Chapter 50

Daniel yawned and from what Annie started to notice, his eyes were starting to feel a little heavy. Glancing over at Yongguk, she managed to get his attention. He nodded to ensure he was alert. She tilted her head over to Daniel and he knew right away that it was time to head home. He nodded once again then immediately stood up to stretch his legs, grunting, he said, “I think it's time we call it a night. Come on, Danny. Let's get going.”

“But hyung!” Daniel whined with another yawn which was loud enough for everyone to hear. “I don't wanna go home!” He then turned to Annie. “Noona! Can I stay here with you guys?” He asked managing to stare at her with his doe-like eyes. She knew exactly what he was trying to pull. Annie could already see right through him. It's worked before and she sure as hell won't let him do it again.

In response, she found herself burst into laughter then playfully ruffled his hair. “Nice try, buddy,” she said. “Go gather your things so we can get you home.”

“Could we let him stay the night with us?” Lucy begged. “Look at him! I can just take him home and put him in my pocket!” She beamed watching Daniel run off to bid the other guys goodbye.

“Oh Luce,” Annie mused, smirking. “You know we can't do that. That's kidnapping.”

Yongguk snorted at her remark prompting the two best friends to stare back at him. “Sorry,” he immediately said, clearing his throat then pretended to examine the glass display on the counter in the cafe.

Lucy frowned. “It was a joke,” she said dryly.

“I know,” Annie giggled. “I was just messing with you.”

“Oh really, I didn't notice,” Lucy said indifferently.

“Anyways, thanks for letting us use the cafe,” she said walking over to give Lucy a hug. “I think he liked it.”

Lucy chuckled. “Anytime, Annie,” she said pulling away. “Please bring him back again.”

“Of course, I'll try,” Annie assured her glancing back at Daniel. He was laughing with the other guys. “You have no idea how much this means to me.” She said gazing sadly at him. “His happiness is really important and it breaks my heart to see his parents treat him this way. What happened at the party was uncalled for--”

“I know,” Lucy interrupted her, nodding in agreement. “They're just stupid and selfish. What happened at the party happened and you can't undo it, Ann. It's not your fault, okay?” she assured her, glancing back at Daniel. “I mean look at him. He's smiling and laughing for once. That's all that should matter, right?”

Annie stood still for a moment. “You're right,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief. “This makes me feel a lot better.”

“Good,” Lucy grinned. “And know that you're doing a wonderful job. Keep doing what you're doing.”

“Thanks, Luce. I needed to hear that,” she said, grinning.

“Hey, I'm your best friend. It's my job, remember?” she said smugly.

Annie shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she muttered. “Anyways, I should take him home before he knocks out. If I'm home late, you know why... So don't wait up for me.”

“I understand,” Lucy told her. “In the meantime, I should close up and head back home before it's late. See you then.” She said grabbing a rag then proceeded to start her cleaning.

“Alright bye, Luce.” Annie said grabbing her bag then summoning Yongguk over to her.

“Ready?” he asked. Annie nodded then made her way over to the other guys to say her goodbyes. “Bye Lucy.”

“Bye, Yongguk,” Lucy gave him a slight wave then went back to cleaning up her work station. “Wait, one other thing,” she looked up. “Bring her back in one piece, or else.” she said sternly.

Yongguk chuckled, raising his hands in defeat. “You have my pride and honor, Lucy.”

“Good,” she said curtly. “Now you two have fun and don't stay out too late.”

He cleared his throat. “Lucy, it's not what you--”

“Oh sure,” she interrupted him, refusing to listen. She gave him a knowing smirk glancing at Annie. “Don't think I don't remember what happened onstage at the end of the song...”

He sighed, bowing his head in defeat. “Whatever you say, Lucy. Good night.”

The car ride was silent with the exception of Daniel's snoring, which could be heard in the background. Yongguk found himself stealing glances at Annie from time to time. She, on the other hand, was staring out the window in order to avoid eye contact with him. The other part of her was dreading returning to the penthouse in case she ran into Miranda. Who knew what Miranda had in store for her if she were to see Annie return with Daniel in tow?

Clearing his throat, Yongguk managed to break the awkward silence. “So... I see your eye's healing,” he said finally.

