Chapter 10: Dan Is Not In Love

I wake up wrapped tightly in Dan's bare arms. I smile, relaxing inside his hold. It was more comforting than my own bed. I finally untangled myself and reached for my clothes, putting them on. They were creased slightly from spending the night on the floor. When I was dressed I leant down and kissed Dan lightly on the forehead. He looked beautiful when he was sleeping.

I made my way into the living room to see Phil sat on the sofa with a girl. I smiled. So Phil finally found a girlfriend. She was pretty, with long, straight, blonde hair and black glasses. Phil scored.

"Hey Phil, who's this?" I smirk, cocking my head.

"Courtney," she smiles, but something about it seems forced. "And you are?"

"Olivia." I reply, holding my smile. "Well it was nice to meet you, I'm going to probably head home now, Phil. Tell Dan I left."

"OK."

"I'll just use the loo first." I say, "It was nice meeting you, Courtney."

"You too, Olivia."

I smile and head for the loo. As soon as I leave the room I hear my name, I duck under the breakfast bar and loads of memories come flooding back.

"She's a.. uh.. friend of Dan's." Phil says.

"Oh yeah," she says, very patronizing. Maybe she isn't Phil's girlfriend after all. "'Just friends.' Sure."

"I swear, I have no idea whether they're dating or not."

"She just walked out of his room, Phil."

"I'd tell you if I knew, Courtney."

"Well you better make sure they're fucking not dating, all right?" she says, harshly. There's a shuffle then the front door slams with lots of force.

I gasp and lean up against the fridge.

"Liv, are you all right?" Dan says, kneeling down next to me then hauling me to my feet. "I thought you'd left."

"I was just leaving."

"What's wrong?"

"Courtney was here," I say. It must of ticked something as his eyes widen and he bites his lip.

"Shit. Shit, shitty, shitty, balls, tits, wank." He mutters.

"Who is she?"

"She's this massive bitch who I used to date who won't leave me alone."

I bite my lip. "Well make her go away, Dan. I don't like her."

"I promise you," he says, resting his chin on the top of my head. "I will never, ever let her lay a finger on you."

I sigh. "I'm going home." I try to get myself out of his hold but he keeps me locked against his chest. "Dan..."

"You're not going anywhere."

"What?"

"I talked to my friend Rose and told her what happened. She says she is going to come over and put you in Observation. It's not as scary as it sounds, she is just going to keep an eye on you so she can analyse your symptoms and decide what's wrong. I want to fix this, whatever is bugging you. I can't stand it anymore."

I push my head into his neck. "Thank you, Dan. I want to get rid of it as well."

"It will go away, Livvy, I promise."

The name floods memories of my Mum and Dad back into my head. I squeeze my eyes really tight a block any tears from escaping. I always felt weak when I cried in front of Dan. But still, the name felt warm and lovely when he said it.

"Call me that again," I command.

"What? Livvy?"

"Yes. Call me that all the time, OK?"

He laughs. "Of course, what ever you want." he murmurs into my hair.

I want to stay in this moment forever. I want a remote and I want to pause it at this second, where everything feels safe and right. I want to lie in Dan's arms forever and never let go. That's what I want. That's what I need.

He lifts me up into his koala style, that I missed so much. I obediently wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.

No, this is the moment I want to freeze.