Chapter 23.
Last chapter for Season 2! There might be a bit of break between this one and the next because I'll have to plan out Season 3 but I've already sorted some stuff already.
Disclaimer: I do not own Shameless.
They were walking along the DuSable bridge above the Chicago River when Daniela's phone started ringing. She saw that it was her brother calling and clenched her eyes shut. The soup had completely slipped her mind. No doubt he was worrying, thinking she had been abducted or something along those lines.
"Hey, Jake." Daniela watched as Lip silently leaned against the railing, lighting a fresh cigarette and looking out at the illuminated city. She wasn't wrong about her brother worrying.
"Dani, where the hell are you? I ask you to get some soup and you disappear?"
"Yeah, sorry about the soup. I ran into a friend outside the hospital and we went for a walk," she explained as she chewed on the inside of her mouth. Lip blew out a puff of smoke, his head inching in her direction, listening in on her conversation.
Daniela continued to talk with Jakob, reassuring him that she was safe. "I don't know how long I'll be."
Her brother sighed. "I can't really leave anyway, considering you have my car keys."
"Shit, I forgot about that. Okay, just give me half an hour."
"You're lucky it's late night visiting hours tonight," huffed her brother, a sliver of amusement slipping into his voice.
"Promise I won't be too long."
Hanging up, Daniela sighed and moved to lean against the rail beside Lip, looking out across the river. She had to admit, she had never realized how beautiful the city was all lit up at night.
"You were right." Daniela was startled by Lip's sudden outburst. She frowned, keeping her eyes on the lit up city.
"About what?"
"Karen... the baby," he groaned in frustration and raked a hand through his hair. "You were right about the whole fucking thing."
Daniela turned her head to him, her mouth slanted. "The baby wasn't yours." She had gathered as much when she saw how angry he was.
Lip shook his head. "Tim Wong's. Apparently, she screwed him as much as she screwed me." He laughed wryly, flicking the ash off the end of his cigarette. "I don't know what I was fucking expecting."
"You loved her."
"I don't even know how I feel about her anymore," admitted Lip.
"For what it's worth, I was hoping I was wrong- that you were the father."
He frowned at her. "Why?"
"You stepped up. Proved that you weren't Frank." Daniela flicked her gaze back to the city, ignoring Lip's intense eyes on her. He didn't push the subject, something she was grateful for. She cleared her throat, lightly tapping her fingers on the bridge rail. "So, you've been staying at Mandy's?"
"Yeah," he nodded as he butted out his cigarette. Daniela bobbed her head, the tick in her jaw growing. Lip was less than willing to put the subject to rest.
"There's nothing going on," he blurted in a convincing tone. "Between Mandy and me." Daniela shot him a look, clearly not believing him. She clicked her tongue and swung her foot back and forth to lightly hit the rail.
"I doubt that. And I don't think Mandy is the type to just let that go."
Lip shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "I just needed a place to stay, that's all."
"Oh, like with me?" She scoffed a laugh, it was bitter and dry.
"No," denied Lip, his tone almost offended. He flicked his eyes away from her face to the scenery. "You're different."
Daniela didn't know how to feel about that. He was just so difficult, she swore he was harder to read than a teenage girl- and she was one.
Taking one last look at the river, she shoved her hands into her pockets. "I should probably head back. My brother's waiting for me."
Lip nodded and mimicked her actions. "I should get back to Karen."
"Even after what happened?" He simply shrugged, making Daniela roll her eyes. They began their walk back to the hospital.
"How was lunch?" Lip asked as they grew closer, puffing on another cigarette. She swore he was going to be diagnosed with lung cancer before he turned thirty.
"Fiona didn't tell you?"
"Didn't get much time to talk."
Daniela nodded in understanding but chewed on her lip. "It was Monica- you should really call your sister. It's not my place to say."Lip frowned at her, wondering how serious it was. He had been curious as to how they all arrived at the hospital on time. "Everyone's kind of shaken up about it."
He watched her carefully, noticing her hands becoming more fidgety.
