XXIV

Danielle placed her phone down on the nightstand, letting out a slow breath. The weight of exhaustion tugged at her limbs, her body finally catching up to how drained she felt.

She shifted onto her side, staring at the ceiling for a moment before closing her eyes. The events of the last twenty-four hours played in her mind—Topanga's kindness, Riley's warmth, the way Maya had looked at her like she was waiting for something.

It was... a lot.

But for once, it wasn't an unbearable kind of a lot.

Her breathing evened out, the tension in her shoulders easing bit by bit.

And this time, when sleep finally took her, it wasn't restless.

A few hours later, Danielle was pulled from sleep by the sound of her bedroom door creaking open. She groggily blinked awake, the dim light of the evening filtering through her curtains. Her body felt sluggish, like it was still trying to hold onto sleep, but the presence in her doorway didn't let her slip back under.

Izzy stood there, arms crossed, watching her with a knowing look.

"You gonna sleep all day?" her aunt asked, voice light but with that edge of concern Danielle had come to recognize over the years.

Danielle ran a hand down her face, exhaling. "Didn't plan on it."

Izzy raised a brow. "Long night?"

Danielle hesitated for a second before nodding. "Yeah. I stayed at Riley's."

"I figured." Izzy stepped further into the room, leaning against the wall. "You let me know you got home, but you didn't say much else. Everything good?"

Danielle stretched, forcing herself to sit up. "Yeah. Just... different."

Izzy tilted her head. "Different how?"

Danielle shrugged, looking down at her hands. "I don't know. I'm just not used to all that."

Izzy sighed, a small smile pulling at her lips. "You mean people looking out for you?"

Danielle glanced up at her but didn't say anything.

Izzy shook her head with a soft chuckle. "You'll get used to it, kid." She pushed off the wall and started toward the door. "Now get up. You need to eat something before you pass out again."

Danielle huffed out a breath but swung her legs over the bed. "Yeah, yeah. I'm up."

Izzy smirked before leaving the room, calling over her shoulder, "Sure you are."

Danielle ran a hand through her hair, staring after her aunt for a moment. Then, with a sigh, she pushed herself to her feet, ready to rejoin the world.

Danielle took her time getting downstairs, still shaking off the last remnants of sleep. The house was quiet except for the faint sound of a TV playing from the living room. The scent of coffee lingered in the air, though it wasn't fresh—Izzy had probably made a pot earlier and let it sit.

She wandered into the kitchen, opening the fridge and scanning its contents. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that the last thing she'd eaten was breakfast at Riley's. With a sigh, she grabbed some leftover pasta from the night before and popped it into the microwave.

Izzy walked in just as the timer started counting down. She had a mug in her hand, but from the way she crinkled her nose at it, Danielle figured the coffee had long gone cold.

"So," Izzy started, hopping onto the counter and setting the mug down beside her. "Tell me about last night."

Danielle arched a brow. "What about it?"

Izzy gave her a pointed look. "Don't play dumb. You stayed at a friend's house. You, the girl who never stays over anywhere."

Danielle leaned against the counter, arms crossed. "It wasn't a big deal."

Izzy smirked. "Maya was there, wasn't she?"

Danielle tried not to react, but Izzy knew her too well. She took Danielle's silence as confirmation.

"I knew it," Izzy said, grinning like she had just won a bet with herself.

Danielle rolled her eyes, grabbing a fork from the drawer as the microwave beeped. "You're reading too much into it."

"Am I?" Izzy mused. "Because I seem to recall you avoiding that girl not too long ago."

Danielle sighed, pulling out her food and setting it on the counter. "Things changed."

Izzy hummed. "Yeah, I can see that."

Danielle didn't respond. She focused on her food instead, twirling some pasta onto her fork.

Izzy let the silence stretch for a moment before saying, "You're allowed to let people in, you know."

Danielle paused mid-bite, then resumed eating like she hadn't heard her.

Izzy shook her head with a knowing smile but didn't push. Instead, she grabbed her abandoned coffee, gave it a dramatic sniff, and made a face.

"I need new coffee," she muttered, hopping off the counter. "Don't disappear after you eat. We're going grocery shopping."

