Page 46 of Safe
I pulled up to the same department store Danielle had bought the red dress at, the one with the ring that I couldn’t getout of my head. I didn’t know when I’d give it to her, or if, or in what capacity, but I couldn’t get the thought of giving it to her out of my head. It was, really, the perfect ring for her.
“Back so soon, I see.” The same woman who was working yesterday was staring me down with a shit-eating grin, just knowing I had come back for the ring.
“Yeah, I couldn’t get that ring out of my head,” I admitted as the flush heat entered my cheeks, glancing at the case to make sure it was still there.
“Can’t get the ring out of your head, or can’t get the lucky woman you’re here because of out of your head?”
“Both.” I looked up, feeling a smile form at the edges of my mouth. I couldn’t help but smile anytime I thought of Danielle.
“Well, you’re in luck! It’s still here.” She pulled it out of the case and held it up for me to see.
It was even more gorgeous up close; so perfectly Danielle. There wasn’t a single ounce of doubt or hesitation in me as I bought it. Someday, when she was ready, I’d put it on her finger. I hid it in the far back corner of the glove box before I pulled out of the parking lot and headed back toward the house.
We spent the remainder of the day snuggled on the couch, watching movies and enjoying the simple, profound act of just being. Being present in each other's space. Being held by each other. Being undeniably safe. And, dare I even say, being loved? The admission, however reluctant, settled in my mind with an unexpected comfort.
She felt like home.
But then, a selfish thought began eating at me. What if we simply stayed? Could we exist in this bliss indefinitely, never having to test if this feeling was just a product of our situation? The real question, the one that killed me, was, would she still want me when this was over? It was the answer I craved aboveall others, yet each time the thought surfaced, denial shoved it to the back of my mind.
We’d opted for an early dinner so we had time to drive to Colorado Springs, check in, and get some rest before the real surprise the next day. The bathroom door clicked open, and Danielle emerged, a vision. She was wearing a damn cute sundress that somehow managed to look both innocent and incredibly sexy. But let’s be real, she could have stepped out in a burlap sack, and my heart would have done the same stutter-step.
"Danielle," I breathed, the word catching in my mouth, daring me to let it out. "You look… stunning." I stood up and offered her my hand, drinking every bit of her in.
Her cheeks blushed in an instant. "Thank you," she replied, a little shy. "I don't think I'll ever get used to you saying things like that."
"Good," I grinned, bringing her hand to my lips for a kiss. "Then I'll just have to say them even more until you do."
I opened the car door for her; a small gesture, yet one that felt significant. She deserved a lifetime of these little considerations and things she'd never been given before.
Dinner started out well as laughter and light conversation flowed between us. But beneath the surface, that damn question still gnawed at me, and it was starting to give me anxiety. No matter how hard I tried to push it away, to be fully present, it was still there. I wasn’t hiding it well. I could see the concern in Danielle’s face when she thought I wasn't looking. She knew something was off.
“Are you okay?” Danielle raised an eyebrow as the concern became apparent from across the table.
Is she reading my fucking mind?
“Everything’s great. It’s just, well, something has been bugging me.” I had to be honest with her. It was the only wayshe’d learn to trust me. “This… whole thing. Is it because we’re stuck together?”
She looked at me, puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“I guess I just want to know if, when this is all over, are you going to forget me and go back to your life?” A sinking pit was growing in my stomach. The question was out, irrevocable. If her answer wasn't what my heart begged for, I knew I'd have to somehow find the strength to absorb it and move on.
“Cody. Let me tell you something. I may be physically healed, but if I’ve learned anything the past few weeks, it’s that you might be the one to take away the pain. I don’t want to let you go.”
The moment her words registered, the world stopped. The very air around us seemed to recede into a muted background. It was just us, suspended in that confession.
An undeniable and absolute voice in my head told me that she was the one. Any thought of resistance felt laughably distant; there was no fighting this. She loved every fractured piece of me, just as I adored every facet of her. Whether the words "I love you" ever passed her lips didn't change the truth I felt resonating in my soul. I just knew.
The drive to Colorado Springs was long, five hours long to be exact, but it would all be worth it. She had no idea what I was up to and spent a good bit of the drive trying to convince me to tell her. Once we got to the hotel, we settled in and watched a bit of TV before she fell asleep in my arms with her head resting on my chest.
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. Danielle was still fast asleep on me, and I had to shift her to the other side of the bed to answer the phone.
“Alex is calling, I’ll be right back,” I whispered as I kissed her forehead. I went outside and called him back. He picked it up in half a ring.
“You let her fucking use her credit card?!” Alex yelled through the phone at me.
“Whoa, Alex, calm down. She hasn’t used the credit card. I pay for everything.”
“You sure about that, Cody? Because I’m standing outside the interrogation room, where Thomas just told me that she swiped her god damn credit card at a convenience store and Landon took his car to the airport to go after her.”
