Chapter Twenty Five

(unedited)

Sorry it's a short one, and there's not really much going on, the next one will be better, promise.

Turner and I went to see Lisa, having met her a couple times now and with Kitty's birthday coming up I thought it was time they met. 

Shortly after we got there I tell them I have to go and kiss Turner goodbye.

Me - I love you, I'll see you later.
Turner - See you later.

 Now that I have Kitty out of the house I head back to her place to talk birthday plans.

Me - So we're agreed then, we'll the lunch get together at my house and then the main party will be at her parents?
Donny - Yea, the party isn't really what I'm concerned about.

Me - Haha, right. We need to plan how you're going to propose.

Donny - Whoa, no, Hayley, I don't think I need any help with that, I already know what I'm going to say at the party.

Me - No, no Donny,no you can not do it at the party in front of everyone.....That sounded wrong. You can't propose to Kitty in front of everyone. 

Donny - Why the fuck not?

Me - God forbid she says no, and then you're humiliated in front of everyone, or she wants to but doesn't because of everyone. Even given everything goes right, she says yes and means it that is still a very intimate and personal moment.

Me - No what you need to do is do it at lunch.

Donny - Wouldn't dinner be better? Her and I are going to have dinner alone after the party.

Me - Nope, no , the lunch.

Donny - Why?

Me - Cause I wanna be there.

 He laughs at me.
Donny - So it can't be a big thing, in front of everyone, but it has to be in front of you?
Me - Damn right.

A beautiful young woman, with several piercings ,walks out the back door. 

At first I don't recognize her , we haven't seen each other in years, then I see her eyes.

Me - Dani!
I can't help but grin as I wrap my arms around Daniella.

Shawn - Hey ladies.
Donny - Hey!
Shawn - I meant the other ladies.

Dani - Hahahha!  Nice going Bro.
Dani laughs making a face at her big brother.

Me - 'ey Shawnie boy. What's up?

Shawn - Uh, I actually kinda need to talk to you about something. Well not need to I guess but want to, I need to talk to someone ya know?

Hayley - Alright, lets sit down and talk. And don't you usually go to Donny too talk to about stuff?

Shawn -  I actually didn't mean right now, and I can't talk to him about this. Just, remember I need to talk to you okay?
Me - Ah, yea, whatever Shawnie.

I as he walks off I follow the line of sight from were he had been hoping I might get some clue to what that was about. Was he looking at Dani?

Dani - Hey, Hayley, do you know a gym or anywhere in town that has gymnastics's stuff, I can't find one?

Me - Um, yea, if you want to come to my place.

Dani - Oh?

Me - Yea, we just moved to a new house, I did most of the furnishing, and I made sure the workout area included gymnastics's equipment.
Dani - We? 

Me - Yes, me, my family, and some others. So do you want to come over?

Dani - Your family? You mean your man?

Me - You'll see. Come on.

I on the way to the house we went and bought new leotards and  tape for our wrists and hands.  

We stretched out.

Dani - It feels good, doesn't it, to be doing it again?

 Me - Yea, honestly until I saw the equipment, when I was buying stuff for the house, I didn't even realize how much I missed it.
Dani - Oh my god.
Me - What?

Kiara comes running up.
Kiara - Oh my god, Daniella, Dani?
Dani - Kiara, I can't believe it, didn't think I'd ever see you again. 

Me  - You two know each other?
Dani - Well I should think so, we lived together.
Me - What?
Kiara - Dani was my roommate, at school.
Dani - Mhmm. So, Ara, did you ever find your guy?
Kiara - Yea, actually I did. Wanna meet him?
Dani - Of course, though I feel like I know him already the way you used to go on and on and
Kiara - Alright! Hang on. Adam...can you come her a moment.

Adam - Yes sweetheart? 

Kiara - This is Daniella Leo, she was my roommate in school.
Dani - Nice to finally meet you Adam. Ara talked about you, a lot.
Kiara - Dani!

Adam - Haha. Nice to meet you too Dani. She's mentioned you to, though not nearly as much it seems. 

Dani - She mentioned me?  

Kiara - Well yea, you were my best friend in that school.

Me - Well, before I disappear even more, since I clearly don't need to be here , there's someone else you need to meet. 

Me - She's playing with Prince, her dog. Natalie, sweetie come here please.

Natalie - Coming!

 Me - Dani, this is Natalie, my daughter.
Me - Nat, Dani here is Donny's little sister and a good friend of mine and even of Kiara's.
Natalie - Really? You don't look much like Donny, but I suppose you could each take after a different parent, or the genetic's combine in a different way.
Dani - Whoa.
Me - Yea, she's really smart for her age, tall too, obviously, she gets it from her father. 

Dani - Oh, and when do I meet him?
Me - He's out of the house right now. He'll be at Kitty's birthday though.

Among Thieves Q&A

Obviously this isn't the latest chapter, sorry BUT  that will be along shortly. I recently hosted a character Q&A event on the Among Thieves Facebook page  where I asked readers to ask any character any question , sadly there wasn't as many questions as I would have liked but here it is all the same.

Q: Hayley, do you believe the one guy who didn't treat you nice at the beginning?

Hayley - Well, I'm not quite sure I understand, you should be more specific, but I'm going to assume you mean do I believe Adam, that he's changed or is at least trying to change and, the answer is yes.

Even if I didn't believe him when he first said so, it's been a couple years and I've scene it. He has changed, inside and out.

Q: Adam, if Laura had not come back, do you think that you would have changed, or would you have become even more violet towards women?

Adam - *sigh*  I was excepting something like that, please call her Kiara. I'm going to ignore the fact that technically that would be changing, though not for the better, and just say that, honestly, I don't know. I would like to think so, I know I wanted to, I just, I don't know if I would have succeeded  her. Let me tell you a story, I know you've learned a lot about my past but this is one important moment you missed. When I was about seventeen, we had been together just under a year I believe, we were at my house, in my room. My dad came in, mad about something, or maybe about nothing, I don't know. I told Kiara to leave, wanted her out of there before something happened, but I guess that was a mistake. When she tried pass him to get to the door he shoved her, he was just pushing her aside, to get to me, but he shoved  her to the floor and.... I snapped. I had been old enough, and big enough to fight back for a long time at that point but ,I guess I was so used to it, I don't know, I didn't care enough to, I didn't really see a reason until then. I shoved him against the wall and told him that if he ever even thought of touching her again, or me or anyone else for that matter, he was dead. Sound familiar? It's the same thing Turner said to me, the same way he reacted. I told Layla, what I did to her and to Hayley  made me realize how far I'd strayed from the person I wanted to be, and it did, but really it was that moment that I guess you could call my wake up call. I've never felt so disgusted,the thought it still makes me sick, to think that I had become just like him. 

Q: Turner, do you see your self spending the rest of your life with Hayley, or is she just another girlfriend?

(Sorry, I don't have a new picture of just him lol)

Turner -  I'm not going to lie, of course there were girls before her, but I never loved any of them, and I never said I did either but even if that weren't the case, she still wouldn't be , as you said, just another girlfriend, because of Natalie. We have a daughter together, she's the mother of my child as well as the woman I love. So , yes, I do see myself spending my life with her, I hope I do.  Not only can I see that happening, its all I can see, anything else has become unthinkable.