Lahat ng Kabanata ng Shadows & Whispers: Kabanata 101 - Kabanata 110

The next few weeks followed the same pattern. I had finally finished testing the system and we were ready to go live. Damian had decided on a phased role out. This meant me training everyone on the system and being the on-site contact. I didn’t mind it; I actually enjoyed it. The distraction of teaching everyone helped me keep my mind from Damian. We found a routine between us. If we went out on dates, we traveled to places that weren’t local to ensure we were not seen. If we stayed in, we would always stay at mine. Damian didn’t stay over often unless I was sure that Cleo and Prue were not going to randomly turn up.We continued our passing moments at work, and they all went unnoticed. A brushing of our hands in the corridors, a touching of each other's arms in the kitchen, a smile across the room. We were at the beginning of December, and I had successfully finished training everyone in the office, and we were officially transferred onto the new system without much disruption.“Th

I finished work on Friday night and headed straight over to my parents house. There was no point in me going home first as by the time I would have arrived I would be turning around and going straight to theirs, anyway. I arrived early and pulled into the driveway. The only saving grace was that I knew Prue was going to be going out to girl’s night.Prue was finishing getting ready as I walked in. Leaving work late had benefited me. It meant there was limited time for the barrage of questions from Prue. As I had a feeling, I was about to be given a stern word or two from our father.“Damian, I didn’t know you were coming over tonight?” “My plans have changed. Father wants to talk.”“Ouch, that doesn’t sound good.”“No, but I know what it’s about. It’s all good. Look after Erin, don’t get her too drunk.” I asked.“So, you two are together then?” “Yes, please look after her.”Her reaction was not the one that I expected. I expected her to chastise me or berate me but instead she sim

I went through the day in a haze. There were so many questions I wanted, no need to ask Damian. Although, I knew that work was not the right place to broach the subject. I needed to see him.‘Are you free tonight, we need to talk.’In hindsight, the words we need to talk might have scared him. They seem to be the ‘go to’ pre-break up line. But I needed answers and there was no way I was going to get them while sat on my ass doing nothing about it. ‘Tonight isn’t great, but I will make it up to you.’I sat stewing over it for most of the afternoon. I wasn’t sure what to respond and each time I picked up my phone, I came up blank. Monday afternoon disappeared in the blink of an eye with the whole office buzzing with excitement over the Christmas party. Everyone was talking about it and all I wanted to do was ignore it and pretend it was not happening. How was I going to be in a hotel room with the girls whilst also in a room with Damian. I was drowning in fear. The more I thought

How could I do this with secrets between us? He let go completely and I stepped around him to give myself space. “How many secrets are you hiding from me?” He rubbed his hand over his face once more. “I promise you; I will tell you everything soon but right now I cannot tell you. I just need you to trust me a little longer.” “How long is soon Damian? This has been going on for weeks. I cannot go through more weeks of this. You have pulled away, and I deserve to know why.” I demanded. “You are right, and you deserve everything in the world, and I wish I could tell you right now, but I can’t.” “Then where do we go from here? I can’t continue like this, Damian.” “I will make this right. What are you doing this weekend?” He asked. “Apart from lunch with my mum, no plans.”“Any chance you can rearrange the lunch? If not, I can work around it, it’s not an issue.”“For what?” “I want to take you away. I’ll make it up to you.”“Fine, I'll clear my schedule, but you have a lot to mak

Damian knocked on my door at 7:00 a.m. It was earlier than I was expecting him, and I was not quite prepared as I was still packing my last few bits. I opened the door and beckoned him inside, while I ran back upstairs to grab the last few bits. I ran down to find him watching me suspiciously. I tilted my head and squinted my eyes at him, “Why are you looking at me like that?” “I forgot how beautiful you are when you are rushing.” “Only when I'm rushing?” I teased. “Not at all, just a different kind of beautiful.” He smiled. He planted a kiss on my cheek once I was ready and grabbed my bags. This was the first time we had been away since the site visit. I was awash with a mix of emotions, with Prue’s words also circling in my mind. I was unsure whether to tell him about Prue, or whether she had already spoken with him anyway and tried the same with him as she had with me. The drive took nearly 2 hours. I was shocked at how long it was but no matter how much I pressed Damian