The President's Daughter (Original) ✔️

18. Bullet to the Heart

Hazza Styles- Falling

Billie Eyelash - when the party's over

Grace Vanderwaal - Stray

Shawn Mendes- Act Like You Love Me

One Direction- Little White Lies

Jackson Wang (yep still mine) - Bullet to the Heart

Damien's POV

I rub the tears from my face as Sade, the reporter, tells us that Hope is okay and so is the president.

What have I gotten myself into? Crying over a girl like this. And, not that I'll admit to anyone, I'm not even drunk anymore.

I pour out the rest of the Hennessy and the other two still in the bag into the sink and place it near the trash. I'll deal with that later. I turn off the TV and head to my room.

I'm about to collapse on the bed when I see a small bag on my dresser. Hope's present. I can't seem to throw it out no matter how much I try.

I stare at it for a moment before dropping on the bed. For the first time since last week, sleep comes quickly.

***

When I wake up, light has flooded the room. I sit up feeling well rested. I get a text from Carlos to come to his party later, everyone is there. Things are looking up.

I brush my teeth, shower, and head to the kitchen. I stare at the stove, reminiscing when Hope taught me how to cook my own breakfast. It feels great to know I can do this instead of driving to Wendy's every morning or eating pre-cooked meals.

I turn on the stove and crack my eggs onto the oiled pan. I place cooked turkey slices on top when the egg is ready. After waiting a bit, I place them in between two breads and press them into the pan with the back of the spatula. When the bread has brown skids on them, I turn off the stove and take a step back and smile at my achievement. Hope would be so proud.

My smile drops and I shake my head to get her out of my head. The last thing I need to do is to think about her right now. She's alive and it's all over now. I need to move on. Or at least pretend I can.

I pour coffee into a mug and devour my breakfast. I wish Hope and I can have breakfast together... I shake my head again. I shouldn't entertain the thought. It's not gonna happen.

The doorbell rings after I rinse my mouth and place my dishes into the sink.

I open the door and take a step back, my heart ricocheting in my chest.

Hope is standing on the porch wearing a grey dress that stops halfway down her thighs. I swear, this goddess looks good in anything.

My breath catches as I try to speak. When words fail me again, I step further back and allow her to enter.

I clear my throat as I narrow my eyes outside. "Where's your... Secret Service?" I ask with my back turned to her. It's not a sentence you hear everyday and yet here I am asking anyway.

"Uh... they're in the car." When I fail to see them, I sigh and close the door.

"Did you cook in here?"

"Yeah, I did." I let out a laugh and scratch my brow. She gives me a bewildered expression before smiling. We stand there for a few awkward seconds.

I shift uncomfortably as I watch her biting her lip. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thank you. Look, I'm really sorry. I know I should've told you sooner and I didn't. I'm really sorry."

My teeth grits as I remember why I'm angry with her. "Why did you lie to me? For 7 months? Why?"