"What about you?"
She glanced up at him quickly, shrugging it off. "I'll get through it. It's Debbie and Carl I'm more worried about."
They reached the parking lot and Daniela spotted her brother standing outside the hospital waiting for her. He sighed in relief when he saw them approaching.
"There you are."
"Told you I wouldn't be long." Jakob narrowed his eyes at Lip, looking him up and down. Daniela rolled her eyes at him and turned to the boy beside her. "Call Fiona."
"I will." He made his way past a curious Jakob, throwing her one last look over his shoulder.
"Wasn't that Ian's brother?"
"Yeah," nodded Daniela handing over his keys.
"I thought you two hated each other."
She huffed as her brother unlocked the door to his truck. "I wish."
/
Despite her brother's claims that they would be asleep, Daniela got dropped off at the Gallagher house. Even though it was late, she knew none of them would be sleeping much tonight.
The house was stagnant, a scary feeling looming over it. It was supposed to be a buzzing hub of laughter and sounds. Instead, it just felt sad. Daniela eyed the table with food spread all over it as if it was waiting for them to return and continue celebrating the holiday.
It didn't even feel like a holiday. Everything had gone down shit creek.
Avoiding the kitchen, Daniela climbed the stairs, her ears picking up on the sounds of sobs. She followed the noise to Fiona's room where she saw Debbie and Carl holding onto their sister.
Steve sat on the corner of the bed, watching them with a fallen expression. Ian's back was towards Daniela as she grew closer. Even from the back, she could see the tenseness in his shoulders.
"Hey," she whispered gently, coming to stand beside him. Ian's jaw tightened at the sight of her like he was struggling to hold everything in. She wasn't going to let that happen.
She led him into his bedroom, knowing he wouldn't want his younger siblings to see him break down.
Pulling him in for a hug, Daniela felt his body collapse into hers. He shook with quiet sobs followed by small sniffles. Her heart hurt for her friend and the family that had basically become her own.
They both climbed into Ian's bed with Daniela running her fingers through his hair soothingly until he managed to fall asleep. She knew it wouldn't be a pleasant rest but it had been a long day and it was better than nothing.
/
Daniela woke the next morning with Ian still sound asleep beside her. As if sensing that she was awake, his dry eyes fluttered open. She gave him a small smile.
"Morning." She didn't bother adding the 'good'. "How you feelin'?"
Ian shrugged. "Like shit." Daniela's eyes dropped to the blanket before she raked a hand through his hair.
"Come on. Let's go have some breakfast." Ian reluctantly climbed out of his bed, following her down the stairs.
Their steps grew more hesitant the closer they got to the kitchen. Daniela saw that it had been cleaned; Monica's blood washed away. It made things a bit easier.
Fiona glanced at them as they each took a seat at the breakfast bar. "Morning. How'd you sleep?"
"Doesn't really crack the top 10 nights of sleep I've had," said Ian, his voice lacking humor. His sister sighed, cocking a hand on her hip.
"Want some breakfast?"
"There any leftover pie?"
"For breakfast?" Questioned Fiona, shooting Ian a look. He simply shrugged.
"After yesterday's shit-storm, I think pie for breakfast is the least worrying thing."
"There's some in the fridge."
Ian grabbed out the pumpkin pie Daniela had made and placed it in-between the two of them. Fiona handed them two forks, watching as they dug into it. She began pulling out the rest of the leftovers, getting to work on turning it into a more normal breakfast.
"Karen had her baby last night," announced Ian in between bites. Daniela nodded and took another piece.
"I know. I saw Lip outside the hospital. He was pretty all over the place."
"You talk to him?"
She shrugged, her eyes focusing on the counter. "Figured he wanted to cool off so we went for a walk, we mostly didn't talk."
"Mostly?" Ian pushed, his eyebrow raised. She rolled her eyes.
"He told me about the baby. It was purely venting, nothing else."
"Mornin," greeted Steve as he walked towards Fiona. The two teens in the room shared a knowing look, returning to their pie.