Gazing at him through her peripheral vision, she nodded. “Yeah,” she replied. “That means I won't have to wear that annoying eye patch anymore.”

He chuckled. “That's right,” he said.

“It feels nice,” she remarked.

“That's nice to hear,” he finally said with a grin.

Now it was Annie's turn to start the talking, “About today... I wanted to thank you. For, you know, your help and all...” she began, struggling to find the right words.

“Don't worry about it,” he replied. “I'm always willing to help. Just thought you should know that.”

She chuckled. “Right,” she said finally turning to face him. “I feel like I owe you another one...”

He thought for a moment, then glanced back at her before shifting his attention back to the road ahead. “We could go out again...”

She furrowed her brows. “With just the three of us?” she asked curiously glancing back at Daniel, who was still sound asleep.

“No,” he said, clearing his throat. “I meant, you and me. If you want, that is if it's okay with you...”

was agape. She was not expecting this. Soon, she felt her face heating up and her heart racing. Swallowing hard, she nodded slowly. “Um, sure,” she finally said. “I'd like that.”

He relaxed a bit, breathing a sigh of relief. “You know, I was thinking about earlier...”

“Uh-huh,” she said, eying him expectantly waiting for him to continue.

“When I almost kissed you,” he began, trailing off. “I actually meant for that to happen.” He finally said glancing back at her.

Annie froze, then swallowed hard. She was not expecting this coming from him. Sheepishly, she slowly turned her head to face him. “Really,” she said, trying her best to keep her voice steady. “Then, why didn't you?” She asked, raising a brow.

He gulped then leaned back against his seat. “Well... I wasn't sure if it was a good idea...” he cleared his throat awkwardly. She noticed how much of a habit it's become whenever he grew flustered.

“What makes you say that?” she asked, puzzled at his remark. She proceeded to eye him carefully.

“Well, you know, it was a spur of the moment kind of thing,” he said chuckling nervously.

“I see,” she said, nodding slowly. Not wanting to question him further, she decided to let him off for now since it was late and they were getting tired.

“Do you need a ride home?” he asked suddenly.

“No thanks,” she said, shaking her head. “I'll just call a cab.”

“Annie, I can take you home,” he insisted.

She sighed. “Bang, I'll be fine. I don't want you to be too tired. You've had a long day,” she said, showing concern for his well-being. Then, glancing back at Daniel, she continued. “You've done enough for me today.”

He sighed then nodded, realizing there was no room to argue with her at the moment. Given the situation presented earlier and the fact that there was some awkward tension between them after the almost-kiss, he decided it would be best for her and for himself. He hoped this little issue would be resolved soon, that way, neither of them would have to deal with the awkward aftermath any longer. “Alright,” he said, once he parked the car. He then reached into his backseat to help Daniel out of the car before handing him off to Annie.

“Thanks, Yongguk,” she said sincerely. “I really appreciate your help.”

He gave her a slight smile and nodded. “Anytime, Annie,” he said before locking up his car. “Good night, Annie.” He finally said looking over his shoulder before retreating into the building.

Annie found herself sighing, holding Daniel's sleeping figure closely as she watched Yongguk's retreating figure disappear into the elevator.

Once she made it into the luxurious penthouse, Annie finally managed to help Daniel change out of his birthday wardrobe and into his pajamas. Tucking him into bed, she slowly leaned in close to give him a quick peck on the forehead. As a result, he opened his eyes slowly. “Nanny...” he managed to say sleepily.

“What's up, handsome?” she said grinning down at him.

“Can you stay with me?” he asked.

She looked over at the clock on his bedside. It was getting late but of course, Lucy knew she wouldn't make it home in time. After much consideration, Annie nodded. “Sure thing, little man,” she said brushing his hair away from his forehead.

“Could you read me a story?” he asked, sitting up.

“Okay,” she nodded, her eyes wandering over to his bookshelf. “What would you like me to read to you?”

Pushing himself off his bed, he made his way over to his bookshelf and picked out a thick hardcover book before turning back around to hand it to her. Annie read the cover and saw that it was “Grimm's Fairy Tales” by Jacob Grimm. She found herself grinning since it was one of the books she grew up reading as a child. As Daniel proceeded to lay beside her on his little bed, Annie ruffled his hair lightly before opening the book to the first page.

