It shouldn’t have happened like this.
When Dan woke up this morning, she was in a very good mood. She had just received an invitation to join the New York Philharmonics and she had jumped and cheered when she found out. She had even called Oliver in her excitement to share the good news.
Oliver insisted to take her out to dinner that night to celebrate her achievement. The fact that he wanted to share her happiness made her feel some sort of way, so Dan decided to say yes. It would be their first date and she was okay with that.
Feeling like a girl who wanted to impress the guy that she likes, she made appointments to get her hair done and redo her manicures. She spent the rest of the day shopping for a new dress and accessories to go with it, making sure that she would look the best for tonight.
So when the time finally came for Oliver to pick her up, she was prepared. She had her favourite hair clip on, a new dress, pair of new heels, and a shy smile when Oliver complimented her.
The restaurant was a fancy one, they had a splendid time. Dan was still the same person that she is, but she made an effort to be more open with him. Oliver on the other hand, was a little different, she noted. He was still a little weird and have questionable train of thoughts, but he was very sweet and he made her feel like she was the center of his attention. All in all, it was a lovely date.
When it was time to take Dan home, they decided to park the car a few blocks away and walk the rest of the way so they could spend a little more time together.
Everything had happened so quickly.
One minute she was smiling at Oliver’s animated gestures as he recounting something that happened in his past, the next they were interrupted by a masked man with a gun. Oliver had immediately stepped forward to shield Dan from the possibility of getting hurt when the assailant pointed the gun at them. He had demanded for something, Dan’s hands were trembling. It wasn’t the first time she was in this situation, and the last time something like this happened, she had almost lost the person that she cared about.
When Oliver tried to diffuse the situation, the assailant had gotten more agitated. It was then that Dan realized what he was about to do. With a shout, Dan pushed Oliver out of the way as a shot rang out.
The pain was instant and searing. It tore through her body like she was a piece of paper. She closed her eyes in pain as she fell to the ground. She had no idea what happened after that, she only came back to when she felt someone lifting her upper body up. She opened her eyes and found Oliver’s face. His normally relaxed and happy demeanor was gone, instead, he looked panicked and worried. She could see his lips moving, but she couldn’t hear anything.
The relief that washed all over her when she realized Oliver was safe combined with the pain of getting shot brought tears to her eyes. She kept him safe.
Dan cried for the fact that she might never get the chance to experience all the things Oliver promised that they would do together. She cried for that fact that she only realized she did, in fact, liked Oliver when it was too late. She cried for the fact that she’ll never get to see her family again.
As she grew weaker, her sobs lessened. She knew she was going to die, but at least she gets to die in the arms of someone who truly cared for her. With great difficult, she lifted her hand and guided Oliver’s head down. Lightly, she touched his lips with her own before smiling.
Prompt: Dan gives up their life so that Oliver can live.