a deep breath and beginning to explain everything to him, starting with how Joseph and Shane ambushed me after school on Friday three weeks ago. Daniel clenched his free hand into a fist, I thought it was going to turn white. By the end of it, he had to take a deep breath to relax before staring at me in the eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that because of me" he apologised. I frowned and tilted my head. Why was he apologising?

"You don't need to apologise, I don't blame you," I said. 

"How can't you blame me? You should, they hurt you because of me and I fucking didn't notice like a dumbass" Daniel cursed as he stood up, letting go of my hand to run it aggressively through his hair, messing it up. He started to pace back and forth while I watched. 

"Daniel, this isn't your fault, I'm the one that never told you about it" I frowned.

"Fuck" he grumbled. He looked like he was about to punch the wall. I was quick to get up and stand in front of him, cupping his face in my hands so that he would face me, his amber eyes staring into mine. I could see the fire burning within them but behind all that fire was guilt.

"Stop blaming yourself, this is not your fault, it was never your fault, you didn't make them do anything ok? You need to calm down, please" I pleaded. It took a moment before he spoke up.

"How are you so kind-hearted?" Daniel simply mumbled. I chuckled. His tensed posture had begun to ease up and he visibly relaxed. 

"Thank you, I try" I joked with a shrug. The corners of his lips turned upwards. "By the way, why did you beat them up last week?" 

"I was furious when they tried to threaten me by saying they would hurt you, I just didn't know they did already" he explained, scowling. 

"Well thank you for handling them for me because after you beat them up they stopped bothering me, you must have scared them off" I smiled. Daniel leaned down to rest his forehead against mine, his breath now fanning my face. 

"From now on, I won't let them hurt you" he whispered his promise. It felt as if my heart skipped a beat, either that or it was beating a mile a minute from our close proximity. "How do you feel about me now?" Daniel asked. I know he was referring back to when I said I wasn't quite ready to trust him fully.

"I don't know, will you promise not to run away again?" I joked though I meant it seriously.

"I promise I won't hurt you again" He vowed. I looked into his eyes to determine if he was telling the truth or not. He had a firm expression. The sincerity that shone through gave me hope that he would stay true to his words. 

"You better not do the same thing again, I'm trusting you" I warned him. He chuckled.

"I promise."

Before I could say anything else, Daniel pressed his lips against mine in one swift motion. I instantly kissed back, sliding my hands to rest at the back of his neck and running my fingers through his messy yet soft hair. I felt my back being pressed up against the wall as the kiss turned rough yet passionate. I felt his hands slide down my waist up until he rested them where his hoodie that I was wearing ends, just above my knees before picking me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist for support.  

I tugged at the back of his hair just as he bit my bottom lip. I gasped. Our tongues intertwined. His hand slid under the shirt, up my leg, stopping at the curve of my hip. I was the one to pull away first to take a breather. Our foreheads rested against each other, both of us panting as if we just ran a marathon. We both grinned at each other. Daniel pecked my lips before letting me down gently. My cheeks were probably red from blushing. I tugged the hoodie down since it had ridden up a bit. I still remember that I had stupidly not worn a short underneath because I was too stubborn to burrow anything from Evelyn's closet again.

"So...." I trailed off awkwardly. "What does this mean for us? What are we?" I asked, rubbing my right arm and biting my bottom lip. He tilted his head before taking my hand and kneeling on one knee.

"Harmony Wright will you officially be my girlfriend?" he asked. I threw my head back and laughed at his corny way of asking. I nodded with a wide joyous smile.

"Yes, yes I will be your girlfriend Daniel Martinez," I said. A wide toothy grin spread across his lips. He jumped up and kissed my cheek. "You know, I'm going to have to get used to now being your girlfriend, it feels surreal" I admitted. He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Well you better get used to it soon because you're mine now," he stated.

"I like the sound of that," I giggled. 

Daniel's phone went off, startling us. We both looked over at it, seeing his mother's name lighting up across the screen. He left to answer it outside his room. The rain was still pretty much pouring down, slammed against the roof. I took this moment to look around his room, noticing a picture frame on his desk by the window across from the door, far left corner. I walked over to look at it closely. It was a picture of him, his mother and who I'm assuming is his father since he looked almost identical to him, especially the eyes. Daniel looked around maybe seven years old, grinning widely while showing his missing teeth for the camera. He looked so happy and innocent.

I wonder what happened to his father

"Back to when times were much simpler" I heard from behind me. I jumped and spun around. Daniel was leaning against his bedroom doorframe with his arms crossed, staring at me.

"You still miss him don't you?" I asked though I knew the answer. He simply nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?" I offered.

"Maybe another time" he mumbled. I respected and understood that he needed time. I probably won't talk about my father until I'm completely ready.

"What did your mum want?" I asked, walking over to sit on his bed. He followed to sit next to me. 

"She was just letting me know that her and Carlson will be staying an extra two nights at the hotel they are currently at to avoid the rain, they also told me that from the news report online, this rain won't ease up until Tuesday morning so I'm guessing we won't have school tomorrow" he informed me.

"Well, I guess we're both stuck here together until Tuesday then" I shrugged. 

"That doesn't sound bad, it sounds perfect to me" he smirked. I rolled my eyes.

"Of course it does," I said sarcastically. Daniel grabbed my waist and pulled me so my back was pressed up against him as he lied down. I laughed as he started to tickle my sides. "Stop! I yield!" I yelped. He stopped tickling me and I could finally sigh with relief. "I hate you" I grumbled bitterly.

"You love me" he retorted. 

"Whatever" I muttered with upturned lips. I turned around in his arms to face him, my hands resting on his chest. We listened to the rain as we stayed like this. Soon Daniel pulled his laptop out to watch some Netflix while we cuddled on the bed. It wasn't long until I fell asleep to the sound of the thunderclaps, rain and Daniel's even breathing.