Chapter 3

"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 a person this injured couldn't stay just a little longer to make sure he had everything necessary to leave?

"Don't worry. I'm going to take care of you, right?" I reassured him.

He looked at me and gave me a cheerful smile. The small dimples in his cheeks made my heart skip a beat.

"Okay, ice breakers. If we're going to be living together, I need to know everything about you. Name and age?"

"Valencia Rodriguez. 23. You?"

"Damien Stathos. 27. Occupation?"

"I'm a waitress."

"Waitress? Interesting. Where?"

"Sunny Side Up. It's a brunch place."

"How can you afford to live off a gig like that? That place is only open for a few hours."

"Turns out people drunk on mimosas are great tippers," I shrugged. Being able to talk this casually felt great. Damien may be a jerk sometimes, but he was easy to talk to. "What do you do?"

"It's a secret," he said smugly.

I gave Damien the side eye, to which he flashed me bright a smile. He seemed to be the type of person who loved playing games with people.

"Fine. Don't tell me." I paused. "Why do you want me to take care of you anyways? You don't have anyone else?"

He looked perplexed at my question for a moment like he didn't understand what I was saying. A pained look filled his face, and I suddenly regretted asking.

"No... not really. What about you? Won't your boyfriend mind you living with a random man?" He was great at changing subjects before delving too deep into a personal discussion. I sympathized with him. I had also been guarded my entire life.

"I don't have a boyfriend," I stated nonchalantly. For a moment Damien's face flickered with hope and he accidentally let a little, coy smile slip up.

"Well, that's good. I don't have to worry about any jealous guys making my injuries worse, right?"

I sighed. "Just shut up and eat your Jell-O."

___________________

Damien wasn't kidding about how quickly they kicked us out of that hospital. Before I knew it, I had been standing in the hospital shuttle heading in the direction of Damien's place. There were a limited amount of seats in the cramped, little bus, and I found myself standing behind Damien's wheelchair without anywhere to look but at an elderly woman sitting across from me. She kept her eyes locked on mine with a blank stare. I shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. She probably thought I looked like a crazy person. I needed so badly to just take a hot shower.

I leaned over next to Damien's ear. "Where did you say you lived, again?"

"Just a dingy little studio apartment in Midtown."

"Wait. You invited me to live with you, and you don't even have one bedroom, let alone two?"

"You can just sleep with me," Damien proclaimed proudly. I could feel the judgmental stares of the other passengers.

"Can you be serious for once? How are we supposed to make this work for several months?"

"Relax. I have a very nice pull-out couch for you that's probably more comfortable than my bed. You'll end up spending most of your day with me, anyways. Not like I can move around much to begin with."

I guess he was right. I didn't have a whole lot of privacy living with Darcey, and at least now, I don't have to worry about my roommate barging in.

The shuttle jolted to a stop, lurching everyone forward. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around Damien from behind to make sure he didn't fall out of his wheelchair. I was holding him close for a moment, my face nestled in his hair.

"Sorry about that, folks. Some idiot just cut me off!" The driver shouted behind him.

I let go and stood back up awkwardly. I looked over at Damien, who was looking away. "Sorry," I breathed out.

"It's... it's okay," he replied gently.

He seemed to be out of words for the first time since I met him. The old woman in front of me was now smiling at us.

"You two are cute together," she said, looking between us.

"Oh, we're not together," I said while shaking my head.

"Yeah. She's my live in nanny," Damien proudly proclaimed.

I rolled my eyes, realizing he was back to his usual self. They chatted away about anything and everything as each individual made their way off the shuttle. Finally, we said goodbye to the woman and remained as the last people.

"Do you always get along with everyone so easily?" I was intrigued by people like him, who can make friends at the drop of a hat. Something I could never do.

"You'd be surprised how many people just need someone to talk to. Most people are so busy with their own lives, they have no idea what's happening to the people around them. Sometimes simple conversation is all anyone needs to feel like their life is worth living." Damien was looking past me like seeing something far away, maybe a memory. He seemed to be a more decent guy than I had expected.

"Plus, it helps having great conversation skills to bring women home with me," he said with a grin.

"Unbelievable." I couldn't roll my eyes hard enough.

"Well, it worked on you, didn't it?" Damien gave me a quick wink.

We were dropped off in front of a little smoothie shop in the heart of midtown. Damien guided me into a sketchy alleyway connecting two streets. What kind of dingy place did he mean? I was suddenly beginning to regret my decision. What if this guy was actually dangerous? I really had to stop making decisions from pure adrenaline.

To my surprise, Damien led me to an enormous building at least 50 stories high. We were greeted by a doorman, who looked as if he was falling asleep but perked up at the sight of Damien. Everywhere I went with him, I stood awkwardly behind as Damien made small talk and explained what happened to him. Thankfully he left out the part where I was responsible.

"You didn't have to introduce me as your nanny. I didn't even know how to respond to that," I said, the irritation in my voice echoing through the elevator. We were headed up to floor 42. Just what kind of 'studio' apartment was this guy living in?

"Come on. It's funny! They all know I was just messing around."

"Yeah, well, it's not really messing around when it's a little true," I grumbled.

I wheeled him into the most amazing apartment I had ever seen. Technically it was a studio, but it was massive! The kitchen was up to date with high end appliances, the living room had an enormous, gray sectional in front of a huge tv, and the king sized bed sat at the far end of the room behind a glass wall. Although the bed was separate, the glass had eliminated any semblance of privacy. I couldn't help but stare through the giant wall to wall windows overlooking the city skyline. My jaw was on the floor. I had not expected Damien to live in a place like this.

"You're rich?!" I didn't mean to sound so shocked but it had slipped out without thinking.

"I wouldn't say rich. I'm not even that close to the top floor. Seeing my condition now, though, I'm glad I didn't go with the loft."

I opened the sliding glass door to Damien's bed and helped him in. Thankfully, one of his legs was still functional, so he was able to work with me a little. He put some of his weight on me, and I placed my palm on his stomach for support. Even through his shirt, I could feel the ridges in his body, making me a little self conscious.

"I'm kind of tired. I think I'll take a nap. You can help yourself to whatever." Damien nestled his head into the pillow and closed his eyes. He released a small sigh of content and began drifting off while I glanced over the apartment.

I walked over to one of the windows and watched the sun dip behind a skyscraper beyond with pinkish orange gradients filling the sky. I smiled quietly to myself, taking in the view completely. It was breathtaking and unlike anything I had ever seen. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.