Danielle groaned. "Can't you go without me?"

"Nope." Izzy shot her a grin over her shoulder. "You need to leave the house at least once today."

Danielle huffed, but she didn't argue.

As Izzy left the kitchen, she let out a sigh, pushing her food around on the plate.

She wasn't sure what was worse—the fact that Izzy was right or the fact that Danielle knew she was right.

Danielle finished her food slowly, dragging out each bite as if it would delay the inevitable trip to the grocery store. She wasn't in the mood to go anywhere, but Izzy was persistent when she wanted something, and arguing was pointless.

After rinsing her plate and leaving it in the sink, she made her way upstairs to change. She swapped her sleepwear for a simple hoodie and jeans, pulling her hair into a loose ponytail. The moment she stepped out of her room, she heard Izzy call from downstairs.

"Tick-tock, Danielle! The store's not gonna wait forever."

Danielle sighed. "You act like we're on a timer."

"We are," Izzy replied. "I have places to be, and I need you to suffer—I mean, assist me."

Danielle smirked as she descended the stairs. "Right, because grocery shopping is such a life-changing event."

Izzy threw on a dramatic expression. "You joke, but one day, you'll understand the joy of picking out the perfect avocado."

Danielle shook her head, grabbing her car keys from the table. "We taking my car or yours?"

Izzy snatched the keys from her hand. "Mine. You drive like you have something to prove."

Danielle let out a short laugh but didn't argue. Instead, she followed Izzy outside, sliding into the passenger seat of her sleek black sedan.

The drive was relatively quiet, the hum of the engine and the occasional flick of the turn signal filling the space between them. It wasn't until they pulled into the parking lot that Izzy finally spoke up again.

"So, how's Maya?" she asked casually, though Danielle knew better than to think it was an innocent question.

Danielle huffed. "Why do you keep bringing her up?"

Izzy shrugged as she parked. "Because you don't usually let people get close, but you seem to be making an exception for her."

Danielle didn't respond right away. Instead, she unbuckled her seatbelt and pushed open the door. Izzy was on her heels as they entered the store, grabbing a cart near the entrance.

"Things just happened," Danielle finally said, keeping her gaze forward. "I didn't plan on being friends with them."

Izzy smirked. "Maybe that's the best kind of friendship."

Danielle gave her a look but didn't say anything. Instead, she focused on helping load the cart, pretending she wasn't still thinking about it.

The problem was—she was.

They moved through the aisles at an easy pace, Izzy tossing things into the cart while Danielle occasionally grabbed something of her own. The conversation drifted between casual topics—upcoming work projects for Izzy, school for Danielle—but there was a lingering awareness that her aunt wasn't done questioning her about Maya.

Danielle was proven right when they reached the checkout line.

"So," Izzy said, tapping her fingers against the cart handle. "You spent the night at Riley's. That must've been nice."

Danielle gave her a side glance. "It was fine."

Izzy hummed. "Maya stayed too, right?"

Danielle exhaled slowly, setting down a loaf of bread on the conveyor belt. "Yeah, she did."

"And you two shared the bay window," Izzy continued, clearly enjoying this.

Danielle rolled her eyes. "Are you done?"

Izzy grinned, handing a few items to the cashier. "I'm just saying, I don't remember the last time you willingly spent that much time with someone outside of your usual circle."

Danielle didn't respond, instead pulling out her wallet and tapping her card before Izzy could. Her aunt raised an eyebrow but let it go, grabbing the bags once they were packed.

The car ride home was quiet, but Izzy wasn't the type to drop something easily. Danielle knew that, so she wasn't surprised when, after parking in the driveway, her aunt turned to her with an amused smirk.

"You like her, don't you?"

Danielle froze with one hand on the car door. "What?"

Izzy chuckled. "Oh, come on. You know exactly what I mean. You're still denying it."

Danielle's face remained impassive. "She's my friend. And is in some triangle situation."

Izzy hummed. "Sure."

Danielle sighed and got out of the car, grabbing the grocery bags from the back seat. She heard Izzy chuckling behind her but ignored it, choosing to focus on putting everything away.

The truth was, she didn't even know how to answer that question.