Heartless: Episode 3

“Right this way.”

“So, do you like it?” I asked as we walked, loving that he se

emed to appreciate this spot as much as I did.

“I love it. I can’t wait to see more of your favorite places,” he commented before sliding into Al’s old booth.

“And I can’t wait to show you,” I said as I slid in beside him.

My favorite destination in LA felt even more happy and my heart was full.

FOUR MONTHS LATER

EPILOGUE

ELIZABETH

Today marked the beginning of a new chapter for Daniel and me.

Wrapping up production for the day, I couldn’t wait to head home to what awaited me. Upon arrival, I noted that Daniel was already inside, seeing his car parked in one of our underground spaces.

Bypassing the elevator, I practically skipped up the stairs as excitement coursed through me. When I walked through the door, I noticed boxes everywhere and shit scattered all over the floor.

“Daniel?” I shouted, wondering where he was.

“In the bedroom!” he shouted back before meeting me in the hallway.

“Hi.” I smiled like a kid in a candy store before leaning up on my tiptoes and planting a kiss on his waiting mouth.

“Hi yourself.” He pulled away before leaning back in and pulling my bottom lip between his teeth. “You ready for this?”

“It’s a little late for that question,” I teased.

He glanced around at all his things covering my floor. “True. I’ve already grown attached to my new place.”

“Your new place?” I swatted his shoulder.

He lifted me up and tossed me across his shoulder. “Our new place.”

“It’s only new to you,” I said, hitting his ass with my hands.

“I brought you something.” He flipped me back over and rested me on my feet, before pulling me into the bedroom where the most elaborate bouquet of multicolored roses sat in an oversized vase.

“Daniel, they’re stunning! So many colors. How come?” I ran over to them and breathed in their scent. “Does this mean you want to see other people? You don’t want to just see me anymore?” I giggled with a fake frown. I loved any chance I got to tease him, but honestly, I was a little confused at his flower choice.

“I’ll always only see you, but you’re so much more than just my white rose. You’re all of them—every fucking color. There are so many sides to you, so many shades, and I love every single one.”

“I love you.” I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, passionately, and with all the love I had for him in my heart.

It had been four months since we started officially dating. My scare when it came to my feelings had ended as abruptly as it had started. Daniel had coaxed emotions out of me and constantly reassured me that we were on the same page, so I never felt alone. Eventually, I’d stopped worrying about how to balance everything, and it had all seemed to fall into place. Trusting him implicitly, I realized how little there was to worry about. Work would dominate my days while Daniel would dominate my nights.

In the beginning, our evenings had been filled with late-night phone calls and our days with the occasional text or email. Being in a long-distance relationship had worked well for us for a while, considering how busy we both were with our jobs.

But after about three months, we’d simply missed each other too much, and being apart more often than we were together had become something that wasn’t fun anymore. As much as the distance was a convenience in certain aspects, like no one to upset when coming home late for dinner or having to spend a night in the office, it had definitely made other things more difficult, like wanting to come home and hug him after a shitty day at work or simply needing my best friend when I wanted him around. Sending each other picture messages had grown old when what I truly wanted was him by my side, seeing what I was seeing. Life was about the experience, and we’d been experiencing our lives apart. And it had sucked.

Moving down to Santa Monica had been Daniel’s idea. I would never have suggested it because the subject was honestly far too touchy for me. I’d never even considered moving up to San Francisco even though I loved his place and the energy of the city during the handful of times I’d visited him. But in my defense, the entertainment industry only existed in Southern California, so moving didn’t make sense for me professionally, and I refused to give up my career for anyone, even Daniel. So, when I wasn’t willing to make the same sacrifice, I couldn’t in good conscience ask him to move down here, no matter how badly I wished he would.

Daniel had decided that his work could be done from anywhere, so he’d called me one day and announced his plans to relocate. I’d almost flown up there that afternoon to start packing his things. His best friend, James, had started running the actual office, but I’d often wondered how long it would take for him to join us down here. I’d gotten the impression that James couldn’t be left unsupervised for too long. To be honest, I thought he missed Daniel, which was a feeling I could completely relate to.