Chapter 2

"Live with you? You can't be serious!" I jerked back in shock, unable to comprehend this man's intentions.

"Why not? You said you would do anything, right?" Damien's voice was serious and his gaze was unwavering.

"I-I mean yeah... but... that's not what I meant."

"What did you mean then?" Damien tilted his head slightly and flashed me a mischievous grin. His smug face made me irrationally angry. I reached for a set of controls next to his bed.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Calling a nurse. You've obviously been given too many painkillers, and now you're acting insane."

Damien chuckled softly. "I can assure you I'm not being delusional. Tell me something, Val. What outcome were you hoping for when I woke up? That you say 'sorry' and I say 'it's okay' and we both move on with our lives? I don't know if you realize the kind of costs that come with injuries like mine. I assume the treatment for my internal bleeding along with broken leg... broken arm... hospital stay...hmm. Even with insurance, it'll probably be around $30,000. Did you want to pay that with cash or check?"

I placed my face in the palm of my hands. He was completely right. What was I expecting to do in this situation?

"Why would you want to live with me? You don't even know me," I sighed.

"They'll probably send me home soon, but with my current condition, I have really limited mobility." Damien shifted slightly, wincing from pain. "I want you to come stay with me until I'm able to care for myself. You'll basically be my live in nurse, and each month I'll take $5000 off your debt."

"So what? You'll basically own me until my debt is paid off?" I asked, my tone becoming shaky.

"No, that's n--"

I stood up abruptly, the chair screeching on the floor behind me.

"I'm not going to sit here while you insult me. Sue me if you want to. I left my insurance information with your stuff. I don't care if my wages are garnished for the rest of my life. I am not living with you. Bye. Sorry again."

I walked briskly out of the room without letting Damien get a word in. Today was stressful enough without this ridiculous proposal. I just wanted to go home and sleep for the next 12 hours.

The next few hours felt like a whirlwind of emotions. As if my day wasn't shitty enough, I walked in on my roommate's boyfriend rummaging through my things. His name was Shawn and I had only heard about him a handful of times before our unfortunate encounter.

I walked in on him going through the contents of my dresser in the darkness, his face dimly lit by the streetlights flooding through my broken blinds. I recognized him from the photos Darcey, my roommate, had shown me. Darcey's snoring filled the apartment, disguising the sound of my footsteps.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Shawn jerked his head up, shocked at first, but his demeanor quickly changed into a menacing one. I felt my heart pumping in my chest. Whatever this guy was up to, I no longer wanted to know.

"You're Val, right?" The way he said my name sent chills down my spine but not in a good way. "Darcey said you probably weren't going to come home tonight. Something about you running over someone right? Sounds fucked up."

I shifted slightly where I stood.

"Wh-what were you doing with my stuff?"

Shawn looked over at the open dresser drawer then back at me. Without saying anything, he began pacing towards me. Something wasn't right with this guy, and I felt myself slowly backing away.

"You know, I've seen pictures of you and Darcey, but you're much sexier in person," he bit his lip and looked me over, still walking forward to cage me in. "Damn," he whispered.

I turned around to run out of the bedroom, but he was behind me before I knew it. He slammed the door shut in front of me before I could leave. He brushed my hair away from my neck and sniffed it like a lion deciding to eat his prey. I stood frozen in fear, barely able to comprehend what was happening.

"Hmm...I would love to continue this, but I just finished fucking Darcey's brains out so I don't really feel like doing anything tonight. Let's talk tomorrow," he stated, leaving my room after a kiss on my neck. Once I heard the click of my roommate's door, I locked mine.

I ran to my bathroom and scrubbed furiously at the spot where Shawn's disgusting lips met my skin.My breath came out in jagged heaves, and the spot where I scrubbed felt raw. Even though he hadn't gone as far as he could have, just the thought of him there made me sick to my stomach.

What did I do to deserve this shit? One thing's for sure: I never wanted to see that guy again.

________________

The next morning I propped myself up after several hours of restlessness. I could hear the voices of Darcey and Shawn happily sharing breakfast in the kitchen. Exhaustion swept over me and mixed with the previous night's events, I was unable to hold back the tears filling my vision. I cried silently, pressing my hands over my mouth.  Once I was sure Shawn was gone, I quietly walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning, hun. Didn't realize you were home," Darcey greeted me pleasantly over the sounds of dishes being washed. I smiled weakly, the frown returning to my face within milliseconds. Darcey scrubbed a dirty plate with her sponge as I stood awkwardly next to her. I picked at the bed of my nails, trying my best to approach the subject that haunted me all night.

"Darcey, I need to tell you something. Something about Shawn," I tried to remain still, hugging myself. My face was puffy and flushed. Darcey turned off the tap and looked over at me. Instead of concern, her face had turned sour.

"What about him?" She asked coldly.

I paused, thinking over my words carefully. "He was in my room looking for something, and when I caught him, he.... uh... he came on to me. I think he was going to do... something bad to me."

"Well, did he?" She glared at me.

"Well... sort of... I guess. He kissed my neck. He was being really creepy."

"Oh for fuck's sakes, Val," Darcey slammed her hands against the counter, "You're such a little drama queen. You just can't stand the attention not being on you for like five seconds. Since you started living here, I've just seen you turn away every guy that's asked you out, and you don't have any friends, either. It's like you live in this miserable world where you won't stop until everyone's miserable with you. Honestly I'm sick of it. I don't believe you, but even if Shawn did hit on you, you probably wanted it. You've always been jealous that I ended up with a guy that's not only sweet but hot as fuck while you're going to die alone."

I stood still, absolutely stunned at what I was hearing. Sure, Darcey and I were never really friends or anything, but she was my roommate of 2 years. She knew Shawn for what; A month? During that time, I tried really hard to get closer to her, but I had a difficult time letting my guard down around others. The cruelty of her words pierced me to my very core. I always thought she was decent, but it turned out to be just how she acted to keep the peace.

I ran back into my room, slamming the door behind me. Opening up to Darcey was a mistake. I looked at myself in the mirror, observing the chaos from yesterday. My eyeliner was smudged around my cheeks, the shine from my lipgloss had disappeared, and my hair was a greasy mess, especially the spot I kept touching over and over where Damien had placed his fingers.

Damien. I had almost forgotten about him. Here I was, wallowing over my misfortunes while a man lay in a hospital bed due to my stupidity.

Within 20 minutes, I found myself standing in front of Damien's hospital room. I breathed out slowly and walked inside to find Damien attempting to eat a cup of Jell-O with his one working hand. He raised an eyebrow with curiosity as I slammed a duffel bag onto the floor.

"I'll do it. I'll move in with you."