Duel Of Confession

Damon exhaled deeply, sweat dripping down his brow from behind the face mask as his eyes studied his opponent in silence. His breathing was heavy but his eyes remained as clear as ever.

The air in the fencing arena was rather serious and the only sound anyone could hear was two heavy breathing.

The room, nestled in the heart of one of Damon’s many estates, was a huge, high-ceilinged chamber, its walls paneled in dark.

The floor was marked with the lines of a regulation piste. On either side, plush deep-green leather benches sat ready for spectators who rarely came.

Damon stood opposite Reed, a man he's now learned to trust as a friend, in silence. Watching, analysing his next move.

Reed was a man in his late fifties, but his movements failed to justify his age. He was a lean old man with a sharp mind. His graying hair was neatly cropped, and his eyes, though lined with age, studied Damon as well.

He wasnt ready to lose too him either. Not way in hell! He had played on the Olympics team when he was younger and irs only fair he teaches the young lad how its done!

Damon was fully equipped for their match; a black jacket on his chest, a steel mesh mask over his head, padded gauntlet protecting his hand, and a long, flexible foil extending out to his opponent.

Reed was similarly attired, his gear slightly worn but well-maintained. He wasn't new to this game.

“Pret?” The instructor asked, glancing from Reed to Damon. The duo nodded.

“Allez!”

The duel began.

The sound of their footsteps on the hardwood filled the room as their blades met with a sharp clack.

Damon moved with brutal efficiency. He was aggressive, his movements full of lunges and parries, his attacks relentless.

He tried to force Reed back, to exploit his age, but Reed was a master of his craft. He didn’t fight with strength; he fought with cunning.

He seemed to anticipate every move, deflecting Damon’s attacks with minimal effort. Damon feinted low, trying to draw a parry, but Reed didn’t take the bait. He retreated a single step.

As Damon lunged, Reed twisted out of the way. Damon barely managed to parry, the shock of the sudden movement making him stumble. He was off balance, his focus shattered.

He saw an opening and went for it, but his mind, echoed with thoughts of Naomi, of her cold gaze and her words, betrayed him.

Reed saw his hesitation, he moved, a swift motion that took Damon completely by surprise.

Reed’s foil touched Damon's chest with a soft thwip. The bout was over.

Damon dropped his foil, the clatter echoing in the quiet room. He yanked off his mask, his face flushed with a mixture of frustration and exhaustion.

He came here to get her off his mind but somehow, she was in his thoughts, disrupting his concentration.

Reed, unmasked, his face beaded with sweat, offered a small, knowing smile.

“You hesitated. That's new “

Damon tries to steady his breathing, avoiding the old man's piercing gaze. “i was going easy on you.” he said.

Reed chuckled.

"What's wrong, Damon?" He asked, his voice calm, even though his breathing was heavier now.

Damon was quiet, of course Reed would know when something was wrong.

“I know you have something on your mind. You always give me a run for my money usually but today, you seemed disoriented. There's no reason to deny that.” Reed offered.

Damon ran a hand through his damp hair. "Nothing. I'm fine." He said, unable to believe his own lie.

It was a mistake, he wasn't thinking straight. He's had a lot of work to do and things haven't been smooth with his new product launch and Naomi…

Naomi.

Damon exhaled, he didn't want to admit her words had an effect on him.

Reed could see right through Damon. Aaro0n might have been close to Damon but Reed had watched their relationship grow over time and he could tell when the young man had a lot going on in his mind.

He walked over to the bench and picked up two bottles of water, tossing one to Damon. "You know, Mr Aaron would kill to see you lose like this.”

Damon caught the water mid air and laughed, one that reached his eyes. “I bet he would.” He muttered.

Reed sighed. “I haven't been to his grace in a while. I still can't believe he's gone.”

Damon sighed, neither could he. Aaron was like the father he never had and when he handed Naomi over to him to make his wife…

Damon chugged down the water, he didn't want to think about it.

“You weren't going easy on me, were you? You were fighting yourself out there." He took a long drink, his eyes never leaving Damon's.

“I heard your wife finally moved in with you..”

“Don't call her that.” Damon said, almost pleading.

“But that's the truth. Patrick told me you wouldn't even call her your wife in front of anyone else but him. You two are legally married."

“That's the problem..” Damon offered.

