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“Callie?” a voice asked, laced with panic.

There were hurried footsteps and someone kneeled in front of me, shaking me.

“Callie!”

I opened my eyes, dazed, and squinted at the figure in the dark. My eyes were sore and puffy and my head felt like I had left it on spin cycle in the wash. I tried to say something, but no sound would come out. How long had I been here in the dark? What time was it?

“You’re trembling,” the worried voice said and I felt something being wrapped around my shoulders.

I felt warmer, but at the same time I didn’t remember being cold. I had probably fallen asleep.

“Can you stand?” they asked. “What happened?”

I felt myself being tugged up by strong arms. I should probably protest before I got kidnapped by this stranger.

“Let me go,” I said, shrugging them off me.

“Callie, it’s me,” the figure said, but everything looked blurry.

“It’s me, Daniel.”

Daniel? As in my Daniel? No… Daniel wasn’t my anything and he wouldn’t be here right now. I was probably still dreaming. I felt my foot slip and I wanted nothing more than to curl up and start a different dream.

“You’re burning up,” he murmured, and I felt him pick me up, bridal style and carry me off.

“No,” I murmured, but my head felt like it was being pounded with a baseball bat.

“Shh, it’s okay now,” he whispered soothingly. It was reassuring.

I still tried to twist myself free from his grasp, but it felt warm and in a few seconds everything went black.

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My eyelids fluttered open as the room became illuminated with light. I groaned at the dull throbbing ache in my head. What had happened? My memories from last night came flooding back. I remembered leaving Demetri’s house and then almost getting into an accident, and then I went to the park and… My eyes shot open. I looked around the room in a panic as I sat up, throwing the sheet off me.

My clothes were gone and I was only in my underwear. I quickly grasped the sheets. Did I really get kidnapped yesterday? I held my shaking palms to my lips as I tried to stop myself from screaming. I remembered someone wrapping something around me and then that was it.

I had to get out of here, but I had no idea where I was or where the person who brought me here was. My phone. I needed my phone. I spotted the phone on the bedside table and anxiously tapped the screen, but my battery was dead.

I tried to stay calm as I threw my feet over the side of the bed. Think Callie. Yesterday was Friday, so today was probably Saturday. Most likely my parents didn’t even realize I was gone. They were always too busy partying anyways. My brothers had been picked up immediately after school and were at my grandparents for the weekend, so nobody was at home.

I looked around the room for signs of my clothes and spotted them neatly folded on a chair. I was just about to step out of the bed to get them when the door opened softly.

I shot a panicked glance at the door, but my heartbeat calmed when I saw Daniel enter the room. He was holding a tray and he closed the door with his foot. I eyed him warily as he came over to the bed.

“You’re awake,” he smiled.

“You’re the kidnapper?” I blurted.

“Kidnapper?” he asked as his brows furrowed in confusion. He set the tray on the nightstand.

“Where am I?” I asked, looking around.

“You’re in my room. We’re in the Noble Realm. I brought you here last night so the doctor could see you,” he explained, pulling a chair closer to the bed and sitting on it. “You had a raging fever and I was really worried.”

I relaxed slightly and my belly chose that moment to make a dying whale sound as my face burned in embarrassment.

Daniel placed the tray on my lap. “You must be hungry. I’m not the best at cooking… but I tried,” he said wistfully.

I looked down at the food. The eggs were slightly charred and the bacon was incredibly dry. I glanced at him and saw a burn mark on his hand.

“You got hurt,” I muttered.

He quickly covered up the burn with his other hand and smiled. “Don’t worry. It’ll heal in a few minutes.”

He frowned at the food. “It doesn’t look very edible does it?”

I managed a slight smile at his disgruntled expression.

“Forget this. I’ll take you out for breakfast,” he said, hurriedly taking back the tray.

He placed it on the night stand and looked at me with a frown. His hand reached up to my neck. There were tingles when his hand connected with my skin, but I pulled away, suddenly remembering that underneath the sheet I was practically naked.

“Um…my clothes.”

Daniel’s eyes widened. “Oh… um… the doctor took them off for you. I didn’t see anything. I wouldn’t touch you like that without your permission,” he said quickly.

“So that’s what happened,” I muttered relieved and grateful.

“Yeah.” He smiled at me. “You can stay here while I go get something better for you to eat.” He chuckled. “I didn’t want to leave you alone, but since you’re awake I’ll go now.”

He stood up and then took out a paper bag and placed it on the bed beside me. “The doctor brought these by for you this morning,” he said and then left the room.

I peered into the bag. There was a fresh pair of underwear and a dress that was about my size. I smiled. That was so nice of them. I got out of bed and walked tentatively into the bathroom.

It felt weird being inside Daniel's room. Sometimes I still couldn’t believe that he was back. I had to tell myself that it wasn’t a fever dream. Daniel was actually back.

I took a refreshing bath and then got dressed in the clothes from the bag. I wandered downstairs to wait until he came back. The sink was littered with all the utensils he had used in his attempt at breakfast. Why did he need a rolling pin to make bacon and eggs? I laughed to myself. He was living alone and at the same time he couldn’t cook.