"You back to being a legal resident here, Steve?" Asked Ian curiously.
"Jimmy," interrupted Fiona as she dished up some food. "His name's Jimmy now. Steve was just an alias he used to lie to me about who he really was."
"Ooh, not cool Jimmy-Steve."
"Shit," sighed Daniela. "I forgot to tell you about that."
"You knew?"
"Debbie thought Stev-Jimmy was cheating on Fiona with some lady named Candice on the North Shore, so we went to go see her. Turns out Candace was his mother." Ian chuckled and shook his head at the man who looked a little embarrassed.
They finished their breakfast, grabbing some of the eggs Fiona had made before Ian left for school. Daniela decided to go home to freshen up first, not minding that she would be late. The acidic taste of vomit still lingered in her mouth and she desperately wanted to brush her teeth.
/
Later that afternoon, the pair of them were in Ian's bedroom studying. Daniela had her big Physics exam the next day and knew it wasn't going to be easy.
"Lip say where he was staying?" Blurted Ian, tapping his pencil on his textbook. "Now that Jimmy kicked him out?"
"Yeah. Mandy's."
"Not surprised. She's always asking me questions about him. What he likes, how he is, his favorite-"
"I get it," snapped Daniela, the grip on her pen tightening. Ian pursed his lips in guilt.
"Sorry."
"S'fine." At the sound of someone clap, they looked at a grinning Jimmy standing in their doorway.
"Get ready."
"Why?" Frowned Ian.
"We're going to meet my family."
"Why?" Asked Daniela this time.
Jimmy sighed, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe. "Fiona wants to. Debbie has a sleepover so she can't come. You can take her seat instead."
"You paying?"
"Nope. My dad is, so order whatever you want- the more expensive, the better." Daniela looked to Ian, their eyes meeting. Sharing a nod, they turned back to Steve.
"Well, I don't like turning down a free meal."
/
The restaurant Jimmy pulled up to looked incredibly fancy- and expensive. He led them inside, letting the family marvel at the place. They were quickly shown to their large, round table. Daniela saw that there were already three people seated and recognized that one of them was Candice.
"Oh, Jimmy darling!" Grinned the woman, a smile splitting her face. She stood from her seat, placing a kiss on her son's cheek before happily turning to the rest of them. "You must be the Gallaghers."
Steve got to work with the introductions and Candice warmly welcomed each of them, urging them to sit and make themselves comfortable. When he came to Daniela, the woman laughed brightly.
"You, I remember you," she glanced at the other two sitting. "Made one hell of a first impression. Where's the little girl?"
"Debbie had a sleepover," answered Fiona. The older woman tutted before turning to the couple at the table.
"This is my oldest son, Chip and his wife." Daniela forgot the woman's name as soon as she heard it. As she took her seat, she could tell that there was some tension between the brothers.
"Where's Dad?" Asked Steve, glancing around the table.
"He got caught up with work but he's on his way. How about we start off with a few drinks while we wait?"
"How about some water?"
Candice giggled, shaking her head at her youngest. "I think I'll have something stronger." The table soon settled though Daniela caught a glimpse of the steely stares Chip sent towards his brother.
"So, Fiona," began Candice after her third glass of chardonnay. Everyone noticed how easily the drinks had loosened her up. "Jimmy tells me you have four brothers. Where's the other one?"
Fiona huffed, folding her napkin across her lap. "Lip is out of the house right now. It's been a bit difficult with him." Her answer earned a scoff from Chip.
"That's little brothers for you." He shared a look with Jimmy who was calmly stroking Fiona's bare shoulder.
"Chip, leave your brother alone."
"Two things you can always count on," smiled the man as he spoke to Fiona. "Mom's favoritism for her youngest."
"My brother thinks of me as the runt that didn't punch back," interrupted Jimmy with a smirk. Daniela and Ian leaned back in their chairs, sipping on their waters as they watched the little spat unfold.
"And her youngest's quick and stealthy exit after he weasels her out of another ten grand."
