Chapter 19

When Damion had told me all those weeks ago that he had a sort of BDSM club, I'd thought for sure that it would look just like all the other ones I'd been to, except maybe a little bit pricey. So I was more than a little bit surprised, when I stepped into the room behind him, but it didn't take very long for me to understand why he called it a 'gentleman's club.'

The place was classy; like 'worth millions' classy, and I guess I should have expected it. This was Damion after all, and everything about him screamed sophistication, perfection and money. As I stepped through the door, I looked down at my cheap sneakers, and automatically felt underdressed. It didn't matter that they hadn't opened for business for the day yet.

First thing's first, it was way bigger than I'd thought it would be; almost the same size of the restaurant; same high ceilings; this time without the art. The color scheme was a nice space grey and light grey vibe that felt very manly and very Damion. I liked how when you walked through the main doors and the side door, you immediately entered a large lobby of sorts, which had nice leather couches that looked extremely comfortable and clean.

After that room, there was what I would describe as a lounge, with more comfy looking leather chairs and huge floor cushions that matched the color scheme. It reminded me of bohemian style cushions, but without the cool colors that went with it.

The paintings on the wall were minimalistic, which somehow reminded me of Damion, even though his house wasn't like that at all. His house was more homey, warm and cozy. This place was just elegant, with clean lines and nothing out of place.

I guessed that maybe the lounge was just where you went to chill and chat with all the other club members. There were huge screens on three of the walls, and the lighting was sort of muted, which made the room feel more cozy and secretive than the lobby had.

I liked that the lounge also had a bar; which looked almost like the one in the restaurant, except it was much smaller. There were so many things I liked about the whole set up, but the tables were probably my favorite. They were short, which reminded me of those Japanese-style  furniture that I'd seen on TV a million times. Even though I was sure most people didn't notice, since they came to have fun, and not to inspect the décor, the table had the coolest geometric patterns on the surface, that made the artist in me really, really excited.

I bent down for a second and ran my hands over the surface, and when Damion looked back and saw me, he smiled. I followed him into the next room; which was bigger than all the others. I realized that this was the main room where all the action happened.

There was a huge bar, standing tables, chairs and little private sections all about. The art on the walls was bolder and inviting, and the stage that stood in the center of the room was intimidating.

There were metal poles up there, metal benches and other strange things that I didn't really know about, but that clearly belonged in a BDSM club. There were also ropes that hug from the very high ceilings, and I had a vague idea what they were used for. Damion explained to me as I passed them, what the doors that lined one of the walls were for.

Those were for the private scenes, he had said. I peeked into one of them expecting to see a bed, but there were just some of the same stuff that were on the stage, plus a couch or two and huge floor cushions.

The bottom line was; I was impressed, but I wasn't surprised that Damion had impressed me. He was an impressive person to begin with.

"I really like it." I told him, and even though I couldn't read the expression that crossed his face when I said the words, I got the feeling that he liked that I liked it.

Finally, he led me into a small room (small only when compared to the rest of the space), which had a large desk, with a chair behind it, a marble bookshelf that was filled with plaques, trophies and certificates. There was also a large filing cabinet that was taller than I was.

There was no art on the walls in this room, but one of my favorite comfy looking couches stood against one wall, and I immediately went to sit. It was comfier than expected. I watched as Damion took a seat behind his desk and immediately pulled open a small file that had been sitting in the center of it.

So this was his office. I glanced around it and realized that it felt familiar.

"This feels like home." I told him, and he looked around the office like he was considering my words.

"Does it?"

"Yeah. It feels warm."

He smiled at me, but said nothing, as he turned his attention back to his file. I left him to it after that, then set down my drink and peanuts on the small table in front of the couch.

When I leaned back and let my body relax, I started to feel that dull throbbing all over my body; like it had just been waiting for me to loosen up so it could attack. I let my head drop back onto the back of the chair, and I closed my eyes.

