"This is so fucked up, babe," I said, giving her a squeeze.
"I know," she agreed, voice small again. "I shouldn't have blubbered all over you," she added, body starting to tense now that she realized how vulnerable she'd been with me. And, I figured, in her life, vulnerability was never okay. Someone in her life would have used it against her.
"Don't," I demanded, voice soft and firm at the same time.
"Don't what?"
"Don't shut down. I don't care that you blubbered on me. You went through some shit tonight, Danny. Anyone would be upset. Doesn't matter that you cried."
"I never cry."
"Clearly," I said, snorting. "That's why you had so much of it in you. You don't need to feel weird about it with me. I was raised by a shitton of strong women, remember? I'm not like those assholes you've always known. I don't think you're weak because you had a bad night."
"It's going to be a lot more than a bad night," she said, taking a deep breath, then sighing it out. "That was all I had. All I was. I have nothing now."
"Listen, doom-spiraling isn't going to help," I cut her off. "And I call bullshit on it being all you are. Yeah, you were a president. But that is just a position. Not who you are. Who you are is someone who was badass enough to get that position because she is a hard worker, because she's stubborn, because she refuses to quit, because she was ambitious and determined. That is who you are. And you are still all those things even without the club. And because you are all those things, you'll figure out something else to be too. Once you have some time to think about it."
She was silent for a long time after that. Hopefully, taking in my words, letting herself start to believe them.
"I don't know what to do, where to go," she said, thinking out loud.
"Well, what you're going to do is take a shower. Or bath. Place came with this sweet tub. Not my thing, but it's there. Then, from there, you're going to go into the bed," I told her, watching as her head tipped back to look up at me, brows drawn together like my words weren't making sense.
"What?" she asked, shaking her head.
"Bath, bed," I repeated. "You can steal a tee," I added. "And I am going to attempt to cook a freezer pizza without burning the fucking place down. Then we'll eat that pizza. And you will get some sleep."
"No."
"No to which part? Freezer pizza might not be the top choice, but it's what I got. Might have some dinosaur nuggets," I added.
"Like a normal grown-up," she said, a hint of a smile on her lips.
"When I moved in, my Ma did a fridge and freezer fill-up. She went with all the shit I used to eat as a teen. Pizza, nuggets, corn dogs, Hot Pockets, those queso dips in glass to dip chips in, and those mac and cheeses you throw in the microwave for like three minutes."
"I miss those," she admitted.
"I can whip those together. In fact, I can be a good host and make you two packets."
"Two whole packets? How'd I get so lucky?" she shot back, and this time, the smile was more than a hint.
"Alright, up," I urged, nudging her. "Into the bath. I will work on the food."
With that, she climbed off my lap and let me lead her to the master bathroom. I was just in the doorway to the rest of the house when she spoke again.
"Hey, Fallon?"
"Yeah, babe?" I asked, turning back.
"I wouldn't, you know, turn down some dinosaur nuggets," she said, giving me what I could only call a shy smile. Shy. Danny. Who'd have fucking thunk it?
"I can make that happen," I agreed, shooting her a wink, then moving into the hall, and closing the door behind me.
As I moved into the kitchen to make the food, listening to the water running in the bathroom, I had a strange thought cross my mind.
I liked this.
I liked having someone in my house, someone in my room, in my bath, someone to make shitty food for, to eat it with.
I could get used to it.
Maybe I even wanted to.
If I was careful about my approach, I might even be able to get Danny to agree to it too.
Chapter Thirteen
Danny
Did Fallon just ask me to spend the night?
Was I going to do it?
I hadn't been thinking clearly when I'd shown up at his back door. Hell, I hadn't been thinking much at all. I'd walked there in a stupor.
I don't think a single clear thought crossed my mind until after I cried all over him, purged all the ugly I'd been holding inside for far too long.
Then, though, it all came rushing back.