Chapter 13
13
Daniel
I ce-cold sensations crushed over the warmth that had threatened to burn him up only seconds ago. He stared at Aria, noting how her body language completely shut him out. She didn’t want him to kiss her.
He’d never be the type of person to push her into something like that. He didn’t take pleasure in controlling others. Whenever he’d forced his ideas on someone, it was for their own good—their own safety.
It had been rare, like when his baby sister wanted to date someone he’d thought was too old for her. And that time he’d insisted on taking Aria back to the house when it was cold and wet outside.
But to steal a kiss?
The thought made his stomach churn and bile rise in his throat.
He hated the way his thoughts immediately turned to her father. Maybe Aria had held back. Had her father done more to hurt her than she’d let on?
“Ow,” she whimpered.
He jumped and stared down at their clasped hands. Daniel released her, his heart thrashing from the immediate chill that came between them. “Sorry.” He’d been holding her hand too tight. “I didn’t mean?—”
Aria reached for his hand with both of hers. “It’s fine,” she whispered. “Really.” She stared at him and her smile reappeared as she tilted her head. “I’d really like to see what you thought was so special.”
Never had it been so hard to shift gears in his head. He wanted to pull her into his arms and demand that she tell him everything she’d been through—to coax from her the reasons she had for being outgoing and warm to him before suddenly turning away. He knew the signs of abuse and trauma. She was good at hiding it, but he’d seen signs of what rested just beneath the surface.
Daniel nodded, all the words he might have said staying lodged in his throat.
The quiet was a stark contrast to his chatter from before. Up the stairs they went until the steps were no longer wide enough for both of them. The lookout was a space that wasn’t more than four feet by four feet. The window was smaller, and they had to crowd close to see through it together.
He released her hand and slipped it around her waist.
“Wow,” she breathed as she stared out the dust-ridden window. “You’re right. You can see all the lights from town from up here.”
Daniel breathed her in, drank in her warmth. The dismal thoughts from before entered his mind, but he shoved them aside. They could talk of other things, but what?
She released a nervous laugh. “You know, I wouldn’t say I’ve dated much, but the guys I have been out with would have never taken me to an abandoned building to be romantic.”
He grunted. “I bet they wooed you, brought you flowers, and took you to fancy dinners. They treated you right.” It had been meant to be an off-the-cuff sort of comment, but the way Aria stiffened against him said everything he needed to know.
Not her father.
A boyfriend.
In a swift motion, he turned her to face him. He searched her face but couldn’t see what he wanted in the dark. “They treated you right, Aria?” He said it more to himself than to her, as if he wanted to convince himself that she hadn’t also been the target of more abuse.
She looked away with a scoff.
“Aria,” he insisted, “you weren’t hurt, were you?”
In one step, she put as much distance between them as was possible in the small space. Aria pressed her back against the wall and waved a dismissive hand. “No one laid their hands on me if that’s what you’re asking.”
His brows furrowed. They both knew that wasn’t the point of his question, but she was doing a good job of avoiding it. “Did someone hurt you?”
She laughed, but it didn’t sound like her usual one. “It doesn’t matter. Can we just enjoy this date for what it is? I would rather?—”
He reached out and grasped her wrist. When she gasped and snatched it away, he noted his mistake with the weight that pressed down on him, deep in his stomach. Before he could apologize, she snapped at him.
“This is hardly the kind of conversation for a first date. We barely know each other.”
“I think I know you better than you want to admit,” he said quietly, watching her like he’d watch a predator ready to strike.
Aria huffed. It wasn’t sinister by any means. If anything, she was trying to keep him at bay while attempting to salvage what they had left of their date. “I just want to have a good time tonight, okay? Let’s do what you planned and forget?—”
“I can’t forget it, Aria.” Still his voice was calm, collected, measured. “I can’t stand thinking about the possibility that someone hurt you. I need to know.”
“Why?” Her question stung. The way she threw it at him made him feel like it was as sharp as a tangible blade. “You don’t need to know me. I don’t need to know you. How can you expect me to tell you something that’s so private—something that can only cause more pain?”
He scowled at her.
“It’s not like you share anything with me!”
He flinched. When she moved toward the stairway, he let her go. She was right. While she hadn’t asked him about those scars, she’d clearly been curious—maybe even concerned. She hadn’t pushed him like he was pushing her now.
Hadn’t he told himself he wouldn’t make her feel backed into a corner? It was the cornered animals that lashed out the hardest. He needed to help her understand that she could trust him if he ever wanted her to open up to him.
Daniel raked a rough hand through his hair and heaved a sigh. He was letting his temper get the better of him. If there was one thing he hated most, it was discovering that someone he cared about had been hurt. He wanted the names of the men who had caused her so much distrust and he wanted to make an example of them.
His hands clenched tightly, his short nails biting into his palms.
No. He wouldn’t return to that person. He wouldn’t use his fists to solve this problem. It wouldn’t help, anyway. She wasn’t currently dating the guy. It wasn’t like he could knock on his door and threaten him to leave her alone.
She’d already left.
And yet he knew there was a small part of him that wouldn’t be willing to let this go no matter how hard he tried.
Daniel closed his eyes briefly and took in a deep, settling breath. He wanted to protect her—to prevent this from happening again. That was what he’d focus on. He could be that person for her.
Surging with new determination, he marched down the steps and wove back through the house until he came outside to find Aria sitting on the porch. It didn’t appear as though she was staring at anything specific. There were no tears on her face. That was a good sign. Eventually, she’d open up to him. He had to believe that.
But for now, he’d be the one to offer the olive branch.
A groan slipped from his lips as he settled beside her.
“I was bullied.”
Slowly, she turned her eyes to him. He couldn’t bear to meet them, so he kept his focus straight ahead. “I know it might not look like it, but once upon a time, I was the scrawniest, smallest kid in my grade. Coupled with the fact that my parents had abandoned us and there were twelve of us kids, I became a target.”
She gasped, and he vaguely noticed the way she covered her mouth with her hand.
He took in a deep breath and exhaled. “My brothers didn’t really know about it. They knew that there were kids who picked on me, but they didn’t know that sometimes they cornered me on the way home and… hurt me.”
“The scars…” she whispered.
He nodded. “The scars.”
“Oh, Daniel?—”
“It was a long time ago. I grew up. I got big enough to take care of myself…” There was no way he’d tell her everything. He wasn’t sure he could handle it if she judged him for how far he took his ability to protect himself. One time he’d actually broken a bone. Brett had been one of his tormenters, but he’d long since stopped by the time Daniel knew how to defend himself. Running his hand through his hair, he expelled another pent-up breath.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Those scars are the only evidence of the torture I had to endure before I came out on the other side.” Finally, he turned to look her over, not surprised to find that sorrow in her eyes like before. “I know you’ve dealt with your own demons. I think it’s like our souls recognize it in the other. You can deny it if you like, but maybe you have some scars you’re trying to hide, too.”
She blinked several times, and a tear slipped down her cheek. Inwardly, he grimaced as he lifted his hand and brushed the tear away with his thumb. He’d made her cry. Rats! He’d only continued to make things worse.
Aria pulled away from his touch, and the guilt tore him apart even more.
“I’ll take you home,” he said, getting to his feet.
She stood, and he got the sense that she might say something to him, but only more silence met him. The conversation was over. The date was over.
But it didn’t mean he wasn’t going to keep trying.
He made it to her door and pulled it open for her, waiting for her to climb in. When she did, he rested his forearm across the top and leaned slightly toward her. “I don’t care how long it takes, Aria. I know you have a story to tell. And when you’re ready, I’ll be here to listen.” With that, he shut the door.