Mentions of self harm and

"You can pick what movie we watch tonight." Danny adjusted himself on the couch, unfolding a blanket and laying it over his lap.

You were looking forward to this night all week. Between school, work, and the boy's crazy schedule, it was rare that you ever got to spend time alone with your boyfriend. So, when you checked your work schedule and saw that you finally had a Saturday night off, you immediately made plans, even if it was just watching movies on the couch together.

Kneeling on the floor in front of the tv you began to rummage through the Wagner's DVD collection. Since you had your back to Danny, you didn't notice him staring at your arm. You were preoccupied with looking for the perfect movie. You didn't realize the sleeve of your hoodie had fallen, exposing what you did last night.

After a minute of indecisiveness, you settled on Forrest Gump. You popped the DVD in the player and made your way back to the couch. Danny watched as you reached for the remote on the coffee table. The sleeve of your hoodie shifted again, confirming his suspicions. You were just about to hit play when he gently placed his hand on top of yours, lowering the remote. You turned to look at him, confusion evident on your face.

"Y/N, before we start the movie, can we talk about something? That is if it's okay with you." Danny pulled his hand back to his lap, nervously playing with his fingers.

"Sure, Danny. What's wrong?" You questioned.

"It's about the marks on your arm," Danny spoke softly. His voice was so quiet you weren't sure you heard him right. But you looked down at your arm and saw the angry red marks peeking out from under your sleeve. Once it sunk in that he knew you felt your heartbeat increase as the panic set in. No one knew about your secret.

"Yes." Your voice was equally as quiet as his.

"Why?" It was a simple question, yet the most difficult one to answer.

"I-I don't know." You stuttered, playing with the edge of your sleeve. "I had a bad day at work yesterday. I was stressed from that along with school. My anxiety has been getting worse. I guess it was just too much, and I snapped." You explained as stray tears found their way down your face.

Danny gently brushed his thumb against your cheek, wiping away your tears. "How long has this been happening?"

"Last night was the first time in a while." You watched Danny process what you were saying.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He questioned.

Having met Danny after high school meant he knew nothing about your past. You were usually a quiet person and rarely told anyone about your childhood. But you knew it had to come out eventually. Especially if you saw a future with Danny and you did.

"It started when I was in 8th grade. I came from a small school where everyone was friends with everyone, except me. I was the quiet girl that sat in the corner and drew in her notebook. For some reason, that made me the perfect target. The girls in my class used to make comments about me. They would break my stuff and throw it back at me. My mom even got into a fight with the one girl's parents over it. Not that it solved anything. All it did was make things worse for me at school." You couldn't believe you were telling him all of this. "I only had one real friend in school, but she never knew just how much everything affected me."

"What made you start?" Danny questioned as he gently took hold of your hands.

"I was only twelve. I didn't know how to handle my emotions. For me, it was easier to focus on the pain of a cut rather than the emotional pain." You watched Danny's expression change as you spoke. You knew he'd never say it, but his heart broke for you. He wished he could take it all away and make you forget about everything.

"Was high school any better for you?" You were able to hear the small sliver of hope in his voice as he asked the question.

"No. Honestly, it just got worse then. It was a new school, and most people already knew each other. Again, as the quiet girl, I was the odd one out. My friend and I drifted apart. I sat at lunch and talked to no one. Then I would come home after school and sleep for hours." Danny didn't say anything. He just sat there, rubbing his thumb over your hand. It was a small gesture, but it meant a lot.

"I kept it to my thigh so no one would notice. Not that anyone paid attention to me anyway. But there's only so much room on your thighs. Eventually, I ran out of space, so I moved to my wrist. That's when things got really bad. I wore my school sweater every day to hide them."

"You never told anyone?" He questioned, and you could tell he was still trying to process everything you were saying. And You didn't blame him. It's a lot for anyone to take in.

"No. I deserved it and didn't want to give people a reason to pick on me again. There were a few times in gym class when my shorts didn't fully cover the marks, and no one even noticed. Or they did, but they didn't care enough to ask." You sighed, looking down at yours and Danny's intertwined hands.

"I'm so sorry," Danny whispered. You knew he was apologizing for what you went through, but you also knew he was apologizing for not being there for you. Not that it was his fault. You grew up in two completely different towns, and that was out of his control.

"You said this was the first time in a while that you've done this. How did you get yourself to stop?" He turned your arm over and lightly ran his finger over the new marks.

"I tried all the cliché ways of quitting. I tried distracting myself by drawing or listening to music. But they only worked for a short time. I tried snapping a rubber band on my wrist, but that just left bruises instead. Nothing really stuck. Until- "You stopped to take a breath. You were unsure if you wanted to mention the next part. It was four years later, and you still hadn't processed it yourself.

Danny squeezed your hand, bringing you back to earth. "It's okay if you don't want to say anymore. I understand."

"No, it's fine. Talking about it will only help me." You took another breath before you continued. "Do you remember the girl I mentioned earlier. The one that I said was my only friend in middle school?" You watched as Danny nodded his head, signaling that he remembered.

"Well, senior year of high school, she took her own life." A few tears escaped and ran down your face. "I didn't believe it at first. I know we drifted apart, but it still hurt. I wondered if we would have talked to each other. If we knew that someone else was going through the same thing, would it have changed anything? Probably not because once you make that decision, it's hard to change your mind. I would know."

"How did her passing get you to stop?" Danny asked.

"It wasn't actually her as much as her mother that got me to stop. I went to the vigil my school held for her, and at the end, someone from my old school came up and found me. They said her mother wanted to talk to her old friends. I was nervous walking over because I wasn't sure what she told her mom, and we haven't spoken in almost three years." You stopped for a moment, collecting yourself before continuing.

"The minute I walked over, her mother gave me the biggest hug. I was trying so hard not to lose it in front of her. But while she was hugging me, she whispered that I was a lovely girl, and I should always remember that I'm loved indefinitely. If by no one else, then by her." You couldn't control yourself anymore, and tears flooded your cheeks. "I didn't think I was deserving of love, and here I had a woman who just lost her daughter and who I hadn't spoken to in years telling me how much she loved me."

You looked up and saw tears trailing down Danny's face too. "Oh, Y/N." He whispered. It broke your heart to see him cry like that. Actually, this was the first time you ever saw him cry. Danny extended his arms and pulled you into a hug. He squeezed you tight, and you finally felt like this was the beginning of your healing process. For a few minutes, you just sat there in each other's arms and cried. But eventually, Danny broke the silence by whispering in your ear. "I hope you know that you're worthy of so much love, Y/N." His voice cracked, and you felt more tears run down your face.

You pulled away from the hug as you answered. "I know that now. You taught me that, and I'm eternally grateful." You managed to smile through the tears, and you saw Danny do the same.

"I know this is only the beginning, and you still have work to do, but I'll be right here. We'll get through this together. One day at a time."

You leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. "One day at a time." You repeated.