When We Were Perfect

Daniel rushed to his cabin where Ozan was bawling his eyes out while Ashton was trying to soothe him in a panicked state. Daniel went to his side, taking Ozan from his hold and hugging him.

"Hey! it's okay son, I am here" He said in a gentle tone rubbing his back and placing feathery kisses on his forehead. The little boy continued to cry for a minute before he began to relax in his father's embrace, sucking his thumb. Daniel looked over his shoulder at Ashton who worriedly watched him, afraid that he might have done something wrong.

"Ashton, you go back to your work and cancel all my meetings for today," He told in a businesslike manner. Ashton complied with his words and scurried away to his work leaving Daniel and Ozan alone.

"Someone hungry huh" Daniel chuckled seeing how eagerly ozan sucked on his thumb, wiping his tears away from his face as peered at his father. Sometimes Daniel felt he was way too smart to be a six-month-old child, the way he stared and smiled at his father, the way he hugged him most of the time like he was the one soothing him and assuring him that he was here not the other way around. Daniel gently laid him back in his crib as he continued to suck his thumb and move his legs in the air. Daniel felt guilty for forgetting about him, he already was a little weak and now he forgets to feed him.

"OH MY GOD!" A shrill sound came from behind him, startling both him and ozan as Daniel turned around glaring at the intruder who was none other than Silas standing there with shock and amazement etched on his face as he stared wide-eyed at Ozan who didn't acknowledge him as he continued to throw his arms and legs in the air.

"Have you gone mad! Why are you shouting like that!" Daniel chastised him while walking to the other side of the room, opening the baby bag and taking out a box of formula milk and feeder.

"Is this your son?" Silas breathed moving a little closer to the crib.

"No, it's Santa's son, he asked me to look after him," Daniel responded, mixing the powder and water and then placing it in the warmer.

Silas squinted his eyes.

"Aren't you done with your sarcasm yet!" Silas retorted, his nose still aching from the punches he received a while before.

"No, we are not done yet, Silas. Once I feed and put ozan back to sleep we are going to have a detailed talk about the mess you have created," Daniel muttered sternly, grabbing the bottle and then moving to Ozan, picking him up from his crib and settling him in his thighs placing the nipple of the bottle near his mouth. Ozan didn't wait for a second and immediately latched on to it. All the while Silas was standing near observing.

"He is so cute, Nadia was right he has an uncanny resemblance to you. No doubt people call him junior Saritas!" Silas said, smiling at ozan. Daniel's lips lifted a bit hearing his words as he gazed down at ozan.

"Why do you bring him here, shouldn't Amy be the one doing all these things!" Silas blurted the first thing that came to his mind seeing Daniel's cabin that has completely transformed into a nursery.

"She has work to do," Daniel retorted, not wanting to talk about her 

right now.

"Oh really, Daniel even if she has that much work, it would still not compare to the workload you have and besides does she have work every day. Because what I have heard is you brought him here every day since the day he turned two months old," Silas declared, making a serious face. Daniel only glared back in response.

"So you have been keeping tabs on me!" He muttered with anger.

"No, it's what I heard about you from Nadia!" Silas admitted, looking away.

"Great! I am wondering how you dare to ask me questions after what you did!"

"Daniel! I have explained my reason to you. Are you still blaming me!" Silas urged. Daniel wanted to argue with him but he looked down to Ozan who was falling asleep, the bottle nearly empty. Daniel placed the bottle on the table in front and began rubbing his back.

"I still can't believe you are a father!"Silas mumbled, still amazed.

"Can I hold him?" He asked expectantly.

"No!" Daniel blatantly refused, laying Ozan back in his crib. Silas pouted in return. It was going to be a long ride, melting his anger. Turning the baby monitor on, Daniel walked past Silas to his office nudging his shoulder in the process. Who hissed in return following him.

"Bro, can you have this talk without being violent for a while," Silas mocked, rubbing his shoulder. Daniel sighed leaning his back on the desk while motioning him to take a seat which he did cautiously.

"I don't get it, what else do you want to know? I have already told you I didn't love her and the reason I ran away was for you!" Silas started.

"Well, I beg your pardon but I didn't need your pity!" Daniel hissed.

"I didn't pity you Daniel if that's what you think. Sure what I did was for you but I had my own reasons as well. So don't consider this a favour on you or as a pity." Silas said in a desperate tone.

"She was heartbroken when you left, devastated when you dumped her days before your wedding day. You shattered her Silas and I was the one left to collect that shattered pieces but I only got hurt while collecting those pieces because they didn't belong to me," Daniel responded 

"I tried many times to tell her that I don't feel the same for her but every time she waved it off Daniel. It was like she was infatuated with this thought of portraying as a lovely couple, the idea of me loving her. She was too stubborn to realize the truth. So I am not the one alone to be blamed, what I did wasn't wrong but the way I did it was wrong, I admit that and I am willing to beg everyone's forgiveness who got hurt in this all, starting from you." Silas admitted everything and as much as Daniel wanted to argue he knew it was mostly true and the sincerity in his eyes gave the same idea.

"Why me, you should ask her forgiveness!" Daniel responded sullenly thinking about Amy's reaction and some part of his heart dreaded it.

"Do you think she would forgive me?" Silas asked anxiously.

Daniel sighed tiredly crossing his arms over his chest.

"You know she doesn't like hearing your name or anything related to you but deep down you are the one who reigns her heart, Silas. She will be angry at first but eventually, she will forgive you!" Daniel replied, the sullen expression still on his face and it didn't go unnoticed by Silas who stared in confusion.

"Daniel! Is everything alright between you and Amy!" He asked observing the tiredness that flashed in his eyes along with an unreadable expression.

Daniel chuckled in a humourless way staring at the cloudy sky through the glass window.

"You know you did more harm than good to me by running away Silas. She isn't the Amy Moretti she used to be, warm and radiant, you took that aspect of her character along with you. She has become cold and hostile not with everyone though, as far as I see I am the only victim of that along with ozan. I don't remember the last time we had a conversation, a full conversation without her lashing out at me!" Daniel let his bottled up emotions out as he continued to stare outside with a gloomy expression.

Silas sat there shocked as a gasp escaped his lips, it was the first time since school he saw such a dull expression on his friend's face. He was always the one to hide his feelings and emotions, but now what he saw rendered his heart in slight ache. Nadia was right that something was definitely off in his life. At that time he thought that it may be something else but right now his eyes told another story that he suffered from a lot more things.

"I thought you were finally settled in your life Daniel, that's why I came back. I mean you both had a child together." Silas muttered now, curious.

"It was a one-night thing, she was drunk and one thing led to another. She never wanted that pregnancy in the first place. It was me who urged her to keep that. I don't regret that night, I got the most beautiful blessing of my life, my son out of it." Daniel breathed lightly, smiling at the last part, finally shifting his gaze to Silas who was sitting still at the moment thunderstruck at his revelations.