Chapter 5 - Obsessed

"Hey!" I had been so lost in my thoughts that I missed Bellamy shouting over to me until he was standing in front of me, waving his hand.

Fuck. The last person that I want to speak to is Bellamy. He is friends with a couple of my other buddies, and he has come along on a few nights out. He has always seemed friendly, but he will no doubt ask about my love life again. He seems to have a very invested interest in my love life. A small part of me wonders if he has a thing for me, but there is only one person for me, Danil. I am not interested in anyone else. Still, I try to keep things polite, I don't want to get a reputation for being a dick, which somehow could get back to Danil, but he is starting to get on my nerves.

"Hey," I reply back, trying not to show my irritation at being interrupted.

"I havent seen you around much," Bellamy says.

"Yeah sorry, work has been slammed." It's a lie but he doesn't need to know that. He doesn't need to know anything about me.

"So how have you been doing?" Bellamy asks and I need to figure out how to end this conversation. I am not in the mood to talk, especially to him.

"Yeah, good." But I make an exaggerated point of looking at my watch, which Bellamy either doesn't notice or ignores, because he doesn't move from in front of me.

"So, have there been any changes to the love life?" Bellamy asks cheerfully.

No, there have been no changes to my fucking love life, is what I want to say to him. In fact I want to scream it into his face. Tell him that the only person I want is Danil. I just need to get the chance to show him, and when I do, Danil will understand that he belongs with me.

"Not at the moment. Enjoying the single life." I like trying my best to keep my tone as friendly as possible.

"Really?" I spot the flash of hope in his eyes at my words. "Maybe we could go hit a club at some point?" Bellamy asks, and I wonder how I can tell him to fuck off without upsetting him.

"Um." Shit. I need to think of something. Something that will get this prick to leave me alone "All of us?" I ask, deciding to play dumb when really all I want to say is, I am not interested in going anywhere with you, unless Danil is involved. Even though I am fairly sure that Bellamy has no idea who Danil is.

"Well, I was just thinking maybe it could be just us," Bellamy replies.

Fuck.

"Look," I start. "I'm just not interested in you." Fuck not being a dick. If my friends find out, I will just tell them he wasn't taking no for an answer.

"Oh. I thought we had a connection."

"Nope."

"We always have fun when we are out," Bellamy finally voices, but I don't answer him. I really don't want this conversation to continue. "I'll um, see you around then."

"Sure," is the only thing I reply, relief filling me that this is finally over.

I watch as Bellamy quickly crosses the street, but I don't move until I know he has vanished from sight. I am surprised that he didn't ask what I was doing in this part of town. I could have easily said that I was doing something for work, he wouldn't have known, but no, the reason that I'm in this part of town is simply, Danil.

Everything in my life revolves around Danil. My need to see him consumes me daily. The only time I try not to think about him is when I'm in the office. I recently changed my hours so that they matched the hours that Danil worked. Knowing that he was in his office was the only thing that kept me going into mine.

Looking at my watch tells me I need to get moving, Danil will be leaving for work soon, which means I should have a chance to get my first look at him. I wonder if he'll be wearing a suit. He works as a software engineer which means he only has to wear a suit, I worked out, when he has a meeting. Danil always looks super-hot in a suit, but he doesn't always need to wear them. My favorite one he wears is a dark blue, three piece. It has a double-breasted waistcoat, with brown buttons. He always wears this suit with a white shirt and tie that's a shade darker or possibly a shade lighter than the buttons. The jacket is always left open and with the matching brown shoes he's a vision. I have several photos of this suit. Not as close as I would like, but I can clearly see they are my Danil. So they will do for now.

I manage to get to my spot where I can safely watch Danil's building. Nobody pays much attention to a person leaning against a wall with a cell in his hand, I discovered, even if that person stands in the same spot every day. It's the old adage of hiding in plain sight.

This morning I'm itching to see him. It was always the same on a Monday. I tried not to linger on the weekends. Standing here for hours would eventually draw attention, and because I was never sure if or when he would leave his apartment, I had to reconcile myself with just looking at his social media accounts, its just, he never updates them often. I had started to hate my weekends.

Looking at my watch, I see he must be running late. Normally he would have already left for work by now and I would need to get moving soon, if I didn't want to be late myself. This isn't right. I quickly scan his accounts. Nothing. This is what annoys me. Why have social media accounts if he isn't going to update them. I need to know what he is up to.

