City Lights, Country Nights

48.I want you, Rory

Liora reclined on her bed, phone in hand, deliberating whether she was ready to speak to Cole. She wasn't in the mood for an argument, but she had promised she would.

With a sigh, Liora tapped on his number and composed a brief text. Just as she was about to send it, her door flung open.

"Aahhh!" Liora exclaimed, startled, as she leapt up and locked eyes with Danny. "What on earth?! Have you lost your mind?" she exclaimed.

"I got in," he announced. Liora shook her head, not initially understanding, until he held up a piece of paper.

"No way," Liora responded, quickly crossing the room to inspect the document. "You got into Juilliard!" she exclaimed. He nodded.

"Congratulations, Danny!" Liora exclaimed with a broad smile as she studied the letter.

"I still can't believe it," he confessed. Liora smiled. She was genuinely happy for him. Juilliard was an outstanding school. Although she was still disappointed that she couldn't attend, she was pleased that at least one of them had the opportunity.

"I felt the same way," she nodded. Danny glanced up at her. "When I received my acceptance letter from Juilliard," she continued. Everyone seemed to find out quickly after her conversation with George, as she overheard him and Katherine discussing it.

"Hey, you know there's always next year," Danny offered. Liora exhaled and nodded. She might not receive a full ride, but if her wrist was okay, she would go. "Could you imagine both of us going?" he mused.

"It would be something, wouldn't it?" she replied, walking over to him as they settled on her bed.

"Yeah, it would," he agreed. Liora smiled. "So, um, Cole mentioned something about you two having a talk?" he asked. Liora looked away and nodded.

"A talk that has yet to happen," Liora admitted, releasing a sigh. "The truth is, Danny, I don't know what to do with him. When we finally reach a good spot where we could actually figure things out, it's like... the next day, it's as if he never said it... like he wasn't even the person who said those things to me," she confessed.

"He's withdrawn," Danny nodded. "He hasn't been the same since football," he mumbled.

"It's not just that. He... he's there and it's good when he is, but the next second, he's just... not," Liora explained, looking up at him. "It's like he looks at me after we have a good moment or something and then just does something he knows will start an argument," she said.

"He's hard," Danny said, looking down at her. "If it makes you feel better, I've never seen him put so much into a girl before, whether good or bad. I really think you're just intimidating," he said, prompting Liora to laugh and shake her head.

"Why?" she asked.

"I don't think he's ever felt what he's feeling, whatever he's feeling," he said. "I just think he thinks one thing, does what he's thinking, which is the good, and then... well, I don't think he rethinks it, but I think he gets a different mindset after, so he reacts like he always does."

"I don't know," Liora groaned as she put her hands over her face. "I just... I know I can't keep doing this like this."

"I have to ask, and I'm not trying to put the blame on you," Danny said, looking at her. "But why didn't you ever make the first move after the good moments?"

"I guess I just wanted to see if he was genuine, so I figured if he was serious about what he said, he would come up to me, talk to me, something," Liora explained. "I was just so hesitant about it because I didn't want something that wasn't stable, you could say," she added. Danny nodded.