I stared out onto the ocean, listening to the waves crash against the rocks below softly. I embraced the gentle breeze that brushed by. Tears continued to slide down my cheek slowly while I hugged my legs to my chest, resting my chin on my knees. It was a relaxing night and I should be happy but all I feel is empty. Memories of what happened just minutes ago kept replaying in my head.  I felt like a horrible person for letting my emotions control me yet I had a right to be angry, to lash out at Evelyn. 

It hurt, it physically hurt that the one person that I thought would stick by my side forever had let jealousy consume her thoughts and actions. After knowing that the horrible things that have happened to me while I've been here weren't because of spite or because of Daniel or because they just personally hated me for no reason, it was because it was all plan. Evelyn manipulated people to hurt me and it worked every time. I'm just glad it never broke me completely, I was lucky to have people that help me get through the bad times so that I was never alone. I may have suffered through the first half of the school year but I survived and I didn't let it break me. I always came back out on top and that's an accomplishment. 

"Harmony!" my thoughts were cut short when I heard my name being called out. 

I looked over to see Daniel running over towards me. I quickly got up onto my feet to hug him once he was close enough. Daniel sighed with relief as he stroked my hair while I relished in the warmth of his embrace. I instantly felt better, more relaxed now that he was here with me. It felt like all the fears that Evelyn had reminded me of previously and been running through my head, torturing me, were gone. I have to keep reminding myself that I can't let Evelyn get to me because that was, unfortunately, her goal, even now that everything was out in the open.

Unintentionally I ended up breaking down in another set of sobs. Daniel rubbed my back in a comforting manner while I buried my face in the crook of his neck. "I got you, you're not alone, I'm here for you" he whispered to me. We stayed in each other's embrace in silence. We didn't need to say anything, him being here was comforting enough. I was able to calm down after a couple of minutes and cease my sobs to only a couple of tears. I stepped back, wiping the stray tears from my cheeks while Daniel narrowed his eyes.

"You're hurt, your eye is starting to bruise and you have a cut on your nose, what happened? Who the fuck did this? I'll kill them?" Daniel demanded. 

"Long story short, Evelyn did this to me, we got into a fight after she told me some really fucked up things" I replied bluntly with a shrug but winced as soon as I did. My shoulders still slightly hurt due to Evelyn digging her nails into them. I'm surprised she didn't draw blood but luckily for me, she didn't open up my stitches or that would have been a problem. Daniel started grumbling curse words and clenching his fists, probably wanting to do something to get revenge. "But I'm fine, you don't need to do anything in return" I quickly reassured him. I didn't need any more trouble with her, I just wanted to forget and move on with my life.

He closed his eyes to take a deep breath. I felt proud of how easily calm he got. "Do you want me to take you home to rest and then we can talk?" he asked, looking at me again once he composed himself. 

I didn't feel like going home now knowing how my mother and grandmother would react. They'd both freak out. I'm not prepared to tell them what happened between me and Evelyn. They trusted Evelyn, they treated her like a daughter before I moved here. It would be hard to explain everything. They'd both be in utter shock, trying to decipher if it's true or not, similar to me. I know I'm still struggling to come to terms with Evelyn being the one that has been trying to ruin my relationship and my life. Now I can't even look at her in the eye anymore. 

I shook my head in response. "I don't want to worry my family, they'd start asking questions that I'm not ready to answer," I said in a meek voice. 

I looked down at the beautiful flowers spread amongst the bright green grass that surrounded the area. Daniel unexpectantly cupped my cheek to lift my head so I could look into his eyes. He motioned his head behind him for me to follow. He then grabbed my hand into his before walking ahead to his truck. He told to wait while he looked in the front seat of his truck. I watched in confusion as he searched for something that I wasn't aware of. Daniel walked back with a first aid kit. I raised one eyebrow. 

Since when did he keep a first aid kit in his truck?

Daniel gave me a sheepish grin. "I started keeping one in my truck after the night we spent together at the motel" he explained, answering my unvoiced question. My cheeks heat up at the memory of that night. It was a very important and special night for me. Not only did we both open up to each other but also I had given my everything to him. It's a night I'll never forget. 

Daniel helped me up to sit on the back of his truck. He then dug through the first aid kit to pull out some disinfectant and a butterfly bandage to put on the bridge of my nose. I winced at first when I felt the sting from the alcohol-induced disinfectant but calmed as soon as it was gone. All while doing this, Daniel had kept drifting his eyes towards mine. Once he was done, he pushed the first aid box to hit the back before plopping up to sit next to me. We stared out at the clearing of the woods, listening to the gentle breeze along with the crickets chirping in the distance. I rest my head onto his shoulder, closing my eyes.