"I was actually hoping to milk her out of another twenty this time."
Fiona picked up her glass, her finger tapping it gently as she gestured it towards Jimmy's brother. "With a name like Chip, you'd think you'd want to defy the stereotype."
Daniela swallowed her laugh with a sip of her water while Ian smirked openly at his sister. Meanwhile, Carl continued gnawing into a piece of lobster.
"Sorry I'm late," said an approaching man. He grinned at the table and Daniela placed him as Jimmy's father. "Whipple on a stage-four patient." He took a seat at the table. Beside her, Daniela felt Ian tense up.
"So, you must be the mysterious Fiona."
"And these are Fiona's brothers, Carl, Ian and his friend Daniela." Jimmy's father pointed along to each of them, his finger pausing when he caught Ian's eye. He faltered for a moment before quickly recovering.
"Well, nice to meet you, Ian. Have we ordered?"
"Excuse me," piped up the teen before grabbing a confused Daniela's elbow and pulling her up after him. "Bathroom." He moved his grasp to her wrist, leading her to the men's bathroom. She registered the door with wide eyes.
"Uh, I can't go in there."
"Who cares?" Brushed off Ian, sounding flustered. He led her into the bathroom, checking to see if anyone was already in there. "You know how I met a guy at the club? And then we went back to his house and I stayed there for the night?"
"Yeah?"
"That's the guy." Daniela stood in silent shock as her friend raked a hand through his hair. At what first started out as a small giggle soon turned into whooping laughs. Ian stared at her unimpressed.
"You…" she wheezed, flicking a few tears from her eyes. "Slept with….Jimmy's dad?" The boy simply nodded, huffing back a laugh. As Daniela's chuckles quietened down, the door opened to reveal the object of conversation. Lloyd glanced between the two of them.
"This is awkward," murmured Daniela. The man nodded, gesturing his head to the door.
"Do you mind?"
"Oh. Right," she gave Ian one last look. "I'll leave you to it." Daniela took her seat at the table, giving her order to the waiter. Not too long later, Ian and Lloyd reemerged from the toilets, each settling back into their seats. "Everything alright?"
"Yeah," nodded Ian, his eyes meeting the man's across from him.
/
Lip needed to get away. Mandy had become almost suffocating the longer he stayed at her house. She had gotten the idea in her head that they were a couple now because they had fucked more than three times- apparently, that was a deal breaker for her.
Desperate for a breath of fresh air, he found solace on the front step of her house, late in the middle of the night. He sat, pondering, feeling the biting cold nip at the tips of his fingers; his signature cigarette dangled limply.
Bringing it up for a long toke, Lip released the smoke, watching it waft away. He found that he had a lot on his mind the last few days.
He had learned a lot.
The first being that Karen Jackson was a fucking bitch.
If Lip was honest with himself, he had always known this. It was one of the reasons he loved her. However, the baby situation had taken her to a whole other level. Now he didn't know how to feel about her. There was just something about Karen that kept him coming back for more.
She held no remorse or affection towards her baby. Lip had read about situations where women giving their baby up for adoption backed out at the last minute because as soon as they saw them, they felt a connection. Karen had been the complete opposite. She couldn't wait to be rid of the thing, treating it like it was a tumor.
Lip had scoffed at her, wondering how she could be so cold to something that was a piece of her. Later on, that night as he watched her sleeping, he realized that that's just who Karen was. She was notorious for not giving a shit.
Then there was Daniela, almost her polar opposite.
Among all the chaos, Lip had been trying to figure out how he felt about her. She had dropped a bombshell on him that he really should've picked up on if he had only paid more attention to her. Lip was guilty of not doing that enough.
He noticed how closed off Daniela had become once she told him like she was scared of his reaction and therefore went into defense mode. Truthfully, Lip didn't have one. It was the last thing he was expecting to hear that day.
Then Monica and Carl happened, and Lip found that she was the first one that came to mind when he picked up his phone. He knew she would be there to lend a helping hand even if he didn't ask for it.
