Chapter: EpilogueSix Months Later: "Come on, we're going to be late." I ushered Damien out against his protests and shut the door behind me. "I think I forgot something inside." He turned to open the door. I swatted his hand away and narrowed my eyes. "Stop stalling. He's waiting for us," I scolded Damien. I pulled on his hand and he followed along, grumbling the entire time. Once we arrived at the apartment parking garage, his whole demeanor changed. "Hi Betsy. How are we this fine evening?" Damien asked, his eyes sparkling. I stared at the motorcycle in front of me that was repaired long ago, just waiting for Damien's leg to heal. Sometimes I felt like he loved 'Betsy' more than me, but I'm not sure I want to find out. I'm still deathly afraid of driving, so I avoid it as much as I can. Sometimes I drive for longer trips, but nowadays, we take his motorcycle out everywhere. I don't fully agree with him riding it because I think it's dangerous, but me being behind the wheel might be more dangero
Last Updated: 2023-09-27
Chapter: Chapter 23Damien led me through a path, our palms separating from the sweat pooling between them. The sun shone brightly and a thick humidity hugged us as we walked. The lake loomed over the distance, ripples sparkling from the sunlight like diamonds hitting the water. An occasional breeze cascaded from the water to us, sending a warm, floral scent in our direction. Most would consider this a perfect Summer day, but all I could worry about was ruining my new dress with sweat.Before we left the hotel room, Damien had pulled out a pink, floral sundress with the shortest skirt I had ever seen, off-shoulder ruffled sleeves, and laces at the front. It was a lot more feminine than what I usually wore, but I loved it nonetheless. He beamed as he explained how Ron helped him pick it out for me, and he insisted that I wear it before 'the thing' he has planned. I still hadn't met this Ron, but at least he had good taste. I eyed him suspiciously at first, unaware of his intentions, but put it on after so
Last Updated: 2023-09-27
Chapter: Chapter 22Damien's in time out for the embarrassment I had to face in front of his online friends. There's not much I can do to really punish him, but I have continued sleeping on the pull-out couch against his protests and resisted every move he made on me. Every time I saw his muscular frame and attractive, heart stopping smile, I wanted to rip his clothes off. After awhile, I didn't know what I was even punishing him for, as my resilience began to falter.Part of me was relieved they were random strangers on the internet, and I would never have to face them in person. But I started suspecting that wasn't fully the case after a few awkward interactions with Matthew. I constantly ran into him even though our last meeting seemed like a forever farewell, but we were neighbors. It was simply unavoidable. Every time I greeted him with a friendly wave, he would look down, trying his best to avoid eye contact. The uneasy aura lingering in the elevator ride up with him was the last straw."Matthew, w
Last Updated: 2023-09-27
Chapter: Chapter 21"My debt is paid off? What do you mean? I still have 3 months left."Damien cleared his throat and took a deep breath like he was about to drop a bombshell."I got the hospital bill a few weeks ago. My insurance had it reduced severely and covered most of it. I only ended up paying about $600 out of pocket, and you essentially paid that off in your first month," he explained.I was stunned. Both from finding out Damien hid this from me and that an insurance company in America actually did what they were supposed to."Why didn't you tell me?" I asked gently. Surprisingly, I didn't feel upset or angry. I actually felt a little proud of myself. He obviously kept this from me for a reason, most likely selfish ones. But from his words, I gathered he wanted to keep me around as long as possible. I placed my finger up to my mouth to hide the smile forming on my lips. Damien rubbed the nape of his neck uncomfortably."I just... I didn't want you to leave," he mumbled."Why not?" I asked, inch
Last Updated: 2023-09-27
Chapter: Chapter 20Sunlight streamed through the large panes of glass covering the outer wall of the apartment. My eyelids flickered open only to close again as a reaction to the bright beam shining directly upon us. I propped myself up on my elbows, squinting around the room to adjust to my surroundings.Damien lay next to me, one leg hanging off the bed and the other resting comfortably on a crumpled up bedsheet. His arm was tucked under his head and wisps of hair hung messily around his forehead. I turned to face him, immediately feeling pain shoot through my body. Damien looked so peaceful with his long eyelashes draped over his cheeks and his palm resting on his heart. No one would ever guess that this man was named Damien for a reason-- he was the true spawn of the devil.Four times. That's how many times we kept going. I thought my body was going to break. If I hadn't passed out after the fourth, it would have been five. I'm not sure how anyone could maintain that level of stamina, but I was exha
Last Updated: 2023-09-27
Chapter: Chapter 19Plates, forks, napkins... cups? Do we have enough cups? I scurried from one cupboard to another searching frantically for cups. Damien seemed to only own 5 cups, but I guess I couldn't blame him since he was living alone for years.I looked around at the nearly full blown party that emerged within a few hours. Although Damien's studio was gigantic for the two of us, it hardly contained the 15+ people that were within its walls. Some people had moved to the balcony to get away from the tight group of people. The amount of people, not too large, was still enough to heighten my nerves."Are you okay? What are you searching for?" Matthew asked, leaning over the small island counter in the kitchen."Cups," I hissed, fanning myself with my hands.I didn't enjoy large groups of people, and I could tell by Damien's narrowed eyes that he didn't either. Then why is he hosting a party, you ask? He's not.Word got around the building fast that Damien got his cast off. Many people cheered him on w
Last Updated: 2023-09-27