"Lindsay please, wait up!"
Danny Messer was chasing his now extremely drunk girlfriend down the streets of New York City.
"I don't wanna fucking talk to you asshole!" As drunk as she was, she wasn't the type to slur her speech when the alcohol got to her. Her words were crisp and precise, each one stinging him worse than the chill, New York air in December.
"Lindsay, please," he begged, still trying to catch up with the fast paced movements of her petite body. "Just let me explain, it's not what you think, honest!"
She abruptly halted in front of him, turning on her heel and causing him to crash into her finger that was now pointed directly at his chest.
"You listen to me buddy. I know what I saw back there, I know what I see every fucking day with you two, and I don't need to hear any more excuses out of that lying little mouth." Each one of her words cut like a knife; the look in her eye slicing through him like a hot blade through butter. But behind all the detestation and loathing, he could see hurt, a deep pain swimming behind the chocolate brown of her eyes. Knowing he caused that only tore him up more.
"Lindsay Monroe, will you look at me for a second?" he whispered sweetly, trying to be as gently as he possibly could.
She crossed her arms in response, deliberately staring towards the ground away from him. He softly placed two fingers under her chin, trying to direct her gaze upward. She slapped his hand away, creating a harsh stinging sensation on his skin. He tried to mask the pain, not wanting to seem vulnerable considering the state he was currently in.
"Don't touch me." Her words were colder than the air around him, and he found himself having to wrap his jacket tighter around his body the more she spoke.
"Don't touch me, don't talk to me, don't even look at Daniel Messer. I want absolutely nothing to do with you."
"Don't, don't say that." It took all of his strength to fight back the tears as her words tore his whole in half, breaking him from the inside out. Surely she didn't mean what she was saying. She couldn't, could she? Sure, he had messed up, he know that all too well, but she couldn't just give up on them. She couldn't.
"Why not? If you want to be with that bitch so much, what the hell do you need me for?" Hard as she tried to mask the pain behind her anger, she couldn't. She was genuinely broken over his actions; she was completely and wholeheartedly in love with the man standing in front of her, she couldn't lose him. He caught on to the shattered look that was no doubt plastered on her tired out face. He had to fix this.
He created this mess, and now, it was up to him to repair what he had done.
"Lindsay, you're the only girl I've ever wanted. Rikki was just a mistake. I was a damned fool to ever get with her. I should have turned to you, you understand me more than anyone. But I didn't Linds, and now, I don't know what to do. I need your help Montana, where do I go from here?"
Her eyes, that were previously scowered at the ground in anger, were now wandering the cracked sidewalk in defeat, in sadness, in pain. The solemn look in her eyes was enough to make any man take her up in his arms, but knowing how much Danny cared about her, he wished he could just that much more. He brought his arms up on either side of her, tenderly placing his hands on her shoulders as she both winced away and leaned into his embrace. She knew what she wanted—to fall into his arms and never have to be anywhere else in the world—but she couldn't just give into him. He had messed up, and that lingering problem was still hanging over their heads like the storm clouds that were beginning to form above them.
"Danny, I…I can't do this."
She began to shy away from him, but he could only tighten his grip as he prevented her from walking away.
"Lindsay, we have to talk about this, please? Just let me explain myself. I can't lose you Lindsay. I can't. I don't know how I could live without you."
The tears began to fall from her sad eyes just as the raindrops began to fall onto their heads. She wrapped her coat around herself a little tighter and let her eyes wander, not wanting to meet his gaze that was undoubtedly seeking her out.
"Okay, you don't have to listen now, but let me at least get you back to your place and out of this rain. I don't want you gettin' sick."
"I can take care of myself," she uttered, barely above a whisper. Even with these words, she knew she would surrender to his will.
"Lindsay, I hate to say it, but you can barely stand on your own two feet," he replied with a quiet laugh. She tried not to let the defeat in her face show, but he had won. He always would.
"Fine," she mumbled, falling into his arms as he draped one arm around her shoulders, the other across the small of her back, leading her to the edge of the street as he hailed a cab for the two of them. She surrendered to him in the cab, laying her head against his chest, letting the fatigue from both the alcohol and the exhaustion of the night set in. As much as she wanted to hate him, she knew deep down inside she couldn't. But this wasn't just going to go away. They were definatley going to have to work things out, no matter what the consequences, no matter how long it took
For now, Lindsay needed to let the alcohol drain from her system. She surrendered to the slumber that was overtaking her and fell asleep in his arms.
He gently rubbed his arm up and down her own, then moved it to brush the soaking strands of hair out of her face. He smiled at her sleeping figure. Even when she looked this exhausted, she still looked so cute when she slept. She was beautiful. She was his girl. And he had messed that up. But he would fix that. He was bound and determined to make this right again, even if it meant spending the rest of his life trying to make it up to her.
They pulled up to her apartment, and not wanting to wake her, he paid the cabbie and gently lifted her from the backseat, carrying her to the elevator and into the apartment. He helped her semiconciously change into one of his old tshirts and a pair of her own cotton shorts that she had in her top drawer, and then pulled the sheets down and tucked her into bed. Placing a tiny kiss on her forehead, he decided he didn't want to leave her there alone for the night, so he found a spare blanket and crashed on her couch, barely getting a so much as a wink of sleep until the sun was beginning to rise, hoping she wasn't the type that was mean when they had a hangover.