When she called him Thanksgiving morning, he felt like he had been caught in the act. Her disappointed tone stuck in his brain for the rest of the day and he had been genuinely shocked when he saw her outside the hospital that night.
What really made him think was the fact that despite the Mandy situation, Daniela still offered to walk around with him as he cleared his head. He didn't know why she was so nice to him. He was a piece of shit to her, unworthy of her kindness.
Still, selfishly, he didn't want her to leave. When he was around her Lip felt almost lighter. Like she brought out something inside of him that made him think he could be something or do something with his life.
The second thing Lip learned from the past few days was that he missed his family. Seeing Fiona at Mandy's house earlier that day brought home how much he missed everyone. They all wanted him back, and slowly Lip was bending.
He missed his chats with Ian, cheering Carl on when he had a terrible idea, helping Debbie with her boy trouble and changing Liam's diapers. Hell, he even missed Frank being a total waste of a father.
A part of Lip found that he also missed Daniela. She had become a staple in his life for almost a year and it felt strange without her there chastising him for being a prick or flirting shamelessly with another girl.
Reaching into his pocket, Lip pulled out his phone and toyed with it. He debated whether or not to call her, just wanting to talk to her again. Karen had really thrown a kink in their relationship and slowly, they had drifted.
He found her number, his finger ready to press the button when a voice startled him.
"What are you doing?" Frowned Mandy, stepping out onto the front stoop.
Lip flicked his cigarette, throwing her a short glance. "I couldn't sleep. Needed a smoke."
Mandy came to sit beside him, telling him to go home. Lip didn't put up much of a fight, he knew it was time to go.
"You wanna fuck again?" Lip eyed her as she stood and made her way inside. "I'm only going to be awake for a few more minutes."
Leaving the opportunity hanging in the air, Mandy headed back to her room. Lip took a moment and, pushing away his thoughts of another girl, followed behind.
/
Daniela chewed on her lip, her leg bopping up and down. Mr. Davis stalked around the classroom, sliding the test papers down onto each of their desks. She surveyed her fellow classmates.
Some seemed at ease, confident with how they'll do. Others seemed to be in the same boat as here; unsure as to whether or not they'll pass.
She prayed that all of her cramming had been worth it as her own test papers slapped down onto her table.
"You will have two hours for this exam," Mr. Davis began his slow, customary monolog and Daniela took the time to doodle on her table. "This is multiple choice. If you change an answer, be sure to fully erase your first answer and clearly circle your second."
Hearing murmurs around her, Daniela narrowed her eyes, turning her head to see Lip sitting at the back of the class. He stared up at Mr. Davis, smirking when the teacher gave him the exam papers.
Lip's eyes flicked to meet Daniela's on the other side of the room. He gave her a nod to which she simply frowned. Rolling her eyes, Daniela pretended he wasn't there and focused back on her test.
For the next two hours, she zoned in on the exam, some answers coming to her more easily than others.
Just over an hour in, Lip had risen from his chair and handed his papers in. She wanted to scoff. Trust him to come back to school after missing a whole term and ace a finals exam.
Tapping her pencil against her temple, Daniela could feel a pair of eyes on her, already knowing who they belonged to. Her jaw set, she narrowed her eyes at Lip. His stare didn't falter. She raised an eyebrow in silent question but her attention was brought to the front of the class.
Mr. Davis cleared his throat. "Eyes back on your test Miss Kaufman." Daniela rolled her eyes again, placing a hand on the side of her head to act as a wall.
The two hours came to a close with Daniela rushing out of the class as soon it was over, conveniently avoiding Lip. She had work straight after and didn't want to be late.
/
"Lip showed up at school today," informed Daniela later that day.
"Good," nodded Ian as they relaxed in his bed.
"You gonna tell Fiona about Lloyd?"
Her friend rolled his eyes with a scoff. "Yeah, if I could get her alone for a minute."
"Fiona's always busy."