"Take off your shoes and lie down if you want to." I heard Damion say, and without hesitating, I bent over, pulled off my shoes, and stretched out onto his couch. I pushed one of his fluffy cushions behind my head and I was out.

................................

The smell of something really tasty pulled me from the deepest sleep I'd had in a long time. I opened my eyes and groaned, when I felt the throbbing all over my body, and slowly sat up.

The first thing I saw, was Damion setting down two plates of steaming hot food on the small coffee table in front of the couch. I breathed in the scent of the food, and felt my stomach rumble. Damion glanced at me, then gestured to one of the plates.

"It's a three cheese lobster pasta." He said, before taking a seat beside me on the couch. 

"It smells really good." I told him, because it did. "Is it from your restaurant?"

"Yes. Eat so you can take a pill." He pushed the plate closer to me, and didn't take a bite of his own food, until I took the first bite of mine.

It was good; like mouthwateringly good. The pasta was hot and creamy, like I liked it, and even though lobster wasn't usually my go-to meat, it was something I knew I was going to be adding to my list of favorite sea foods. It was just too bad that I didn't have the appetite for food.

After I'd taken my second bite, I felt like I couldn't go on. I set down my fork, and picked up the glass of water Damion had brought in for me. One sip, and I felt like I'd had a three course meal.

I wasn't sure why my eating pattern was all over the place now. Before Christmas I used to eat like there was no tomorrow. I literally used to wake up craving some kind of tasty food, but now I was lucky if I could even swallow a bite.

I looked over at Damion, and noticed that he was watching me as he ate, so I picked up my fork and stabbed it into one of the pasta noodle things, before popping it into my mouth. I chewed slowly, and when I swallowed, I looked up at him miserably.

"I'm full." I said, and when he frowned, I sighed.

"You've had two bites Cam."

"I know, but I had a lot of tea for breakfast, and I think I'm still full from that."

"Breakfast was four hours ago." He told me with one raised brow.

I looked at him in surprise. "I've been sleeping for three hours?"

"Yes, and I know you're in pain, so if you want to take a pill, you have to eat first."

I looked down at the food. "It's really good."

"But?"

"I'm just not hungry."

He set down his own fork, and turned towards me. "Your body is going to shut down if you keep this up." He said seriously, and his words kind of made me a little nervous, because Damion didn't lie.

I picked up my fork again. "Two more bites?" I asked, and when he just looked at me, I bit my lip.

"The whole thing."

"They gave me too much." I said, looking at the mountain of food in front of me.

"I specifically told them to give me the kid size plate, because I know you don't have much of an appetite these days." He said. "It's not too much."

I frowned down at my pasta as I pushed it around on my plate. "Will you get mad if I don't finish it?" I asked quietly, and when he didn't answer right away, I peeked up at him.

He was watching me, but as usual, I couldn't make out his expression. I watched him as he watched me, then all of a sudden, he smiled a smile so wide, that I had to blink a few times.

"Let's play a game." He said, and because his smile was so contagious, I was grinning right back at him as I set down my fork.

"What kind of game?"

"You get to ask me anything you want to, and I'll answer every question honestly." He said. I straightened in excitement, and turned toward him.

"Really?"

"Yes." He said. "But there's a catch."

I bit my lip. "What's the catch?"

"You can only ask one question after every three bites, and by bite, I mean a fork full every time."

I looked down at my fork, and then at the plate of food, and considered. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to ask the mysterious Damion all the things I'd been wanting to ask. I knew that there was no way I would get the courage to ask otherwise, and here was my chance; right in front of me.

I picked up the fork, and turned it around and around in my hand. The food was delicious anyway, and just because I didn't have the appetite for it, didn't mean I couldn't eat it.

When I looked back at Damion, he was still smiling; like he already knew my answer.

"I can ask anything I want?"

"Absolutely anything."

"And you'll really answer?"

"I will." He said. "So, what will it be?"