A movement up by Danil's apartment building catches my eye. The main door opens, and I tentatively hold my breath. It has to be Danil. It isn't, but it is someone I've seen with Danil a few times. Someone I wish would just leave him alone. The first time I saw him, I was filled with rage. Danil had met someone else. I had wondered how he could do it to me. Danil belonged to me and only me. I had needed to find out who this man was and try to figure out why he was spending so much time with Danil. It had become my obsession. His face was ingrained in my memory, and it had taken me a lot longer than necessary. Finally, he had appeared in a rare photo that Danil had posted. A picture Danil had posted with his mom. They were just in the background and looked to be outside a restaurant – Gios.

Finding the Instagram account for the restaurant had been easy. From there I had gone through all the photos, finding one that tagged him as Domenico Romano, Gios brother, and welcoming him to the team. Finally, he had a name, but it hadn't explained who he was and why he was with my Danil. Spending time with a man that was ultimately mine. Scrolling back through the photos, I was just about to swipe past an engagement announcement, when I had seen Danil's name. My heart had skipped a beat. I had run my finger over the name, trying to get that connection with him. His comment had been simply congratulating Gio and his Papa on their engagement but then I had spotted a reply. Domenico had replied to Danil ‘looks like we are going to be family'.

Family. Danil and Domenico were going to be family. It helped explain why they were spending so much time together but not why he stayed over at Danil's. It was on my list to find out, but at the moment my priority was Danil. My need to see him this week overcoming everything else.

I check the time. Fuck. I need to get going, but my feet don't move. Its Monday. Danil goes to work on Mondays. I haven't seen him since he got home from work on Friday. Forty-eight hours of not seeing the man you love, is just, excruciating. Pulling up the contacts on my cell, I find the number for the office and dial the number.

"Hey dad," I say the moment I hear the line connect. "My damn car died again. Gonna be late."

One of the many perks of working with your dad, is that you can pull this shit and they don't question it, especially as they know the car you drive.

"Again? You really need to scrap that pile of shit," Dad states.

"But its grandpa's," I say, trying to add an edge of something to my voice to convey that the car is precious to me. Personally, I really don't fucking care. It's just a car. Whether it belonged to my grandad or not. Its still just a car, but it is becoming useful now. The fact that it is notorious for breaking down, is helping me.

"I know," Dad replies, and I know that he has somehow believed this car is precious to me. "Look, today is looking quiet anyway. Get it to the garage and work from home this afternoon."

"Thanks, Dad."

I can feel the smile on my face, and I keep looking down at my cell, readjusting my position. Even though no one has really paid me any attention at all, I am getting conscious that soon, I will have been standing here too long. Shit. I have no idea what to do. I can't leave. I haven't seen him, but I really have no option.

His work. I need to move to his work. There is a coffee shop opposite his work. I can go there and hopefully find a place near the window. I have my laptop with me, I can work from there, it will at least keep dad happy and I can keep an eye out for Danil. Pushing myself off the wall, I give one last look over to Danil's place before walking to my car.

I spend the next hour pretending to work at the coffee shop, but honestly spending most of my time looking at the entrance to Danil's work. I have lost count of the people coming and going, but not a single one of them is my Danil.

"Danil's a lucky son of bitch to have today off," a voice sounds. Suddenly looking up, I see two men at the counter, waiting to be served. They have my undivided attention. There has to be only one person in this city with a name that sounds like that. But, to confirm that it's my Danil, I need to get closer.

Packing up my laptop, I stand and slowly edge my way past the men, pretending to head to the toilets.

"Mind you, he told me he was going hiking with his brother, fiancé, son, or something like that. He is probably too sore to get out of bed," The man continues.

Fuck.

That had to be my Danil, which means that he could still be at his apartment, and I have wasted my time here. I swiftly change direction, thankful that I paid for my coffees as I went, and race out of the coffee shop, not caring who is in my way. I need to get back to Danil's place. Keeping everything crossed that I haven't missed him. Why the fuck hadn't I just stayed where I was?

Rushing over to my car, I throw my laptop bag onto the passenger seat and quickly pull out into traffic. The urge to step on the gas, to get my car moving faster is overwhelming; but if I get pulled over by the cops and stopped, it would delay me even more, plus I really don't want to deal with the lecture I'd get from my dad about speeding in the city.

Traffic isn't on my side, but I'm not sure what I expected on a Monday morning in New York. My frustration is increasing by the second. I have no idea what I'm going to do if I miss him. He could have already left; he may not even leave the apartment at all.

Why the fuck did I leave my position? Why the fuck did I think I had missed him? I should have realized when he didn't leave at his normal time that something was different and just stayed. Now I have probably missed my chance to see him.

Turning onto Danil's road, luck finally seems to be on my side; I spot a parking space a little ways up from the main entrance to Danil's building. It's a little close for my liking, but he has no idea what car I drive, so he wouldn't be looking out for it. Which means I feel pretty safe that, if he does come out, he won't see me.