I was contemplating explaining everything to him now since I know he's eager to know. He just doesn't want to push me to say anything. I appreciated that he was waiting until I was ready to speak out. I know I would have to eventually but I don't know how I'm going phrase the reason for Evelyn's actions. I'll probably feel guilty for revealing her previous feelings towards Daniel but he deserves to know the reason as to why she's been giving him so much shit for the past few years. I'm not sure how he'll react and the unknowing scares me.

"I know you probably have many questions about what happened with Evelyn tonight" I spoke up. Daniel remained silent but I know he was listening. He moved his hand to rest it on my upper thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze in reassurance. "Your friend, Felix, told me that Evelyn had tried to sneak in while you guys were playing but got kicked out, she was the one your friends told us about when I first met them, the one that always came by the place to see you" I explained.

"That's creepy" Daniel muttered. I breathed out a small laugh. 

"Yeah well I confronted her about it and she finally revealed her true colours to me after she got caught in the act," I said. I felt Daniel's eyes drift towards me in confusion. 

"I mean I think she's a bitch but what made you see it?" he asked. I couldn't help but quirk my lip at his little jab towards Evelyn. 

"When she told me that she was the one that tried to separate us by hiring Joseph and Shane to hurt me, blackmailed Ace, Lukas and Ivy to egg me on Halloween using Ivy's secret over them, got Sylvia to kiss you the night that was supposed to be our first date, tried to make us both doubt our relationship, ruined my artwork so I wouldn't get the scholarship and lastly originally planned for Fletcher to 'hook up' with me the night of the crash but as you know that didn't end up happening and I'm scared to know what he would have done if he didn't" I rambled with agitation. 

I took a deep breath and waited for Daniel to say something, anything really. He just stayed silent. I didn't know what was going through his head right now. It scared me. I already chickened out of telling him Evelyn's reasoning for doing everything. I knew I had to eventually but not right now, it would be too much. He still had to process and decipher what I just said. He already hated Evelyn, this will probably make things worse between them at home now. I feel horrible for Mariah and Carlson because they are trying to get Daniel and Evelyn to get along but that's not happening now most likely.  

"She.....I'm sorry she what? She did all those things?" he asked calmly. I nodded in reply but noticed that his free hand was clenched tight. "Fucking Ken is lucky I didn't maim him" he grumbled. I removed my head from his shoulder to turn towards him, his hand remaining on my thigh. 

"Daniel, you have to promise me you won't do anything to get revenge on Evelyn or anyone else involved, please" I begged, taking his hand into mine. Daniel turned his gaze towards our now intertwined hands then to me. He was contemplating his decision, hesitant to agree. I pleaded using my eyes. I knew I was asking for too much but getting even will only make things worse then there already are. 

"Fine" he muttered. I grinned, leaning up to hug him. Daniel chuckled, wrapping his arms around me. 

"Thank you" I mumbled. 

We pulled away so I could climb in further so my back was resting against the back of the truck, near the little window that peaks into the front seats. Daniel joined me, putting his arm loosely around my waist. I hugged his torso, snuggling my head into his chest. Daniel leaned forward, careful not to move me to grab a blanket he had kept in the back. He placed it over our legs and around my shoulder to protect us against the wind. Looking out towards the night sky is always something that brings joy. It brings good memories and it's always like a dream. The stars make you wish big and the moon makes you dream, shining light in the darkest of places. 

"Thank you, Daniel, for coming here when I needed someone the most" I mumbled into his chest softly. Daniel pulled my waist closer and kissed my forehead. 

"Anytime, remember what I said? You won't ever be alone again" He said in a hushed tone. I smiled but yawned. The feeling of needing sleep was starting to get to me after the long night I've had. "Sleep, I'll be here protect you" he muttered into my hair. I simply nodded while my eyes fluttered closed, sleep taking over me. 

I woke up the next morning to Daniel's arms still protectively wrapped around my waist. His head was slightly hanging towards the opposite directions towards me. I glanced up at him. He looked so peaceful while he slept. After the accident, he would occasionally have nightmares. I made sure calm him down and reassure him since he'd sleepover every day to watch over me. It managed to work, always going to sleep right after in each other's arms without any more bad dreams to haunt him. He made sure that I was never alone but so did I. 

