Daniella's POV

I took longer in the shower than usual. I have done nothing but think and overthink by now.

Sonia and I are what you can call friends, or as I like to call it, an acquaintance. We've had coffee a few times together during breaks but that was all. The only thing we shared was our disdain for that one junior class in specific.

I never really cared to know her and I never really paid much attention to her, so I have no idea of what to expect from her. I'd like to think she wouldn't actually tell on me just for the sake of it.

It's what I hope, at least.

"I'm sorry for taking so long," I say as I finally open the bathroom door, tying a knot on my robe.

"It's ok," she says simply from the bed. She's already under the duvet, waiting for me.

I turn off the lights before laying beside her on the bed and cuddling up to her. "I'll talk to her tomorrow, maybe I'm just overreacting."

"Your fears are real, Daniella," she murmurs resting her head on my chest. "And you don't have to do that alone, I know you're scared. But you don't have to be scared alone — you can tell me everything, all your fears... I'll be here," she says looking into my eyes, searching them, even though the only source of light came from the window, a very dim one at that.

I know she's talking about more than the Sonia situation, sometimes I forget Anna is not as naive as I make her be.

I don't know what to say. Silence overtakes us for several seconds until I reach up to her face stroking her left cheek and planting a small kiss on her lips making her sigh.

"You can't kiss me as an answer every time you're confused," she says, holding my hand on her cheek with her own.

"I know," I whisper.

"Talk to me."

"We can talk tomorrow, we should rest and figure everything out tomorrow, you said it yourself," I say, giving her a small smile.

She simply lets her head smoothly fall back to my chest, I hold her for several minutes but I can sense she's not sleeping.

• • •

After leaving Anna at the shop I went straight to the Clinic, I've received an email earlier today. The doctors said my mom is stable enough to be at home, In the midst of everything that is happening, this is certainly a light at the end of the tunnel.

"It's official, you've made it," I say as I close the door to the room.

"Where are my 'you've beaten cancer' balloons?" she asks amusedly from her chair.

"I was certain my presence would be enough," I say, rolling my eyes as I sit in the chair beside her.

"What's bothering you, darling?"

"Just stressed, I sent my applications at the last minute, I don't know if I'll make it to the final cut."

"Nonsense," she sighs. "I know you, you're just like your father. You're great at what you do, you have never doubted it for a second. What is it that is really bothering you?"

"Mom, I can deal with my own problems," I groan.

"Just like your father indeed."

"I'm nothing like him, I wouldn't leave you."

"Daniella, let that go," she says soothingly, holding my hand in hers tightly, something that always seemed to calm me down.

"Why aren't you packing up?" I ask, in an attempt at changing the course of the conversation.

"I'm waiting for Edward," she says simply.

"Mom, you don't know when he'll be leaving, you can come to visit him."

"No, I want to be here with him until he leaves," she says, giving me a few pats on my hand. "You'll go back to teaching soon and I'll feel alone in the house."

"You have slippers, he misses you every day."

"My sweet slippers, tell him I'll go back soon," she says and I know it's her final words, no matter how much I try to persuade her.

"Where's he by the way? Strangely not creepily standing by the door, I see."

"We have a date for later," she smiles. "You should pay him a visit."

"I'll bring Anna, later today, she hasn't seen him in a while since she started working."

"You should go by yourself, he has been wanting to talk to you."

"I wonder what it might be," I say rolling my eyes. "No dating advice, I hope."

"Be nice to him."

After bidding my goodbyes to my mom, I reluctantly knock on Ed's door. It takes him a few seconds to respond.

"My mom said you wanted to see me," I say entering the room, seeing the old man on the bed. "You look terrible."

He just lets out a weak laugh, pointing to the chair near his bed. "Sit down, sweetheart."

"I'm fine standing," I say, nearing his bed.

"Well, suit yourself. I wish I could stand," he says with yet another smile. I have yet to see this man not smiling. "Well, first of all, how are things going? I know the vacation was great."

"It's going good."

"I see," he says, suddenly leaning over.

"Don't ask what's bothering me," I say, interrupting him before he could continue.

"So, there is something bothering you."

"A lot of things bother me," I groan, finally sitting down on the chair.

"Is Anna one of those things?"

I'm impulsed to simply say no and end this conversation as soon as possible, but something in me stops me from doing so. "Anna is barely an adult, she has her defaults but she isn't the core of what bothers me — the consequences of being with her is what bothers me. That's not her fault, it's all mine."

"Is it age, the fact she was your student, what is it exactly?"

"It's me," I say simply, adverting my eyes to the window in front of me. "I can't stand the thought of losing her, yet I can't be honest with her."

