ISHTAR.The moment I heard the roaring of the engine as his vehicle entered the compound, I ran back to my seat and pretended to be engrossed in my book. I'd been sitting by the window for the past hour, waiting for him to arrive.Damian was a bit late, and I wondered why. I flipped the pages and perused over a particular page when I finally heard the door open, and the room was engulfed by the strong smell of his cologne. It was to die for, literally.As though it was the key to playing with my brain, I became restless on the seat, thinking about how or when I'd ever get a chance to be that close to him again. His footsteps echoed in my direction, and it took everything in me to stay still.I was burning with excitement, like a kitten would before milk. He'd been standing there for a while, watching me while my cheeks burned, and I tried to hide between my hair. It was excruciatingly anxious to pretend like I didn't notice he was there, so I turned slowly and looked up at him, "Thank

ISHTAR.I froze next to him. Despite the slow music that played in the background, I could still feel my heart pulsating as he pulled me closer to him. Sarah's eyes lit up as a smile planted on her face as she responded, "This is the sweetest I've heard in a while," She narrowed her eyes as she folded her hands across her chest, "Mr. Damian must be way different than I had thought."I could only smile and pretend like she was right, I was so conscious of his hand placement, and I wasn't sure whether to enjoy it for as long as it lasted or think about what would happen when we left this pool of people.The conversation danced further as it had, and after a short while, Sarah excused herself to go meet a few acquaintances that had just arrived, and that left me with Damian again. His hands slid off my shoulder, and his lips were pursed. I couldn't read his emotions or tell what he was thinking."So, are you going to pay me extra for acting like a good girlfriend?" I threw the question t

ISHTARDamian went quiet after my last question, and it only heightened the anxiety I had been feeling all night long. The more the silence seemed to linger, the more I wanted answers.Nothing about him added up, and his name wasn't in the books. I did my research a while ago and realized Alfred had a song, but that son wasn't Damian. The person died years ago, and it was Reiss' father, and that was why I'd been too careful to ask Reiss about it himself. I was afraid it'd bring up memories that he might have wanted to forget.Damian scoffed, seeming ready to give me a response like the world had paused when I asked the question. It was as if his brain hadn't processed it at the time. "Hiding something? What could I possibly be hiding?"I shrugged, "I don't know. Something about you is so shady, but I don't…know what it is yet. There's just so many plot holes in your story?""I see…" He shook his head, "The question now is if I care enough to explain anything to you. Your curiosity is

ISHTAR."Yes, why?" Why? I couldn't wrap my head around how fast his behavior changed. One minute, he has me thinking we could be something. I had no idea what that thing was, but something.The next minute, he's acting like this. Unapproachable, emotionlessly, mean, stone cold, and even when I look into his eyes, I wouldn't see anything that I saw yesterday. It was like staring into an abyss. "I had been studying all day," I began, sounding as lovely as possible. Even in the dark, his imposing frame stood tall, his stance unwavering.I could see that his fists were clenched. Like he's being tormented. Was holding a conversation with me this difficult? I pushed down the bile in my throat and kept talking, "Who knew reading would be so exhausting?"Indulge me. Talk to me. Say something, anything. Damian responded with silence. Too much of it that it hurts, and I didn't want to bring up this morning either and how he'd turned me down after all it took to prepare a better meal.I didn't

ISHTAR.My eyes fluttered open as I moved to the side of the bed, but I didn't feel Damian's presence next to me. I didn't want to stand up too fast and actually admit that he wasn't by my side anymore.A part of me was hoping that by the time I'd open my eyes, he'd be right next to me. I didn't get why he'd leave. My hands rubbed his side of the bed and clutched the bedsheet tightly.Not after last night. Why'd he leave like that? I let time slip by for a while before I finally sat up, leaning against the headrest. My entire body ached from last night, and even while I said I wasn't sure of it. I think I'm in love with him.Wasn't that too illogical? We had sex, yeah, because I urged him to do it. Could that even mean we were different from what we were yesterday? Was that why he got home and left so early? Did his feelings change?I didn't know. I knew nothing. How foolish of me? Still, with the hurt and the way my heart pounded in my chest, I'd do the same thing over and over agai