“Are you sure there isn’t anything you want me to get you?” questioned Dani as I entered my room and plopped down onto my bed.

I shook my head, “Dani, I’m fine, I wish you would stop fussing over me.” She smiled sweetly and walked over taking a seat next to me on the bed.

“I’m a mom CeCe, it’s my job to worry and fuss,” she said wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me into a side hug before kissing the top of my head. “I am so glad that you are home, your brothers were about to drive me bonkers.” I giggled and Dani cocked her perfectly sculpted brow, “You think I am kidding? I nearly beat Nicholas into a coma just so he could join you in the hospital.”

"Awwww you could've done it. I would have loved a hospital buddy." I smirked.

Dani laughed. "Well, it wasn’t just Nick. Truth be told, the other two would have been next in line, so you would have had all three of them as hospital buddies. Maybe then I would have gotten some sleep."

"Dani?" I looked over at her before biting my lip. "Thank you for taking care of the boys, I know it couldn't have been easy dealing with them while I was away."

Dani smiled. "We're family, and I know that sounds cliche and cheesy, but it's the truth. You would have done the same if anything happened to me."

"Still, thanks." I bit my lip to hold back the tears. "I need to talk to someone about some stuff…stuff that I can’t really talk to the boys about."

Patting my hand comfortingly, Dani kissed my forehead and sighed. "What is it sweetie, you know you can always talk to me about anything."

"Josh." I said simply.

She nodded her head, “Yes, I have heard a lot about him this past week.”

“The boys don’t like him,” I said with a sigh.

“But you do…” she added, attempting to finish my thought.

I shrugged, wringing my hands nervously. "I don’t know what I like at this point, I feel so confused.”

“What about Matt? What happened to him? Until a week ago, you were head over heels for that boy.” Dani questioned, attempting to understand where my head and my heart were at.

“See that’s just it…” I said in frustration, “I was head over heels for Matt, I have been for years, then we finally get together and he seemed perfect, things were going good and he was sweet and the boys liked him…but then Josh showed up and he just changed.”

“Sweetie, no offense, but are you sure you weren’t the one who changed?” Dani questioned causing me to cock a brow.

“What do you mean?” I asked taken aback by her question.

Dani put her arm around my shoulders pulling me into a side hug. “I just mean…you weren’t exactly acting like yourself these past weeks, maybe Matt wasn’t the one who changed, or if he was acting different it was because of Josh, maybe he was jealous.”

“There was nothing for him to be jealous about!” I spat suddenly regretting my decision to talk to Dani about Josh…it seemed her loyalties, like my brothers, lied with Matt.

Noting my frustration Dani held up her hands in mock surrender. “Sweetie, I am not taking Matt’s side, I am on YOUR side, I am simply trying to give you some outside perspective. Maybe Matt has changed, maybe you got so caught up with the IDEA of being with him that the actual relationship just didnt live up to the fantasy…OR maybe what you wanted isn’t what you want anymore…maybe what you want now is Josh.”

I paused for a moment letting Dani’s words sink in. “The thing is…when everything went south with Matt, I wasn’t interested in Josh, it wasn’t until after we broke up that I actually got to know him…”

“Yes, but, breaking up with Matt over an argument seems a bit extreme doesn’t it?” Dani asked.

 I sat there again mulling over her words,  in hindsight breaking up with the boy I had been pining over for two years did seem a bit rash…perhaps the sugar rage I was apparently in at the time could have had something to do with it… “Fair enough…but what about afterward? Who was there to literally catch me when I fell? Who stayed in the hospital for hours waiting to see if I was ok?  We just met and it was Josh that was there for me, not Matt. Why didn’t Matt even bother to come see if I was ok?”

Dani shrugged her shoulders. “I wish I had answers for you sweetie, but I don’t.”

I threw myself back onto my bed dramatically. “All of a sudden everything is changing… I just feel really confused.”

Dani laid back beside me with a sigh. “There have been a lot of changes lately, Kevin and I expecting another baby, Nick and Cat getting together, you dating and then breaking up with your crush…it’s only natural to feel a little discombobulated …it’s a lot to take in at once, but I promise you that things will go back to normal…just…different normal.” I smiled, moving my head over to rest on Dani’s shoulder. “I need to ask you something.”

I hated questions that started this way…any question that required a warning was usually one that led me to confessing something I didn’t want to confess.“Ok…”

“I need you to be honest with me…” she said her tone serious I nodded my head in agreement before Dani took a deep breath in preparation of her question. “Do I look fat?”

Chapter End Notes:

Have been/still am SUPER SICK...but figgured if I didnt update soon you guys would come  with torches and pitchforks :P Happy New Year!