Chapter Four: In The Sky
The private jet waited on the tarmac.
Danielle hated the sound already. It meant distance and made her feel like she was being exiled.
She climbed the stairs without looking back, knowing damn well that her father wasn't here to say goodbye.
Not like she cared, but the old bastard didn't let her nanny come with Danielle.
He signed her away like paperwork, and that was all she was now…another problem sent to a far corner of the world.
The seats were wider than her bed, but none of it felt like it was going to comfort her.
Drooping into the nearest one, dragging her knees to her chest, Danielle was finally able to breathe.
In…out…in…out…trying the best she could not to let a single tear fall from her eyes. This situation wasn't worth a single drop of water.
"Miss…"
His sudden voice made Danielle notice him immediately.
The man was already seated across from her.
He didn't look like Frank.
This stranger looked at least ten years younger. Strangely, Danielle looked him up and down, staring at his short darl hair, strict facial features, and posture that looked like it was careless but wasn't.
His suit wasn't government issued, but it fit better than anything she'd seen Frank wear.
He also looked at her with eyes that didn't blink too much.
Who was this weirdly attractive man and why was he sitting on the same plane as her?
"Danielle," he called her name smoothly. "I'm Theodor. Call me Theo if you want."
She blinked at him, then dropped her eyes to her knees.
"Your father assigned me to your detail. Frank thought I'd… get along with you better."
She almost laughed, but instead of that, the first sob escaped her chest.
Danielle tried to hide it, but once it started, it was impossible to stop.
Tears that she tried not to shed, slid down her cheeks, hot and most likely humiliating. She buried her face against her knees, refusing to let him see more.
Theo exhaled and rolled his eyes. "Crying? Really?"
She ignored his arrogant comment.
"You're being sent to Europe, not prison. It's not the end of the world."
Her shoulders shook harder. Whatever he was planning to say, it wasn't going to affect Danielle's thoughts, or change her behaviour.
Theo fell back, running a hand through his hair. "Listen, I don't do crying, okay? It's not my thing. You want to scream at me? Throw something at me? Fine. But tears? They don't fix anything."
She lifted her head just long enough to glare through red-rimmed eyes.
"Shut up."
Theo flinched his nose. "There it is. Knew you had a voice somewhere under all that noise."
Danielle sniffed hard and turned away, pressing her cheek to the cold window. The runway was empty, no one waving goodbye.
"You think I want to be here?" he asked after a moment. "You think I asked for this gig?"
"No one asked for me," she muttered back, not caring about him.
To Theodor, Danielle looked like a child who lost its candy. This scenario was very familiar to him, but whatever this girl was doing now-tears were not going to fix anything.
"You're wrong," he murmured quietly. "Someone asked. Frank did..."
She blinked at him, being clearly confused by his answer.
"He thinks you're worth the trouble. So here I am."
Danielle laughed bitterly. "Worth the trouble? He doesn't know me."
"I don't either." Theo placed his elbows on his knees. "So why don't you show me who you are, instead of soaking that seat with tears?"
Her mouth opened, then shut. Danielle hated him already. Hated his calmness, his audacity, the way he wasn't afraid to poke at her raw edges.
"You don't know what I've been through," she whispered.
"Then tell me."
"I don't want to."
"Then fight me."
Her head snapped around. "What?"
"You heard me. I'd rather you hate me out loud than drown in silence. Crying is boring. Fighting at least means you've got fire."
Danielle's hands balled into fists. "You're an idiot."
"Maybe."
She wanted to throw her shoe at him, to remove that pride until his smirk would crack. But unfortunately, her throat betrayed her with another cry…
Theo placed himself back, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. "Unbelievable. I was promised a rebellious brat. All I see is a girl curled up like a scared rabbit."
"You don't get to say that."
"I just did."
Danielle wanted to lunge across the cabin, claw that smug look off his face. But her body stayed pressed against the window. This shaking wasn't going anywhere just like this weird tall man.
"You're not worth my anger," she mumbled finally.
"Now you're talking," Theo met her eyes.
To avoid that ocean in his eyes, Danielle pressed her forehead to the glass, watching the ground slip away.
She'd never felt smaller. Never felt more abandoned like it was happening now.
Nobody loved Danielle or was at least on her side…
Theo's voice came again to destroy her peace. "Europe's not forever. You'll come back one day."
"I don't want to."
"Then prove you can survive without home. Prove you're stronger than what you are right now."
She turned her head, slowly relaxing her eyes. "Why do you care?"
"Because I hate watching people give up."
These words…Theo sounded just like her mother…For the first time since she'd boarded, Danielle stopped crying.
Not because she was going to believe him, but because it helped.
His statement touched something Danielle wasn't ready to admit… she had almost given up…
So, wiping her face with the back of her hand, smearing what was left of her makeup, Danielle thought of Gabriela…'mom…I missed you so much…'
Theo noticed, but didn't comment.
Danielle reminded him of someone who recently was forced to lose their life to save him.
"Foolish…this foolish behaviour…"