Serena

Dearest Rena,

I'm hoping this reached you well.

Please don't think I'm this is to cause you any kind pain or hurt, because that would never be my intention. I only ever wish to see you happy.

But there is someone I wanted you to meet.

I miss you, Rena.

All my love,

Julie.

I clutched the note from Julie to my chest, smiling to myself.

Attached to the note was a was picture from the sonogram. The first ever picture of Bea.

My heart instantly melted seeing the picture and that was also the last I would ever hear from Julie.

The complications surrounding Bea's birth wasn't something I'd find out till later from my Mum, until after she spoke to Emma.

I've always regretted not going to see Julie after she sent me that first letter and it's one I'll forever live with.

Placing the note back into the small box I kept it in, I put the box onto the shelf of my new room and then made my way to the living room.

Since my little breakdown, I did what I told Sara I would do, and basically threw myself into both work and getting my new home sorted.

The furniture was all in its' place and decor was sorted as well, I basically needed to stock up on food and put in a few finishing touches and I was all done.

"You're all moved in then?" Danny asked, walking into my newest home, a plant in hand.

I had given him a spare key, which he was clearly making use of, and since I wanted to be a little more green, I asked him to pick up a cute plant on his way that I had on hold at a florist.

I turned towards him with a smile and nodded. "Yeah, a new home once again," I said. "I honestly feel like I have no roots."

"No roots?" Danny asked, placing the plant down, as I made a mental note to move it later.

I gestured to the place. "This is like the fourth place I'm calling home."

Moving is meant to be exciting, but as someone who isn't a fan of change and moved around way too often, I wasn't all too excited.

People who travel countries for work probably have moved less than I have and I just run shops.

"People move around, it's normal," Danny noted.

"This much?" I asked, raising a brow at him. "I'm staying in this place for at least a year," I declared.

Danny chuckled at my words and then sat on one end of the sofa, as I curled up on the other end, tucking my feet under me.

"So..." he stretched out the word.

I let out a groan. "Oh no, you're here to talk about Liam aren't you?" I asked him, and his facial expression already gave me an answer.

I knew there was a catch to him offering to bring the plant.

"You're avoiding him." Danny stated as a matter of fact.

"It's only been a couple of weeks-" I tried to argue.

"Five," he then cut me off.

I let out a little sigh. "Okay, it's been a few weeks," I corrected myself.

To be honest, I wasn't even sure how I've managed to avoid Liam for that long, but my seemingly never ending line of excuses for why I can't see him was actually working quite well.

However, the downside to not seeing Liam, also meant not seeing Bea, and I was upset about that.

I hadn't actually intended to stay away this long, but I genuinely did begin to lose track of time, and with Christmas soon approaching, the wedding shop and the cake shop were both increasingly busy.

"The guy has been pestering both Sara and me, about you," Danny complained, looking annoyed. "He even showed up to our place a couple of times."

I was surprised that Liam would actually show up to their place, and when Sara first told me, and I was quite stunned. I really thought Liam was aware that Danny wasn't a big fan of his.

That was a bold move on his part.

Nevertheless, I frowned at Danny's words.

"Yeah, Arya told me he came by the shop a few times, and then one time I was there, but in the back office and still didn't meet him," I confessed.

Again, not my most finest moment and I was taking the cowards way out of this, but I really wasn't ready, and definitely I didn't want to have a conversation with him in the shop with customers around.

Danny then let out a sigh. "I'm not not on his side in any way, trust me, but it seems like he's going out of his mind with you suddenly ignoring him and not giving him a reason as to why," he told me.

I looked down at lap, playing with the hem of my jumper.

This wasn't really fair on Liam and I knew that. Once again, he didn't know what he had done, but it still didn't mean I wasn't hurt.

"I don't know how to look at him, Danny," I said softly.

"What?" Danny asked, confusion lacing his voice.

"I don't know how to look at his face and not remember the fact, that I kissed the man I've been in love with all my life," I admitted.

