Chapter 154: Healing
The phone kept ringing, like, forever. Seriously, it was relentless.
Nobody said a word, but we all knew who was calling.
Ronan, looking all annoyed, put down the dinner he’d just made and let out this big, dramatic sigh.
Helen, sounding all tired, said, "Brad, you gotta go back."
Brad just sat there, gripping my hand under the table like he was never gonna let go.
"Brad, come on. School’s starting soon, and we’ll see each other every day."
"Yeah, don’t make a scene, and don’t make things hard for Jane," Helen added, giving Brad’s shoulder a little pat.
With no other options, Brad dropped his knife and fork, threw on his coat, and headed out.
I walked him to his car, and out of nowhere, he pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead, not caring who saw.
It was freezing, but Brad’s breath felt like fire.
Winter in Sunhaven was brutal, and Brad was just in a wool coat, but he was surprisingly warm.
We made out for a bit before he finally left.
I didn’t ask what went down when he got back, and he didn’t spill. But when we video-chatted, he looked kinda down.
That night, we just stared at each other through the screen and talked for ages.
Not even five minutes later, Brad texted: [You’re mine. Stay away from other guys, especially Daniel.]
Back then, I didn’t get what he meant. I thought it was about that hospital thing and just laughed it off.
Brad then said, "Someone’s got bad intentions, and I’m not feeling too confident."
I teased him, "Confidence comes from love. Don’t you love me enough?"
I really thought it was just playful banter and didn’t think much of it.
When Brad’s fears came true, I realized I’d totally underestimated people.
One day, I had plans with friends, but as soon as I stepped out, I saw Daniel.
He was leaning against a tree in a long coat.
Maybe he hadn’t cut his hair since he got sick; the wind messed it up, making him look even paler and thinner, like some tragic hero.
Given what Daniel and Emma had pulled before, just seeing him ticked me off. I pretended not to notice and walked past him, stone-faced.
"Jane," he called out, sounding all hurt.
What did he have to be hurt about? What a drama queen.
I held back my irritation and stopped, asking him what he wanted.
"Can we talk?" He stood in front of me, blocking the sun, casting a shadow over me.
"I don’t think we have anything to talk about. Move, you’re in my way."
He didn’t seem to get that I was blowing him off, or maybe he just didn’t care. Instead, he smiled, and his eyes lit up. "You’ve turned into a little hedgehog."
In my mind, he was always this cold, distant guy who barely smiled. And when he did, it was so faint you’d miss it.
I was so annoyed I wanted to kick him to the curb, assuming I could even take him.
"Spit it out. I don’t have all day."
Daniel just kept smiling. He reached out to touch my head, but I dodged.
"Keep your dirty hands off me."
I said it with all the disdain I could muster, but he didn’t seem to care. He pulled his hand back, shoved it in his coat pocket, and bent down a bit, looking all sincere. "I won’t take much of your time. There are some things I need to clear up with you."
Lillian had posted on Facebook that she’d be late. I figured, since I had to wait anyway, I might as well hear him out and tell him to keep Emma in check.
"Fine, let’s talk. Where?"
Daniel led me to the coffee shop across the street.
The place was pretty empty, quiet, with some soft music playing in the background.
Perfect spot for a chat, except for the company.
He ordered coffee, and I got a freshly squeezed orange juice.
The drinks came fast. I stuck my straw in and took a few sips.
He just stared at the latte art on his coffee, lost in thought.
Neither of us said a word.
I figured we could drag this out; I had time.
If he stayed silent until Lillian showed up, I’d just leave him there to brood.
I was halfway through my orange juice when he finally spoke.
"Jane, if, and I mean if, if that autumn never happened, and if Zoe never existed, would you have always liked me, stayed with me, never left?"
His words left me totally confused.
What was with all the "ifs"?
Was he trying to reminisce about the past? Or was he so hurt by Zoe that he wanted to rewrite history?
He was seriously messed up.
He thought he could use me to heal after Zoe cheated on him. It was disgusting.
I took a deep breath and said, "If, and I mean if, if you could disappear from my life now and forever, I’d be really grateful."
Daniel looked down, stirring his coffee with a small spoon, messing up the latte art. "I know you hate me. You should hate me for what I did. But believe it or not, Jane, I've always liked you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
I couldn’t hide my anger.
When I liked you back then, you didn’t want me. You acted all aloof, chasing your so-called true love. Now that you had been cheated on, you came back pretending to be all in love with me.
And you even had the nerve to ask me out to say this.
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