Off Sides

felt too confined in them. I glance around looking for Danny and Uncle Jim and when I find her my blood starts to boil. My mother is standing there and she and Uncle Jim are arguing. Danny is pale looking.
    I jog over to them and as I come up behind my mother, I hear her say, "Well, he wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for her. Girls like her bring this stuff upon themselves."
    "Celia!" My uncle says with warning. "That's enough."
    I brush past my mother and gather Danny in my arms. I give her a hug and kiss her on her forehead. I pull back and look at her. She gives me a shaky smile.
    Turning to my mother, I say the words that need to be said. "Mother, you've said the last hurtful thing about Danny that I will tolerate. I'm done with you. Do not contact me or reach out to me again. In fact, how about you just pretend I never existed."
    Danny and my mother both gasp out loud.
    "Ryan," my mother pleads. "You don't mean that. You can't choose her over your family."
    I feel Danny flinch in my arms over those words. I look at my mom levelly. "Listen carefully, Mother, because I mean this with every fiber of my being. I am choosing love. I am choosing someone who loves me unconditionally, no matter what. It's as simple as that."
    I turn and walk away, pulling Danny along with me. I can hear my mother crying and I even hear Uncle Jim say, "You brought it upon yourself, Celia."
    We walk to my Range Rover that Danny had driven today. She hands me the keys and I open the door to let her in. Before she steps in, I stop her and she looks at me. She has purple bruising over her right cheekbone. I reach my fingers out and skim over it gently. She closes her eyes at the touch.
    I smooth my fingers into her hair and slide them to the back of her head. I need her so badly. I need to know none of this is scaring her away from me. Pulling her face toward mine, I tentatively touch my lips to hers. She sighs into me and lets herself go, entwining her tongue around mine. Relief courses through me as I realize I've not lost her.
    ***
    We are lying in Danny's bed, naked, and thoroughly replete. I'm on my back and she's lying on top of me with her head on my chest. I'm stroking her hair and her back, both feeling like silk under my palm.
    Our lovemaking was slow and tender. When we got to her apartment, Danny's first words were, "Touch me, please. Make me forget."
    And I did.
    "What are you thinking?" Danny asks me.
    "I'm actually thinking of your music. Can you get back into Julliard?"
    Danny is quiet but then she answers softly. "I believe so. My audition was really good. And I withdrew for hardship reasons so I shouldn't have a problem."
    "I think you should go back."
    Her body stiffens in my arms and the lazy circles she was drawing on my chest with her fingers still.
    "I can't afford it right now."
    I sit up and pull her up with me. Holding her by the shoulders, I say, "Then let me help you."
    Danny's shaking her head back and forth.
    "Why not?" I demand.
    My tone is harsh and I've never spoken to her this way before. She's taken aback for only a few seconds before her eyes go green on me with anger.
    "Because I'm not some whore who takes gifts in return for sex. I already have enough of your friends calling me that...I don’t need any more."
    My mouth hangs open. "Is that what you think I'm doing? Paying you for sex?"
    She doesn't say anything but won't meet my eyes. I gently take hold of her chin and make her meet my gaze. "Danny...I love you. I want to help you achieve your dreams. That's what people in love do for each other."
    Danny deflates right in front of me and crawls onto my lap. "I know, and I'm sorry I'm such a bitch about this. It just seems weird to me. And I’m sensitive about how others view me. Your mom thinks I’m a gold digging tramp, remember?"
    I'm quiet for a minute as I'm stroking her hair. Then I venture, "Would you feel different if we were married?"
    She snaps her head up so hard it catches me on my chin with a resounding crack.
    "Ouch," she swears.
    I start laughing and rub the top of her head although I feel like I've been hit in the chin with a metal pipe.
    Snuggling back to my chest, she softly says, "Don't joke about things like that. It's not funny."
    "Who says I'm joking?"
    She leans back to look at me once again, more carefully this time so we don't bang heads. Her eyes are wide and incredulous. "Ryan, we've known each other for like two seconds. How can you even think about marriage?"
    Taking