Chapter 174: Chapter Fifty-One-3

I push the blankets off of me and raise my head out of the cave I'd made with them. Who could possibly be knocking on this door now? Giselle said she'd be home either late night or tomorrow morning. Maybe the person will go away. Another knock. Or maybe not. Groaning, I stand and once I leave the safe cocoon of my blankets, I shiver at the cold temperature of the room. I forgot to turn on the heat again. Hopping quickly to the door to get this encounter over with, I swing the door open. Daniel stands there, hands in his pockets,. His hair is messy and he reps our university's dark blue sweater. His pants still have remains of the flour from earlier. But the goofball still smiles and says, "Hi." Though I'm in the most foul mood, I can't help but smile. "Hi, boner boy." His cheeks tint red. "You're never going to let that go, are you?" "Never," I say, grinning. I open the door wider and he steps in, standing in the middle of the room like an awkward lighthouse surrounded by the unknown sea. "You can sit, you know?" "Pfft, I know," he says and nonchalantly shrugs before sitting down on my bed. I move past him and jump back onto my bed as well, readjusting back into my cave. He turns his body from where he sits to look at me. I lift the blankets. "You wanna cuddle?" He scoffs, arms crossing. "Men don't cuddle." But then he takes off his shoes and climbs over me to the wall side and slides under the blankets. He reaches for me under the blankets and I yelp at his cold hands. He grins and says, "We only firmly grasp." I shiver against his hands. "Hey! Why do you get the wall side?" "I like the wall side." "Well, so do I." "You can have it...over my dead body." "Your wish is my command," I say and I start to pretend fight him, pushing against him and punching his chest. He laughs, taking off his glasses and putting them away, and it's just what I needed to hear because my heart automatically feels more at ease. After a minute more of me battling him, he grabs both my hands and tugs me closer until he wraps both arms around my head so I can't move. "You're trapped now." I pretend to fight it before quickly giving up. I smile into his neck. "I guess I am." Daniel eventually loosens his grip and pulls away. My head rests on his forearm and he stares at me, his other hand pushing away hair that's fallen to my face. Our legs are tangled and I have a hand over his heart, feeling every pulse. "So," he whispers, "you want to tell me what happened earlier? With the whole creepy man thing?" Flashbacks of the talk with Madam Jin flood my brain. Talk about my father, my mother's coma, and who I am or were or am supposed to be. I wince at all the new information and feel like throwing up. I trace a line under Daniel's eye, where his glasses have made a small wrinkle. "Do I have to?" He catches my hand as it traces from his eye wrinkles to his scruff. His dark eyes search my face and he kisses the inside of my hand. "You never have to tell me anything. You never have to do anything for me. You owe me nothing. I'm just sitting here hoping one day you'll be as crazy for me as I am for you." His words light something in my heart, like a drop of gasoline into a dying fire. It's hope, something happy to look forward to. He's my light. I lean in and glance at him for one second before kissing him, a gentle meeting of our lips. "Well, I think we both got the crazy part down." Daniel smiles, his forehead touching mine, his hand still holding mine over his cheek. "I thought we were cuddling only. I didn't know kisses were involved." "If you have a problem, you can leave, mister." "I think we're doing this backwards," he points out. "First you lure me into bed with you and then we have our first kiss. You're a tricky one, Ivory." "Can't say you hate it, can you?" He grins. "Nope," he murmurs as he leans in. His hand slides from my hand to my waist and the arm I'm resting on nudges me closer. Daniel's lips touch mine gently before he leans back and then kisses me again, harder this time. "This was a terrible idea," he whispers. I reach up and play with the hair at the back of his head and lean in again. "Terrible," I agree before kissing him again. I'm warm and happy when I pull away, feeling like I've stepped into a cloud full of pure happiness. "I can't tell you what happened but can we just lay here like this forever?" Daniel smiles, gazing at me softly. He kisses my temple. "Forever."