"Why?" he asks, I can feel his eyes on me, but I don't say anything. "You're scared of opening up to the people you care about the most. Why?"

"I don't —"

"You do," he interrupts me, making me look back at him. "You think that by hiding what you feel you'll feel less, but that only brings you more pain. You think they won't understand so you don't bother. I've been there, Daniella, I've been you and if you don't put an end to it, it will take you to a very dark place."

"I doubt you were like me."

"Look at me, I'm alone. I've been alone for most of my life, I lost everyone I loved for fear of losing them. Solitude makes you think. I had a lot of time to think... But it was too late," he says, laying back down, now looking at the ceiling. "I thought I would die alone until I met Anna and your mom. They were my second chance." He looks back at me. "You're young Daniella, you have time. Don't make the same mistake I made."

"She's young —"

"She loves you!" He says fiercely, my throat suddenly getting tight, so tight it's hard to swallow. I try my best to block the tears from falling but at this point, it just seems useless. "Do you?"

"I do," I say in an ugly sob.

"That's all she needs from you," he says with a small smile. "Daniella, I'm dying."

I simply shake my head. "You can't."

"Anna and your mom, they need you. I want you to take care of them for me," he says reaching for my hand, I let him take it.

"That has to be another wa—"

"I don't want you to tell Anna, I don't want her to see me like this, or worse. You have to promise me." I shake my head again. "Please."

"I won't tell her," I say, finally allowing a tear to escape my eyes. "Does my mom know? She's waiting for you."

"She knows."

"When are you..." I start but I'm not able to finish my sentence.

"Tonight? Tomorrow? Only G-d knows, but I can feel it," he says picking up on my question. "Hold her tight for me."

I cried. I cried like I haven't cried in years, ugly sobs scaping my mouth as Ed held my hand tighter. For the first time in a very long time, I let everything out, right there in front of a man that I've barely known.

It felt good, it felt too good. The weight on my shoulders that I didn't know I was carrying suddenly went away and I felt like I could finally breathe again.

It took me a good while to recompose myself and after biding my final goodbyes to Ed I was ready to face whatever.

Be it Sonia, the world, or my own feelings.

• • •

"I wasn't expecting your text," Sonia says sitting down in the chair in front of me. I texted her earlier this morning for a coffee at a cafe, the one near the school where we would go between breaks. "You've never invited me to a coffee outside school hours so I'm guessing this might have to do with yesterday?"

"That's correct," I say simply, pushing my nervousness aside.

"So it's true."

"Yes," I say pushing a big lump down my throat. "We're dating but—"

"But it only started after her graduation, is what you were going to say, am I wrong?"

"Anna is an adult, either way, nothing happened before her graduation, that I can assure you. All her grades were from her own merit too. I don't expect you to believe me but I'm being completely honest," I say with all the confidence I have in myself.

"I'm shocked that you're a lesbian more than anything else," she says raising her eyebrows. I don't say anything, I don't need to explain myself. "Don't worry Daniella, I wasn't planning on telling on you."

"I just wanted to make sure," I say just as a waitress stops by our table, taking our orders.

"Well, I don't blame you, that's a lot to take in," she sighs. "I wish you'd have told me sooner, we're friends after all," she says, making the urge to roll my eyes almost impossible to resist.

"Again, we weren't dating when she was in school."

"I believe you," she says amusedly. "I heard you're leaving the school, I'm guessing that's the reason."

"Yeah, I thought it would be better to start new," I say taking my coffee from the waitress and taking a sip from it.

"That's good," she eyes me curiously. "Well, tell me everything."

I simply let out a groan. "I actually have to pick her up soon," I say looking down at my watch. I still had about an hour but I want to be nowhere near this conversation.

"Such a shame, but don't think you can run away from this, Daniella."

After almost having to run away from Sonia, I make it into the Abebe's florist shop, a little bell jingling as I open the door.

Anna is wiping the counter as Sophie sweeps the floor with a broom, it didn't take long for both of their eyes to land on me.

"Ms. Evans, what can we help you with? Looking for some flowers perhaps?" she asks amusedly.

"Just passing by," I say simply with a little smile but my eyes are on Anna.

"Oh I see, I'll sweep on the back, don't mind me," she says. immediately leaving before we could so much as open our mouths.

"You look happy," she says as I near the counter.

"I am. I talked to Sonia."

"That's great," she says with a smile but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. I've known Anna for long enough to know this is not the reaction she'd have in any normal situation. "I'm almost done, you came early."

"I wanted to tell it to you as soon as I could," I say, gaining a small giggle from her. "Are you not happy about it?"

"I am," she says immediately. "It's just... Daniella, we need to talk — about us."

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