Perfectly Unexpected - Finished

Chapter Thirteen - Admission

I was lounging on the couch watching TV. I was in sweatpants and a large t shirt, sipping some tea. Daniel came out of his room and sat on the other couch, opposite from me.

He was nervously fidgeting with a rubix cube we kept on the coffee table, turning it in ways that were not in any effort to actually finish the puzzle. He was pretending to watch the TV. I pretended to ignore his strange actions.

“Can... we... talk?” He asked slowly, lifting his head to look at me.

I moved so I was sitting straight up. “Yeah, of course, what's up?”

“This is awkward for me. I haven't had to talk about how I feel in a while, so don't judge me if this is rough.” He paused. “We've known each other a long time. We immediately hit it off, and you have been someone I've considered a close friend for a few years. When you moved in here, these past few months have been one of the only times I really felt like I had a partner since my wife left. I never thought I could grow to care about someone like that again. I fully imagined living the single life in my bachelor pad getting drunk and golfing, coming home to a goldfish and ignoring my parents. When you wanted to go live with your parents, I jumped at the opportunity to have someone to come home to even if it was just a friend. I never knew if I would feel more, I was happy enough to just have human interaction outside of work every day.”

“I feel the same way. This really beats going home to an empty apartment and having a bag of chips in front of the TV for dinner. I really enjoy spending time with you.”

“Well, it's more than that, Kas. I never knew if I would feel more than friendship for you, which I knew was okay with both of us. The last few months, though, I have felt like a whole new person. I love waking up and having a reason to walk around quietly. I love that I feel up to singing to myself while I cook breakfast. I love talking to you in a whisper for no reason while we have coffee standing up even though there's a perfectly good dining room table visible from the kitchen. I love bitching about our coworkers and arguing over the radio station on the ride to and from work. I wait to see you all day, I get excited to see you. I go to the break room more than I need to hoping to run into you. I love pretending to get annoyed about you snacking on ingredients while I cook dinner. I love play fighting for the remote and whining about your girl shows. I love how sleepy your voice sounds when you finally go to bed. I have never been happier than this, not in a long time. I don't think I want anything more than this.” He said. He was blushing.

“I'm on the same page. You are everything I would want in a partner. When Sam left me alone to do this pregnancy by myself, I had no idea how I'd get through it. Having you around made my life so much easier. You've taken care of me physically, you've been here for me emotionally. I've enjoyed every moment I've been here and I haven't had a relationship this good since I was old enough to date, and we aren't even dating.” I said.

“I would like to be dating.”

“Me, too.”

He got nervous again and cleared his throat. “I don't want to be too bold here. If you want to raise the baby on your own, and if you'd rather not let someone else be involved like that, I understand, but I want you to know that I'm more than willing to be her father. We can talk about what that means, but I'm all in. It's Sam's loss, and my gain. I've always wanted kids and always wanted a family.”

“I'd love that. She deserves a father.”

He walked over to sit next to me.

“Do you want to feel her kicking?” I asked.

His eyes lit up and he nodded. I grabbed his hand and laid it on my stomach, firmly pressing it against my belly where she had been kicking the most. It took a few seconds, but she kicked a few times. “Wow” Daniel said. 

We started kissing and getting handsy. Daniel took my hand and led me toward his bedroom.