Author's Note: I actually like the feedback I've been getting on this story so far, so here's a second chapter. I'm sorry it's so late, not doing a damn thing is one of my hobbies. Also- yes, this is one of those stories where one of the characters, in this case, Danny, is used just for the painful, unrequited love. You can hug him if you want. I want Ben.

Danny had always liked powerful women.

He doesn't know why, but he was always attracted to women who knew how to stand up for themselves. He remembered the moment he realized he was about to fall desperately in love with Riley.

She was still chubby (chubby, never fat) at the time, and she was at their house, basically spending the entire afternoon poking fun of Ben at everything he did or said, much to Ben's annoyance. Sometimes, Bonnie would come in the room and Riley would pretend like nothing was going on (but little did she know, Bonnie had a thing called 'mother's instinct' and she could tell by just looking at Ben that he was not being treated right). But, Danny was in the room, and Bonnie always told herself that Ben would be safe just as long as he was with his big brother Danny.

'You aren't seriously just here because you want to poke me in the ribs every five minutes?!' Ben whimpered, earning an eye roll from his brother. Danny had tried to man up his little brother, teach him how to grow some balls, but to no avail.

Riley laughed, and it didn't sound at all like a mean laugh to Danny. He just sat across the room, watching them scold each other back and forth, wondering if Riley would ever notice him. If she would ever poke him in the ribs.

Back in the present…

'Hey, come on!'

'Ouch!' Ben slumped a little as he quickly moved away from Riley's teasing finger. 'You know I hate to be poked in the rib.' He said after a moment, his eyes meeting hers. She notices the small smile on his lips and chooses not to believe what he had just told her.

'I- we came here to take you out.' Riley quickly corrected herself, when her ecstatic jumps caused her to inadvertently collide with Danny's chest. There were still standing on Ben's doorstep, and Ben didn't look like he was about to let them in. But then again, it was a day that would take him a lot of time to process even the most simple things in his brain.

Like, for instance, the way Riley suddenly reached out to grab him by the arm and yank him out the door. 'Let's go, drinks on me!'

'Uh-' Danny tried interrupting her, and they made quick eye contact. Riley knew that Danny was uncomfortable with a woman paying for drinks.

'Fine. Drinks on Danny, then.'

Author's Note: What I'm going to try to do for the next few chapters is try to get into why Danny and Riley started dating anyway, and maybe draw Danny a little bit out of the story, so that Ben and Riley can have some alone time. Perhaps, just maybe, I'll introduce a character for Danny? Yay or nay on that?