Worth Waiting For

Part 12

Dan's POV

The sound of the doorbell pierces through my thoughts. I make my way down the many flights of stairs to answer it.

I open the door to see a short raven-haired girl standing there. Her straight, dark hair brushes her shoulders, perfectly framing her face. Her fringe is swept to one side, highlighting her brilliant green eyes. Her face softens as she sees the state I'm in and she envelops me in a tight hug.

"It's going to be ok Danny" she whispers in my ear as I feel tears running down my cheeks. I'm so glad Victoria's here.

I close the door behind her and lead her up into the apartment. We usually only ever meet here when Phil's out, but I guess that doesn't matter anymore.

As she makes herself at home in the lounge, I go into the kitchen to make us both some drinks. Water for her, Ribena for me.

Having made the drinks, I take them into the lounge and hand Victoria hers. I sit down next to her, not knowing what to do. After a long pause, she begins to speak.

"So what's up Dan? You sounded pretty terrible on the phone and you look like death. What's wrong?"

My only answer is more tears streaming down my face, so she puts her drink down on the table and wraps her arms around me. I lean into her warmth and bury my face in her hair, trying not to let myself shatter into a million pieces.

"It's ok Dan" she tries to soothe me "whatever it is, we can get through this." She rests her head on my shoulder and strokes my hair.

After a few minutes of silence I realise that I'm going to have to face this. I can't lock myself away in my room and cry forever, my life isn't going to stop because of this. I pull away and stare down at my hands, feeling her concerned gaze on me.

"It's Phil" my voice comes out quiet, barely above a whisper "you know how I told you he'd been acting weird lately?" I look up to see her nodding "well last night I finally found out why. He said... he said he loves me" I manage to choke out the last three words as my sobbing takes over. I curl up into myself, hoping somehow I will melt into the sofa and disappear.

Victoria places her hand on the side of my face, bringing it level with hers. She stokes her thumb softly across my cheek.

"And what happened next?" she asks gently.

"I said..." I force the words out "I told him I had a girlfriend, so he left" I shout the last few words, losing control of myself. "Why did this have to happen? WHY?" I cry, sobbing through the words.

"Oh Danny..." Victoria holds me as I scream, trying to release the agony in my heart.

***

I can't feel anything anymore. My body has gone numb; there is no longer any feeling in my fingers or toes. All I can see is darkness, endless darkness. It takes me a few moments to realise that I have my eyes screwed tightly shut, so tight that I have plunged myself into oblivion.

I hear a voice, screaming and sobbing. It sounds strange and foreign, like something made by an animal. Then I realise that it is my own.

There is someone holding me. I open my eyes to see jet-black hair. Is it Phil? Phil- the name sends bolts of white-hot pain through me, like an electric shock but a hundred times worse. No, Phil left me, I drove him away. The person with their arms around me is Victoria.

I feel my tears start to subside as I regain control of myself. I wind my fingers in the folds of Victoria's t-shirt, trying to anchor myself to something before the darkness take a hold of me again.

The warmth leaves me and I find myself staring into Victoria's gold-flecked eyes. The corners of her mouth turn upwards into a slight smile. I find myself staring at the face I fell in love with, the shy smile concealing an ocean of kindness.

I love- I love her. Ever since I first saw her all those months ago in the café, that same shy smile as she picked up the sugar sachets I'd dropped in my clumsiness. Her delicate fingers brushing mine as she handed them back to me. I remember the conversation that followed, me noticing her beautiful green eyes and the tiny gold streaks within them. I was captivated by her, the contrast of her raven hair and bright eyes against her pale skin. The conversation that resulted in her typing her number into my phone followed by a smiley face, and the promise of a phone call. The months ever since, meeting in parks and cafes. Walking by the lake as the sun set, our first kiss under the rose arch in the flower garden. Me accidently spilling my coffee onto her immediately after in my surprise.

She understands me; she knows what I'm thinking even before I'm thinking it. She can draw meaning from the jumbled sentences that fall out of my mouth. She is perfect, and I am hers.

I stroke her rosy cheek with my fingertips, losing myself in the watery depths of her eyes. She sighs, leaning forward to press her forehead against mine.

"It's gonna be ok Dan" she whispers, her warm breath tickling my lips. "We'll find Phil, and it'll all be ok."

I close my eyes, listening to the regular pattern of our breathing. I hope she's right.