As she proceeded to read a few excerpts from some of her favorite tales, she found herself glancing down at him tenderly. She saw a hint of a smile plastered onto his adorable little face. When his eyes began to feel a little droopy, Annie shut the book before placing it on his nightstand then stood up. He shot awake right away. “Where are you going?”

“Relax,” she said reassuringly. “I'm not going anywhere. I'm just gonna sleep on the floor, okay?”

He moved aside for her. “You can sleep here,” he told her.

“It's okay, Danny,” she said, straightening the comforter onto the floor then grabbed a pillow from the closet along with a blanket. “I'll sleep right here.” she said patting on the floor beneath her.

“Promise you won't leave,” he pouted.

“I promise,” she said drawing an imaginary X over her chest before laying down. “Come on, let's go to sleep.”

He then laid back down. “Noona...”

“Hmm?” she turned her head slightly.

“I love you,” he said finally.

Annie froze. She was not expecting this at all but after a moment, she finally spoke up. “I love you too, Danny.”

“Noona...” he uttered again, sleepily.

“Yeah?”

“Do you wanna know what I wished for?” he asked.

To humor him, she decided to go along with it. “Sure, what was it?” she asked curiously.

“I wish you were my mommy,” he said before finally drifting off to sleep.

Annie did not expect to feel a knot form in the back of as she tried to blink back her tears. After a moment, she shifted her position, allowing a single teardrop to fall into the pillow. Instinctively, she reached into her bag for her phone then proceeded to send Lucy a courtesy text message to inform her she'd be staying the night with Daniel. Lucy would understand given the drama with his parents. Now with Daniel's confession, she was in too deep to leave. She should have seen this coming but now that it's presented to her. There really wasn't much for her to do. Sighing, she shut her eyes proceeding to go to sleep.

After a while, she found herself tossing and turning then sat up to check on Daniel. He stirred a bit in his sleep but he was soundly asleep nevertheless. She grinned tenderly looking down at his sleeping figure. He looked so peaceful, she thought. At least one of us is able to sleep tonight, she sighed standing up to stretch her legs and the rest of her body. Quietly, she tiptoed her way out of his room in the hopes of sneaking into the kitchen to help her self with a glass of water. It'd been hours since she drank some sort of fluid and it just now dawned on her how parched she'd been.

Shutting the door silently behind her, she turned around and jumped in fear at a dark figure across the hall coming out of Miranda's bedroom. Gasping loudly, she immediately covered with both of her hands in the hopes of not waking Daniel. Switching the lights on, she soon found herself face to face with Himchan. His eyes widened. “Annie...” he uttered finally.

She was clearly too stunned to speak at the moment. Before long, Miranda's door flew open with Miranda herself emerging from her bedroom tying the silk bathrobe she'd been wearing. “What is going on out here? I thought you were leaving,” she hissed at Himchan. Following his gaze, she soon found herself face to face with Annie. Miranda froze.

Trembling, Annie found herself glancing from Himchan to Miranda. Annie knew this could only mean one thing. Soon, she slowly shook her head at this realization. This can't be happening, she thought to herself. This can't be happening.

A/N: Hello again! Here's another update for you!!! This chapter sounded a lot better in my head I swear so I apologize if you guys weren't satisfied with it! >.< Anyways, Annie finally knows Himchan's secret!!! As I've said, this part sounded a lot better in my head and I tried my best to write it out. I hope you like it since I worked all day on it lol. Makes me wonder what's going to happen in the next chapter lol. Heck, I even took a break from watching Revenge just to work on this! XD I've been on a binge on that show lately watching 4 episodes in a row!!!! XD Anyways, I'll try to update soon once again! My new obsession! Also, I can't wait for BTOB's comeback! Here's to hoping they win #1! Gah!!! However, I'm still hoping BAP get their first win. They worked so hard for us and I think they deserve it just this once. *Fingers crossed* Anyways, I found out about their DVD getting released on Sept 10. I'm totally getting myself a copy no matter what anyone says! Sorry, I'll stop talking! >.< Happy reading! ^^

P.S. Don't mind the errors.. I didn't exactly look over this as I was writing it lol.