Reed sighed, there seems to be a lot going on with Damon and sadly, he didn't have friends. Reed was the closest person to a friend..

"You have a lot on your mind. A wife, a family who wouldn't know a peaceful dinner if it was served on a silver platter."

Damon chuckled. “I can't ask how you found out about that, can I? Patrick?”

Reed shakes his head. “Patrick isn't very open like you'd think he would be with me. I have eyes everywhere. I owe Mr Aaron something too.”

Damon sighed, his defenses crumbling. " Seraphina. She stopped by the office to see Naomi."

"Seraphina?” Even Reed was stunned. “What did she say to Ms Naomi?”

“Told her to stay away from my mother. And …admitted something I was too..afraid of admitting.” Damon explained.

"That's…new.” Reed muttered. He knew Seraphna and she was the kind of girl mothers would warn their daughters against.

Damon exhaled, who else was he to blame if not himself? “Naomi….she didn't deserve that. I wanted her to stay away, to protect her like I promised her father. And now that's far beyond my reach…”

“You have no one to blame but yourself.” Reed pointed out.

Damon's jaw tightened. "It's not that simple."

"It never is," Reed agreed, taking another sip of water. "But you can't run forever, Damon. Not from her, and certainly not from yourself. You can't push her away and get upset that she respected your wishes.."

Damon finally looked up. "I'm scared, Reed."

Reed leaned against the bench, his eyes regarding Damon in shock. "Of what? Of a fencing match? You know you'll win the next one if you can get your head straight."

"Not of the match. Of her. Of loving Naomi." The words tumbled out, a confession he had kept locked away for six years.

"I ruined her life, Reed. I signed those papers when she was still very young. I stole something from her. Her freedom. Her choice. She could have dated other people, married someone she truly loved, someone she chose for herself. But she was trapped with me for six years, a marriage binding her to a man who couldn't even look at her."

Damon's breath seized, he's been holding it back for years, unable to say the words out loud. Not to himself or anyone else but here he was, spilling it all to Reed.

He glanced at the bottled water. “Did you put a truth syrup in this?”

Reed chuckled. “I'm afraid not.”

Damon sighed, his expression serious again. “She’s never going to get that time back, Reed.”

“Do you remember when you agreed to marry her?” Reed asked.

“Yes. I do.”

How could he forget how Aaron had begged him on his knees, desperation in his eyes. Every time he recalls that day, Damon felt like a piece of his heart fractured at how helpless Aaron had looked that day.

He'll never forget that. Ever..

Reed nodded.

"You're telling me a half-truth, Damon. You're trying to hide behind a lie. You're not afraid you ruined her life, you're afraid you'll ruin her now.”

His words stung and Damon couldn't hold his gaze anymore. Reed always seems to say the quiet part out loud.

“You're scared of loving her not because of what happened in the past, but because you're not sure you have what it takes to love her the right way. You're afraid of giving her a piece of yourself that has been locked away for far too long."

Damon looked away, the truth of Reed's words cutting deep. He had been a coward. He had hidden behind a lie, knowing he couldn’t confront the truth.

"Let me ask you this," Reed continued, walking over to Damon. "How do you feel when you see her? When she keeps you at arms length?”

Damon sighs, pain in his eyes. "It feels like a punch to the gut. It's… painful."

"And when you went for dinner at Rosie's? When she was unwelcoming to Ms Naomi?”

Damon's eyes flashed with anger "I wanted to drag Rosie out of that garden and make her apologize on her knees.”

"And what would you do if you found out someone, anyone, hurt your wife?" Reed pressed.

"I'd make them pay," Damon replied without a moment's hesitation.

Then silence. Damon's own response caught him off guard. Reed gave a slow, deliberate nod.

"There. That's your answer."

Damon frowned, confused. "What's my answer?"

"That's not fear, Damon. That’s something deeper. "

Reed walked back to the center of the piste, picking up a foil.

"You're a man who is ready to unleash hell for her. That's more than what most people have. That is enough. You'll have to find out if you're just doing your duty to Aaron or there's something else in between.."

Damon stared at Reed, the words sinking in. He was a man who would tear the world apart for Naomi. He had a love for her that ran so deep, so instinctively, that he didn't even recognize it as love.

“You think I love her?”

Reed shrugs, taking a stance on his side of the room, ready for another round.

“That's for you to find out. Now, let's try this again."