Chapter Seventeen

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Dedicated to FanficSophie because I know how much she's eagerly awaiting this.

If possible, PLEASE listen to the song at the side while reading this. I want you to at least tear up, okay? Just for me? Haha, hope you like it.

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              There was something on Daniel’s mind.

            It was obvious in the way he worked: how he kept stumbling over actions as basic as handing over the right change; the hesitance and stiltedness of the conversation that usually flowed so freely; how I’d caught him, more than once, zoning out completely from what was going on. There was something bothering him, I could tell. And it was something big enough to hold back his usual, charming self, leaving this bundle of jitteriness in its place.

            It didn’t seem right to question him properly while the shop was busy with customers; such a hectic environment was not the place. Even so, I couldn’t stop myself from glancing over and checking he was okay at more-than-regular intervals. He always nodded, ducking his head and quickly going back to whatever he was doing, but I could see through this transparency. It was later, when the shop had closed for the day and we were in the midst of clearing up, that the opportunity finally presented itself for me to probe deeper.

            “So,” I started, leaning on the mop in my hand and blowing away the strand of hair that had fallen from my topknot. “How long’s it going to be before you actually tell me what’s bothering you?”

            From his spot by the door, he looked up; in doing so, the collection of keys he was holding slipped through his hand and dropped to the floor. “What?”

            I watched as he bent over to pick them up, his fingers fumbling to get a grip on the metal. When he straightened up, the eye contact established between us was reluctant at best. “You’ve been acting strange all day,” I said softly. “There’s something on your mind, isn’t there? We can talk about it, if you want.”

            Sighing, he ran a hand through his ruffled hair. “I…” The keys were slipped into his pocket, and he made his way towards the counter to grab the second mop. “I have no idea how you do that,” he settled for eventually, picking his words carefully and expertly dodging the question.

            “You almost gave someone a twenty pound note when they only paid a fiver,” I pointed out, “and you’re just… distracted. It honestly wasn’t that hard to figure it out.”

            I moved to the opposite end of the shop, dunking my mop in the bucket and beginning to wipe. My strokes were sideways, slowly advancing in Daniel’s direction, so we’d eventually meet in the middle. “We don’t have to talk about it,” I told him. “I just thought you might want to.”

            A brief silence fell across the room, only the sound of the squeaking floor audible for a few seconds. Then, suddenly, he stopped mopping, his feet frozen to one spot. “It’s the anniversary,” he said quietly, leaving me to wonder for a heartbeat what he was talking about. “A whole year, to the day, since he died.”

            Of course. How could I have forgotten? All I could manage to force out was a quiet “Oh.”

            “Yeah. Hard to believe it’s been that long, really.” He took a deep breath, his brow creasing in deep thought. “I was going to go up to the cemetery after work,” he said, “but I don’t know. I haven’t been there since the day of the funeral. There’s just something about that place… like, it almost brings back bad memories, you know? If I visit, I’m scared I won’t see just Dad. I’ll see sick Dad, the one who was in the hospital for so long. And that’s not how I want to remember him. Not in so much pain.”

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