Coming Home(63)

Danny stood in the doorway, his arms stretched above his head as he gripped the frame. The way his arms were lifted caused his T-shirt to ride up, revealing the faint trail of hair that disappeared beneath the waistband of the flannel pajama bottoms he had put on. His hair was a rumpled mess, and his eyes were squinted against the light.

He looked at her, the corner of his mouth lifting in a smile as he brought one of his hands down and touched his finger to his nose.

“Not it for cleaning that up,” he said, his voice husky with sleep.

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

Confusion instantly marred the playful look on his face, and he took his finger off his nose and slid his hand up into his hair. She didn’t plan on blurting it out that way, but she couldn’t stand this any longer.

“No,” he said. “I already told you I didn’t.”

“You also told me you lied to me.”

Danny’s eyes fell closed as he shook his head gently, and then he dropped his head back, covering his face with both hands. “Fuck,” he said, his voice muffled behind them. He slid them down his face before he met her eyes again. “What did I tell you last night?”

“Do. You. Have. A. Girlfriend?” she asked, her voice livid. “Yes or no?”

“No. I swear to you, Leah. No, I don’t.”

She stared at him and he stared right back, never breaking eye contact. He seemed completely sincere, which ironically only made things worse, because now she was more confused than ever.

“What did you lie to me about, then?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

She laughed bitterly, shaking her head. “I can’t do this. I can’t play these games.” She walked toward him and twisted her body, squeezing between him and the doorframe before she stormed into the living room and grabbed her purse. She turned and came to an abrupt halt, nearly walking right into his chest. Danny reached out and steadied her, gently grasping the tops of her arms.

“Leah, please,” he said, and she shook her head, refusing to make eye contact.

“I can’t take lying, Danny. It’s the one thing I can’t take.” She went to step around him, and his grip on her arms tightened.

“Please. Can you just let me explain?”

Leah closed her eyes, exhaling softly. Part of her just wanted to distance herself from the whole situation as soon as possible, but the other part of her desperately wanted to hear what he had to say. If she left now, she knew a piece of her would always wonder if she’d made the right decision, and in a way, she was almost more afraid of that than of being vulnerable with him.

She opened her eyes, keeping them trained on the floor, but she nodded slightly, and Danny exhaled as she felt his grip on her arms loosen.

She turned her back on him, walking over to the couch and taking a seat, and he sat on the coffee table in front of her, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. He dropped his head and took a deep breath before he lifted his eyes back to hers.

“First of all, thank you for taking care of me last night. I’m sorry you had to deal with me like that.”

“Don’t apologize for that. I didn’t mind taking care of you. That’s not why I’m upset.”

He nodded gently as he wet his lips. “I just…I want to make this better, but I don’t even know what I said to you last night.”

She sat up a bit straighter, running both hands through her hair. This was it. She was going to put it all on the line, and hope he would do the same in return.

“Look,” she said. “I don’t want to play games with you. You’re always so back and forth, and I don’t like that I never know what to expect from you.”