Chapter 30

Macy quickened the movement of her legs.

She wasn't exactly sure why she was running but she knew she needed to escape her mother's 'trap' as quickly as possible.

If they thought she'd succumb to their charm so easily,then they had something else coming up.

How dared them.

She shook her head to disperse the tears that had begun to form in her eyes.

She'd never cry for any of them again.

There'd be no more round of self pitying on her part ever again.

She'd woken up to her mother's voice speaking on the phone with someone she later realized,had been Sophie.

Later on,her best friend had shown up their front door, wearing a very sober look.

That instant her mind had screamed run to her.

And she hadn't thought twice before scurrying away through the back door, without letting either Sophie or her mother make a sentence.

She knew that if Sophie as much as said a word to her, she'd so easily let go and she didn't want that.

Asking for forgiveness was nonsense when she could have not betrayed her in the first place.

She was fighting so hard to forget Daniel and having Sophie come over,all puppy eyed was another round of distraction and she wasn't prepared for it.

She still walked on, having decided where she needed to be at that moment.

When she arrived the park,she mindfully scanned the whole place,trying to figure out the most quiet part.

It wasn't a weekend so only a few people stood around discussing,and a few more walked around,seemingly fascinated by the beauty of the place.

It was a newly developed park,so it was still very much the 'eyecandy'.

As she moved towards the area she'd chosen to stay in,she realized it was already occupied.

A man stood there,his back facing her.

He seemed to be far away in thoughts because he did not notice her presence.

It didn't take her up to half a second to figure out who this man was.

Daniel!

What was he doing in her neighborhood?

Shooting a movie, perhaps. Her inner voice suggested.

She looked around. There was no movie crew or cameras surrounding them.

Had he come to look for her?

She panicked.

She couldn't let him see her.

She had made up her mind to turn around and creep away just the way she'd come when he turned around and she came face to face with the man she'd been trying so hard to force her mind to forget and all the emotions she'd bottled up and kept in the dark came rushing back to her,like a dangerous hurricane.

Daniel,her Daniel.

Her heart lurched and she gulped.

He was like and apparition and she could swear she was hallucinating.

Or could it be that she was having another one of those dreams?

'Macy'. He gasped and she stilled.

He seemed to be as surprised to see her as she was to see him.

'Macy'. He said again,less audibly this time.

She folded her arms against her chest and tried to look unaffected by his presence.

He took a step closer to her and she held up her left hand in an effort to keep him away from her.

'What are you doing here?' Were the first words that escaped her lips,even though she hadn't intended to say a thing.

'Finding you'. He replied.

'Well,I wasn't lost so I definitely didn't need any finding'. She hoped her voice sounded as icy as she intended now that she eventually began to speak.

He shrugged. 'Well, I'm obviously the lost one here now because you just found me'.

'I wasn't looking for you, though'.

'But still you found me'.

'Then, I'll pretend I didn't'. She turned away and began to walk the way she'd come.

She hadn't walked more than a few paces before one of her legs tumbled over the other and she saw herself falling to the ground, except she didn't reach the ground because Daniel had obviously been following her and he broke what would have been for her a dangerous fall.

Without saying a word,he scooped her up,carried her to and lowered her unto one of the long seats in the park,ignoring her verbal protests.

When she gathered her pride once more after the show of embarrassment,she asked him again.

'What are you doing here?'

'I got tired of waiting for you to come back home,so I hired someone who got me your address. I was on my way to yours when I saw this place and I realized I didn't know what to say to you when I see you so I stopped by to try to assemble a perfect speech and then you crept in on me and I lost everything I came up with'.

'So,what you're saying is...'.

'What I'm saying is that I miss you. I miss you so badly. He moved closer to her and her breath hitched. 'Not seeing you,not holding your hands,not touching you,not being able to look into your eyes...it's driving me nuts'.

'And how about Lisa?'. She didn't intend to sound so desperate.

'Lisa is a mistake I shouldn't have made. What you saw on the paper was a lie. I was actually rushing home to explain things to you before the...before the accident'. He added the last line hesitantly.

'What accident?'

'Forget it. I'll tell you all about it later but first I'm saying I'm sorry and I'm saying also that that day was the first and last I saw Lisa after she broke up with me'.

'Daniel...'. She looked up to him and paused. There was a fading scar beside his nose that wasn't there when she'd last looked at him.

'...Was this from the accident?'.

He reached for her hand on his face. She hadn't realized she had been touching him.

So much for causticity.

'Yes. But trust me,that was the only wound I got'.

'I'm sorry'. She whispered,all her resolves weakened now. 'I had no idea'.

She felt guilty that while she had been here,making mental images of him having a swell time with Lisa, he'd actually been in the hospital, suffering.

'Yes,you had no idea. I'm sure if you did,you wouldn't have left'.

She rubbed her palm against his face.

'Have you remembered what it was you were going to say to me when we met?'

He smiled.

'You're a treasure,Macy. When I discovered you,I was sure I would never ever let you slip from my fingers. But then,my little act of stupidity made me loose you and when you left,I was so sure I was gonna die. What kept me going was the knowledge that I could make things right if I tried...'

He paused. '...I want to share in your happiness, your pain,your guilt,your joy and your sadness. I want to cry and laugh with you.

I want to visit all the places you love visiting and see all the movies you love seeing,even though i know that your favourite movies are movies of me'. He gave her a boyish grin and continued. 'I want to complete your sentences. Hell! Macy,I will do everything with you,if you let me. I love you...'.

'Could you stop talking now? Cos if you continue,there wouldn't be space for you to do what I want you to do. No! What I need you to do....and...and..that thing is..is to Kiss me'. She whispered breathlessly.

He looked stunned for a moment but then he gathered her into his arms and his mouth descended on hers.

His tongue slid into her mouth and she savoured the taste of him,almost weeping in delight. It felt like forever since she'd last done this.

'I could do anything while kissing you Macy, anything'.

'Let's see you try'. She challenged him.

He took her mouth again and whispered the words I...Love...You,in between passionate kisses.