“Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the management, we’d like to that you for coming out tonight and helping us open up this fantastic new venue! We are Thriving Drive and we are here to play you some music and we hope you like it.” Caleb announced, settling himself on a stool so as to take the pressure off of his foot.
As the night came to a close, Maggie decided to go to Taylor’s place instead of her own. With Danny staying at Caleb’s, she just didn’t want to be there and she also didn’t want to be alone. Taylor could sense that Maggie was not in the best of moods and offered a girls night after they left the venue, an offer which Callie and Alexis snapped up as well.
Back at Taylor’s, they all changed in to some extra t-shirts and pyjama bottoms that Taylor had and got comfy on the couches in the living room. Emerging from the kitchen with bowls of ice cream, they all sat there eating, waiting for Maggie to open up.
“I just don’t get it.” Maggie finally said, breaking the silence. “He doesn’t even know you and he said more words to you in five minutes than he has to me in five days!”
“Aw, Mag. I’m sorry I even introduced myself to him. I just wanted to talk to him, to witness the jerkiness myself.” Taylor responded.
“No, don’t apologize. It’s okay. It just pisses me off that he is such a jerk to me. I mean, what did I ever do to him?!”
“You did nothing!” Alexis added. “Some people are just jerks.”
“Yeah, but he wasn’t an ass to you guys!”
“I don’t know what to say. Just keep your head up. He’s out of here in a couple weeks, right? Grin and bear it.”
“You sound just like Caleb.” Maggie huffed.
Chapter Twenty Nine
Maggie and her friends woke up late Friday morning and hit up Denny’s for breakfast before she had to head to her shop to put the finishing touches on a cake order for that day. While it was sunny when she started going, the weather outside had started to turn. Typical Vancouver weather; nice one minute, storming the next. Because of the cake delivery in the early evening, she was going to meet Caleb and Danny at the studio for their rehearsal. The deceptive hints of blue she saw in the sky earlier had convinced her to walk to the studio, which was a decision she soon regretted. The cake was to be delivered a few blocks from the studio, but just as she had left to head there the skies opened up and Maggie was forced to run there if she had any hope of not being a puddle when she arrived.
The thunder started rumbling overhead just as she yanked the door open, pausing for a moment inside to catch her breath and to push her sopping wet hair off her face. She slowly headed up the stairs, saying good night to girl who she had gotten to know behind the reception desk and headed in to the studio. There in front of her stood Danny, standing at the ballet bar, warming up.
She looked around the room, but there was no sign of Caleb. Outside, the thunder clamoured again scaring her and causing a slight yelp to emit her mouth. At the sound, Danny turned around to face her.
“Ah, look who finally decided to show up.” He said with sarcasm in his voice.
“Where’s Caleb?” Maggie asked, completely dismissing his comment.
“Not sure. He called me a few minutes ago, but the line went out. I tried calling him back, but there was no answer. I think the lines might be down because of the weather.”
“Right.” Maggie’s eyes quickly bolted around and landed on her feet which began to shift side to side.
Maggie and Danny had never been left alone, just the two of them, since that night where he made his fabulous first impression, so being here only made her repeat the mantra in her head “please show up now, Caleb. Please show up now, Caleb.” But the only thing that showed up was a bolt of lightning. Outside the window in the studio they could see a bright flash of light just as the lights in the building had the opposite reaction and went out. This effect only lasted for a second before they flickered back on. The disruption in the power had caused the building’s alarm to start going off.
Danny rushed passed Maggie straight for the reception area to try to see if he could find an off button or a code or something that would make the terrible ringing stop. Before he had the chance to, the power went out again and took the alarm with it. Suddenly, Maggie’s cell phone rang and she picked it up eagerly.
“Hello?”
“Maggie? Where are you? Are you okay?”
She could barely make out Caleb’s voice on the other end of the line as it competed with static.
“I’m at the studio, but the power just went out. Where are you?”
“I had to run back to my apartment quickly and I’m still here. We just lost power as well. Is Danny there with you?”
“Yeah, he’s out in the reception area. The alarm went off when the power first cut off and he was trying to get it to stop I think.”
“Oh man, if the alarm was triggered the alarm company may think there’s an issue.”
“It’s okay, it’s off now because of the power.”
“No, what I mean is that if they think there’s an issue, they might have locked down the building.”
“What?!” Maggie questioned. With all the static she wasn’t sure if she had heard him properly.
“The front door has a lock that can be triggered remotely by the alarm company. It’s a security precaution. It stops thieves from leaving if they get in, allowing the cops time to show up.”
“What?!” Maggie questioned again, this time hearing what he had said loud and clear, but not wanting to believe it.
Just then, Danny appeared back at the studio entrance with a flashlight. Grabbing it from his hand, Maggie quickly made her way down the stairs to the front door and tried her best to push it open.
“What are you doing?!” she heard Danny yell after her.
“Would you be horribly opposed to me breaking down your door to get out of here?” Maggie asked back in to the phone.
