A/N: About to travel, so here's an early chapter.

Harry Styles- Sweet Creature ♥️

A/N: Play the song ^ when I tell you. I know not all of you will do it but let me know if you do.

Damien's picture ^

Damien's POV

3 days ago

I stand there helplessly as Hope walks away from me, leaving me to stand alone in front of the girl's bathroom. A small blonde makes her way to the bathroom, staring at me for way too long.

I raise an eyebrow. "See something you like?"

She blushes and smiles at me, but quickly enter inside.

My feet moves before my mind does, and my stalker duty continues. I follow Hope down two floors, up a floor, and then down a floor again. Seriously what do girls actually do when they go to a mall?

I watch her enter a pizza shop with her friends. My first distracted thought was, I'm glad she's eating more than leaves. My second distracted thought was, Move, idiot! as I realize one of her friends had turned away from them and is walking the opposite direction.

I stifle a laugh as my mind creates the perfect plan in a split second. She enters Nathan's across the pizza place and I follow closely behind.

"Hey," I say, when we enter inside and she walks up to the line. She turns to me and raises her eyebrows in surprise.

She stares me down before lifting her chin up. "Damien," She says with the most judgement a person can muster in a name. "I had a feeling you was stalking us."

Was I that obvious? "I... look can you do me a favor?"

She narrows her eyes. "Depends."

"Can I have your number?"

"What?" She looks at me in disgust.

"Not like that," I say impatiently. "I just need to ask you for a favor but I'll text it to you. I don't want Hope to know about this."

She looks out the shop and back at me. "I'm not sure if I should do that."

"Please?" I beg. I'm pathetic, I know.

She tilts her head and studies me. "Now that you said that... no."

"I love her," I blurt our.

She blinks in surprise. She hesitates, looking out the window before looking back at me, and nods. "Fine. But this better be good," She tells me the number as I dial it on the phone.

"And your name is?" I prompt. She raises an eyebrow but tells me anyway. Yalimar, I type on my phone.

I flash her a grin. "Thanks. And Hope can't know about this." I quickly head out the door but freeze when Hope comes out of the pizza shop at the exact time. She narrows her eyes at me. I turn quickly and head to the nearest escape route, the escalator.

Hope's POV

3 days later

"Then where do you want to meet?"

"Damien, I can't," I plead with him, hoping he'd let this go.

"Tell me one good reason."

Because I love you. Because you say all the right things and I'll fall for it like I fell for you and I can't get hurt again. Because you told me you love me as a last minute resort and you have no idea how much that hurts me. But I stay silent. I lay on my bed and close my eyes, listening to his light breathing on the phone.

After a while, I open them. "I'm hanging up, okay?" I say reluctantly. "I'm sorry." I hang up before he can say anything.

Why is this so hard? Why couldn't it be easier for me? Why couldn't I be more like Yalimar or Cellie, breaking people's hearts without a second thought?

The thought of Cellie leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I can't seem to admit it to anyone but myself, but my anger for Damien has diminished. What did I expect anyway? I knew the exact type of person by looking at him. He fit the player stereotype down to the T. I believe when he said he's been loyal ever since, but it's Cellie that bothers me the most. How can she do something like this and expect me to not imagine the horrible image in my head, or to know that my best friend who I've trusted with my life, betrayed me in the most horrid way?

And if I can't forgive Cellie, then I can never forgive Damien no matter how much I want to. It wouldn't be fair.

I decide to get up and complete my homework due for tomorrow. I've already wasted time by going to the mall and it's already 9. I only have an hour left before I go to sleep, even though I know I won't be sleeping any time soon.

But as I try to type my essay for political science, my mind wanders to that girl with Damien. If he keeps telling me he likes me and that he wants me back, why was he with her? I know it was Jane. I've seen pictures of his friends on his phone and she was definitely one of them.

I had to admit she was beautiful. She had a small curvy frame with black hair that makes her face look innocent. Of course Damien would find her attractive. On a generous assessment, I was average looking. I had nothing on her.

Why do you care anyway? My subconscious snarks at me. You basically told him you want nothing to do with him. But my jealousy doesn't fade. I turn on my noise cancellation headphones in an attempt to drown my thoughts and resume my homework.

