Heal Me

Chapter 32

"Sorry." Evangeline murmured when she bumped into someone she did not know. She had been distracted by what had happened to her the night before, when the demons lurking in her head showed her those absurd images and when a strange monster started clawing at her belly. And she was ashamed to admit that in the moral wrongness of both those fantasies, it had felt so good that she wished those hours would have never ended so that she would never have to face her predicament and the truth, which, in the end, demanded to be found out.

But, surely, it could not be just lust that was unsettling her, could it? No one's cravings had such kind of effect on them... It could not be... it could not be just that, as, no matter how frustrating writhing in desire could be, it certainly did not make your soul ache; but hers did.

"Eva!" a familiar voice called out in the crowded hallway and she turned around only to face Rose.

"Hey, what did you have?" she asked, pushing the strap of her backpack higher up her shoulder.

"Umm... Biology." she replied, glancing at the books in her hands. And only for a moment, she wished they trembled like they always did when she was on the verge of breaking down and crying, so that Damon would be right next to her, saying it was okay to be sad.

"Is everything alright?" her friend frowned as they wandered towards the cafeteria for lunch.

"No, not quite." Evangeline sighed and the desperation in her eyes was clear as day to Rose. So they sat down at an empty table and stood there in silence for a couple of seconds, before she gulped and took a deep breath.

"I think I'm in love with Damon."

~

While Damon did the homework his tutor assigned him, a smile played on his lips at the memory of the previous night. Sure, he regretted the question that angered Evangeline and that reminded her of what she struggled to keep out of her mind, but other than, he had quite enjoyed the camp fire.

Even Caleb, who he believed never was the one to apologize, came up to him and tried to make some amends. He recalled the look in his eyes which pleaded for them to be pals again. But he was wrong; they had never been true friends, because one just cannot leave someone when they need them the most. But Caleb had said that he was sorry and that he wished things did not go as they did. Damon still wondered what he meant; wasn't he the one who started to ignore him? Wasn't he to blame for 'how things went', as he put it? But although he couldn't understand Caleb, he had told him that it did not bother him anymore.

And now he realized that what he had said was really true: he did not care about Caleb and the others leaving him; he truly wasn't hurting because of it anymore. And the only reason for that had to be her... the girl who had never let him down and the only one who gave him hope that life was better than these gloomy days.

~

The sudden ring of the doorbell surprised him and, at first, he thought it was Evangeline. But glancing at his phone and noticing that it was only 20 minutes past one o'clock, his first guess proved false, as she still had classes to attend.

He went downstairs frowning, the second ring making Damon pick up his pace and jog up to open the door. And when he did, his right hand still lingering on the handle, he came face to face with the light-haired girl who was no better than Caleb nor his other so-called friends.

"Darcy?" he questioned, his voice suddenly raspy. The girl forced a smile, crossing her arms below her chest.

"Aren't you going to invite me in, Damon?" her voice was quiet and seemed full of regret. But remembering the image of her and another guy, going behind his back, that didn't surprise him. Darcy cheating on him was what had really broke him after the accident and, ever since they had separated, he had been feeling useless... until Evangeline came around, that is.

"Don't you still have classes?" he frowned deeper, stepping aside to let her come in.

"I skipped the last two." she replied nonchalantly as she wandered towards the living-room. He was still standing by the door, staring wide-eyed at her, as he suddenly remembered how she was like and how being with her felt like sometimes. It seemed like such a long time had passed since they had last talked to each other, because even though Damon had known from the start that she had some sort of wicked seed inside her, her attitude now stunned him. Who was the girl in front of him and why had she let that seed grow?

"Why?" he muttered, shutting the door and joining her into the living room.

"You changed the carpet?" she ignored him and sat down on the suede couch.

"No." Damon gritted his teeth as he felt an unknown rage build up inside him. Who did she think she was, barging into his home like that, acting as if she had every right to be there? He could have kicked her out in an instant, probably, if he hadn't been intrigued by her presence there.

"What are you doing here, Darcy? Don't make me repeat myself!"

"Caleb told me he met you the other night and I remembered how... I, uhm, I just came by to talk." she replied silently, her face blank of any emotion. He snorted, throwing his head backwards, and shook his head disapprovingly.

"Talk... oh, well, I guess I see the point there. Last time I remember you were too busy with... what was his name?" he smirked coldly as he saw her flinch.

"I'm sorry... but-" Darcy's eyes searched for his, desperately asking for him to listen to her.

"You're not sorry. Otherwise you wouldn't have done it. So tell me why you're really here." he cut her off, hastily running a hand through his hair.

"I have changed, Damon." Darcy pleaded, getting up and striding towards him.

"God, I can't believe this is happening..." he muttered to himself.

"Please give me another chance, baby, I-"

"Stop it!" he bellowed, taking a step away from her. "You don't get to call me that!" he could notice how that his reaction somehow frightened her but, nonetheless, he continued.

"Darcy, how can you? You cheated on me because I wasn't paying you enough attention... oh, excuse me, but my mother fucking died!" he yelled, letting a tear roll down his cheek. He turned around and, gasping as more of them wetted his face, he put an arm over his eyes and with the other he supported himself against the wall.

"Damon..." the girl sympathetically whispered after a couple of moments and approached him cautiously. She lightly touched his shoulder and he wiped dry his eyes to look at her.

"I can't... " he croaked, yet with certainty in his voice, and stood tall, looking at anything but her. "I can't, Darcy... it's over."

The girl stood frozen on the spot for a couple of moments, then she nodded slowly to herself, her eyes watery. Yet she hadn't expected anything else and she knew she deserved this.

"Then I'll have to do this one last time..." Darcy murmured, placing her hands on each side of his neck and, in a flash, she was on her tiptoes, kissing him.

Yet, before he could realize what was happening and push her away, the image of him pecking Evangeline's lips that night appeared in his mind. And oh, it was so vivid, with the bright lights coming from the pub, the pearly silvery color of the car next to them, the infinity in her eyes, her perfume, the sweetness of her full lips... Damon now remembered everything. He had kissed her that night when he was drunk... that was why she seemed so mad the day after.

And he was so lost in thoughts that he almost responded to Darcy's kiss, as his heart wished it was Evangeline instead of her. So Damon pushed her roughly away from him as he wiped off his lips from the taste of her. The audacity of the girl!

"Leave now!" he shouted and waited until she did to shut the door behind her and powerlessly slide down to the floor, shocked at what he had done.