“I’ll call the alarm company and let them know that it is not a break in, but because of the power being out as well, they might not be able to remotely unlock it. Just stay put, you’re safe inside. As soon as the power comes back on, I’m going to head over there, okay?” Caleb reasoned with her.
“Alright.” Maggie agreed begrudgingly.
In her ear she heard Caleb try to say something, but the static became too overwhelming and the connection was lost. Defeated, Maggie put her cell phone back in her pocket and turned around to head back up the stairs, only to run head on in to Danny.
“What’s going on?” he asked, putting his hands on her shoulders to steady her after their impact.
Moving his hands off of her, she looked at him blankly, “we’re stuck in here.” And made her way passed him and up the stairs.
When they both arrived back in the studio, Maggie explained the situation to Danny who shook his head in disbelief and mumbled something about going to find candles or another flashlight. Maggie went and sat against the back wall of the studio, facing the mirror. No more than ten minutes later, she saw a figure appear at the doorway. Watching his reflection in the mirror, he moved to the center of the room and laid out half a dozen candles and started trying to light them.
“Shit!” he cursed, burning his finger in his first attempt. Maggie couldn’t help but chuckle at his pain and think that it served him right. Danny turned around to look at her with what she assumed was a glare for it was too dark to see clearly. “You could help too, you know.”
Maggie rolled her eyes at him, and slowly made her way to the center where he stood, taking the matches from him. Striking one, she lit all the candles in one fowl swoop and crouched there, taking in the light and the reflection it was causing off of the mirror. Taking a seat where she was, Danny did the same and the two of them sat there watching the simplicity of the candles’ flames flickering.
After sitting there for who knows how long, Maggie was slightly startled when Danny began to speak.
“He told me to be nice to you.” He stated s
imply, it a slightly hushed tone, matching the quietness of their surroundings.
“Who?”
“Caleb. When he called earlier. He said something about being later than he thought, but when you showed up to be nice to you.”
Maggie didn’t respond and the two of them fell back in to the silence that had overtaken them before.
“You don’t like me much, do you.” Danny stated. Not questioning but instead knowing.
“Nope.” Maggie responded, popping the last bit of the word for emphasis.
“He really loves you, you know that?”
“I know. And I love him.” Maggie answered, a bit thrown off by the remark.
“I’m not much of a people person. Takes me a while to warm up to people. My art, my dance, that’s what I use to communicate.”
“That’s no excuse to be rude to people.” Maggie countered. “Besides, you had no problem being nice to my friends last night.”
“Honestly, I didn’t think I wasn’t not nice to you before, but when Caleb mentioned it before, it got me thinking.”
“Are you serious?!” Maggie asked, raising her voice. “You were such a smart ass when we first hung out. I was trying to be friendly, to make conversation. And ever since then, I just get the short end of the stick. One word answers, whatever.”
“It’s just...” he trailed off. “Sometimes the things I say or do don’t come across the way I think they are or the way I intend. I have nothing against you Maggie. And, I’m sorry.”
Hearing those words come out of Danny’s mouth threw Maggie for a huge loop. Here was the guy that had been rude and unfriendly to her from the beginning and now he was apologizing for it? “You’re sorry?”
“Yes.” He stated. Maggie looked at him, wanting more of an explanation and he hesitantly went on. “When I was a kid, I wanted to be a dancer. I was addicted to MTV and all the music videos of the ‘80s, the greats like Michael Jackson, they just made me want to get up and dance. My parents humoured me and enrolled me in classes after school. I ate it up, I loved every minute of it.” Danny paused and looked at Maggie intensely, trying to read her to see if he should go on. “Shortly before high school graduation, my dad died. When it came time for me to look into colleges, my parents were completely against me going anywhere to study dance and when my dad passed, my mom felt that she had to follow his rule even more. But for me, there was never any other option. She told me to forget about dancing and to focus on something more “real” because I would never make it. Them not believing in me propelled me forward to want to work on my art even more. It gave me even more drive to make it. But it also made me put a guard up. Up until that point, my parents were nothing but supportive. They were at every show, every recital, cheering me on. I thought that they believed in me. It wasn’t until junior year ended and the real world was calling that they showed their true colors. Now, I’m not blaming them for the way I act, but I am partially a product of it. With my dad, I still question as to whether he is proud of me for going for my dreams or cursing me from wherever he is for not listening to their wishes.” Danny paused, processing what he had just told her.
Maggie was sitting there, staring at him in surprise that he had opened up to her so much. “In those moments,” he continued, “I wasn’t able to verbally express to my family what I was feeling. What had happened just put me at a loss for words, so, I put it in to a dance. Even though I’m an adult now and I’ve gotten better, sometimes I don’t think to use my words enough and I just float by.” Danny shrugged at the last comment and went back to watching the candles flicker, appearing lost in a daze.
“Then why were you so nice to everyone else last night?” Maggie asked quietly.