***

The next day goes by uneventful. I've decided to sit at the usual lunch table to avoid anyone realizing that Cellie and I aren't friends anymore. I barely pitch into the conversation, feeling more lethargic than I ever did. Sure, I fell asleep at 2 in the morning, but even coffee couldn't fix it. It didn't help that I also had a nightmare last night.

"Hey, wake up. It's time for class," I hear Cellie's voice in my head. I slowly open my eyes and raise my head groggily.

"Are you okay?" She asks quietly as she sits down beside me. The tables outside are almost empty with everyone heading back inside. Cellie finishes her classes on Wednesdays earlier than us so she was in no rush.

I nod. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You look terrible."

"Thanks." I rub my eyes and trudge toward the double doors.

I hear her footsteps running up behind me. "Here," She says, hiding a smile as she hands me my bag. "You forgot this."

"Thanks," I mutter.

"Hope?"

"Yeah."

"I just... I'm really sor-"

"Okay, Cell. I get it."

"Cell?" She laughs. I didn't realize I called her that. I must be really tired.

"Sorry," I say sheepishly.

"You used to call me that when we were little and we would argue."

I smile despite myself. I used to call her that because I knew she hated it and being the petty ten year old I was, I made sure to use it every time she got on my nerves. "I guess some things haven't changed."

Her smile fades. "Look, I'm a bad friend. I know. You've done so much for me, you've taken care of me when my family didn't. I shouldn't have done it for so many reasons. But I'm not perfect, okay?"

"Believe me, I know that more than anyone." The hall is completely empty and I'm officially late for class.

She lightly pushes my shoulder. "Will we be okay?"

I sigh. "To be honest, I don't know. Like I said, I need time."

She pouts. "Okay. I'll see you later." She waves me off as she exits the building.

***

When classes finish, Yalimar invites me over to her house. I call my mom to inform her. Yalimar, Reynolds, and I climb into the tinted car with Sean driving. He has boasted on several occasions that he had "passed protective driving with flying colors," which is the mandatory training Secret Service partake in to learn how to get the protectee to a safe location as quickly as possible. Before moving into the White House, I had thought those kind of crazy driving belonged only in movies.

Within thirty minutes, we pull up to the Victorian house.

She unlocks her door and we enter. "I'm coming, I'll be in the backyard," She informs me.

"Okay." I place my bag on the counter rummage through the fridge while waiting for her. I pull out an apple juice and scream when I turn and see a tall man hovering in the shadows.

He walks up to me and laughs.

Damien.

What the hell?

I think back to when I saw Damien leaving Nathan's at the mall. When I asked Yalimar about it, she'd told me he wanted her to do him a favor but he had left right after he saw me coming out of the pizza shop. So technically she didn't lie to me. I don't know whether to applaud her or smack her.

I feel my neck heat up and crouch to pick up the apple juice I dropped. "What the hell are you doing here?" I avert my gaze and ignore my irregular heartbeat. I stand up and fixate my attention to the juice bottle.

"Can we talk?"

"You're not giving me much of a choice," I say wearily. "What do you want?"

"I want you to fight for me." I look up into his colored eyes but quickly look away at his intense gaze.

"Say something."

I shake my head. "I can't."

He takes a few strides, stopping before the kitchen entrance. "We have something between us and you know it. You can't give up on that."

"If you don't know already, which you do, you can get any girl you desire and yet you keep saying that you want me back. Why?"

"Because I love you."

I close my eyes and grit my teeth. "For God's sake, stop saying that!" I walk past him until I'm near the door. "You can't say that to try to get me back. That's not how it works." My voice cracks despite myself. My chest is heaving when I'm done and I look up to find his hazel eyes boring into mine.

"It's true. You're the only one I want."

"You-You're just used to getting what you want. And because you can't have me, you're becoming obsessed with proving a point-" Suddenly he's an inch away from me and his hands are wrapped around my cheeks.

"Damien-" I whisper.

"Shh." He leans his forehead onto mine. My eyes close, our breath mixing unevenly. I place my hands on his wrists. I know I don't have the willpower to push him away and maybe I don't want to.

