I rub my eyes, attempting to figure out if the scene before me is a dream. My kitchen is filled with laughter, two out of three best friends, and my parents, sauntering around as if this were a normal occurrence.

My house has an odd layout, in the room sits both the kitchen and at the opposite end the living room. Over in that area dad sits unbothered with the newspaper covering his face. Back on the other side in the kitchen, mom, Everett, and Danny are making breakfast. Danny is at the stove, bacon sizzling in the pan as he navigates between that and the eggs on the burner beside it. He's made himself at home, his jeans rolled up at the ankle, bare feet, and his signature black tee. Everett is helping to set the table, which is a marble countertop with stools in front of it. We never needed anything bigger.

Mom is busying herself around, getting drinks out of the fridge and checking the timer on the stove. The scent of cinnamon mixed with meat fills the room. No one notices me standing there, not until dad lowers his paper.

"Oh, hey honey," he says, leaning forward to grab his steaming hot mug from the glass coffee table in front of him.

"Was I aware this was supposed to happen this morning? Did I miss the memo perhaps?"

"Morning sunshine," Danny sings, throwing a grinning glance over his shoulder, then goes back to the sizzling contents on the stove.

"Hey, morning, Fal." Everett waves happily.

"Hi sweetie. I'm sorry we missed you getting in last night. The boys stopped by an hour ago and asked if they could make breakfast. You know how much I love breakfast."

Mom's hair is still swirled up in one of her vibrant colored hair towels, but she's fully dressed. Her slippers scuff along the pergo flooring as she shuffles through the kitchen.

I navigate my way over to Danny. Something tells me this was all his idea. I'm not sure why. Falling in line beside him, he nudges me with his hip.

"Scramble those eggs, will ya? I can't have them burning."

Lifting the spatula from the cat shaped utensil rest beside me on the counter, I do as he says. We stand close by our bodies brushing against each other as he checks his bacon. Glancing up, I find him watching me.

"Is this because of last night?"

"Can't a guy do something nice for his friend?"

There's that word again. While Danny is just that, hearing it hurts more than I care to admit.

"Hey," he says, bumping me again. "What are your plans for today?"

"Honestly? I was thinking about crawling back into bed and spending it under the covers. Then I'd spend the day wondering why I wasn't important enough to be informed of certain things." I try to stop the building knot in my throat by biting the inside of my cheek.

Danny shuts the burner for the bacon, then glances down at the eggs. "They're burning."

I switch it off, then stare back up at him. Watching me intently, he raises a finger, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. Cupping my face in his hand he leans down and kisses my head.

"I'm sorry. He asked us not to say anything. I knew about the girl, not the engagement."

My attention goes to the compass tattoo that runs along the muscle on his other arm. It's the one he got the summer we all went off to college. Instead of NESW it's DFBE, the first letters of each of our names. He got it because as he always said, no matter what happens we'd always find our way back to each other. The sight of it makes my eyes sting.

"Not your fault, I stupidly decided it would be the perfect time to tell him how I feel. I only have myself to blame."

For a brief second, I catch a doleful look in his eyes. He shakes it away before I have a chance to double check if I actually saw it.

"What did you have in mind?" I ask, as he removes his hand, and starts placing the bacon on the plate on his side of the stove. "For today I mean."

"I was thinking, I know how much you love bookshelves-"

I gasp, my mood already improving from the mention of bookshelves. Danny grins, knowing he's hit a good nerve.

"Well, Mr. Everett says he's got some kind of geeky computer thing to do today so he's no help, but there's an empty shelf with your name on it waiting at my new apartment. If you help me with that, I'll buy you ice cream."

My shoulders dance with excitement.

"Wait." I hold up a hand. "Can I alphabetize your books?"

He chuckles. "Is that a yes? Most people would get excited over the ice cream, not the labor."

"Answer the question first. May I put your books in ABC order?"

He hangs his head, shaking it back and forth. His grin growing wider by the minute.

"You got it, Fal."

"Mhmm, okay, but Ben and I are hanging out later, so I have to be back by like five or six."

Something dark flashes across his eyes, but again, it's gone as fast as it came.

"I'll have you back at five."

"Perfect."

Maybe hanging out with Danny is the remedy to my lovesick heart. He can cheer me up, get me back on my feet, and when I talk to Bennett later, I can handle it without a problem. Maybe.

###

Cruising down Sunrise Highway Danny and I are belting out the lyrics to our favorite rock band. Spending the day with him was exactly what I needed to switch gears. I'm already focusing on the good about all of us being back together, even if it means Bennett and I are only friends.

"Thank you for today," I say, once the song fades. "You better keep those books in order!"

He chuckles. "Or what?"

"Or next time I'll come over there and make you put it in order in front of me. Now you'll be able to find the series books you're always missing."

Holding up one hand, he continues laughing. "Okay, so I'll mess it up and send you a picture then."

I shake my head, his contagious laughter catching me too.

"Why?"