"You admiring me while I sleep?" I gasped at Daniel's low voice, groggy voice. I lifted my head to look at him properly, noticing the sly smirk on his lips. I playfully glared at him when he opened his eyes to stare at me, snickering slightly. I 

"How long were you awake?" I demanded.

"For an hour now probably" he shrugged. 

I rolled my eyes and lightly pushed his cheek away when he went to kiss me. He laughed, giving my waist a gentle squeeze. I wiggled out of his grip to jump off the back. Daniel followed to stand in front of me. I decided then to check for any missed calls while Daniel packed up everything so we could leave. It terrified me to look because I know my family would be furious that I didn't tell them I wasn't going to come home last night. Ruby and Kylee would know in an instant if something was wrong. I don't know if they are aware of what happened between me and Evelyn but I'll have to tell them. When I glanced at my phone, weirdly there wasn't any messages or missed calls. I furrowed my eyebrows and frowned.

"When you fell asleep last night, I made sure to message your friends to cover for you" Daniel answered my thoughts. I looked up at him with a smile, putting my phone back in my pocket.

"Thank you" I beamed before leaning up to kiss his cheek. 

We walked around to hop into the truck so we could leave. I stared out the open window, watching the trees go by until we hit the open road. My mind occasionally would wander towards yesterday night, Evelyn's word haunting me. It was going to be hard to get over what she'd done. I was still hurt. It just came back all at once the feeling. I didn't want to go home, not now, not yet. However, I didn't want to show how much I was still affected by the events of last night to Daniel because then he'd start to worry. 

Daniel glanced at me from the corner of his eyes before quickly looking back to the road. "Do you want me to take you home or do you want to spend the day together and have some fun?" he asked. I looked towards him in confusion.

"What kind of fun?" I answered with another question in return.

"How about this time we do something you want to do, something you love and enjoy" he suggested with a grin. A smile spread across my lips as I instantly perked up. I knew exactly where to go. 

"I think that's a great idea, I'm in, to Venice Beach!" I exclaimed, pointing ahead. Daniel laughed as he changed directions.

As soon as we got to the beach, I grabbed Daniel's hand and dragged him towards where the rental place for rollerskates was. Daniel stumbled trying to follow me but laughed nonetheless. I was way too eager. He raised one eyebrow when I walked inside. I was quick to pay for the rent of two pairs of rollerskates before Daniel could beat me to it. We sat by the skate park at the beach to put on our skates. I stood first and skated around him until he finally finished putting on his pair. 

Daniel struggled to stand up, almost falling down but held onto the bench. I giggled as he tried to get back up again. This was definitely his first time rollerskating. It was funny to see him struggle to even get up without his skates almost making him fall. I decided he's had enough torture and went to help him up by holding onto his arms. I slowly guided him towards the boardwalk since I don't think he'd be able to go onto the ramps at the skate park without falling. I'm ok with the ramps but for now, it's probably best to avoid it since I think I've had just about enough injuries and so has Daniel after his fight last Sunday. 

"I don't get the joy in this" Daniel grumbled. 

"Oh come on, you're only saying that because you've never roller skated before," I said. Daniel huffed but tried to follow the way I was skating. After some time he could skate by himself. I clapped jokingly when he actually did it without falling.

"I know you're mocking me by clapping but I'm still proud of myself" Daniel stated, skating around me. I threw my head back and laughed when he almost fell again. "Ok I slipped up that time but I swear I got it," he said, pointing at me. 

"Uh-huh, sure you do, let's see if you can catch up to me if you think you got what it takes" I challenged. He raised one eyebrow.

"Hold up, what do I get in return? I mean I'm risking my life here" he joked. 

"Hm? How about I give you a kiss?" I shrugged. 

"Not good enough, I can do that any time" he rejected. 

Damn it

"Ok, name your price smartass" I ordered playfully. 

"How about I get to do what you did to me on Christmas day at my house" Daniel smirked. I frowned for a moment in confusion. I don't know what he was hinting at. I had to scatter my mind for memories of that day until I realized what he was talking about. My eyes widened and I gaped at him.

"Oh no, you don't! You are not going to give me a hickey!" I blurted out loudly. I blushed when I noticed people turn their heads towards me. Daniel snickered. "Shut up" I grumbled, playfully hitting his arm.

"You said name your price, that's it, if you're so confident then you shouldn't be scared" he persuaded.

