06

DANIEL HUNT

Daniel stood in the balcony and looked out the skyline. He had just talked Maya into sleeping. That girl was a handful. She was definitely a Hunt.

She was as stubborn as him and his brothers. He missed her so much that he was literally counting down the days until he could gather her in his arms and hug her.

Shaking his head, Daniel waited for Kayla to arrive.

It was half past seven. Tessa had called him earlier and told him to come over to Lexi’s after party.

Everybody had given up on him. Nobody called him nowadays to any sorts of parties or celebrations except for the weddings. He didn’t mind it much. Sean had ignored him his whole life and though he was doing his level best to mend the bond, it was going to take more than just few words on the phone for Dan to trust him as a brother again.

It wasn’t their fault. Daniel had left and had a new family. Maya was his family. She never held grudges. She was a ball of purity for him. And mischief. He was proud that she had taken after him when it came to pranks.

He heard the jangle of keys and knew that Kay was finally back. He didn’t turn around. He thought she’d probably walk in to the bedroom.

« Hey. » She murmured softly and he turned around, startled.

Dan smiled. « Hey gorgeous. »She was so beautiful. Her gorgeous black hair were tied up in a bun but a few strands had come out of it and hung around her face.

« I’m so exhausted, I could literally sleep for a week » She mumbled pressing two fingers to her temple. Dan was so tempted to help her out but he forced himself to stay still. She wouldn’t like it, he told himself.

She looked at him from head to toe and frowned « Why are you dressed ? »

He shrugged one shoulder, « Tessa invited me for some after party. »

Her eyes narrowed, « Tess invited – Oh my god. » Her eyes widened as if it finally registered what he was talking about.

She ran in, Dan hot on her heels and chuckled at the scene in front of him.

She stood in front of the closet, tossing everything on the bed as she shook her head at the small number of clothes she had packed.

She stiffened when she heard his chuckle and turned to him with a glare.

« Its not funny. »

« It is. » He replied.

She threw her hands in the air and then plopped down on the bed with a huff.

« I didn’t bring any of my dresses. I just left them back at home. Never mind. I’m not going, I’m exhausted. »

Daniel gave out a mock sigh and shook his head.

« What ? » She scowled at him.

Daniel glanced at the nightstand. A box sat unopened there. He looked back at Kay who followed what he was hinting at. Her eyes wary, she reached for the box hesitantly.

Opening the lid, she peeked at the content and then shut it.

« I can’t take this. »

« Why not ? »

« You can’t do stuff like this for me ? »

« Why not ? » Dan raised an eyebrow. Kayla was difficult. So difficult that he didn’t know how to approach her. Any other girl would’ve been screaming in pure joy. But not Kay. She would question his every move making it impossible for him to do anything even slightly romantic for her.

« This is Versace. » She said

« I know. » He replied. « I picked it out myself. »

« You can’t do that. You’re not my-« she stopped.

« I’m not your what ? Boyfriend ? I know. But apparently you don’t seem to acknowledge the fact that I’m your husband. » Dan was seconds away from snapping at her.

Sure she didn’t want to be associated with him. Sure she didn’t want to stay married to him. But Dan was sure that there was chemistry. And that she wanted him. More than she wanted to stay away from him.

He wanted to give this a chance. It wasn’t as if he was young anymore. Didn’t he deserve a chance ? She dismissed him at every single chance she got. And as much as Dan had every right to resent her, he just couldn’t bring himself to.

He was sure that he would break in the very first month and just file for divorce if she kept this up. Sure he wanted a chance with her. But all his intention was for her to know that they could be good together. That he was much much better than that boyfriend of hers.

The sound of her sigh brought him to the present. She still sat with that box in her hand.

She mumbled something that he couldn’t clearly hear.

« Excuse me ? » he asked and she looked up at him and glared. « I said get out. »

Dan was taken aback. She wanted him gone. Fine. He was tired of trying to make this work. Sure it was his plan to make her stay with him. It was his plan to show her that they could work. But not acknowledging the little effort he put in, that was just… disappointing.

He stepped back and was about to close the door when she said, « I’ll be out in fifteen minutes. «

Before he could register her words, the door closed with a click. He looked at the door dumbfounded. What did she mean by that ?

Dan was still going through all the why’s and the what’s and the how’s when the door opened again.

« Were you standing here this whole time ? » she asked and cocked her head to the side.

She had changed into the black cocktail dress he had bought for her. It was a beautiful backless halter dress that stopped mid thigh. She had paired them with black pumps. She had pushed her hair over one shoulder, leaving the left side of her neck bare to him. He wanted to just push her in and then get her out of that dress.

« Not good enough ? » she asked as she fidgeted.

« Sexy. » he murmured and then shook his head.

« You can go ahead. I’ll just grab my purse and then be there in a –«

« We’re going together, wife. » he said and smiled at the way her red plump lips pursed in annoyance.

Nothing could deter his mood. She was wearing the dress he had bought for her, she was going to one of the parties with him. She was going there as his date. For the first time, Daniel was very happy and Kayla was the sole reason for it.