Untangled

I LOVE HER

Daryl POV

I can’t blame them for being attracted to Christine; that brat is lovable, but strong and always ready to fight for someone. I think she can be a lawyer someday because of her arguments and how she answered and presented herself towards our class discussion and towards our teachers. But in my eyes Christine is fragile and needs to be protected from everyone who can possibly hurt her. I love her but I do not know what she feels to me, I am not a lovable person. I am actually the opposite, I always want to hurt people who want to hurt her whether it is physically and mentally. I always want to see her happy, I want to see her eyes twinkle with happiness. I am so messed up whenever I see her in a bad mood, she never opens herself to anyone except to me, Daniel and to her parents.

But I am jealous because Daniel can be with her as long as he wants.

One day I threatened a guy behind our school, because he is stalking Christine, of course Daniel is with me. I was surprised to what he said after I threatened the crazy stalker he run for his life

“You love her, don’t you?” he asked me, I did not expect him to ask me this question but I have to admit what I truly feel, before it’s too late.

I looked at him and said “Ido” . I answered him truthfully.

“I know you feel the same toward her, and I cannot do anything about it. I can see how you look at her, how you protected her, how you took care of her, I can see the love in your eyes”

He looked at me and said “Yes, I like her, but I think she likes you. I can see how she talks to you, how she was worried whenever you do something stupid. I like her and I want to see her happy, even though I am not the reason for her smile, it is fine with me as long as she is happy. Someday I will be gone, please take care of her, and the moment you hurt her, I will come and get her from you, without any hesitation I will steal her from you, the moment you hurt her. I do not care even if you are my friend”

“I will not hurt her, but I will keep that in mind” I smiled and said to him. I know he wants what is best for Christine. “Will you leave us?” I asked him and raised my eyebrows “because you clearly said, when I am gone, you are not dying right?”

He just laughed at me and said “Dude of course not” and he became serious and said “We do not know what the future holds for us. Life is mysterious and short, we do not know what will happen in the future, we do not know if we will be still this close in the future” Daniel said to me in a monotone tone, I can see that he is serious about what he said.

What he said is the truth, no one knows what the future is, but I have a wish. I want everything to stay as it is. I love her, there is no question about that, but are we truly for each other? I am not the best man that she can be with, but I cannot imagine someone making her laugh, making her blush. I do not want someone to touch her, that is not me. I like her, no I do not like her I love her. I was in the middle of my own monologue when Christine shook me. I was taken back and when I saw her I hugged her with all I have, I wanted to feel her warmth. She pats my back then looks at me and smiles. “Is there a problem? Are you feeling unwell?” she asked me in a concerned voice.

I am fine, with this I smiled at her, I saw how Daniel looked at us. I love my friend but this girl that I am hugging right now is the girl that I love. If I can pause this moment and have this memory as long as I live, I will. “I love you” I said to her in a low voice that she cannot hear, she stared at me while smiling and asked me “what? I did not hear what you said. If you want to say something, can you say it out loud” I laugh at her and hug her.

While Daryl and Christine are hugging each other Daniel leaves the scene, he loves her but he cannot voice it out, he doesn't want to hurt his friend. He goes to a place where no one can see him and he takes a deep breath and there are tears falling down to his eyes. He was happy for the two of them but it still hurts to him, for him Christine is his everything, his angel, and the person who he will grow old with. Since the day she saved him he made a promise to himself that he will always protect Christine even from himself, and if Christine does not feel the same for him he will support her, he will be her shadow, her protector, her rock and refuge.

After Christine’s hug and Daryl, she was looking for Daniel, she heard what Daryl said but she did not answer him because she knows that Daniel has a feeling for her, she does not want to hurt her friend, she is looking for him, but she cannot find him. She sat down on the grass with Daryl. They are exhausted and thirsty and yet they still cannot find Daniel, she remembers the time when Daniel was sad when they were kids. He will always go to a place where it is dark and no one is there, so he can cry. Whenever Daniel was crying when they were kids Daniel will always hid himself in their attic he doesn’t know that below their attic where he cried Christine was always looking to the stairs where it is connected to their attic, she was always worried to him, she doesn’t like it when Daniel feels alone, when he thinks that no one like him, he always lock himself that is one of the reason why she always pester him, for him to feel that he is loved and someone care for him. The memory pops into her mind so she runs and looks for the janitor’s supply room where it is full of brooms and maps. When she opened the door she saw Daniel there sitting on the floor and crying, she sat beside him and leaned on his shoulder. Daniel looked at her and hugged her. She reciprocated his hug, they left the room and did not talk about what happened. She was waiting for Daniel to open up, Daryl pestering the two of them while eating their lunch. Daryl made a joke and the three of them laughed. She loves laughing with her friends. At this moment Daniel is really laughing. He already accepted that they are not for each other, but the moment Daniel hurt her, he will come and get her.