The Love of My Life

Chapter 2

Chris waited awhile before walking outside to talk to Danielle.  They had been best friends since they were 6, so he knew how she worked.  She needed time to process before she could talk it through.  After an appropriate process time, Chris walked out and sat next to Danielle and Aspen.  Aspen looked up at her Daddy and gave him a big toothless grin.  He loved that little girl more than life itself.  He sat there silently waiting for his friend to start talking.  When she didn't, he looked over and noticed that she had started to cry.

"Oh, D. I know how hard this is for you, but you love her. No matter what your parents think or what shame they have put on you. You love Stef and you deserve her." This only made Danielle cry harder.  

"I don't think you do understand Chris.  You have always been so comfortable with you are and since we were little, you have told the world that is who you are. And I haven't been able to do that." Chris understood what Danielle was saying.  She had been in the public eye and public judgment since she was 7 and had never felt free to share who she was inside. 

"You know that I'm proud of who I am and of my personal life, but my family is not and a lot of the people who watch my show are not, and everybody has an opinion on my life. I want to be with Stef, I really do. But I don't know if I can.  If I do, we won't be able to hide it from the world and I don't want to hide it from the world, but I've never mixed my personal life and professional life before.  When we tried to date before it didn't work, everyone had an opinion on who I was, what I was, who we were, what we were. "

Danielle was very worked up by this time. She honestly did not know what to do.  Danielle had a lot of things to think about. She and Chris talked all night about her feelings and what it meant for her relationship with Stefania. Chris let Dani stay overnight.  She seemed better when she left for work the next day.

As Dani was walking to her trailer, she was surprised to see Stefania sitting on the steps waiting for her.  Dani greeted her and questioned why she was there.  It looked like she had been crying. To be honest Sted looked about as rough as Dani did.  Had she been crying all night too?

Stefania saw Dani walk up to her and she simply said, "we have to talk. I'm done with whatever this shit is between us." She walked into the trailer and sat down.  Dani had nothing to do but follow her.  

"Stef..I"

"No. I'm talking now. You broke up with me last year.  You said it wouldn't work. You said you loved me, but we could just be friends.  So, i listened and I moved on and now you're acting like a fucking jealous girlfriend.  Leco is my friend and I get to spend time with my friends." Danielle just sat there listening to Stef because every word she said was true. 

"I know I am not being fair to you. I'm trying Stef. I'm trying so damn hard." 

"Trying what, Dani." Stefania was no longer yelling, because the hurt that she saw in Danielle's face broke her heart.  What are you trying to do?"

"Not to love you. Not to bring you in to my fucked up romantic life. Not to hurt you again and again."  Stefania simply opened her arms and Dani ran into them, the two of them hugging each other as Dani cried her heart out. 

When she could talk again, Dani said "I've tried to be who my family wants me to be.  I've tried to be what my fans want me to be.  I've tried to be what my manager and publicist and team want me to be.  The problem is that I don't know who I am anymore and who I want to be. I've lived in this toxic place for so long and ..." She couldn't finish her sentence as she began to cry again. Stef didn't quite know what to do because Dani hurt her more than anyone had before.

"This is a lot Danielle. I'm not sure what to do at this point. We have a lot to talk about." With those words, she walked out the door.