Page 27 of The Triangle

He steps forward and pokes me in the chest. Hard. I swipe his hand away. But he grabs both my wrists and holds them. Tight. “I’m the only guy you can trust. And the fact that I refuse to take advantage of you tonight should be all the proof you need. Because believe me, if you were with Alec right now, sure as fuckin’ shit he wouldn’t give you that same respect.”

“I’m not asking you for respect, Fortnight. All I wanted was a goddamned kiss. All I wanted was a fuckin’ hug, OK? So you can shove your respect up your ass because all you gave me was rejection.”

He lets out a long breath of frustration.

“And I think…” I say. “I think that’s typical of you.”

He lets go of my wrists and pushes me backwards at the same time. “That’s because you don’t remember anything.”

“So when that memory comes back I’m gonna feel different, Danny? I’m gonna realize that you weren’t the one responsible for the long gap of time we’ve been separated?”

“I wasn’t.”

“I don’t believe you. In fact,” I say, lowering my voice, “I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say… I bet when Alec does get here he’s gonna have another perspective on that whole situation.”

“Yeah, and it’s all gonna be lies.” He practically growls the words at me. “I’ve been telling you that for almost ten years, Christine. He’s a con man. I get that your memory is in the shitter right now, but surely that brain of yours understands what a con man is.”

“Don’t talk down to me,” I snap. “I’m not a fuckin’ child.”

“Then for fuck’s sake, act like a goddamned adult and hear the words coming out of my mouth.”

“Why are you being such a dick? My fuckin’ head hurts, my brain feels like it’s got holes in it, and pretty much every muscle in my body feels like it’s on the other side of a really serious goddamned fight. I mean, Jesus Christ. All I wanted was a little comfort.”

He threads his fingers through his hair as he sighs, frustrated with me. But I don’t care. I’m frustrated with him too. “Look,” he says. “Can we just… go to bed or something? Sleep this day off and talk this through tomorrow?”

I look around his small apartment, then glance down the hallway at the single bedroom.

“I’ll take the couch,” he says.

Which is not what I was looking for. In fact, the thought of him and me sleeping in separate rooms tonight, so close, but still so far apart, just… I dunno. It’s just the last straw.

I turn away, hot tears burning in my eyes. I don’t want him to see me cry. Something inside me says I don’t cry. Not even in front of Danny Fortnight.

But I can’t help it. The tears run down my cheeks before I’m even done processing that part of my missing self. “You know what?” I say.

“What?”

“I missed you.”

He huffs out some air. “I missed you too, Christine. More than you can ever imagine.”

“And I don’t remember everything between then and now. But I know I love you. I know I’m happy to be here with you. And I know I’m not gonna make the same mistake I did when we fell apart.” I turn to face him and the moment he realizes I’m crying everything about him changes. His hard body, his severe stare, his tough exterior—all of it softens. “And I don’t want to sleep alone. I just… want you to hold me, OK? To be… whatever it is you are to me. Because right now, I need that. That’s all I’m asking for. So if you refuse to give in on that one request, I swear to God, Danny, I will never fuckin’ forgive you. I will—”

“Fine,” he says. “No problem.” He covers the space between us in three long strides and then his arms are around me. Holding me tight. “I surrender, OK? I give in. We can share the bed. I’m here for you. You have to know that.”

He lifts a stray strand of hair away from my eyes and tucks it behind my ear. So I’m forced to look at him, except it’s not forced at all. I can’t take my eyes off him. I never want to take my eyes off him.

“Hey,” he says.

“What?” I say, sniffling as I wipe the tears away.

“I’m just trying to protect us, that’s all.”

“Us,” I say.

“Us,” he says. “Me and you. Just because I’m not giving in to what you want tonight doesn’t mean I don’t want to. Doesn’t mean I never will.”

“When will you?” I ask. “When Alec comes and tries to steal me away?”