I want something just like this

In every way a person can be

It had been a week since it was just the two of you. A week since everything changed and then... nothing. Damien had said you should talk about it, and you'd told him you weren't ready. At the time, you hadn't been lying. But now, after a week of waking up alone, of stolen glances and brushing shoulders in the kitchen while Shayne obliviously filled the air with his chatter, you were starting to feel the weight of it all.

The mornings felt quieter without him next to you, as though the world had been muted overnight. Waking up alone wasn't just lonely—it felt empty. Like something that was supposed to be there had gone missing. 

Shayne had been home a lot lately, buzzing around the apartment like he was making up for the time he was gone for Christmas. You couldn't blame him for being around more, but it made things harder. There was no space to figure out what to say, let alone find a moment to just be with Damien again.

And maybe that was part of the problem. You knew what you wanted, or at least, you thought you did. But knowing it and saying it out loud were two different things. What if you said the wrong thing? What if you couldn't take it back?

The sound of Shayne getting in the shower snapped you out of your spiral. He always took forever in there; you had time. Before you could overthink it, you slipped out of your room and into Damien's, closing the door softly behind you.

Damien was buttoning his shirt when you slipped into the room, closing the door behind you as though you'd just snuck into enemy territory. Your back pressed against it, your fingers gripping the handle like you might need to make a quick escape.

Damien glanced up, startled for only a moment before a slow, warm smile spread across his face. "You know, if you were trying to be stealthy, the door slamming kind of gave you away." His eyes softened as they took you in, lingering just long enough to make your heart stutter. "You're cute when you're sneaky, though."

You let out a nervous laugh, fiddling with the hem of your shirt. "Shhh, we don't have much time."

"For what?" he asked, turning fully to face you. His smile didn't fade—it rarely did around you nowadays—but there was curiosity in his expression now, or maybe even a flicker of concern.

You took a deep breath and stepped away from the door. " We're meeting everyone at the bar soon, and I figured now's as good a time as any. To talk. I mean, I've been avoiding it, and I just... I just don't want to do that anymore."

Damien leaned back against the edge of his dresser, crossing his arms as he watched you with that calm, steady gaze that always seemed to see right through you. "Okay. Let's talk."

Your mouth opened, but no words came out. Everything you'd rehearsed in your head seemed to scatter the moment he looked at you like that—patient, open, and entirely too understanding.

"I..." You faltered, biting your lip and glancing down at your hands.

His voice was gentle when he spoke. "Do you want me to go first?"

You nodded quickly, relief flooding through you. "Yeah, that would be good."

"Okay." Damien smiled and pushed off the dresser and took a step closer to you, his hands sliding into his pockets. "I want to be with you."

Your breath caught, and you blinked up at him. "In what way?"

"In every way a person can be," he said without hesitation, his voice steady but warm. His gaze glued to you.

Your words tumbled out in a rush. "I want to be with you too. I really, really do. But I also... I need to know that we can still be friends, you know? Like, what if this doesn't work out? What if we mess everything up?"