I scooped the pasta onto my fork and nodded. "I'll do it."

When I took the first bite, Damion turned back to his own plate to continue eating, but I could tell he was watching; probably to make sure I actually filled my fork. I Frowned as I chewed. I wasn't a cheater.

I ate quickly, and was grinning when I asked him my first question.

"What's was it like being a twin growing up, versus now?"

He smiled at me, and I pressed my hand against my chest, when my heart started doing a weird little happy dance.

He took a sip of his water, set it down again, then leaned back in the chair.

"That's an easy one." He said, and I just loved how extra handsome he was when he smiled. I especially loved the way his eyes got all crinkly and adorable. "Being a twin growing up was equal parts fun, and frustrating. Fun because being identical made it easier to play tricks on everyone we knew, and you're born with a built-in best friend, so being lonely was never really an option.

Also, making friends was easy, because everyone our age was fascinated by the two boys who looked exactly alike. Then of course, it didn't hurt that Donny was charming, and everyone loved him, so his friends automatically became my friends, without me having to lift a finger." Damion chuckled, and I just wanted to reach over and kiss his happy face.

"What else made it fun?" I asked him. It was such a weird thing seeing all the different expressions on his face. Usually he was so serious. Talking about his childhood seemed to put him in a good mood. He turned his eyes to the ceiling as he thought about his answer.

"I don't know, I think the fun came less from being a twin, and more from the fact that we we just loved getting into trouble together. It probably wouldn't have been much different if we weren't twins." He explained. "Just the fact that we were two people with similar interests meant that we were destined to have some good times growing up."

"That's so sweet." I said.

"Probably." he said. "But there was also those frustrating things, like being treated as though we weren't two separate individuals, or always being compared. Then of course, there were the questions people would ask constantly; can you read each other's minds, do you finish each other's sentences, who's older?"

When I stared up at him in expectation, he laughed. "No Cam, we can't read each other's minds, we rarely finish each other's sentences, and we were never interested in finding out which one of us is older."

I giggled, and he ruffled my hair.

"What's it like now that you're grown up?"

"Now it's a little bit different. We don't give as much trouble, and people tend to be more interested in the ways we're different, than in the ways we're similar."

"What kind of questions do people ask you now?"

"I thought we agreed that it would be one question for every three bites." He said, but he chuckled, so I didn't feel bad for asking.

"It's apart of the main question though." I said, and he chuckled again.

"Mostly, people ask us why we chose the career paths we did. They also generally want to know if we're close, and how it felt to come out as gay to Donny."

My eyes widened. I would have never felt comfortable asking someone such a personal question, but it was like Damion knew that I was thinking about it, and he answered anyway.

"There was never any real 'coming out' moment. We've always been extremely close, to the point where we knew each other as well as we knew ourselves, so the moment I realized that I was gay, he did too."

"And being Donny, he was supportive.' I said, because I knew that there was no way he wouldn't have been.

"Precisely."

"That's awesome." I told him honestly. He gestured to my plate.

"Eat."

During my next three bites, I thought long and hard about all the questions I wanted to ask him next. During that time, Damion finished his own meal, and drained half of his glass of water.

I took a sip of my own, and swished it around in my mouth as I thought.

"Why did you become a firefighter?"

"These aren't the types of questions I'd imagined you'd ask." Damion said, and I bit my lip.

"Are they bad?"

"No. On the contrary, I'm enjoying them." He tapped a finger against his chin. "Becoming a firefighter was just apart of the natural order of things for me. Growing up, I loved everything to do with fire men, fire trucks, the fire station, fire hydrants, you name it. Usually, kids break out of phases like that, but for some reason I never did.

Donny says it's because I have a one track mind, and I suppose he's right. Once I'd decided at the tender age of five, that to was going to fight fires, that was that."

"Is it everything you thought it would be?"

