DANIELLE X MANON

Requested by, Kaylee_234

Manon sat on the edge of her bed, her hands clenched tightly in her lap, her heart pounding in a way that felt wrong. She had never been the type to run from things—especially not from feelings that needed to be addressed. But as the words she had just spoken to Danielle echoed in her mind, she couldn't escape the heaviness of what she had just done.

"I think we need to break up, Dani."

She had barely seen the pain in Danielle's eyes before she turned and walked out the door, the silence between them thick and suffocating. The shock of those words had caught both of them off guard, but it was too late now. The decision had been made. And as Manon sat there, her heart felt like it was in pieces—pieces she had shattered herself.

It wasn't that she didn't care about Danielle. Far from it. Danielle had been her partner, her confidante, the one person who had held her steady through some of the toughest times in her life. But recently, something had shifted inside Manon. She couldn't quite explain it, but the love she had once felt for Danielle had dulled in a way she couldn't ignore. And it was wrong, she knew that, but what hurt the most was knowing that she had betrayed someone who had trusted her completely.

Manon stood up abruptly, her mind a whirlpool of emotions, and grabbed her phone from the bedside table. She needed to fix this—she couldn't just leave things like this, not when Danielle's face had been etched with such hurt, such disbelief. She needed to talk to her, to explain, to make it right.

She dialed Danielle's number, holding her breath as the phone rang. Her fingers trembled, but when Danielle's voicemail picked up, a hollow emptiness filled her chest.

"Danielle, please pick up," Manon whispered to herself, her voice breaking.

When there was no answer, Manon took a shaky breath and left a message. "Dani... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that like I did. I wasn't thinking, and I need to talk to you. Please, call me back. I can't leave it like this."

The phone call ended, and Manon felt the weight of guilt settle deeper in her chest. She had promised Danielle that she would never hurt her, that she would always be honest. But now, she had shattered everything, and the silence between them felt like a deep chasm she didn't know how to cross.

***

Danielle didn't pick up the phone the next day. Or the day after. Manon's texts and calls went unanswered, each one a silent plea that echoed in the empty space between them. The guilt gnawed at Manon, a constant companion that seemed to grow sharper with every passing hour.

She couldn't stop replaying their last conversation in her head, the way Danielle's eyes had filled with tears before she turned and left. The way her voice had cracked as she whispered, "I don't understand, Manon."

The thought of causing Danielle so much pain was unbearable. Manon knew she had to fix this, even if she wasn't sure how to make up for the hurt she had caused. All she knew was that she needed to see Danielle, to talk to her face-to-face, to explain in a way that would make sense—if that was even possible.

***

After three days of silence, Manon found herself standing in front of Danielle's apartment door, her heart hammering in her chest. She had come here without thinking, driven by a need to make things right, to at least try. Her hand shook as she knocked, her breath coming in uneven gasps.

For a moment, there was nothing—no sound from inside, no indication that Danielle was even home. But just as Manon was about to turn away, the door opened, and there Danielle stood. Her eyes were red, her face pale, but there was something in her expression that made Manon's chest tighten.

"What are you doing here, Manon?" Danielle's voice was soft but filled with a quiet hurt that made Manon's throat close up.

"I—I need to talk to you," Manon said, her voice faltering. She wanted to reach out, to pull Danielle into her arms and apologize a thousand times over, but she knew she had no right to do that—not until she had said what needed to be said. "I'm so sorry. I should never have said what I did. I should have been honest with you from the start."

Danielle folded her arms across her chest, her expression unreadable. "You *were* honest, Manon. You told me you didn't want to be with me anymore. That's all I needed to hear."

Manon's heart sank at the sharpness in Danielle's voice, but she pressed on, trying to find the right words. "I didn't mean it like that. It's not that I don't love you, I do. But I've been holding onto something that hasn't been there for a while now, and I couldn't keep pretending. I couldn't keep lying to you, to myself. You deserve someone who loves you fully, and right now, I don't think I can be that person for you."

Danielle's eyes softened slightly, but there was still pain in her gaze. "I don't understand. I thought we were happy. I thought *you* were happy."

"I was, but..." Manon faltered. "But something changed. I can't even explain it. I just know that I've hurt you, and that's the last thing I ever wanted to do."

A long silence stretched between them. Manon watched as Danielle closed her eyes for a moment, as if trying to collect herself, before she finally spoke again.

"I thought you were the one, Manon," Danielle said quietly. "I thought you were the person I was going to build my life with. And now... now I don't know what to do with any of this."

The words struck Manon like a physical blow, but she swallowed hard, fighting back tears of her own. "I'm sorry. I really am. I can't change what I said, but I want you to know how much you mean to me. You deserve someone who is certain, who can give you everything you need. And I don't want to hold you back from that."

Danielle nodded, her lips trembling, and for a moment, the space between them felt impossibly wide. "I need time, Manon," she whispered. "I don't know if we can fix this."

Manon nodded, her throat tight with unshed tears. "I'll give you all the time you need. I'll wait, if you want that. But I understand if you don't."

Danielle's eyes met hers one last time before she stepped back, closing the door gently between them. And as the sound of the latch clicked shut, Manon's heart shattered all over again.

Fufu830, this was so sad to write!