"So that we can hang out again. Phone dates at Denny's are clearly not enough for me." He grins. "I missed you and your need to organize books and DVDs."

My relationship with Danny blossomed while we were a part. He is easy to talk to, gives good advice, and he and I have the most in common, but I never felt anything more than a friendship with him, at least I don't think I do, we're just really close.

I gasp. "You should get an entertainment center and I could fix your DVDs too."

For a brief second our eyes meet. One thing I always loved about Danny's smile, is when he REALLY smiles, his eyes squint so tight it almost seems as if they're closed, but they're not. It's one of my favorite features about him, aside from his playful behavior. "But I mean it, thank you."

He leans over, turning down the volume a little.

"Of course, what are friends for?"

I can't help cringing at the word again and phrase again. I shouldn't hate it, but I do, for right now at least. In the corner of my eye, I catch Danny's jaw clenching, as if he knows my demeanor has changed, even with the smile on my face. Oddly enough seconds after I found Victor cheating on me a few weeks ago, my phone rang, it was Danny looking for an update. Somehow, he always knows.

"Fallon, I know that look on your face, maybe better than you. Stop selling yourself short. Anyone would be lucky to have you as their friend or partner in life. They are out there, whoever they are, they are one lucky guy or gal."

Being that he's the only one of my friends I talk to about my dating life with, he's also the only one who knows about my relationship with two different girls in college as well as Victor, which lasted almost the entire last year of school.

For a moment I focus on the businesses we pass on the service road. I'd look at him if I could, but I need a break from eye contact.

"You're just saying that because you're obligated as my friend to see everything good and not the bad."

We pull off onto the service road at our exit and stop at the first light. His hand slips into mine.

"You want the bad? I'll give it to you. You dwell too much on what could be and what could have been. You never live for the future, and you torture yourself with things you can't control. Maybe you should start focusing on the things that you can."

He's talking about Alicia, and how for the longest time I blamed myself for not being there for my parents when she died. I was only eight, but that didn't mean I couldn't have sat with them in that waiting room, but I begged to go to school that day. There was an assembly I'd been looking forward to.

"Another thing. Stop dwelling on Ben. He's not worth it. He might be my best friend, but that doesn't excuse his shitty behavior. And if you want my advice, you're better off. There's someone out there who will appreciate you for who you are."

I'm not sure what to say. His hand slips from mine, returning to the wheel. The carefree vibe in the car suddenly becomes heavier. My sniffle gives me away as we pull into the spot in front of my house at the curb.

"God, Fal. I'm so sorry."

He rests his head on the wheel for a few seconds, while I wipe away the falling tears. It's no wonder Bennett doesn't want me, I'm a mess. He wants someone bubbly and fun like Julia.

"Fallon," Danny says, breathlessly, lifting his head from the wheel.

I keep my focus on the gray stucco of my childhood home and continue to wipe at my eyes. Danny's seatbelt clicks, then mine too. Before I can react, his strong arms are around me from behind. He leans over the center console of his truck to get to me.

Lifting my hands, I grasp at his forearm. I hold on tight and lean back into him. He rests his face against the back of my head. The warmth of his breath tickling my bare shoulder. I don't know what it is about this moment, or why being in Danny's arms feels almost natural, but I take the moment and hold onto it.

I adjust so that I'm facing him, and now it's my turn to initiate the hug. His breath catches in his throat as I almost jump the poor guy. He chuckles a little, but it's not his usual laughter, it feels more reserved.

Pulling back, I rest my forehead against his. My eyes remain open, but his are closed tight. I observe how the side of his scruffy cheek twitches, his jaw is set tight, and his eyelids wrinkle like he's forcing them shut.

A soft moan escapes my lips to nudge him, because I'm not sure what to say out loud. His lids flutter open, and for a flash there's something different about his stare. I've seen him look at other girls and make out with them right in front of all of us, but this is different. He's so still, so quiet, staring with an inward gaze, while his lip's part only enough to allow some air to escape.

A car horn pulls us from each other. I slap a hand to my chest, feeling as if I've just run a marathon, like I can't pull in enough air to breathe. The car passing is Bennett. He parks his old black Nissan in the driveway.

"There's your five o'clock," he says, an edge to his voice.

My brows tug together, as I watch Danny internalize what happened for those few seconds when it felt as if he and I were the only two people on this planet. In those moments I forgot about every insecurity, I wonder if he did too.

"Goodnight, Danny."

I reach for the handle, but he stops me. My head whips around in his direction, and I can feel the pounding of my heart hitting hard against my chest.

"Night, Fal." He lets go, and I step out. Bennett is already waiting on the sidewalk, questions dancing around in his eyes, as they flicker from me to Danny.

"Hey, are you ready?" Bennett asks as Danny pulls away. Bennett's attention is focused on the blue F-150 until it rounds the corner and disappears.

"Yeah. You?"

He looks again.

"Yeah,"I say, my voice barely above a whisper.