If Only...

WARM AS TOAST

-You look lovely in black.-

It takes every ounce of my self-control not to smile at this one.

But my lips still curve at the corners traitoriously, and I am almost certain that Danny's seen it.

Ever since we have come down for breakfast and since the novelty of that . . . intensified and vaguely gratifying moment in the guest room had worn off as just a prequel to something more, and it had finally come back to me; why I had barged in.

And ever since I've confronted Danny about it, he has been buzzing me constantly.

I am certain; being the reasonable person I am, that I would have forgiven something as trivial as forgetting to tell me we were cutting practically MY vacation short by 24 hours and deeply scarring someone in the process; because it was better before when Aynsely knew she'd be seeing us off this morning.

But telling her what I did, I raised her hope and now it has been completely vanquished by her own son--That is something I cannot forgive.

It's like he doesn't care about his mother's, Rosie's or my feelings at all! All he wants to do is get home in time to meet with 'Ronald'.

And could I have a say in it? Absolutely not! Danny had to have the last word.

Oh, I let him have it, alright.

Brrrr! . . .

-Come on, Lexy. Give in already. You can't expect me to be away from you and Rosie for a day. It'll kill me!-

I only let him think he had the last word, of course. I'd told Aynsely; who is currently seated on my right and is speaking with Rosie, loud enough that he could hear; that I wasn't moving an inch from the dining table.

The stack of pancakes still sits in front of me with hardly a dent made in it. I hope to prolong breakfast to dinner-time if that's what it's going to take.

It shouldn't be very hard since my appetite has gone to the dogs(not Gatsby), and the plan is foolproof except for the high probability of setting a very bad example for Rosie.

Oh, Rosie . . .

How much easier did she make things for me in just a matter of minutes . . .

I look at her from the corner of my eye and smile. But it isn't fair on her either. She really wants to stay.

I look up to the killjoy, who is staring right back at me with an insanely beautiful smile, looking seriously what-Stella-would-say, in just a baby blue V-neck t-shirt. And to think . . .

Had Stella not have done the switcheroo, we'd have matched . . .

Brrrr! . . .

-Think about it, petal. If you come with us, we can have a whole day just to the three of us-

I sigh and shake my head at the phone screen. I don't understand this. Just the three of us? Why is he being so insensitive?

"What about Aynsely, huh?"

I snap my head up and speak my thoughts, but Danny only smiles and stands to his feet, to half-circle the table and sit on my left.

"Mum is fine with it, love." He speaks in a soft, pacifying tone.

"Fine is not happy." I snap, puncturing holes in the pancakes, but it feels like the twines of the fork are actually hitting my heart.

What about Lily and Brian and the twins then? And everybody else from yesterday?