Chapter 15

~Emma~

 

Dan hasn’t spoken a word during the entire car journey. He won’t even look at me and I know he can feel me glancing his way every now and then.

I fucking love you. The moment those four words had left his mouth, he’d darted out of the bedroom like he was on fire. I’d decided it was best to give him some time, so I’d packed up my stuff. When I’d finished, I’d found him standing out on the patio, smoking a cigarette. I’d tried to talk about what he’d said upstairs, but he’d just blown me off and started carrying my stuff to his car.

A sudden ringing cuts through the uncomfortable silence between us, making both of us jump. His phone is in a cradle on the dash, set up hands free.

“Answer,” he barks.

“Daniel, finally you take my call,” an upper-crust voice booms through the car. I recognize it from the other week. His mom.

“Mom, now isn’t a good time.”

“Then why did you answer my call?”

“I didn’t know it was you,” he snaps.

Wow. I’ve never heard him be so abrasive. He must really detest her. I wonder what could have possibly happened to cause such a rift between mother and son.

“Am I interrupting your date?”

Dan’s eyes narrow with suspicion. “What?”

“You’ve been spending a lot of time up at the house on Brook Street. You’re clearly dating the girl who lives there. I’m hurt that you didn’t tell me that you’re finally seeing someone after three years.”

“Mom! Get that fucking PI of yours off my back!”

“You won’t talk to me. You won’t allow me to be a part of your life, Daniel. It’s the only way I can know what you’re up to.” I can hear the sadness in her voice, her plea for him to let her in.

“You’re on speaker phone. We’ll discuss this later.”

“She’s there with you now?”

He slaps his hand to his face. “Shit.”

“Hello Emma.”

Dan’s gaze snaps to mine. He’s as shocked as I am that she knows my name.

“Get that PI off my back. Now, Mom!” he yells, before abruptly ending the call.

Before I can say a word he barks at the phone, “Call Dad.”

The phone rings once before going straight to voicemail. Dan curses, but waits on the line for the beep. “Dad, when you get this, call me back right away. I doubt she’s told you. We both know how she is. But Mom’s got a PI tailing me. I trust you’ll want to take care of it, before I do.” The threat in his voice is obvious and it sends an unwelcome chill through me.

He hangs up and blows out a breath. “I’m so sorry about this. I’ll take care of it, Em. You don’t need to worry.”

“Sure,” I say, nodding absently, awash in my own thoughts of everything that has happened tonight. I force myself out of it, because this is the first time that Dan has spoken a word in a while. I need to take the opportunity while I can. “About what you said upstairs—”

“No,” he says, quickly, cutting me off. “I’m not ready to talk about it yet. Just table it for now.”

What? “Table it?”

“Yeah.”

“Dan, it’s not something we can just—”

“Em, I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

That is it! I’ve tried to be patient with this bullshit of his. After how much he’s helped me out tonight, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. But screw that now. He’s being incredibly immature about this. “Please drop me off at the closest hotel.”

“What?”

“You heard me. If this is how you’re going to be, I’d rather not be at your place.”

“Em—”

“Are you going to talk about it?”

“No,” he growls.

“Then drop me at a hotel.”

“Fine,” he mutters through gritted teeth.

 

***

 

As we pull up outside the hotel, my breath catches in my throat. Dozens of paparazzi rush towards the car. I launch into full panic mode instantly. My heart thumps painfully in my chest. My hands are shaking. My palms are sweating.

“Oh my God,” I choke out, instinctively burying my face in my hands.

“Fucking hell,” Dan curses. “That bitch. She wants a picture that fucking badly?”

I hear him unbuckle his seatbeat. Then he leans over and unbuckles mine. “Em, look at me.”

I shake my head.

“They can’t see inside, angel. The windows are tinted, remember?”

Right. Yes, they are. I raise my head and look at him.

“I know you’re scared. I get that this is probably your worst nightmare. But I need you to listen to me and everything will be fine. Okay?”

I nod.

He shifts in his seat and pulls off his leather jacket and drapes it across his lap. “I’m going to get out of the car. I’ll open your door and get you inside the hotel lobby. Security will stop them from following us inside. I won’t let them touch you. I promise.”

“Okay.”

He gives me a reassuring smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. And it scares me. He doesn’t seem as confident as he sounds.

Is it really going to be okay? Is it?

I don’t even realize he’s gone until the car door slams.

The next thing I know, my door opens and a thunderous roar of shouts, the violent snaps and blinding lights of photos being taken assaults me. A deafening cacophony. It’s too much...far too much. I hear Dan calling to me, urging me to take his hand and get out of the car. But I can’t.

I can’t move. I’m frozen.

Suddenly, I feel arms around me, lifting me out of the car. Something is draped over me, plunging me into sudden darkness.

“It’s okay, angel. I’ve got you,” I hear Dan’s soothing voice whisper in my ear.

I have no idea how much time passes before I finally hear silence.

I’m lowered onto something…a chair?

And then the darkness is suddenly gone. In my dazed state it takes me a while to realize that Dan is on his knees in front of me, calling my name.

“Em, please talk to me.”

“Where…where are we?” I ask, before burying my face in my hands as I try to pull myself out of this near-catatonia. It’s been a while since I’ve completely lost control and shut down entirely.

“We’re in one of the suites at the hotel. It’s okay now. They’re gone. It’s over.”

I murmur my acknowledgment.

“Angel, I’m so sorry. If I’d known she was going to do this…fuck…I should have anticipated it. This will never happen again. I swear to you.”

“Please go,” I tell him. I don’t want him to see me like this. I can hear how freaked out he is and I don’t want the pressure of having to fake it and pretend I’m okay just so he can feel better.

“No, I’m not leaving you like this. Talk to me.”

“You wouldn’t talk to me about you saying you loved me. You didn’t even give me the chance to say it back,” I tell him, still not looking at him, still holding my face in my hands.

“You…do you…do you love me?”

How dare he ask me that right now? After the way he’s been acting since he said it. I don’t fucking think so. “Just…go.”

“Em.”

“Go! Leave! Now! Just leave me alone!” I scream.

I hear the shuffle of his clothes as he gets to his feet, followed by heavy footsteps pounding across the floor.

And then the door slams.

He’s gone.

That’s when I lose it.

I can’t stop it and I’m glad no one’s here to see it.

I break down, sobbing uncontrollably.