There he was, standing in the middle of my room, staring right at me. His skin lost its tan, being replaced by the paleness. His under eyes were extremely noticeable as well as his hair, which was a complete utter mess. But that's wasn't the thing that stood out the most.

His eyes.

That emerald shine that used to draw me in was forever lost. Instead, a dark, almost black colour was shown.

This was the Daniel I knew.

I should be mad at him. I am. But seeing him at this state broke my heart in a million pieces.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I rushed into his arms. He reacted quickly and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me in. I placed my head into his neck, inhaling his scent.

God I missed him.

He then carefully pushed me back and I saw his red eyes, alongside with the tears that ran down his cheeks. Without hesitation, I reached to swipe them, causing him to lean into my palm.

"I'm so mad at you," I whispered. "You drove us all insane."

"I know," he whispered back, looking down at the ground.

Clasping my hands onto his cheeks, I forced him to look up, his eyes meeting mine.

"Ever do that again," I threatened, as tears continued roll down my cheeks. "And I swear to God, you'll regret-"

I couldn't complete the sentence as his lips met mine. I was taken off guard but I immediately pushed him off.

"You can't do that!" I exclaimed. "You can't just disappear and once you're back, you kiss me! This is not how it works!"

"I know ok!?" He exasperated as he pulled his hair. He began to pace around the room, whilst breathing heavily. A few seconds later, he stood in front of me and remained silent for a few minutes. He sat on my bed, his hands pressed against his head. I sighed and sat next to him, also remaining silent.

I didn't know he was crying until I noticed that his shoulders were shaking. I hesitated at first, but I slowly placed my hand on his shoulders, causing him sit up straight and grasp my hand. He turned around and faced me, causing my heart to break.

"I remember the time the guys and I taught her to ride a bike," he began. "She had her helmet on and her elbows and knees protected, Alex went way too far with the protection." He sadly chuckled at the thought.

"I brought out my old bike, the first one I got, and I saw Jack struggling to put on the helmet cause she was wearing those uneven pigtails." I laughed as I wiped a tear away. "She wasn't scared. That was the thing that stood out the most to me. She wasn't scared to fall. She had that determination to learn how to ride the bike, something I never had."

"Every time she would fall, she would laugh and say she wanted to do it again-" tears continued to roll down our cheeks.

"Now that won't happen again," he painfully whispered. "I won't have those memories again cause they're taking her. They're taking my Belly away."

Pulled him towards me as he immediately hugged me back. Hearing him sob was probably the worst sound I could ever hear. Feeling him shake in my arms is the worst feeling ever. Seeing him in this state... God.

"Listen to me," my voice broke as I pulled him up to face him. "That son of a bitch won't take Belly away from you. Even if he has the best lawyer in America. He. Won't. Take. Your. Niece. Away."

I wish I could believe the words I was saying to him. I really do. But right now, I was unsure.

We sat there, holding each other as though life depended on it.

"What do you want me to do?" I whispered as I played with his hair.

I didn't notice that he didn't have his beanie on.

"Wake up with me," he whispered, as he lied us down. "That's all I'm asking."

❤️