"Better." He said simply, and I because it was so simple, it somehow made the whole thing sound even more meaningful. Jason said that when you loved something, there was no rhyme or reason, it was just there, and that's how you knew for sure that it was real.

That was how I felt about Damion and Happy, so I knew that that was real too.

I took my next three bites, then stared at him for a while. I wanted more than anything to ask about his parents, and why he never talked about them, but I got the strong feeling that if I did, it would ruin the mood, and I liked this new smiling Damion too much to do that.

"What do you think it means to love someone?"

"Now that's a tough one." Damion shook his head. "To tell you the truth, I don't really know, but I think that when you're caught up in that type of emotion, you can't escape from it. Their pain is your pain, their happiness is your happiness, and no matter how much time has passed, it might fade, but it never goes away.

There were no smiles this time. His was all serious as he told me his thoughts, and I realized that for him, love was a serious topic. It wasn't something floating and silly like the feeling of butterflies in your stomach, or rainbows in the sky, or fireflies in a jar.

"Is that why you're afraid to fall in love? Because it feels like being trapped?" I whispered.

His eyes met mine. "If something terrible happens to someone you love, that torment and pain is going to stay with you for the rest of your life. You realize that, right?"

I didn't know how to answer that, so I turned to my food and took another bite. In my mind, love was like the most perfect dream. It was like running through a flower field on a nice warm day. It was like a bubble of happy feelings trapped inside your chest.

It was like rain and sunshine and good smells. It was like shooting stars and laughter, and cotton candy, but Damion was right. Sometimes it was dark and painful. Most times it was that feeling of longing and depression, tears and helplessness.

Every time I thought about Damion, I felt all those things; the good and the bad.

I set down my fork. "I don't want anymore."

This time Damion didn't argue. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small packet and handed it to me. My pills.

I threw out two into my hand, and took them with the cold water.

"You can ask me anything too." I said. "I'll be honest. I promise."

The truth was, I wanted him to ask me something. It would mean that he was interested in hearing what I had to say too.

Damion looked at me for a very long time after that. It was like he was searching me face for something, but I had no idea what that could be.

"I just have one question." He said, and I felt my stomach do a little flip, like it did whenever I was nervous.

"Alright." I said, then waited. Damion looked me in the eyes, as serious as ever, and nodded slowly. I thought for sure he was going to ask about what had happened with Leo, but he surprised me when he didn't.

His question was simple. "Are you okay?"

I thought about the words that sounded so simple, then thought about the person who was asking the question. Damion didn't waste his words. He didn't even talk unless he had something meaningful to say. It was one of the things I really liked about him. It was one of the things I respected about him.

It was the reason why I knew that the question wasn't random, and it wasn't simple. He genuinely wanted to know the answer.

So I took it seriously. I sat there, and I thought about myself and everything that had happened, and the way I'd been feeling for a long time.

"No." I said, looking into his serious eyes. "I don't think I am."

My voice didn't shake, and for once there were no tears. I realized then, that it was because I had reached that point. I guessed most people called it their limit, or their breaking point, or whatever. To me, it was just that point where everything good, bad and ugly had built up. Kind of like a big ball that was stuck somewhere deep in my chest, that couldn't grow anymore, and couldn't deflate either.

It was all just there, and all the emotions, the stress and bad thoughts were stuck with nowhere to go. It was weird not being able to cry to let it all out. I didn't even feel sad either. I just felt very very full; like I was about to burst, but something wouldn't let me.

"I think, maybe I need a hug." I said, then peeked up at him through my lashes. "If that's okay with you." I finished.

Without a word, Damion's big arms wrapped around me.

............................................

Damion was talking to Monte. They'd been in his study for about twenty minutes talking about who knew what, and the longer I waited, the more nervous I became. I hadn't gotten the chance to see her yet. When we'd gotten home from Damion's work place, I'd told him that I was ready to talk to her, and he'd called her for me.