But I was kinda like that too. I could only make simple stuff, while Mel and Liz were experts in the kitchen. Then again, I never had a reason to learn. The helpers did everything for us.

Daniel came back as I put away the last dish.

“You really didn’t have to do those,” he smiled, setting the food on the table.

“Hey, it’s the least I could do.” I sat down across from him.

We had breakfast with light conversation. His eyes kept drifting to my neck which, as I had discovered in the bathroom, was covered in love bites.

He didn’t ask about it, but I could tell it was bothering him.

“What were you doing at the park last night?” I asked.

“I was… thinking and I decided to go there. I haven’t been there in a while.” He shrugged.

“It was a miracle you managed to find me. Whatever you were thinking about helped to save me last night,” I smiled.

“I’m glad,” he said with a sad smile.

“Wait, you said you’ve been there before? When was that?”

“It was a long time ago,” he said, obviously avoiding the question. “Why did you go there?”

“I just happened to pass it. Somehow that park became my happy place. I always go there when I feel down and just need to take a break.”

“Your happy place, huh,” he repeated with a small smile. “Did something happen last night? Your car was completely wrecked on one side.”

“I’m going to have to get that fixed,” I groaned. “At least I don’t have to explain it to my parents.”

“They’re not gonna ask what happened to it?” he asked incredulously.

“Nope, they’re the same as three years ago. They still don’t care about anything or anyone but themselves. But it doesn’t bother me as much anymore.”

Daniel frowned. “How did that happen?”

“I almost got hit by a truck.”

He looked up at me, the concern and disbelief painted across his features asked his questions before he could. “Callie are you okay? What happened?”

“No, it’s my turn to ask a question,” I said. “What were you thinking about last night?”

Again, he looked hesitant.

“Don’t lie to me,” I said, waving my half eaten breakfast sandwich at him.

“You know I won’t lie to you,” he sighed. “I was thinking about you.”

I pointed at myself in confusion. “You were thinking about me?”

“My turn,” he stated, observing me worriedly. “What happened last night?”

I shrugged and pursed my lips. “Demetri and I broke up.”

His brows rose in surprise and I nodded, but before he could say anything, I continued.

“Why did thinking about me lead you to that park? It’s kinda far from here.”

“That’s one of the places we went to that day,” he answered.

His mind seemed to wander back to the day that I still couldn’t remember. But it would explain why it made me happy for apparently no reason at all. I frowned. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to remember what happened.

“Why did you and that guy break up?”

I got into the whole break up fiasco. He listened patiently as I told him, but I could sense the anger radiating off him. His fists clenched and unclenched throughout the account.

I wasn’t feeling as bad as I had been feeling yesterday. My head was clearer now. I guess I'd let my feelings for Demetri get in the way of my rational thinking. I could see now what Mel meant when she said there was fire in my heart and smoke in my eyes.

I thought I could change him, but I was wrong. My friends didn’t like him, so that was on me for ignoring the red flag. It still hurt to know that I was just his plaything, but I’d been through worse.

“You don’t have to get so upset about it,” I told Daniel, whose tongue was pressed against the insides of his cheek. He always did that when he got angry and was trying to calm down.

“How dare he-”

“How dare he what? Break my heart? He’s a little too late for that.” I laughed bitterly. “Whatever I was feeling yesterday was nothing compared to when you left.”

He sighed and heatedly ran a hand through his hair. “It was that bad?”

I nodded.

“You have all right to hate me,” he scowled at himself.

“Maybe… but you apologized and explained so I’m not too angry about it now. Honestly, I feel like I’m forgiving you way too easily.”

“You are. I didn’t imagine that I’d been hurting you this much when I left. I thought I was protecting you.”

“You should have let me decide that,” I sighed. “Chances are I wouldn’t care what you were. But it’s in the past. I just have to keep moving forward. I’m going to learn how to protect my heart from now on.”

“You’re very strong, Callie.”

“An Origen called me strong.” I laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“I’m serious,” he smiled. “And you’re beautiful inside and out. You deserve so much better than this.”

“Right?” I agreed with a laugh.

“I held back because you said you liked him and look what he did to you,” he growled lowly. “But there’s something I have to tell you, Callie. I was thinking about it all day yesterday.”

I frowned. What was it now?

He looked me dead in the eyes. “Callie, I love you and I’m going to accept you as my soulmate. It’s entirely up to you what you want to do, but I don’t want to lose you one more time. I can’t bear the thought of losing you again.” His expression was pained as he imagined it.

“Daniel, I still have feelings for you too,” I admitted softly. “Somehow I never stopped thinking about you… but I’m still shaken up from three years ago and I’m still kinda hurt from yesterday. I don’t think I’m ready to start another relationship right now.” I glanced up at him. “And I don’t want to use you as a rebound from Demetri. I need some time to focus on myself.”

Daniel nodded compassionately and told me he understood and that he was willing to wait by my side no matter how long it took. He hugged me tight and I inhaled the familiar smell of my long lost love.

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