“Your friends are great. They’re really easy to talk to...” he answered in an equally quiet tone. After a long pause, he mumbled out “You’re a really pretty girl.”
“What?” Maggie asked, unsure if she heard him properly.
Danny groaned, hating that he had to explain this, but knew that if they were to ever be civil to each other, it was necessary.
“I’m a guy. Guys sometimes get tongue tied around pretty girls. So, add that in to the mix and...I’m sorry.”
Maggie felt a blush creep in to her cheeks. Just as he was still a guy, she was still a girl and getting complimented on her beauty was something she was still not used to, no matter how many times Caleb told her.
Wait a minute. He thinks I’m pretty? Does that mean he has a crush on me? What? Maggie thought to herself as these thoughts suddenly overtook her brain. She physically shook her head to get them out and to bring herself back in to the present moment. Seeing how Danny had opened up so much to Maggie, she only felt it was right that she extended a sign of peace as well and she suggested that they start over. With that, Danny extended his hand and introduced himself to her again. With a small laugh, she took his hand.
Maggie and Danny were stuck in the studio for hours, but the time flew by. After they got over their differences, they talked nonstop about anything and everything. She learned about Danny’s dance troop and band “The Classics” and she filled him in on her bakery. She wasn’t as open with him as she had been with Caleb on their first date, but she was starting to feel more and more at ease with Danny as their conversations continued.
Even though their paths weren’t the same, she could relate on many different levels. It was different talking to him and she got a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach. While with Caleb she was completely comfortable with him from the start, with Danny, she felt the want to be completely comfortable with him. She didn’t know what to make of this sudden feeling, but tried to shrug it off to wanting to be friends with him. This sufficed until he said something that caused her to look up at him.
As the candle light caught his eyes, illuminating their intense blue color, she felt a pull that she couldn’t look away and in that moment, all she could do was gulp and think Oh no. This cannot be good.
Chapter Thirty
"Stupid, stupid, stupid" Danny yelled as he smacked his hand to his forehead in repetition. Hey, it hurt less that if he were to bang his head against the wall. And would leave less of a mark. He took the few moments he had in the men’s bathroom at the studio to compose himself before he headed back to her. Maggie was one of his good friend's girlfriends and here he was telling her she made him tongue tied and that she was pretty. He was frustrated at himself for being both honest (under the circumstances) and for sounding like he was in middle school.
Danny wasn't a relationship type of guy and he was the first to admit this. Why beat around the bush, he always thought. But Maggie? Maggie he could tell was a relationship type of girl. He could always spot them; the girls that no matter how much liquor you gave them, they would not be going back to his place that night. Danny didn't think it was a bad thing; like he didn't think it was a bad thing that he was the opposite.
Actually, that's not entirely true; it was a bad thing when they were girls that Danny would give anything to bed, but knew that would never happen. He may be seen as a Playboy, but he was above putting on a happy face and faking it for a handful of dates before he would get laid. The thing that got him about Maggie was that she intrigued him. She was hard to read and played her cards close to her chest. He knew that it was a dick move, but he toyed with her a bit when they first met, both to test the waters and to see if he could get a read on her. It was never his intention to be mean or piss her off as much as he apparently did though.
The more and more time they spent together, the more he began to be able to spot the little ticks that appeared every time he hit a nerve. It made him chuckle and smirk at first, but when she confronted him, it honestly hurt him a bit that he knew he had dug a bit too far. Sure, he was a smart ass, but he never wanted to truly be a jerk.
Now he found himself stuck in the awkward position of what to do. He knew he shouldn't pursue her any further; she was dating Caleb after all, but he also knew that he couldn't p
ut the cat back in the bag (so to speak) and keep on pushing her buttons as he had before. Fact of the matter was that Danny needed to figure out what he wanted. If that turned out to be Maggie then he was in completely new territory; morally and emotionally.
Chapter Thirty One
Once Maggie and Danny were finally ‘rescued’ from the dance studio, everyone decided to call it a night and head home. When the power came back on, the alarm company unlocked the front door and Maggie let Caleb know that he should just stay put at home. He already had one broken foot and she didn’t want him injuring himself anymore by coming out in this weather.
Her and Danny parted ways at the front door. To say it was awkward was an understatement. After they both exchanged good-byes, they stood there unsure as to whether or not they should hug or shake hands or what. Maggie made the decision for both of them and said one more good-bye and turned and walked away. She couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Once she reached her apartment, she threw down her belongings on the ground and let out a dumbstruck “what?!”
She was completely confused at what had happened that evening. Yes, she understood that Danny had apologized and that they were starting over, but what threw her was the “You’re pretty” comment and the pull she felt from his eyes. She didn’t know what to do. She thought about calling her friends, but she knew that Alexis was out on a date and Taylor would just overanalyze everything and Callie wouldn’t analyze everything enough. Instead, she sat down on the rug in the middle of her living room and talked things out. To herself.
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