"Ok fine but only to prove that I'm not scared, I can and will beat you at this" I declared. 

We then shook hands in agreement before positioning ourselves at the boardwalk. Daniel counted down from three. As soon as he did, I was quick to skate off. We agreed to skate only down the road, to the ice cream shop down the street called 'Turn Dough'. Just as I was almost to the shop, I noticed Daniel fall down and wince. I instantly stopped, worried that he may have injured himself. He was still healing from his fight. He could make them worse. I didn't want him to be in pain or anything. 

I quickly skated the short distance towards him. "Are you ok? Are you hurt?" I asked in a rush. Daniel simply laughed.

"I'm fine, I just fell" he shrugged it off. I helped him stand up.

"Yeah, but what if you fell on one of your injuries and further hurt yourself" I fret.

"Trust me I'm not in any extreme pain" he reassured me. I breathed out a sigh of relief. I saw the mischievous in his eyes as he smirked. I tilted my head in confusion. He took this opportunity while I was distracted to skate around me, to the ice cream shop. I cursed under my breath before quickly trying to catch to him but he was too far ahead. 

"No! Damn it!" I exclaimed when I stopped in front of Daniel. He had gotten to the ice cream shop first. I should've known he'd cheat to win. He was more determined. 

"Don't worry beautiful, I'll buy you some ice cream to make up for losing" He grinned. 

"Yeah, you better" I glared. Daniel put his arm around my shoulder and guided us towards the open window. He stayed true to his words and ordered for us both. I got the Frutti one and he got the Oreo. We skated back towards the skate park, hand in hand while eating and laughing occasionally. I stopped when I saw a poster on the wall about the county fair going on just a short drive from here.  

"Want to go after?" Daniel asked, noticing my interest. I turned back to look up at him.

"Are you sure? Because I don't want to make you do something you don't enjoy" I asked. He smiled and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. 

"Of course I'm sure, whatever makes you happy, I don't care what we do as long as you're there with me" he expressed. 

I looked down with a blush. He never fazes to swoon me with his words. The conversation ended there and we skated back again. Once we got back to the skate park and finished our ice cream, which I didn't finish since I gave the rest to Daniel, I taught him how to skate some more. We mocked around while we did. I laughed at one point when he twirled me around to then pull my back towards his chest, hugging my waist. We didn't notice the time go by until it was already sunset. That was when we decided to head to the county fair.

We returned the rollerskates before getting into Daniel's truck. The drive was peaceful, the music playing lowly in the background while I stared out at the sunset as we drove by. Daniel parked in the parking lot before we both exited to enter the area. I was about to pay for my ticket but he beat me to it. I grumbled but followed him nonetheless, our hands once again intertwined. The coloured lights illuminated the park. Screams of joy from different rides echoed throughout the area. Upbeat music played amongst the many different speakers. 

We ended up going to one of the booths, which was the ring toss. I'm not surprised he won, getting the ring on all the bottles. He kept flexing his muscles, knowing I was watching him. He ended up winning the giant, human-sized teddy bear. Daniel had to carry it since I was struggling to hold it because it towered over me. We browsed around a few other booths until nightfall. Just as we were walking away from the booth where we had to use a water gun to fill up the balloons, I heard a loud squeal making me jump. I was then almost tackled to the ground in a hug. My eyes widened at the unsuspected person until I heard the familiar voice.

"Surprise! We're here to ruin your night bitch!" 

"Ruby?" 

Once she let me go, I turned around to face her. I was correct, Ruby was standing in front of me but she was with Kylee, Ivy, Ace, Thomas, and Atticus. I grinned, feeling giddy inside at seeing them even though we saw each other last night. I instantly hugged them all. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked. I was still slightly in shock.

"Daniel called us, said you needed a friend, Lukas is just out on a date so that's why he's not here" Kylee answered with a smile. I looked at Daniel.

"I could tell you needed your real friends around" he shrugged. I ran up to hug him. 

"Thank you" I whispered. 

"Let's go girly! We got rides to go on! Times a ticking!" Ruby shouted. I let go of Daniel and chuckled at her enthusiasm. I walked off with the girls, while the boys stayed with behind with Daniel. We agreed to meet up by the Ferris wheel at the end of the night. 

"I got you some spare clothes and in case you needed it, foundation as well since Daniel also let us know you were hurt, which I'm trying my hardest not to ask about right now" Ruby stated. 

