I'm Not Supposed To Love You, But I Do... (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 7

Daniel piled some more food on her plate and she dug in. Daniel, having already finished her meal, went to put his plates away. Then, he sat down in front of her and watched her eat. He watched Sofia's doe eyes light up as she tucked into her meal as if she hadn't eaten it before. He sighed and place a hand on her shoulder and smiled slightly as she jumped. "Don't choke yourself," he said.

Sofia nodded softly and blushed briefly before continuing at a more sedate pace. When she was done, he took her plate and placed it in the dishwasher. Then, he told her, "I need to organise the bookshelves today.  I need your help, though. Think you can manage?" "Sure," she replied. "Good, if we're done early, we need to talk," he continued. "A...about what?" she asked, a hint of fear in her eyes. "Things," he replied, simply. Sofia nodded and said, "Alright." although it was apparent that she was shaking inside. Daniel raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

He lead her into the library and explained his shelving system. Sofia nodded to show that she understood. It turns out that she was going to arrange all the books on the floor while Daniel was going to do the actual putting-back.

Once in a while, she would find an interesting book and read a few pages, at least until Daniel would turn to her to pick up a stack of books. Once, she was too engrossed in the Harry Potter novel she had picked up to the point she did not realise Daniel was looking at her. Daniel's eyes softened as he saw the smile on her face as she read. He picked up the next stack of books and placed it on the shelf. He cleared his throat slightly and Sofia looked up, realising that he had saw. "Oh my gosh! I...I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean to lose focus! I..." she rambled. Daniel placed a finger on her lips. "It's fine," he said, "It looks like you need some time out. Especially considering your home life." "There's nothing wrong with my home life," she mumbled. Daniel eyebrows creased and he asked, "I beg your pardon?" "I said, there's nothing wrong with my home life!" she said, slightly louder.

Daniel sighed. "Sofia, who are you kidding? Everything's wrong with your home life." Sofia paled slightly and Daniel sighed. "Finish up," he said, "It's about time we have that talk."

Sofia quickly stacked the last of the books while Daniel put them back on the shelf. Then, Daniel, gentler than he had ever been before, took Sofia's hand and lead her to the living room. Sofia looked around, a panicked look in her eyes, and fled towards the nearest corridor she saw, obviously not wanting the conversation. Daniel took off, hot on her heels.

Sofia ran, not caring where she went. She wiped away her tears as she ran. "No one can know," she thought, "No one." Suddenly, she ran smack into a wall. Dead end. She looked around. No doors either. She turned around, a defeated look in her eyes as she saw Daniel walking up to her leisurely, knowing that he had her cornered. "We need to talk," he said. She suddenly crouched and sobbed.

Daniel, taken aback, ran towards her and held her. "Please," she sobbed, "Please don't hurt me, sir." Daniel's eyes filled with understanding. "She thinks I'm her father," he thought. "No, Sofia," he started, "I'm not your dad. It's me, Daniel." "No, no, no," she moaned, rocking back and forth like a mental patient. Daniel stayed there, just holding her. Finally, she cried herself to sleep.

Daniel noticed this and, being an athlete, lifted her too light, frail body and carried her to the sofa. He set her down and placed a blanket over her. He stared at her and muttered, "I'm sorry. If only I knew before. I got mad when you told me that you liked me because I didn't believe. I didn't believe that you would like a worthless abused child like me. I could've done something."

Sofia turned in her sleep and Daniel realised that he had been staring for quite a few minutes. He got up and went to his newly rearranged library. He sat down in his favourite armchair and rubbed his temple. "Why am I feeling this way?" he asked himself, "Curse you, Sofia. For worming your way into my heart."