When he'd let her inside, they had gone straight to his study. So, I had no idea what her expression looked like. I didn't know if she would be mad, or disappointed or sad, or anything. I'd already paced the room about a hundred times, and just when I thought for sure that I couldn't wait any longer, I heard the door to Damion's study open, and the clicking of her shoes against his floors.

My heart was flying in my chest. I clamped my hands together tightly, and waited for her to turn the corner, and when she finally appeared, I froze. Her eyes were red and puffy, like she had been crying for days, and her cheeks were red and raw, like she had been rubbing them nonstop.

For once, she didn't wear makeup, and that was usually something that she had to put on even if she was going on a short walk to the grocery store. I watched her as she rubbed her swollen nose with a piece of tissue, then bit my lip when she finally looked up and saw me.

"Cam." She half squeaked, half whispered, then all at once, her face crumpled, and she was flinging herself into my arms. "I'm so sorry." She sobbed into my shoulder over and over again. Suddenly, I felt ashamed that I had thought for even a second, that she would have been mad at me.

Monte was always on my side; no matter what. When her arms tightened around me, my arms tightened around her, and I listened for a long time as she sobbed and apologized, until finally, when she had let out pretty much everything inside of her, she pulled away.

I took her hand and pulled her toward the couch, where we sat. Her eyes filled with water again when she looked at my face. Then, she reached up with shaking hands, and traced the bruises there. "My poor Cam." She said. "Look what he did to you. My poor baby."

Then she cried some more, and I felt all the love inside of me, that wasn't reserved for Damion, clog my chest, and my pores, and I hugged her as hard as I could, because I had been so very afraid that I would have lost her over this.

She was like a mother, a best friend, a mentor, a nurse and a sister to me. All those amazing things rolled up in one neat little package, that was my Monte. I was beyond grateful that she still cared.

"I'm okay Monte." I said, but she shook her head, blinked a few times, and took hold of my arms to scan the bruises there too.

"You're not okay.  I had no idea." She choked out. "I had no idea what kind of person he..." she took a deep, shaky breath.

"I'll be okay."

"All this time, I just thought you hadn't warmed up to him yet. All those times you left the room whenever he came over, and how you would go quiet every time I brought up his name." she said. "I should have known. I should have known what he was capable of. I should have known to be more careful." Another sob broke lose, and I took her hands in mine.

"He's your boyfriend. He's the first person you ever really gave a chance."

Monte frowned, and I saw the anger in her eyes. "He's an abusive, disgusting jackass, who's never coming anywhere near us again. I hope he rots." She said, but I could still see the hurt in her eyes, because even after everything, it didn't change the fact that she had loved him; that she still loved him.

It was like Damion had said; love didn't just disappear. It stayed with you forever.

"I'm so glad you're not mad at me Monte." I whispered, as she continued to trail her fingers gently over my face. "I'm so glad you don't hate me."

She shook her head, then wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt.

"What do I have to be mad at you about? And there's nothing in this world that could ever make me hate you Cam. We're family, you know that. You will always come before anybody in the world."

I nodded, an she continued; "Look what he did to your beautiful face." she whispered. "He didn't...tell me he didn't—"

"No." I interrupted her. "Damion saved me Monte. He was right there when I needed him the most, just like he always is. He came and rescued me." I said. "Like in the fairytales."

Monte smiled her watery smile as she watched me, then she hugged me close once again. "And I'm so grateful for your prince charming Cam. I'm so grateful he was there for you."

"Me too. I told you he's amazing." I said, grinning wide because I couldn't help myself, and it made me happy that she smiled too; through the tears and all.

"I was wrong." She said. "He even sat me down and interrogated me before he let me see you, just to make sure I didn't really know about Leo. He seems to really care about you." She reached up, and tried to fix my hair, like she always did.

"Do you really think so? Do you think he really cares about me?"

She nodded. "I don't think he would do all he's done for you, if he didn't." she said. "You're a lucky boy Cameron."

And just like that, the uncomfortable ball of emotion and stress in my chest, got a little bit smaller.