"Oh thank god, you are a lifesaver Ruby!" I exclaimed. I ignored Ruby last comment because I knew they would be curious and eager to know. 

Ruby grinned and handed me the clothes from her bag. I quickly headed to the bathroom to change and put on the foundation to conceal my bruised eye. Luckily Evelyn's punch was weak so the bruise wasn't as intense but still slightly noticeable. The scratch on my nose however was from the fake rings she wears. I'm glad that it didn't scratch me up even further with them. It's a good thing Evelyn isn't much of a fighter or it would have ended far worse, especially if I hadn't stopped it. 

"So want to tell us what happened last night? Or are you not ready yet?" Kylee asked once I exited the bathroom stall. I think I was ready to tell them. I kind of knew how they'd react since Kylee and Ruby were still cautious of Evelyn and Ivy just hated her. I don't blame her, I understand why. I don't know how long Evelyn has been holding her secret against her but it must have been hell.

"I'll tell you guys but I have to talk to Ivy after if that's alright with you," I said, looking towards Ivy. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion but nodded nonetheless. We sat at a nearby table where all the food stalls were and explained everything to them. I left out the part Evelyn told me about Ivy because that's her secret to tell, not mine. 

"See! I knew we couldn't trust her after her outburst towards you and Daniel!" Ruby exclaimed, jumping in her seat. 

"We just didn't know it would be because she was jealous, I had no idea that she even liked Daniel," Kylee said. She looked so confused, probably still trying to come to terms with what I just revealed to them. I noticed that Ivy stayed quiet, probably because she knew about Evelyn already. 

"Well she's dead to us now, she could have talked it out with me or Kylee but she didn't, we've lost any little respect we had left for her, she better not show her face around us again or I'll give her a black eye in return for what she did to you" Ruby declared. 

"Thank you Ruby but I don't need anyone doing anything to cause more trouble, I think she already knows what drove us away, she has to live with the thought that it was actions and her words that was the cause because she didn't trust us enough to admit anything" I stated. 

"She didn't deserve you as a best friend" Ivy spoke up. 

"Thanks" I smiled. 

"Well, Kylee and I will be at the food stall over there, getting a hot dog because I'm still hungry," Ruby said, standing up from her seat. Kylee rolled her eyes as she followed in her actions. 

"You're always hungry" Kylee mumbled. It was quiet between us until I decided to speak up.

"I wanted to talk to you because I know that you knew about Evelyn's true intentions, she told me about your secret that she blackmailed you with" I explained. Ivy's eyes widened.

"Fuck" she cursed. She then sighed and ran her hands through her hair, pushing it back. "Listen I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I know I should have after the day of the Halloween party when I finally found out that you were not like Evelyn, you were just an innocent person in her game but I knew she would have told my secret to the whole school" she apologised. 

"Trust me, it's ok, I understand why" I reassured her with a smile. Ivy let out a sigh of relief. "If you don't mind me asking, does Daniel know?" I asked. 

"Yes, he was the first person I told, he beat up the guy for what he did, the dude ended up moving because he was scared shitless of Daniel" Ivy chuckled. I'm not surprised he did that, I guess I'm glad he stood up for her. "I never told him about Evelyn's feelings, why the fuck would I? That was her intentions, she wanted his attention, she tried to blackmail me before to get them alone somehow but Daniel escaped every time, thank fuck he did, she was and still is a psycho" Ivy ranted. I tried not to laugh as I imagined Daniel running away from Evelyn. "Are you going to tell him?" she asked.

I sighed and nodded. "I'll tell him tonight, he'll probably be in shock at first," I said. 

"Oh I'd pay to see the look on his face when you tell him, he'd be more disgusted than shocked" Ivy snickered.

"I think he'd avoid being home" I added.

"The guy practically lives at your place now, this will just give him an excuse to sleep at yours more often" Ivy pointed out, rolling her eyes. She wasn't wrong, it was true. He slept over at my house more than any of my friends, it's like our house has become his second home. My mother doesn't mind it as long as we kept the door open but that doesn't stop Daniel when he wants something. 

"We're back! I hope you guys are done talking, I want to sit down" Ruby chirped. Ruby sat down in her previous seat with Kylee, both holding two hotdogs each. They slid me and Ivy one.

"Please sit down anyway" Ivy mumbled in a jokingly manner. Ruby put the middle finger up at her and Ivy did it back in return. 

"Everything good?" Kylee asked us. Ivy and I both nodded.