"Yeah, no shit." Daniela shoved his shoulder making him chuckle and soon the two playfully wrestled each other down the stairs.
In the lounge, the sounds of airsoft guns popping rang out. Carl and Steve were fighting to the death, donning protective masks. Daniela cautiously made her way past to the kitchen but Ian wasn't so lucky.
"Ow! Dude, knock it off," he hissed when Carl aimed one at the back of his neck. Daniela stifled a laugh.
She moved to stand beside Este at the breakfast bar. The woman was munching on some leftover turkey which Daniela joined in on. The bruises on Este's face were hard to hide and Daniela felt pride at how strong the woman seemed, regardless.
The teen turned her attention to Liam who was bumbling in his high chair. She grinned at him, rubbing a finger over his soft cheek, making him giggle. Her and Este played with Liam while Ian and Fiona carried on their conversation.
A few minutes later, Frank came in looking angry and haggard as per usual. His first stop was the cupboard where the old baby formula container was.
"Jesus, Frank. We're broke," sighed Fiona as she watched him. He moved to check the freezer drawers. "I haven't hidden money in there since you cleaned us out last May."
Giving up, Frank instead took a carton of beer from the fridge and headed to the door. Ian frowned angrily after him.
"Woah, no. Those are mine."
"Come on. Let him go, Ian." He ignored his sister and ripped the drinks out of his father's hands.
"Why you fucking-" Frank advanced on Ian, shoving up against the wall. Immediately, Daniela was out of her chair.
"Get off him, Frank!" The whole family struggled to pull the fuming man off of Ian until he finally slumped to the floor.
Turning, they all took in Este holding a frying pan, her teeth clenched in disgust. She hissed some scathing words at Frank in Portuguese, which no-one else understood.
Nevertheless, Daniela nodded and held her hand up for a high-five. "Amen." Este blew a strand of hair out of her eyes and smiled, slapping her hand against the teen's.
The group shared a look, their eyes flicking back and forth between Frank's unconscious body and themselves.
Wordlessly, they each took hold of a part of him, working together to carry him outside. They dropped him unceremoniously in the backyard before heading back inside like it was no big deal.
Daniela sent one last smirk in Frank's direction.
"Anything hurt?" She asked Ian once they were back inside. She had sat him down so she could look at his face. It didn't seem to be too damaged.
"Nah wasn't as bad as the last time. I'll be fine."
Ian was the first to hear the door open, a smile lighting up his face when he saw Lip walk in. He looked at each of them hesitantly. Fiona and Debbie were the first ones to hug him, followed by Ian and Carl.
Daniela hung back, just watching. She met Lip's eyes when he glanced over Fiona's shoulder. Nodding, she gave him a small, proud smile.
/
Her footsteps down the stairs were slow and soft in an attempt to be quiet. The whole house had gone to sleep, leaving Daniela to make her exit. She went down the main stairs, avoiding the kitchen.
Throughout the night, she had kept her distance from Lip as he caught up with his now and again, she would feel eyes on her, knowing it was him.
"Daniela?" The girl clenched her eyes shut. Speak of the devil.
"Hey," she smiled weakly, coming to a stop at the bottom of the staircase. Lip was stood in the kitchen, a bottle of beer clutched in his hand as he frowned at her.
Picking up another, he extended it towards her in a silent offer. Not wanting to be rude, Daniela nodded and walked to the kitchen, taking it from his hands. He leaned against the counter, watching as she popped the lid off.
They stood in silence for a few moments with Daniela just continuing to sip on her beer. Lip seemed to be deep in thought.
"I was looking for you after class today but you were already gone."
"I had work," was all she said, shrugging a shoulder. Lip nodded and looked back to his hands.
"I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Karen or Mandy?" Daniela's blunt question caught him off guard, making him frown.
"Huh?"
"It's just that usually whenever you want to talk, it's about Karen or Mandy or you need a place to stay. And considering you're back at home, it must be about the other two. So, which one?"
Lip shifted on his feet. "Karen left town."
"Did she now?"
