CHAPTER 12 LOVE’S THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND

The toy

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Damon noticed my discomfort.

"Why are you nervous?" he asked.

“I’m not.” I struggled not to scratch my forehead to not affirm his deductions.

Just then, my phone rang—Logan's name lit up the screen.

“Who is Logan?” Damon’s tone was intense, causing a thunderous silence.

I swallowed hard as my body trembled.

“My friend.” Jessie snatched my phone away, feigning nonchalance. "Probably just trying to reach me since my phone was off," she added, disappearing into the other room.

Although Jessie had intervened, my hands didn’t stop trembling as Damon still stared at me, his eyes hinting at his disbelief.

Jessie walked back in and handed over my phone. “I was right; he tried calling me. Guess my phone was switched off.”

Damon's suspicions seemed to intensify. "Your phone's not off," Zach noted as Jessie's phone chimed, drawing her attention.

I closed my eyes, hoping to disappear.

Without uttering a word, Damon shifted his focus back to the game.

An unsettling feeling expanded in my stomach as he suddenly became distracted and constantly lost to Jessie.

“You have won.” Damon blurted out, abruptly rising to his feet.

“Are you alright?” My voice wobbled.

“Yeah.” He responded, but the slam of the room door suggested otherwise.

Jessie nudged me to follow her outside. “Does he know Logan is the bartender?” Jessie whispered as we entered the balcony.

“I doubt that,” I responded. He had seen Logan, but I’m not sure he knew his name.

“Are you sure? Then why is he acting like that?” Jessie bombarded me with questions.

“He must have seen the messages then.” I sighed, showing her the message.

Her eyes bulged out as she stifled her mouth with her hands. “This is bad.”

Trying to make sense of it all, I asked, "What did he say when you answered?"

"I didn't," Jessie admitted. "I just sent a quick message saying I was busy."

I couldn't understand why Logan chose to contact me now. After that incident of him jumping through the balcony, he didn’t message me, and I didn’t message him either. I needed to sort out my feelings. Damon had promised to fix things. Logan decides to pop up.

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As Zach called us back to watch a movie, my heart twisted seeing Damon sitting on the sofa, his face void of emotion. When he patted the spot next to him, I settled in. Jessie handed me a bowl of popcorn and then offered some to Damon.

"He doesn’t eat popcorn," I said, taking it from her and adding it to mine.

"Sorry, I didn’t know your boyfriend doesn’t eat popcorn," Jessie teased.

"He’s not my—. Never mind," I replied, smacking my forehead.

"You’re starting to act like him," Zach commented, handing Damon a glass and pouring him a drink.

Realizing what I’d just done, I snuggled into the couch, going even deeper as Damon chuckled at my shyness.

"What genre of movie are we watching?" I asked.

"I wanted to get a romantic movie for the mood," Zach began, "but your friend nearly chopped my head off. She wanted a horror movie, so we settled—"

"It’s an action movie," Jessie interrupted. "Horror movies set the mood best."

I smiled at the glare Zach gave Jessie. Damon was still silently sipping his drink, and I had no idea what was going on in his head.

The thought of Damon pulling me closer because of a horror movie popped into my mind. Realising Zach had ruined things, I shot him a nasty glare, squinting my eyes.

"What did I do?" Zach asked, puzzled.

"Jessie was right. Horror movies set the mood best," I said, folding my arms and turning away with my nose in the air.

"What mood are you people talking about?" Damon asked, looking as confused as ever.

"You’re only saying that because she’s your friend," Zach replied.

"Have you ever watched a horror movie with a girl?" Jessie asked.

"Do crime documentaries count?" Zach said.

"No wonder he doesn’t understand how it sets the mood," Jessie said.

"Can someone explain what this mood is?" Damon asked, like, while the rest of us were on Earth, he was on Mars.

"You’ll find out once the movie starts," Zach said.

Minutes into the movie, I pulled my knees to my chest and bit my nails as my anticipation grew. The film was purely action with a touch of romance.

Damon got up and went to the kitchen, returning with a glass of juice for me. "You’re going to choke if you keep eating that popcorn like that," he said, noticing my empty glass. He settled back on the sofa, much closer to me than before.

My eyes widened as Damon’s arm went around my waist, pulling me closer. Usually, when I’m excited, I can feel my heartbeat in my throat. But as his hand interlocked with mine, my heartbeat echoed in my head, scattering my thoughts. A wide grin spread across my face as I rested my head on his body, feeling his warmth. A shiver coursed through me, leaving pleasure in its wake. This was the first time he had displayed any affection in front of others. His earlier promise echoed in my mind, making my heart flutter. His grip tightened, pressing me closer. I was ready to die in his arms, ready to lose my breath. I rested my head on his chest, his heartbeat like a melodious drum.

As the protagonist kissed her lover, I unintentionally licked my lips. I glanced up at Damon, his gaze locking onto mine. Eagerness reflected in his eyes, darting between my eyes and my lips.

"Are you going to keep looking at me like that?" I whispered as he pulled me even closer, our bodies already pressed together.

"How am I looking at you?" he breathed out.

"You know how you’re looking at me," I replied, my chest heaving with my racing heart.

"I don’t."

Suddenly, all the air around us vanished as his lips were inches from mine.

Was he gonna kiss me here?

As his lips were about to meet mine, his phone rang, making him pull away. Silently, I cursed and slapped my knee in frustration—this was the second interruption today.

Damon smiled. “Patience, Binky. I’ll be right back.” He got up and disappeared into the next room.

“Let the single breathe.” Jessie teased.

Embarrassment flushed down my cheeks when I realized Zach and Jessie had seen everything. I curled back onto the sofa, feeling exposed.

I tapped my foot on the floor, replaying the scene in my head. I was torn between waiting for him to return or going to meet him in the room. Finally, I stood up, deciding to go to him. If he came back, he might have lost the mood.

“I need to use the bathroom,” I stammered.

“Use it well,” Jessie giggled.

As I approached the partially open door, all the fervor I had been daydreaming about surged back—the thought of him between my lips, between my thighs. It had only gotten wilder after experiencing the bliss of sex. I was going to have him now to quench this thirst.

“Love is the death of peace of mind.” The saying echoed in my head as I heard his words, shattering the utopia I had built with his promise.

“Goodnight. Oh, I love you too, Lucy.”