Once parked, I get myself comfortable, because I have a feeling that I'm going to be here for a while. I know that I could open my laptop, to make out to any passersby that I'm working and not staying here watching an apartment, but I don't. I just sit and stare.

Time has no meaning when I'm like this, minutes can drift into hours, but I don't care, the only thing that grabs my attention is when I see movement by Danil's apartment, the main door opening. Sitting up in my seat, I hold my breath. Is this it? Will I finally see him?

"Nope." My voice echoes around the car, and my heart plummets. Each time someone leaves Danil's building, hope flares that it's going to be him.

Checking the time, I realize I have only been back an hour or so, there has been nothing. Opening up my cell, I go to Dom's social media and see if he has any updates. Its something I started doing after seeing him leave Danil's apartment, but as usual there is nothing. Danil is the same. Unlike almost everyone on the planet, they like to keep what they are doing private. Which is really fucking annoying when you want to know what they are doing. But, it got me thinking, if Dom was the only one to leave this morning, that must mean that Danil is still there. I go back to watching the apartment.

Again, time vanishes, but finally, the door to Danil's building opens, I hold my breath again, and finally it's him. My pulse rate increases when I see him. He looks amazing. Every time I see him, he takes my breath away. Knowing that one day he will be all mine, is exhilarating. Today all he's wearing is blue jeans and a simple gray t-shirt. Yet the way his clothes cling to his body is something simply beautiful.

Normally, I just stay out of the way. Watching from a distance until he's out of sight before leaving, but that's not enough today. I need to somehow get closer. I need to see what he's doing. He doesnt seem to be dressed for going out on a date, but you never know.

Checking the traffic around me, I quickly get out of the car, locking it behind me, before crossing the road. I try to stay back, using people to block me, but keeping him in my line of sight. I have never followed anyone before, but there has never been anyone like Danil before.

As we keep walking, I try to always keep him in my line of sight, while sidestepping the people who just randomly stop in the middle of the sidewalk. Each time it happens I have to forcefully push them out of the way. Do they not realize that they could be keeping me from my Danil?

Suddenly, Danil stops in front of me. Shit. Without looking, I dash into the nearest shop, not paying any attention to what it is. Thankfully the shop has a huge window, and I'm able to angle myself so that I can still see Danil. I watch as he quickly turns around. Looking in the direction that we just came. Fuck, did he know that I was following him?

"Can I help you?" a voice behind me asks, making me jump.

Turning around, I see a very handsome man standing in front of me, who weirdly reminds me of Dom. Same dark hair and olive skin. They seriously could be related. Finally, I look around to see what type of shop I have jumped into, to discover it's a fucking florist.

"Um," I voice, looking back over my shoulder just in time to see Danil shake his head and start walking. I turn back to the man, who now has a very strange look on his face as he looks me up and down. "Sorry, wrong shop." And I turn, open the door, and dash out.

When I'm back on the sidewalk, I stop, needing to get Danil back in my line of sight. He is further ahead of me and is now walking a little faster. I'm about to start moving when a strange feeling has me turning around. Looking over at the shop I just escaped from, I see the man standing in the doorway, eyes glued on me. I fight the urge to go over and ask him what his problem is, but if I did that I would lose sight of Danil. So instead, I take a deep breath, turn away and keep walking. At the end of the day, he's a fucking florist. How dangerous is that?

Danil has moved further away from me, due to the damn florist distraction, and I have to jog a little to catch up, but a few blocks later he's turning onto a street. I know that I am going to have to be careful. I know that this street is busy, but I have no idea about the next one. When I reach the corner, I stop. Looking around the corner, I see that the street is a lot quieter. Fuck. It means that if I were to walk down there, Danil would spot me in an instant. The only option I have is to wait here and see where he goes. There are a few stores and a coffee shop, so I mentally keep everything crossed that he is there to visit one of these.

Not sure if today is my lucky day, but Danil stops at the coffee shop, about halfway down the road on the opposite side, and pulls up a chair outside. Its perfect. I can stand here and watch him. See who he's meeting in the middle of the day.

I watch Danil, transfixed. Watch as he gives his order to a waitress, wishing I was sitting there next to him. I'm guessing that he will order an iced tea. He doesn't normally drink hot drinks during the day. When the waitress is gone, he leans back in his chair, the sun shining on his face, making his dark blond hair shimmer and look lighter. What I wouldn't give at this moment to run my fingers through his hair. He looks breathtaking.

Fuck it. I need to be closer to him. Maybe if I keep to this side of the road, I can get closer without him seeing me. I'm about to put my plan into action when I see a man go up to Danil. I had been so engrossed with Danil, I hadn't seen him approach. But he's now standing in front of Danil, blocking my view, and hatred courses through me.