"But you should still be careful. You know that right?" she asked, and I nodded. "Because he's still only human, and human's make mistakes. So, you make sure to look out for yourself, and if you ever feel even a little bit unsure about anything at all, you better tell me."

"I will."

"Are you hurt anywhere else?"

I nodded, then lifted up my shirt so she could see my other bruises. "And some a little bit lower too."

Monte bit her lips, and sniffled. "You're such a sweet boy. You don't deserve this. Why do they always hurt you, when you're so gentle?" she asked. "Do you think you can talk about what happened yet?"

I shook my head. "No."

Monte nodded, wiped at her falling tears, then took a deep breath. "You know you can always talk to me Cam. I wish you had told me how you felt about Leo, instead of keeping it to yourself. If I had known..."

"I just wanted you to be happy." I told her honestly, and she frowned, and looked at me the way she always did when she was getting ready to lecture me.

"Don't for a minute, think that my happiness is more important than your feelings. If something doesn't feel right, you need to come to me and let me know. You hear me?"

"Yeah."

"I'm going to get you a lawyer, and when the time comes, you are going to do what she tells you, because he's not getting away with it, you got that?" She was trying to be tough, but her voice was shaking, so I hugged her.

"I love you Cam. Don't you ever forget it."

"I love you too."

"Oh!" she pulled away, and picked up her purse from the floor where she had dropped it. I watched as she dug around inside it for a minute, then pulled out a package. "Here. Damion told me last time that your phone got smashed when..." she cleared her throat. "Anyway, I got this for you, so we can keep in touch."

I pulled the rectangular box out of the small bag, and slowly began to pull it open.

"Damion says you want to stay here for awhile, and I completely get that. I understand how the thought of going back home after everything must feel." She said. "I'm looking for a new apartment for us though. It'll be somewhere far away from where we live now, so you'll feel nice and safe. Then you'll be able to come back home."

I nodded, then looked up at her in shock when I saw the phone. "Monte, this is expensive." I said, and she smiled; a sad looking smile.

"You deserve something nice for once." She said.

"But you've been trying to save and stuff, and this costs a lot of money."

She shook her head. "Stop worrying so much. I want you to have it, otherwise I wouldn't have bought it, right?" she said. "You just make sure you call me every day, doesn't matter how often or what time, and I'm going to be coming over to visit you a lot too."

I grinned. "Thanks so much Monte."

"Just make sure you get yourself a phone case, because we both know how you are with breakable things."

I giggled. "I will."

"I heard you went to the doctor."

I nodded.

"Did they prescribe any medication or anything? I can pick up whatever you need at the pharmacy, and bring it by."

"Damion got me everything." I told her.

"Okay, good. Is there anything you need? I could bring over some groceries, or I could come cook you dinner everyday after work."

I smiled. "I'm fine, I promise."

Monte shook her head, but she was smiling as she looked at me. "He really is a prince charming isn't he?"

I nodded. "Just like in the fairytales."

"Well you know exactly how I feel about fairytales, so you make sure, you're not one of those other princesses. You have to be like those snow ones who can take care of themselves too."

She was dead serious, but I giggled.

"You mean the ones from Frozen?"

She nodded. "Whatever you call it. You take care of you, no matter how charming your prince  may be."

I grinned. "I will. I promise. "

"And I told you not to drink anymore soda. Now you have a tiny bump forming right there." She said, pointing to my chin. I could easily see what she was doing; trying to switch to a lighter topic so she wouldn't cry, but when she met my eyes again, her tears came anyway, and finally, so did mine.

There we sat, in Damion's living room, crying our eyes out, because that's just what we did best, and for once, it was okay.

..............................................

When Monte left, it was night time, and I was feeling really happy inside. We had talked, laughed and cried for hours, and somehow I was feeling refreshed. My head felt clear, and my heart felt guilt-free. During all that time, Damion had kept his distance. I hadn't even heard him around the house or anything. I was so thankful to him for giving us our time together.

