Dozens of people excited the gate, each going their separate directions. Finally a smiling green-eyed face appeared, swinging her arms vigorously. "Dude!" the happy face exclaimed as she dropped her bags and ran to Danielle. "Dude!" Danielle shouted back, hugging her best friend, Mercedes. "Okay, dude, it's not like you haven't seen me in years, or anything." Mercedes joked, picking her bag back up. Danielle picked up her other bag, and the two began walking slowly towards the parking lot, catching each other up on their lives.
"Have a good trip?" Danielle asked curiously at the luggage claim. "As good as it possibly can be considering I was forced to bond with my family the ENTIRE time!" Mercedes replied, picking up her suitcase off the claim belt. They continued on towards the parking lot. Mercedes stopped in her tracks and looked at Danielle oddly. "What?"Danielle asked, confused. Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Aren't you going to tell me about him?!?!" she demanded. "Who?" Danielle asked cluelessly.
"Who?!?! The one-armed man. Who do you think?!?!" Mercedes sarcastically replied smacking Danielle's arm.
"Oh, him." Danielle replied quietly, opening up the trunk of her car, and throwing Mercedes bags into it. She could see Mercedes was dying to know, and she was loving that. She smiled at her innocently, tucked her hair behind her ear, and headed towards the driver's side. "Are you going to tell me anything, or are you going to be inhumane and make me suffer?" Mercedes demanded, slamming her door shut. Danielle laughed at her and started the car. "He's, he's, nice."
"NICE? You meet JC Chasez after years of obsession and all you can say about him is he's nice?!?!? Fine, don?t tell me." Mercedes sat back in her seat, frustrated with her friend, and focused her attention out the window.
"Okay, he's, REALLY nice. That better?" Danielle joked. Mercedes was not amused. "I mean, he's, he' s just like I wanted him to be." Mercedes glanced over at Danielle. Danielle smiled to herself, as she traveled back to their apartment. He was more then nice, but she couldn't quite describe it. "I can't LIKE him, I don't know him." she thought to herself. Danielle shook
her head. "What?" Mercedes asked. "Nothin.."Mercedes smiled big. "You like him, don't you? I mean- you, literally, honestly like him." Danielle took her eyes off for a brief moment to smile at Mercedes. "He's nice." Mercedes rolled her eyes and turned to the window. "Whatever." she said grinning, "You want him."
"So, when do I get to meet him?" Mercedes asked plopping down on the sofa in their apartment. "Meet him?" Danielle poked her head out of the refrigerator, and laughed at her friend. "Ya, I could just show up sometime." Mercedes smiled evilly at her Danielle. "Then I'd HAVE to meet him." Mercedes raised her eyebrows. "Maybe Justin will just happen to swing by. She smiled at Danielle as she sat down next to her on the couch, and dug her hand into her bowl of popcorn. "Well, Danielle, love, something in my room is calling my name; my bed. Have a good day tomorrow with," she paused, and placed her hand on her heart, "Josh!" she said sighing as she headed towards her bedroom. "I hope you know you're going to HELL!" Danielle yelled down the hallway at her.
"I love you, too, Danielle." Mercedes shut her bedroom door behind her and Danielle was left alone in the living room. She curled into a ball on the sofa, with a pillow between her chest and her knees. "I can't wait until tomorrow.."
Five