to,” he said. “Listen, I didn’t mean to hurt the doc, okay? It was an accident.”
“Was it?” she said.
“I’m not a bad guy, Kira.”
“I know you’re not.” She glanced at the house. She had promised Connor that she wouldn’t be alone with Daniel, and she felt uneasy about breaking that promise. “I should go. It’s chilly and I’m not wearing a jacket.”
“Can I come in for a while?”
She chewed at her bottom lip. “That’s not a good idea. Connor’s staying with me while he recuperates.”
“What? Your boyfriend won’t let you have other guys in the house now? Is that why you’ve been ignoring me? Why you wouldn’t let me stop by and watch the game with you earlier this week?”
“That isn’t it,” she said.
Daniel frowned at her. “If he’s stopping you from seeing your friends, that’s a real shitty thing for him to do. Do you really want him to control your life like this, Kira? I know everyone thinks the doc is a good guy, but I’m not sure that he is. He’s got a coldness to him that -”
“He isn’t cold,” Kira said. “You don’t know him at all so stop making assumptions. He isn’t keeping me from my friends. I was just out with Gracie and Addison for most of the day.”
“So, it’s just me he’s keeping you away from,” Daniel said. “Look, I get that he’s jealous of our relationship, but again, do you want someone that insecure? It’s pretty immature of him to not allow you to have any guy friends.”
“Stop it,” she said. Her confusion was ebbing way to be replaced with anger. “Stop talking about Connor like you know him. You don’t, Daniel. You don’t know him at all.”
“I’m just worried about you, doll. You’re sweet and trusting and a guy like that? He doesn’t understand our relationship.”
“Our relationship?” Kira said. “What exactly is our relationship, Daniel?”
“Special,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding me right now?”
Daniel reached for her and she pulled away. He gave her a hurt look. “Now I can’t touch you? You used to let me hug you.”
“It’s different now,” she said.
“Only because Connor’s made it different,” Daniel said. “I miss you, Kira. I miss us. I get that Connor is important to you, but you’ve only been dating him less than a month. Don’t let him make you do something you’ll regret like giving up on us.”
“Us,” she said.
“Yes,” he replied. “Like I said, I miss us.”
“What exactly do you miss about us, Daniel? Be specific,” Kira said.
“You know, I miss how we were together. You coming to watch me play ball and cheering me on, bringing me special little treats at the station, helping me with shit, me coming by to watch the game with you. I care about you a lot, and I hate that we don’t spend time together anymore.”
She stared silently at him and shook her head when he tried to put his arm around her. “Don’t.”
She was an idiot. Daniel would never be jealous of her relationship with Connor. The only thing that bothered him about her dating Connor, was that she wasn’t around anymore to cater to his every whim, to worship him, and make him feel good that she pined after him like a fool.
“Are you seriously going to tell me that you don’t miss me?” he said.
“What would I miss?” she asked, that unexpected anger still bubbling inside of her. “You and I aren’t friends, Daniel. I thought we were, I really did, and for a long time I believed we could have more, but that isn’t true, is it?”
He gave her an uncomfortable look and shoved his hands back into his pockets. “Doll, I don’t -”
“Do not call me doll. I am not a doll or a toy for you to play with at your whim. I am a real person with thoughts and feelings, and I know that you’ve been using my affection for you since we were kids. I know that, Daniel. And I was okay with it, because I loved you and I wanted to be with you so bad that I was willing to take whatever scrap of attention you doled out to me.”
“Kira, I didn’t -”
“But not anymore,” she went on relentlessly. “My eyes are finally open, and I see you for who you are. A selfish guy who used a girl’s crush on him to get what he wanted.”
“That isn’t true,” Daniel said. “I care about you, Kira. I’m sorry that I’m