I feel his lips brush mine and suddenly we're kissing. I gasp into his mouth in surprise and pull his head closer to mine. I stand on my tiptoes to deepen the kiss, my body acting out of character. My hands revel in the feel of his touch, his warm body so close to mine. As my head spins and my thoughts dissolve, I cling to him as the only thing I'm sure of at this moment. I love this man and everything he's doing to me, even if he doesn't actually feel the same way. But I don't want to think too much about that.

We finally pull away to catch our breaths, our forehead connecting together.

"I don't want to get hurt," I admit between breaths.

"You won't. I pro-"

"Don't promise something you don't know you can keep."

"I promise," He finishes with certainty. I reluctantly pull away.

"I need time to think," I say. I gently push him away and take a step back. I know I'm stalling and I know my refusal is final, but I don't know what else to do. He isn't budging and I need to find a way for him to accept it.

"How long?"

"I don't know."

"Hope."

"I said, I need time." I take a step further back. He sighs and then finally nods.

"Okay." He turns back and walks to the table. He returns with a small bag and offers it to me. I hesitantly take it from his hands.

"I wanted to give it to you on your birthday but it didn't arrive on time and then the timing..."

I give him a small smile instead of reminding him I didn't want anything in the first place. Birthday presents are only reminders of the horrible incident that took place three years ago. "Thank you," I say quietly.

"I added a note today. It's in the bag. I..." He hesitates, shifting between his legs. I've never seen him so unsure, so nervous.

"Thank you," I repeat.

He walks up to me and I take a step back, panicked. Yet when he puts his hands on my shoulders, I don't move away. I close my eyes as I feel his soft lips on my forehead before losing all contact of his touch.

My eyes remain close long after I hear the door closing behind me.

***

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Yalimar never appeared again and I'm starting to wonder if it's because she didn't want me to kill her today. Although I'll never admit to her that I'm not incredibly mad.

I hear a knock on my door. "Come in."

(okay play the song now ;) )

My mom enters. "You left this in the car." She hands me a small bag. The same bag that Damien had given me. I deliberately left it, hoping it would get lost. Which is highly unlikely. But one can only hope.

Because I know whatever is in this would make me run back to him. And I'm not ready for that yet.

After my mom leaves, placing it on the dresser and starting my homework on my desk. It is still early but I know I'll be up because I have two essays and some reading to do. I can't help but glance at the bag every now and then so I decide to place it under my bed, far out of sight.

It is past midnight when I finally stop typing, carpal tunnel nearly on its way. I massage my neck before taking a shower and brushing my teeth.

I climb under the covers, staring at the darkness. Time flies like this as my mind wanders what could be in the bag. Sleep refuses to come and I reluctantly open my eyes and open sigh in frustration.

I turn on the new lamp my mom bought for me and pull out the bag under the bed.

I put my hand in it and come up with a small card marked with today's date. He must've included this in with whatever was in the bag. I open it and read the lines, unable to stop the smile that appears on my face.

It's hard when we argue
We're both stubborn I know. But oh,
Sweet Creature, Sweet Creature wherever I go,
you bring me home
Sweet Creature, Sweet Creature
when I run out of roads
you bring me home

I remember telling him how much I loved this song back when we had first started dating. I can't believe he remembered. I set the paper on my dresser and take the small case inside. I frown when I realize it's a jewelry box.

I open it to see a beautiful silver necklace with a pink heart. Black diamonds encircle around the shape, glinting off of the reflection of the light. I pick it up by the chain and realize there's tiny inscriptions on the back.

being with you is like being under a night without stars. I love you.

I release a shaky breath and swallow. He wasn't lying when he said he loved me. He wasn't lying.

Tears fall onto my hand gripping the necklace. Damien loves me. Damien loves me. It seems so surreal.

I lay back against the bed and fall into soundless sleep, clutching my gift to my chest.

*****

I love this chapter! Let me know what you think.

The book I'm currently writing is Hush, about a deaf and hearing person. I'm planning to publish it around May/June of 2020. But I might post a short story called Unrequited before that, I haven't decided yet. Please look out for those. Anyways thanks for reading.

And you know the drill...

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