Vanessa released her right hand from Darryl’s grip as she used it to wipe her teary eyes. Before, she felt like she was being suffocated but as she listened to Darryl’s apologies, she pressed her hand on her chest, trying to calm her panic breaths. It was astonishing that Darryl had thought he was the cause of her tears and seeing this fueled her emotions.
She mustered courage to stare into Darryl’s eyes, to see if it was a facade or not. But as her eyes met his, tears flowed down her cheeks. Before she could say a word, Darryl pulled her into a hug. She could feel his heart hammering against his chest as she placed her head on it. And his familiar scent engulfed her as she sobbed softly.
Darryl dropped his head to look down at her, but he couldn’t keep eye contact for long. “I can’t bear this. I can’t even look at your face. I feel like shit. It is killing me….” Darryl rambled but Vanessa interrupted him before he could finish.
“You didn’t do this to me,” Vanessa managed to say. It wouldn’t be a lie if she had said Darryl was the cause of her tears, but it would have been cruel for her to put all the blame on him.
Darryl’s head snapped up at her revelation. “Who did this to you? Who the hell made you cry?” He asked, his voice sharp but calm.
“Why are you asking? It is not like you care?” Vanessa inquired. She could tell from Darryl’s eyes that he was worried about her, but she didn’t want to get her hopes.
“This is not the time to say this type of shit.” He countered. “Do you think I will run here like a maniac if I don’t care about you?”
Darryl understood he wasn’t the affectionate one, but he wasn’t that nonchalant about things. How would Vanessa think so lowly of him? He wondered, but he didn’t dwell too much on the thought because her well-being was his priority at the moment.
“I don’t even know what to think anymore. Who knows if you had it on with Carolyn?” she hinted at him at the cause of her tears.
“Carolyn? Dawson’s wife?” He asked, trying to understand her point.
“Yes, Dawson’s wife is my best friend, but I don’t know if we are still friends.” She mumbled.
“What do you mean by that? What happened between you and Carolyn?”
“You should know about it since you all know each other for a long time now.” Vanessa furthered her claim.
“I don’t get it.” He gave her a questioning look. “What’s with the parables? All I want to hear from you is the reason why you were crying,” he said as he stood up straight.
Vanessa didn’t know how to explain herself without sounding childish or entitled. She watched Darryl as he straightened himself after standing up from his previous squatting position.
“Carolyn was the only one that I opened up to about everything going on in my life. And you are not left out when I say everything.” Vanessa started.
Darryl’s eyes lit up as he heard her confession. He knew she wasn’t done with whatever she was saying, but he couldn’t ignore the happiness he had felt. Without thinking too much, he went back to focusing on her.
“But she never told me that you are her husband’s best friend. Like I literally told her everything about you, every damn thing, but she just kept mute about knowing you.” Anger flooded her as she explained everything to Darryl.
Darryl moved closer to her, he bent down to her and held her hand in a comforting way. He stroked it gently, caressing her. “She possibly had her reasons,” Darryl suggested.
“I know, but nothing can justify her actions. She hid the truth from me this whole time. I wouldn’t have known if it had not slipped from her mouth.” she frowned as she watched Darryl stroke her hands.
Darryl didn’t know how to console her. He didn’t know the right words to say because he had never involved himself with a girl drama. He was quiet for too long and that made him feel weird. No matter how he searched for the right words, nothing was coming.
“I know you don’t understand me and I don’t expect you to. You may think I overreacted, you may call me childish, but I know the pain I felt when she told me about you.”
“Hey, don’t think I don’t understand how you are feeling. And I would never say you are overreacting.” Darryl believed Vanessa was sometimes childish, but this wasn’t the best time to pull a joke on her.
“I want you to know that I would never judge you and your opinion. You have the freedom to feel and express your emotions,” he continued.
Vanessa sniffled as she listened to Darryl’s unending assurance. She was surprised that the infamous playboy had something good to say. Maybe he was good at it because he had been with more women than she could imagine.
“Get dress. You are leaving with me.” Vanessa’s head snapped up as she heard what Darryl had said.
Leaving with him? Where was he going? Or where is he taking her to? All these questions rang in Vanessa’s head as she stared at Darryl, whose back was turned to her. He was busy looking around her house like he was looking for something.
“Where are you taking me?” It was not like she was interested in leaving with him, but her curiosity got the best of her.
“With me.” Darryl gave her a short answer. “I won’t mind you leaving with me like this.” His eyes moved over her body as he made the remark.
Vanessa, who had forgotten she was in her lacy night dress, consciously dragged down the tip of her short dress.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” She stubbornly replied.
“It was not a request. You have five minutes to get changed while I wait for you in my car.”
Darryl was still worried about her. She might have stopped crying now, but she might start if he left her by herself. The only option he had was to take her to his place before returning to the office. He didn’t tell her about it because Vanessa would throw a tantrum if she got to know about his plans to take her to his house.
Darryl watched Vanessa exit her apartment. His gaze was fixed on her as she walked towards his car. He wanted to move his gaze, but he couldn’t stop staring at her. At this point, he realized it was no longer a game with Vanessa. He was yearning for something else, something more than he had ever imagined.