He was so thoughtful. He was just always so perfect. In the kitchen, I poured myself a glass of water, then turned out all the lights downstairs, before carefully climbing up the stairs. I was due for another pill, so a lot of me was throbbing.

When I pushed the bedroom door and stepped in, Damion stepped out of the bathroom, and I felt the comforting heat that exited with him. He'd just had his shower, so he had a damp towel wrapped around the lower half of his body, and I got to look at the rest.

I wondered what it would feel like to walk around with all that muscle. Could he somehow feel all his strength when he walked, or did he just feel the way I did; normal?

"You're staring." I heard him say, and when I looked at his face, and realized that he was smiling, I felt my face go hot.

I walked around to my side of the bed and sat, then set down my glass of water, and my new phone on the nightstand. When I picked up the packet and dropped two pills into my hand, he spoke again.

"Did everything go well with Monte?"

I smiled, and turned to look at him. "Yeah. She wasn't mad at me or anything."

"I told you she wouldn't be."

"Yeah, and she got me a phone. Look?" I picked it up, and held it up for him to see. He smiled again.

"That's great. I'm glad it all went well."

"Me too."

"I'm going to grab something to eat downstairs. Are you hungry?"

I shook my head. "I ate when Monte was here."

I watched as he pulled his shirt over his head, then when I'd taken the pill, and drained my water, he took my glass, and left.

I lay back on the bed for a while, and closed my eyes as I thought about the day I'd had. I would probably remember it for a long time. The way all my stress and fears had just floated away as I talked to Monte, and that feeling of relief I'd had when I realized that she wasn't mad at me. It had been nice laughing again too. It had been a long time since I'd done that.

I sighed. The longer I lay there, more and more, the throbbing faded away, until it was just a dull feeling under my skin. I got up, pulled off my clothes, and hopped into the shower, knowing that pretty soon, I would fall asleep.

Ever since 'that day' I'd been falling asleep really early. Not that it helped though, since I woke up about fifty times a night from nightmares; most of them I couldn't even remember, but I woke up with my heart flying and my face sweaty, so I figured that was what they were.

Going to sleep didn't scare me though, because every time I woke up, Damion was right there.

Nothing was scary was Damion was around.

...................................

I was half asleep when Damion finished putting on the ointment for me, but when he pulled the blanket around my shoulders, and sat in the chair, I sat up with a frown.

"How come you don't sleep on the bed anymore?" I asked him.

"I just want you to be comfortable." Was his simple answer.

"Isn't it uncomfortable staying in the chair all night?"

"I don't," he said, "I usually sleep in the other room when you fall asleep."

"I like it when you sleep beside me. You're warm." I told him, then because he didn't say anything, I held out a hand. "If you want to..." I trailed off.

It took him about a minute, but then he was climbing onto the bed with me, and I was turning around to face him. I knew that there was a big smile on my face, but I just couldn't help it.

Damion clapped twice and the lights went out.

"Goodnight Damion." I said.

"Goodnight Cam."

The light from the moon was streaming in through the curtains, so I glanced up at the ceiling, where I could just sort of make out the dream catcher that was hanging up there. When we had gotten home from his work place in the day, I'd watched as he had hammered a hook into the ceiling and hung the small dream catcher onto it.

"To catch your bad dreams." He'd said, with no further explanation or any form of excitement, but my heart had melted then, and as I watched it hanging above me, it melted again.

I didn't think Damion knew just how easy it was to love him. I thought about how he had probably turned down so many people who had fallen in love with him, and I wondered just how many broken hearts were out there in the world. I wondered how they were managing without Damion in their lives.

Damion cared about me. That's what Monte had said, and with everyday that I spent with him, I was starting to think that it was true. So, I hoped that in the end he would choose me, because I loved him more that all the others out there. I was sure of it.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

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-unedited.