"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.
Damien's nap gave me the opportunity to whisk away into the bathroom for a much needed shower. It felt good stripping off the clothes that were a reminder of the awful things that transpired in less than 48 hours. I stepped into a walk in shower that was almost as big as my bedroom. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but it could definitely fit 4 people in there with a little bit of squeezing.I half expected Damien to have one bottle of shampoo that he used on his hair, face, and body. He seemed like one of those guys. Instead I found a neat row of apple scented shampoo, conditioner, and pine scented body wash.Suddenly I was reminded of when my face was nuzzled against Damien's head for a brief moment in the shuttle. I remembered his scent really vividly: apples and pine. I popped open one of the bottles and took a quick sniff. Real creepy, Val, I thought to myself. What the hell was I doing? I took out my own little toiletries from my bathroom bag and lined them up next to Dam
One week had passed since the accident, and I was getting used to taking care of Damien. He had previously made himself out to be a lot more difficult than he actually was. Occasionally he would be picky about his food or demand things to be a certain way, but he was always very lighthearted about it. Damien spent most of his day tapping away on his laptop a couple keys at a time since his hand use was limited. I offered to help several times, but he always insisted it was "boring work stuff" and "there's no need". Whatever he did for work, Damien held onto that information like a vault. I can't say I wasn't insanely curious.My insomnia had been severe that entire week, and I often found myself sitting in the small balcony, overlooking the city. I was constantly thinking about how I didn't deserve such a comfortable life. Even aside from what happened with Damien, I never felt like I had truly deserved anything good, and the majority of my life up to that point had proven that theory
"Here at Sunny Side Up, what should we be...?" Matteo inquired with his fingers up and a stupid grin across his face."Sunny," I grumbled."That's right. Now, no more distractions and make sure to smile," Matteo emphasized for the third and final time today.I gave him a half-hearted, tight lipped grin that seemed to satisfy him enough to leave. As soon as his back was turned, I slumped over the bar counter and looked at the bustling of customers enjoying their brunches."Matteo's being a real pain in the ass today," Kay whispered while carrying a tray stacked high with plates of half eaten eggs Benedict, French toast, and an ungodly concoction of all other breakfast foods smooshed tog
Damien spent 5 restless nights with the flu. During that time, he lay sweating in bed nearly half naked, complaining about being hot one minute then cold the next. I had run out a few times to get medicine and groceries but would come back quickly to make sure he was still okay. I began to realize I cared a lot about what happened to him even outside the scope of our deal. I chalked it up to a standard sense of human empathy-- nothing else.Most of my days were spent cleaning him and making him comfortable. He didn't make many snarky remarks during that time, but he always looked at me like he wanted to say something to me. A look of worry seemed to occasionally flash through his face then disappear in an instant. Something bothered him, but I knew he wouldn't come out with it on his own."Why do you look so concerned?" I asked while giving Damien his daily sponge bath. He needed these more frequently now due to the excessive sweating. I did feel proud that he was finally looking more
After a cold shower, I came to a conclusion that Damien was just some deranged pervert that lured me into his home. The cocky look on his face as he fondled me kept popping up in my head. I can't say I hated it, in fact... I quite liked it. I wasn't going to tell him that, though. Maybe I was also a deranged pervert. I put on a bra this time, not wanting to repeat the same mistake. This couldn't happen again because if we crossed that line between caretaker and... whatever that was, there was no going back. The last thing I wanted were for things to be awkward between us. It was too late though. The tension between us was palpable. He was passed out by the time I came out of the bathroom, but the following days were filled mostly with silence and uncomfortable pauses. I avoided any conversation with him that wasn't directly connected to his recovery or chores. He was back to his old self, typing away on his laptop, and occasionally sneaking glances in my direction. He tried to be su
Rustling of magazine pages and light taps were the only sounds filling the small waiting area at Dr. Helder's office. She was the best physical therapist in the city, and Damien made sure of it. He always dove headfirst into researching any topic that was of importance to him, and being able to walk again was extremely important. He wasn't the only one that knew Dr. Helder's qualifications, a fact which was amplified by the amount of people crammed into the small waiting area. "Uggghhh," Damien groaned loudly, alerting the attention of everyone in the room. "What's wrong with you?" I asked, a little agitated by his verbal outburst. "How much longer? What's the point of an appointment if I still have to wait?" He complained. "I'm hungry!" I rolled my eyes, and took out a granola bar from the backpack I had placed on Damien's wheelchair. "Eat this and shut up, please," I pleaded with a harsh whisper. He took a bite and gave me a tight lipped smile, a huge chunk of granola bar fill
Tension hung in the air around us in that small elevator. The silence was deafening as we waited for our rescue. I kept glancing over at Shawn expecting him to say something rude. He always looked like he had something to say but not anything I wanted to hear. He had refrained from opening his mouth so far, so that was all that mattered.Seeing him under that bright elevator light, I realized why Darcey was infatuated with him. Objectively he was fairly handsome with a strong, slim build towering to an imposing 6'2". His dirty blonde hair was styled to look messy with probably a hundred different hair products. He had piercing blue eyes that some may find attractive, but to me, they were soulless.I was sitting on the ground near the elevator buttons with my legs crossed in front of me. I tried to distract myself with my phone, but it proved pointless against the flurry of thoughts going through my head. Damien had been typing furiously on his phone. He had the same expression on his
"You've got some nerve coming back here," Darcey stated angrily.She had a point. I really wasn't trying to see her ever again, but circumstances made it hard not to come back. She turned her focus on Damien, her features softening a little at his presence."Oh, and who might you be?" She asked flirtatiously, her finger twirling a strand of her hair. I could tell when Darcey was flirting immediately. She was not subtle."Hi. I'm Damien. Nice to meet you," he said, extending his hand out. Darcey shook his hand but lingered for a moment."Can we come in?" I asked, trying to distract her from Damien. She gestured us in then pulled me aside immediately after closing the door."Who is that hottie with you? What happened to him?" She asked in a harsh whisper.I sighed and rolled my eyes. I definitely saw this coming a mile away. Darcey always wanted to be involved in my business, even more so if an attractive man was involved. She had a tendency to want everything I had, which was usually v