At this point, Danny was aware of what had transpired.

His reaction was a lot calmer than what I had expected, but the kind of eerie calm you'd sense in a quiet alleyway at night.

"I might have been drunk on the moment, but I swear, Danny, the way he looked at me, it was as if he wanted this, he wanted me," I added.

"It wasn't even like drunk Liam would kiss anyone there, he reached for me, and he said my name, Danny. I can't forget all that and I don't know how to not remember it when I see him."

Danny gave me a small smile, tilting his head ever so slightly. "Again, not siding with the guy or anything, but what if he did mean it, but just doesn't remember?" He asked. "Alcohol sometimes gives people that extra bit of courage."

I smiled at his words, but then shook my head. "Yeah, I'm not going to put my faith in anything, not anymore," I told him.

Danny just nodded, not saying anything more, and his eyes then travelled to the coffee table.

"What's that?" He asked and I followed his line of sight to see one of the letters I had accidentally left here.

"Letter from Julie," I said, reaching forward to place it back into the envelope.

When I faced Danny, he had this weirded out expression on his face, similar to one of disbelief.

"She wrote you letters?" He asked, as if that were to most ridiculous thing.

"Just a couple," I replied.

Danny shook his head at me. "I never understood how you still stayed friends with her."

I chuckled at his question. "I never understood how she continued to stay friends with me."

"What'd you mean?" Danny asked.

I smiled at him. "If you knew that someone loved Sara as much as you did, or maybe more, would you want to be around them?" I asked him.

"Hell no," Danny said loudly, looking at me as if I'd lost my mind completely. "I'd probably want to kill them," he added.

"Julie instead embraced me," I told him, and Danny's expression fell slightly. "She never hated me when she found out, instead she felt guilty. How could I not stay friends with someone with a heart like that?" I asked.

Danny smiled me and gently shook his head.

"You don't think it's unhealthy?" He asked me.

I couldn't even hold in the laugh that seemed to come bubbling out of me.

"Danny, this is all unhealthy. Loving someone like this just stains your soul really," I told him.

He didn't say anything to me, but instead opened up his arms and I just moved forward, letting him give me that comforting hug. I was tucked into his side, as he held me protectively.

"Do you ever think what it would be like if Julie was still alive?" He then asked me.

His question caught me by surprise, but I didn't move in his hold.

"Yeah, I've thought about it," I confessed. "Most of the time it's just how I should've gone to see her sooner, or when she first told me she's pregnant, I should've been by her side with so many gifts, or just stayed in contact really."

Danny tightened his hold on me. "She knew why you didn't go and see her."

"I should've gone anyway," I told him.

It wasn't that I didn't trust myself around Liam, and so didn't go to see Julie. I had a lot of respect for the both of them and myself, to even think about making a move on him like that.

It was just self-preservation really. I didn't want to hurt like that and knowing that Julie was aware about it, I didn't want her to ever worry.

"Hey, Serena?" Danny said, breaking that moment of silence we were having.

I just hummed in response.

"Sara said I can't come back home, until you agree to stop avoiding Liam," Danny told me and I laughed at his words, pulling out of the hug to face him.

It's rare I get to see Danny embarrassed and by his tone and slightly reddened tips of his ears, I knew he was.

"She threatened me as well, didn't she?" I asked him, knowing Sara won't just threaten Danny.

He nodded at me. "Yeah."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Fine, I'll stop avoiding him."

Danny sat up ramrod straight and looked at me in disbelief.

"Really? That's all it took?" He asked me, sounding completely shocked.

I shrugged at him. "She's pregnant. When you have a baby in there-" I looked at his stomach, "-then we'll talk."

Danny snorted. "Trust me, Serena, if I have a baby in here, we'll definitely talk," he replied.

We both just sat together for some time, as Danny helped me set up my new home.

However, all that I could think of, was how was I supposed to look at Liam again and not think about everything?