"Yeah." He clenched a fist as his jaw tightened at the thought of the blonde. "She's so fucking selfish."
"You're just realizing this now?"
"No. I've always known."
Daniela nodded as the quiet stretched on again. "Anyways, I'm glad you're home."
"Yeah well, Mandy thought it would be a good idea."
She laughed wryly, taking a long drink of her beer. "Wow, you bounce back fast."
Swallowing the last remnants, Daniela wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and placed the bottle beside the sink. She blew out a long breath.
"I better head home." Lip's head snapped to her. "It's pretty late."
She had only taken three steps before she heard him speak up.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Daniela frowned at Lip over her shoulder. Sighing, she turned fully and placed a hand on her hip.
"How could I when you were running after Karen like a lost puppy?"
"Still," pushed Lip, wearing his own frown. "You should've said something."
Daniela rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Like it would've made a difference."
"You don't know that."
"Actually, I do. You never saw me like that and I get it. That's why I never said anything."
Lip shook his head, eyeing her like she was clueless. "Who says I didn't?"
Daniela pursed her lips and cleared her throat after a moment. "Well, it's too late now."
"Says who?"
"Look around you, Lip." She waved a hand in the air for added emphasis. "The girl you thought you were in love with just skipped town after giving birth to a baby you spent months thinking was yours. Meanwhile, you can't seem to keep your dick out of Mandy Milkovich."
"I told you this thing with Mandy is nothing," stressed Lip as he raked a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Does she know that?" He went quiet, making her nod. "That's what I thought. Lip, that girl has feelings for you."
"I thought you did too."
"…I do."
"Well, then what's the problem?" Questioned Lip. The girl's mouth opened and closed, wondering how he could be so daft.
"The problem is that you seem to think it's okay to go around and screw a girl you have no intentions of getting together with when she has a different idea in mind."
"You're sticking up for Mandy now?"
Daniela sighed, pinching her nose. "I'm not gonna waste my time on a guy who doesn't even know what he wants."
"What do you want?" Lip's voice took on a softer tone.
Tilting her head, Daniela eyed him resting against the kitchen counter. Slowly, she walked towards him, swallowing the distance between the pair.
"I want…" She took another step so that they were chest to chest. Lip's hands came to grip her waist, steadying her as he felt his throat dry up. Daniela brought a hand up to toy with the hair at the nape of his neck. Her eyes never wavered from his hazy ones. "You…"
She felt Lip's grasp on the hem of her shirt tighten, using it to pull her closer to him. Daniela watched as his gaze dropped to her lips and she knew what he was thinking. His head angled down towards her, his smirking lips coming to hover just above hers.
However, she wasn't going to let it be that easy.
"I wasn't finished," she whispered. Lip pulled back an inch, frowning down at her. "I want you, to sort your shit out first before anything happens between us. Karen just left town and I'm not here to be your rebound."
It took a few long moments before Lip grudgingly sighed and lifted his head. "I can do that."
Daniela laughed under her breath, a grin breaking out onto her face. She stepped backward and raised an eyebrow.
"I'll believe it when I see it." She placed a short kiss on the corner of his mouth. "Goodnight."
Stepping back, Daniela flashed him one last grin before pivoting on her foot and leaving the house. Lip watched her go, chuckling under his breath.
Season 2 is done and dusted, onto the next one! Like I said at the start, there will be a small break so I can fully plan out all the chapters. Let me know what part was your favorite! I'd appreciate it and I've been loving all the feedback so far.
Also to the guest reviewer who asked me to publish this on Wattpad; I've been thinking about it and I do have an account but I have to figure out how to use it first.
Special thanks to: Similar Hues, BehindGrayEyes, gossamermouse101, xenocanaan, Liv, RandomPerson, Rae, Psycho17, lifeismycreationxx, sacranes, ILovePotatoes94, mypoeticdownfall, JasperControlsMyEmotions, kerstii, Friva2397, The Ravenwood, themanticors and Sailor Princess of The Moon!
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