Free Bitter Farewell by Karolyn James

the moment could last forever.
     
    **
     
    Liv only meant to push Danny away. That’s what she really wanted to do. Just push him away, gently, and then slip out of the bathroom. She was too afraid to admit her single lifestyle to Danny for fear of what it would do to him. The moment between them might have been great, but what was it? A flickering memory with one last... flick ...
    But when Liv’s hands touched Danny, she didn’t push. She just had her hands there. She didn’t mean to feel the hardness of his chest and she didn’t mean for her mind to tell her that Danny had gotten bigger and stronger over the years. Then Danny put his hands on top of hers, holding her hands in place.
    “I think the only person who wanted to beat you up was Mitch,” Liv said.
    “Oh, yeah, Mitch,” Danny said. “He was a tool.”
    “He kind of still is,” Liv said. “But you didn’t hear that from me.”
    “Is he still in love with you?” Danny asked.
    Liv smiled and her mind begged her to ask, Are you? but she didn’t. She just nodded at the question.
    “Yeah. He is.”
    Liv watched the way Danny’s face started to change, as though he were trying to connect dots that weren’t there.
    “Did you two ever... no, I’m sorry, it’s not my business.”
    Liv remained silent.
    It was sort of fun to tease with Danny right then. She felt empowered. She was able to make a famous rockstar nervous with just the look of her eyes and the touch of her lips. She hated to admit it right then, but this was the first time she had felt excited in a long time. Weeks, yes. Months, perhaps.
    Danny looked beyond Liv at the closed bedroom door.
    “Oh, is that... your room... with...”
    “You’re such a sucker,” Liv said.
    She wiggled her hands free and backed up to the sink. Danny stood for a few seconds, looking uncomfortable. Battling his own emotions.
    “Danny,” Liv said, “I’m not involved with anyone. Look at my life right now. I’m lucky if I have time to grocery shop or have a cup of coffee with my friends. Let alone... date...”
    “So you’re single,” Danny said.
    The smile that climbed across his face was gorgeous. It was the same smile Liv remembered the first time she met Danny. When he had been walking along Cruiser Road wearing a hooded sweatshirt in the middle of fall. A guitar case strapped to his back. Always on the move. Always thinking about music. But with just enough room to let her in... for a little while...
    Danny moved at Liv and she put her hands out again, this time actually stopping him.
    “Danny...”
    “What’s wrong?” he asked.
    “You crashed into my yard. You’re in my bathroom. I haven’t seen you...”
    “Okay,” Danny said.
    She hated the hurt look on his face. But she had to stand her ground?
    “Your father... I’m so sorry about that. But you’re here to take care of that.”
    “Yeah, I am.”
    “I think we should...”
    “You know,” Danny said, “I’ve been gone for a while...”
    No shit , Liv thought with a burning anger in the pit of her stomach. She told herself to flip out. She begged herself to let Danny have it. To spill her feelings. Right there. Right there in the bathroom. He deserved it, right?
    “... and I left the guys at my father’s house...”
    Liv felt deflated and hurt. Danny wasn’t talking about the past.
    “... Johnnie went to the funeral home to take care of some things. I told them I was going out for a quick ride. It’s been...”
    “You better get back,” Liv said. “Do you need a ride?”
    “No. I’ll ride back. I don’t want to bother you anymore than I have.”
    Danny left the bathroom. He stopped for a second and looked over his shoulder. The look on his face was something that would stay with Liv forever. The only time she’d ever seen such a sorrow filled face was when she looked in the mirror at the end of a long, rough day with her father.
    “Just know I’m sorry. And that I carry it with me... every single day.”
    Liv