"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."
"You look like a mess.""I know""You're still wearing the same clothes from yesterday.""I know.""Your makeup—""YES I KNOW!"Damien looked at me, eyes wide. He turned away from me and started laughing. Is this what I should be expecting for the next 6 months? Being berated by this stranger while spoon feeding him Jell-O? I felt ridiculous."Come on. Don't be so serious. This is going to be fun!" Damien's eyes were bright with excitement."If you're going to make fun of me, I'll just go back home. My roommate can do that much better than you can."Damien's smile turned serious. "Is that why you're back here? Your roommate?"I sighed and sank into the chair, "Among other things, I guess."Damien looked me over then frowned. "They're making me go home today," he stated trying to change the subject."Already?! You just got here.""Yeah, well. Right now I'm taking up prime real estate that they could use to make money off someone else," he chuckled.I frowned. How messed up was it that
Damien's nap gave me the opportunity to whisk away into the bathroom for a much needed shower. It felt good stripping off the clothes that were a reminder of the awful things that transpired in less than 48 hours. I stepped into a walk in shower that was almost as big as my bedroom. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but it could definitely fit 4 people in there with a little bit of squeezing.I half expected Damien to have one bottle of shampoo that he used on his hair, face, and body. He seemed like one of those guys. Instead I found a neat row of apple scented shampoo, conditioner, and pine scented body wash.Suddenly I was reminded of when my face was nuzzled against Damien's head for a brief moment in the shuttle. I remembered his scent really vividly: apples and pine. I popped open one of the bottles and took a quick sniff. Real creepy, Val, I thought to myself. What the hell was I doing? I took out my own little toiletries from my bathroom bag and lined them up next to Dam
One week had passed since the accident, and I was getting used to taking care of Damien. He had previously made himself out to be a lot more difficult than he actually was. Occasionally he would be picky about his food or demand things to be a certain way, but he was always very lighthearted about it. Damien spent most of his day tapping away on his laptop a couple keys at a time since his hand use was limited. I offered to help several times, but he always insisted it was "boring work stuff" and "there's no need". Whatever he did for work, Damien held onto that information like a vault. I can't say I wasn't insanely curious.My insomnia had been severe that entire week, and I often found myself sitting in the small balcony, overlooking the city. I was constantly thinking about how I didn't deserve such a comfortable life. Even aside from what happened with Damien, I never felt like I had truly deserved anything good, and the majority of my life up to that point had proven that theory
"Here at Sunny Side Up, what should we be...?" Matteo inquired with his fingers up and a stupid grin across his face."Sunny," I grumbled."That's right. Now, no more distractions and make sure to smile," Matteo emphasized for the third and final time today.I gave him a half-hearted, tight lipped grin that seemed to satisfy him enough to leave. As soon as his back was turned, I slumped over the bar counter and looked at the bustling of customers enjoying their brunches."Matteo's being a real pain in the ass today," Kay whispered while carrying a tray stacked high with plates of half eaten eggs Benedict, French toast, and an ungodly concoction of all other breakfast foods smooshed tog
Damien spent 5 restless nights with the flu. During that time, he lay sweating in bed nearly half naked, complaining about being hot one minute then cold the next. I had run out a few times to get medicine and groceries but would come back quickly to make sure he was still okay. I began to realize I cared a lot about what happened to him even outside the scope of our deal. I chalked it up to a standard sense of human empathy-- nothing else.Most of my days were spent cleaning him and making him comfortable. He didn't make many snarky remarks during that time, but he always looked at me like he wanted to say something to me. A look of worry seemed to occasionally flash through his face then disappear in an instant. Something bothered him, but I knew he wouldn't come out with it on his own."Why do you look so concerned?" I asked while giving Damien his daily sponge bath. He needed these more frequently now due to the excessive sweating. I did feel proud that he was finally looking more
After a cold shower, I came to a conclusion that Damien was just some deranged pervert that lured me into his home. The cocky look on his face as he fondled me kept popping up in my head. I can't say I hated it, in fact... I quite liked it. I wasn't going to tell him that, though. Maybe I was also a deranged pervert. I put on a bra this time, not wanting to repeat the same mistake. This couldn't happen again because if we crossed that line between caretaker and... whatever that was, there was no going back. The last thing I wanted were for things to be awkward between us. It was too late though. The tension between us was palpable. He was passed out by the time I came out of the bathroom, but the following days were filled mostly with silence and uncomfortable pauses. I avoided any conversation with him that wasn't directly connected to his recovery or chores. He was back to his old self, typing away on his laptop, and occasionally sneaking glances in my direction. He tried to be su
Rustling of magazine pages and light taps were the only sounds filling the small waiting area at Dr. Helder's office. She was the best physical therapist in the city, and Damien made sure of it. He always dove headfirst into researching any topic that was of importance to him, and being able to walk again was extremely important. He wasn't the only one that knew Dr. Helder's qualifications, a fact which was amplified by the amount of people crammed into the small waiting area. "Uggghhh," Damien groaned loudly, alerting the attention of everyone in the room. "What's wrong with you?" I asked, a little agitated by his verbal outburst. "How much longer? What's the point of an appointment if I still have to wait?" He complained. "I'm hungry!" I rolled my eyes, and took out a granola bar from the backpack I had placed on Damien's wheelchair. "Eat this and shut up, please," I pleaded with a harsh whisper. He took a bite and gave me a tight lipped smile, a huge chunk of granola bar fill
Tension hung in the air around us in that small elevator. The silence was deafening as we waited for our rescue. I kept glancing over at Shawn expecting him to say something rude. He always looked like he had something to say but not anything I wanted to hear. He had refrained from opening his mouth so far, so that was all that mattered.Seeing him under that bright elevator light, I realized why Darcey was infatuated with him. Objectively he was fairly handsome with a strong, slim build towering to an imposing 6'2". His dirty blonde hair was styled to look messy with probably a hundred different hair products. He had piercing blue eyes that some may find attractive, but to me, they were soulless.I was sitting on the ground near the elevator buttons with my legs crossed in front of me. I tried to distract myself with my phone, but it proved pointless against the flurry of thoughts going through my head. Damien had been typing furiously on his phone. He had the same expression on his