Guardian Angel

Chapter 22 - Daniel

Daniel believed him. He believed him and that's why all of a sudden he started to feel guilty about everything he was trying to do. He started to feel guilty about all the questions about love. He started to feel guilty about the flirting. He started to feel guilty about not so accidentally brushing her shoulder or touching her hand. He started to feel guilty about trying to steal her from a guy who obviously did deserve her.

"I guess we have some ice cream in the freezer or so..." Max stood up from his chair after he and Melody had eaten the rest of the lasagna.

Daniel couldn't really get used to human food. Everything tasted the same. Everything tasted like absolutely nothing. He tried to look like he was as excited about the ice cream as Melody seemed to be.

"I didn't even know you had bought that!" Melody smiled a bright smile and Max smiled back at her as if that one smile made up for everything else she had said or not said during the last couple of hours.

"Yeah, I kinda wanted it to be a surprise." Max leaned towards her to press a kiss on her forehead, before he walked to the freezer to come back with three ice creams. "I didn't really know which one you liked. I hope chocolate chip is okay?" He stared at Daniel.

"It is, thank you." Daniel took the little bucket from Max and stared at the brown creamy substance. He had seen Melody eat ice cream countless of times and he knew how much she enjoyed it, but eating it himself was slightly different from that.

"Cookie dough for me!" Melody smiled excitedly when Max gave her her small bucket. She didn't give Max the time to give her a spoon and she used her finger to take the first bite. With her eyes closed she enjoyed the taste in her mouth.

Daniel couldn't look away from her, from the view of her enjoying something as simple as ice cream, from the smile on her face and the calm in her eyes. "So, how did you and Max meet?" Daniel interrupted the silence and Melody opened her eyes again.

"I threw a door against his back." Melody bent her head and she pulled her knees up to her chest, making herself comfortable in her chair.

"And what about you two?" Max let his eyes rest on Daniel and Daniel cleared his throat.

They had met on the day Melody was born. He had been there while she had cried her very first cry. He had been watching over her crib day and night so no one could harm her and nothing could happen. He had seen her grown into a happy, bubbly girl with two braids and colourful elastics. He had been forced to stand by while she was called ugly and dumb. He had been powerless when she had sprained her ankle and would never heal again.

"At a party from a not so great friend." Melody swallowed. Her chin rested on her knees and her mind seemed to remember everything she had felt when she had seen Daniel for the very first time.

"Melody was sitting alone at a table and I offered to dance with her." Daniel's lips curled up into a smile too. It was the stupidest and most dangerous thing he had ever done, but he couldn't bring himself to regret it. He didn't regret holding out his hand so he could hold her. He didn't regret allowing himself to be this near to her, allowing her to be this near to him. He only regretted that he couldn't have given her more than a dance, a ride home, a friend.

"You danced?" Max raised his eyebrows and Melody nodded.

"My feet didn't touch the floor." Melody sighed and she seemed to realise all of a sudden how Max would feel right now. "Do you want to give it a try? I can put on some music if you want?"

"I think that's my cue to leave then?" Daniel cocked his head slightly. He knew that Melody was not sending him away, was not asking him to leave.

She would never do something like that.

He had put her in an awkward and uncomfortable position and he couldn't blame her for trying to keep her balance.

"No, we can save the dance for tonight, right?" Max turned his face towards Melody, but Daniel already stood up from his chair.

"It's already later than I had planned. I wanted to do some more research at home and I've promised a friend of mine to keep her company tonight." He scratched the back of his neck and licked his lips. "Thank you for the amazing dinner and the ice cream and I hope we see each other soon?" He made sure to not only look at Melody, but to look at Max too.

"I've heard the library is open this Sunday. I can come along, if you don't mind?" Max shrugged his shoulders and Daniel couldn't help smiling a little. Max had not seemed that jealous and worried yesterday, but he started to seem jealous and worried now.

"That sounds great to me." Daniel nodded and he watched how Melody shifted her weight a little.

"Yes, I can work from home the upcoming days, because it's mostly typing and reading what I've already gathered, but meeting again on Sunday sounds good." Once more her cheeks started to blush and Daniel fought the longing to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and to tell her how amazing she really was.

"See you both on Sunday then." Daniel slowly headed to the door and he sighed relieved when Melody stood up from her seat too and followed him.

"I'm glad you were here tonight." Melody whispered when they reached her front door. "You might have made your first step towards becoming a better friend." She opened the door and waited until Daniel stepped outside. "I'm looking forward to Sunday."
"I am too." Daniel hid his hands in the pockets of his jeans and he looked around. He couldn't walk away from her, not far enough. "I didn't want to make Max jealous, I promise." Daniel eventually said and he shrugged his shoulders. "Why don't you go back inside and assure him that he's still the most important guy in your life?" He tried to add a playful wink, even though every word hurt and it felt like glass pierced his throat.

"Okay, you might have scored some extra points on the friends scale with that." Melody smiled once more. "I'm really looking forward to Sunday."

"I am too." Daniel waited until she closed the door before he returned to his guardian angel self.

Melody walked back to the living room and she let out a sigh before she started to gather all the plates on the table.

"You don't need to do that." Max curled her fingers around her wrist and Melody looked up at him. "You should find us some music to dance to." A smile spread across Max' face and Melody smiled back at him before she headed for the small stereo on one of her shelves.

Daniel felt his heart breaking a little.

She had no idea how much he was looking forward to Sunday. She had no idea how hard it was to watch her being happy with Max. She had no idea that he was trying to win her heart. She had no idea that the love story he was writing was theirs.

"And, you found something yet?" Max wrapped his arms around Melody's waist and Melody nodded before she pressed play.

She had picked an old CD they didn't even sell on ITunes and when the music started playing she turned around and smiled.

Max lowered his hands and he lifted her up smoothly. Slowly, to make sure he wouldn't hurt her, he started twirling around, following the slow rhythm of the song.

Daniel swallowed while he looked at them. As her guardian angel he was supposed to be happy right now, to be smiling. As her guardian angel he was supposed to lean back and to enjoy that eventually everything in her life worked out. As Daniel, the boy who had fallen in love with the girl he was supposed to protect, he was everything but happy.

Melody wrapped her arms around Max' neck and for a moment they didn't say anything. Melody closed her eyes while Max kept on moving, even after the music had already stopped playing. "I want life to be like this forever..." She whispered and Max started smiling again.

"Yeah, I'd really like too." He cocked his head slightly and he pressed his lips to hers.

Daniel didn't. He didn't want life to be like this forever. He didn't want to be the one staring at them being happy. He didn't want to watch how Max promised her everything Daniel wanted to promise her. Daniel wanted to be the one creating moments she wanted to last forever. Daniel wanted to be the one to kiss her. Daniel wanted her to whisper sentences like this to him and not to Max.