Michelle is stunned by what she just heard. Her first reaction is to shake her head. "this is another one of your dreams Michelle" she keeps repeating over and over in her head. Danny sits up in bed and looks at Michelle like he is trying to figure out what she is saying in that beautiful head of hers.
"What did I say wrong?"He asks almost sounding like a little boy who just made a mistake. Although he doesn't leave her enough time to answer.
"I heard you say you loved me in the hospital and.....I...I just.....I'm sorry."He adds feeling a tiny bit guilty. Then after some reflection he doesn't. Michelle is his wife and he does love her.....if only she would believe it now he tells himself.
"don't be......I just......"Michelle starts but then stops herself.
There is a long pause between them until Danny breaks the silence and asks Michelle a question regarding their marriage.
"Can I ask you something......and just be honest with me." He asked almost afraid she would say no to his request once he had asked.
"Sure.....What is it?" She asked sitting up in the bed.
Danny took a stroke of Michelle's hair and brushed it behind her ear. She was so beautiful he thought. Michelle got lost in his eyes. "how can he not remember? how can he not remember them in that same position just a few months ago?" She kept asking herself as if torturing herself was going to make it easier. The way he had just slid under the sheets and had told her how beautiful she was. The way he had kissed her.....she wanted him to kiss her like that again. So bad. But instead Danny asked her the toughest question she had ever been asked. the toughest yet the easiest. She knew the answer, not the exact one, but she knew it. she just didn't know how to put it into words.
"How did you ever fall in love with a guy like me?" he asked smiling.
Michelle looked at his face for a moment and reached out to touch his chin with her fingers. His heart was beating faster than ever at the feel of her touch. She took his breath away. Michelle let out a deep sigh full of emotions. All the emotions of the past few days and tried her best to answer Danny's question.
"aah.....your heart makes you feel a lot of unexpected things sometimes."She began. "Maybe the question shouldn't be how but why. Or maybe it's just because it's easier to answer why i fell in love with you than how." She stopped for a while as she tried to look for the answer in his eyes.
"You always had a weird effect on me" she said letting a nervous laugh slip out from her throat. "And one day.....I looked in your eyes, and I saw a different man. I saw the man that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."
Danny stayed silent as he was tasting each of her words. He didn't want her to stop there, and she didn't.
"I saw myself in you Danny. I tried to fight it but it kept coming back. Each time even more powerful than the one before. And with some time.....I guess I didn't want it to go away. I didn't want to wake up one morning and 'not' see myself in you anymore." she said tears rolling on her cheek.
Danny raised his fingers and whiped them away as she continued to pour her heart out to him, for the first time ever since they had met. This was the most honest and calm conversation they had ever had, and Michelle didn't feel like stopping midway. She didn't want to.
"You always protected me Danny. With everything you had. You risked everything for me. Your head was always telling you to back off, but you always came through with your heart. You were always there. No matter what. It's my turn Danny. It's my turn to be there for you." she said holding his hands.
Danny leaned forward and kissed Michelle softly on the lips. Michelle's hand went into his curly hair and she didn't hesitate to kiss him back. They were both lost in their desire for one another. Michelle didn't want any of this to stop. And if it was a dream......"Please God don't wake me up right now!" she begged silently. Danny's hands cupped Michelle's face and his kisses went down her neck and on her shoulders. Michelle sighed at Danny's soft touch. They started to lay down on the bed when Danny grabbed his chest in pain.
"danny I......"Michelle started before smiling at Danny's laugh.
They both looked at each other and laughed nervously before Danny sat back into bed.
"So no physical thing then......you didn't think I was sexy......?" He amusingly asked Michelle who was still trying to catch her breath. She giggled a little and felt her cheek turn pink.
"Of course not....."She said faking seriousness.
"Well......Your spanish accent is was always the sexiest." she added with a tiny bit of shyness in her voice.
Danny stared at the dark for a while and a smile spread across his face.
"Corre por las calles el jugo. En diciembre se desata el tomate, invade las cocinas, entra por los almuerzos, si sienta reposado en los aparadores, entre los vasos, la mantequilleras, los saleros azules. Tiene luz propia, majestad benigna......Debemos, por desgracia, asasinarlo." Danny whispered in the dark
"I have no idea what you just said but it sounds good" she said with a smile.
"Tomatoes" he said with a laugh.
"What?" Michelle asked a bit confused.
"That is a famous poem by Pablo Neruda and it's about tomatoes......" he added trying not to laugh to hard.
At the thought of Danny whispering her sweet poems ......about tomatoes in spanish, she couldn't help but laugh with him. Soon Michelle saw in Danny's eyes that he difinitely needed some rest. He layed down and soon fell asleep. Michelle spent almost half an hour watching him sleep. Why hasn't every night been like that? she asked herself. Well after second thought......not everynight had to be just like this one, and she couldn't help but laugh at herself for the thought she had just had. Finally she turned around and was almost asleep when Danny's arms came around her. His hand rested on her stomach keeping her warm with his entire body. Michelle turned her head to admire Danny, sleeping like a baby, wrapped around her.
Soon she fell asleep also.
Outside the room at the lighthouse, the young girl was sleeping, head resting on a school bag she had probably brought with her. she was sleeping about 3 feet away from the door. No sound could be heard in the entire lighthouse, except for the waves brushing the shore outside. The young girl kept waking up and going back to sleep at every noise during the night, a gun and a cellphone lying next to her. Ready for anything that was going to happen the next day.