Heal Me

Chapter 15

"And yummy." he said, making Evangeline chuckle. "Anyway... come on." he got out of the car, careful not to spill his drink, and so did she.

"Come where?" she quirked an eyebrow, looking around.

"Up there!" Damon showed towards the top of the hill. "You're not afraid of heights, are you?" Damon teased and hurried up the stairs.

"Wait! Don't be mean! Wait for me!" she shouted as he was way ahead of her. Evangeline began running up the stairs as well, careful with the cup in her hand, and when she finally got to the top her face was rosy and she was panting.

"I... to-told you to... w-wait for... me." she took a minute to catch her breath, her right hand grasping the cup and the other resting on her chest.

"How the bloody hell did you get here so fast anyway?" she muttered after a few moments and unbuttoned her coat.

"You were just slow... and unfit." he shrugged and sat down on the freezing ground. Evangeline gasped silently and opened her mouth to reply but closed it and went to sit next to him, at his left.

"I guess there's no point in denying it." she smiled sheepishly and followed his gaze, which was directed straight ahead.

"Wow..." Evangeline murmured and her deep warm eyes danced to take in all the amazing details of the view. Even in late autumn, everything seemed so alive from where they were now. People were walking down the streets, laughing and talking to one another, and wonderful tunes were filling the cold air whenever the door to the cozy restaurant in front of them opened. But the sky was by far the most breath-taking detail. It was colored in one of the calmest shades of deeper blue she had ever seen, which faded into a soft lilac then, slowly, into an iridescent pinkish color which defined the edges of the clouds.

"Just as beautiful as I knew it..." Damon sighed and dropped his gaze on the cup.

"How did you discover this place?" Evangeline turned her head towards him in wonder. He stared into her eyes then glanced at the restaurant. His lips started quivering as his eyes fell on the rather small, yet cursive sign in front which read: 'Subtle'.

"My mother used to work there." Damon muttered, nodding towards the restaurant. "As a chef..."

She smiled widely to herself. This was another part of his life, another part of him that he was sharing with her. Evangeline found it amazing how Damon went from the rude, anger-filled guy she had met a couple of weeks before to the young man in front of her. Was it her who had done all of that?

"Eva?" he asked softly after a few minutes, catching her attention. She locked gazes with him and hummed in response while taking a large gulp of the now cooler cappuccino.

"Did you tell the truth when you were writing this?" he stared deep into her eyes for any hesitation or lie. Evangeline took the cup away from her lips as she caught a glimpse of the letter that was now in Damon's right hand. She blushed crimson red and looked down, her lips parted. A foreign emotion washed through him as he indulged in noticing Evangeline's loose strays of hair flowing in the wind. And the unfamiliarity of the feeling was emphasized by the fact that his heart ached with it. He actually felt it; he was feeling it in every fiber of his body, in every corner of his soul...

"You don't have to be ashamed, Eva." Damon whispered, his trembling fingers touching her upper right arm. Her head snapped up and she glared at him through tears. What did he know? That night when he had brought her home she was utterly disgusted with herself and so tired of pretending to be completely pure...

"Is this all true?" he asked once more, unfolding the letter in front of her. Evangeline stared blankly at the sheet of paper for a couple of seconds and tears rolled down both her cheeks.

"Yes..." she croaked as their eyes met.

Her answer echoed in his mind like a pebble hitting the water, the impact producing small waves that got bigger and bigger, just like the thoughts running through Damon's head. That simple sincere 'yes' cleared his mind but also dizzied him at the same time for there were so many other things he wanted to find out.

Evangeline gulped and licked her lips to wet them.

"Of course it's true, Damon!" she raised her voice a little because she was desperate to make him understand. And just then she started sobbing.

"All of it... every single word. It's all true." she took a breath to calm herself down but it didn't work.

"You can't even imagine how much I love seeing you smile!... I know that it's fake; I realize that. But it's so nice." she continued, tears continuing to wet her face. Damon deeply frowned in surprise as a lump formed in his throat. Would he ever be able to smile whole-heartedly like she wanted him to?

"I want... I want you to be happy again because I-I have no other choice but to believe that there is nothing we cannot move on from. I-I have to believe that... I have to! But it's so, so hard..." Evangeline started crying uncontrollably, burring her face in her slim hands. As a tear rolled down Damon's cheek as well, he tugged onto her right arm and pulled her into his strong arms. She let herself be engulfed in his addictive fragrance and warmth as her palms were glued to his back, her nails slightly digging into his jacket.

"Pl-please understand. I d-don't even know w-what to say or do an-anymore..." she murmured and rested her head against his shoulder as one of his arms circled her waist. Damon rubbed her back soothingly and he too was crying, but silently... he had learned to do that. She was extremely surprised to see that his touch was one of the few that was not disgusting; it was so warm, so gentle and comforting. Evangeline calmed him down too, because her subtle lilac perfume had a miraculous healing effect.

"Shhh..." he murmured in her ear and moved his hand from her back to her head, her soft hair caressing his palm and face.

"You don't have to say anything..." Damon said, his breath fanning the back of her neck. Holding her close to his body, Evangeline practically standing in his lap, they sat like that for a few more minutes, calming themselves down.

"I'm sorry..." she suddenly sniffed her nose and, wiping away her tears, she raised her head to look him in the eye.

"Don't be. You just want to help." he cleared his voice and avoided her gaze. "Thank you." Damon smiled a little, making her do the same.

"Why did you cry so hard?" he asked after a couple of moments, letting his hand fall from around her waist. His gaze was burning into her and she tried to avoid it but Damon cupped her head with both hands and forced her to look at him.

"You told me that you're not okay and that you're not going to be for a while." he remembered, a frown appearing on his face.

"Damon, please-" Evangeline tried once again to avoid the subject.

"No!" he raised his voice a little to catch her attention. "Look at me, Eva." he now spoke slowly and gently and removed his hands from her face because she did as he said.

"What happened to you?" he asked just as softly and stared into her mesmerizing eyes. He watched her biting the inside of her cheek before replying:

"What about you, Damon?... What happened to you?"

"Eva-" he took a breath to say but she got up and cut him off.

"What can't you move on from?" she asked as he got up as well and threw the empty cups into a bin, not saying anything and walking back to his car. She followed him and when they got to the bottom of the stairs, he stopped and sighed deeply. He did not have anything to lose anyway.

"Look, I... I will tell you, Eva. But you have to do the same." he said and saw surprise and doubt washing through her.

"If you really want to know what happened to me, you'll have to tell me why you're not okay... why you're not smiling like you used to.

Hey, guys! If you like this story, please go check out my other work too, Cold Fingers (on my profile page). It would mean so much to me, thanks! ;)