We spent the rest of the night going on different rides and trying out different gaming booths. It was hilarious watching Ruby fail almost every game while Kylee and Ivy won. I tried a few of them, only winning like three out of the ten we went to.  When it was time to meet up with the boys, who were seated by the Ferris wheel, Ruby instantly perked up. She ran towards Thomas and practically dragged him towards a gaming booth to get him to win a prize. We laughed as we watched. She really wanted some kind of prize since she's the only one that didn't win one. 

"Hey, beautiful" Daniel greeted. He kissed my cheek while sliding his arm around my torso.

"Hey, handsome, ready to end the night on the Ferris wheel?" I beamed. Daniel chuckled.

"Well I get to end the night with you so of course, I am" he grinned. 

"Get a room!" Ivy and Kylee shouted jokingly in unison. Daniel rolled his eyes while I laughed. 

"I'll get one when one of you do first!" he retorted. They waved him off. We stepped into the carriage and sat close to each other. The others took the next one but in pairs. I looked over at the view of the fair when it stopped once we were at the very top.

"How was your day?" Daniel asked. I turned back towards him.

"Absolutely amazing, thank you again, for everything you've done, not only today" I smiled. 

"Any time, I'd do anything to see you smile." I blushed and instantly looked down. It was silent between us. I rested my head on his shoulder while I played with his hand that was resting on my lap.

"There's something I haven't told you yet" I spoke up. Now would be as good of a time than ever. It was now or never. Daniel was silent, waiting for me to continue. "Evelyn told me her reason behind her actions...she said that before your mother and her father got married, she was in love with you, then we met and she got jealous, she wanted to split us up because you had feelings for me instead of her" I explained. He stayed silent, worrying me slightly. I looked up at him. Ivy was right, his expression showed his obvious disgust at the news. I almost laughed. 

"That's fucked up, I knew she was crazy but why? She never showed it" he cringed. 

"Well, she thought that fighting with you was enough to get your attention" I shrugged. He shook his head then rubbed his temple while hunched over. 

"You're making it hard not to get revenge on her" he grumbled. I giggled and put my arm around his back to rub his shoulder.

"There's no need to Daniel because in the end, we won, she lost, you were always there for me and we always made it through" I reassured him, resting my chin on his shoulder. 

"I guess you're right but if she tries anything else, I won't hesitate" he warned. 

At that moment, I instantly got an idea on how to help Ivy get Evelyn to stop blackmailing her and to get her to stop bothering me and Daniel. I pulled away from Daniel to pull out my phone. I sent Ivy my idea. Not a second later, she replied back that she loved it and was all for it. We agreed to confront Evelyn tomorrow at school together. I was going to be there for support though because I knew she was strong enough to go against Evelyn. She could handle herself since she wasn't scared now that she had leverage. She can finally get her freedom back without having to worry about her secret being revealed to the whole school. 

"You're planning something, what is it?" Daniel asked, trying to look over my shoulder, at my phone. I moved to hide it from his sight. Ivy didn't want me to tell him until after we got Evelyn to back off. 

"You'll have to wait to find out" I replied. He raised his eyebrow but dropped the subject nonetheless. I went to message Ivy but the feeling of Daniel's lips against my neck stopped me. My breath hitched when he kissed a path all the way up to my ear.

"I think it's time to claim my prize from earlier" he whispered into my ear. It sent a shiver of excitement down my spine. He slid his hand to brush the skin under my top. My breathing started to pick up. I closed my eyes and bit my bottom lip, embracing his touch.

"Daniel...not here" I managed to breath out.  

He ignored me and continued to leave open-mouthed kisses down my neck. I didn't make any moves to stop him, simply leaning my head back to give him more access. He seemed to be pleased by that, enjoying the effect he had on me. I could feel Daniel's sly smirk against my skin. He stopped at the crook of my neck and sucked at the skin, leaving his mark while his hand travelled up. I kept bitting down on my bottom lip to prevent myself from letting out a moan. Once Daniel felt like he accomplished his goal, he pulled away along with his hand. 

He then used his thumb to move my bottom lip out. I stared at him with hooded eyes as he analysed me. He glanced towards the crook of my neck, admiring his work. When he looked back at me, I leaned up to press my lips against his. My arms were now wrapped loosely around his neck.

"I love you" Daniel whispered once we pulled away. Our foreheads were resting against each other. I quirked my lip up. I will never get tired of him saying that. It always makes my heart flutter. 

"I love you too."