Chapter 28
The next day I am too tired to get out of bed so I stay home from school. I didn’t get any sleep last night because I kept waking up from the reoccurring nightmare of Cole leaving me. Vixen has tried ringing me but I don’t answer my phone. At the moment I am sitting in my room listening to depressing music when Damien walks in and scoops me into his arms.
“I am so sorry, Nikki.” I see Dad behind him and I know Dad called for Damien to come.
“He left me Damien. It was all a game to him. Get Nikki to fall in love and dump her like the pathetic person she is.” I am crying into Damien’s shirt getting it all wet. He doesn’t say anything because he knows me well. “I love him Damien. How could he do this to me?” Damien rubs my back trying to get me to calm down. I finally stop crying after what seems like hours and I know I look shocking. I pull myself away from Damien and rub my stinging eyes, which makes me cry all over again.
“Hey, stop that Nikki.” Damien grabs my face and wipes away the few tears that are running down my face.
“How about we get away for a few days Nikki. Go up to my Aunts place for a few days. We can watch sappy romance movies and eat too much Ben and Jerry’s.” I look at him to see he is serious.
“I don’t think I can. I am my Dad’s successor and I don’t think…” My throat starts to clog up again making it hard to breath.
“Deep breaths Nikki, deep breaths.” This causes me to start to cry again because that is what Cole always told me. It takes another 20minutes for me to calm down again.
“I already asked your father Nikki. He said we can leave as soon as you are ready.” I think about. I could leave everything behind. Cole, being Dad Successor, the kids at school. I nod my head and get up to pack my bag. It is now Wednesday and we are going for five days. Just me , Damien, his aunts lake and movies.
Dad farewells us as I get into Damien’s mustang. We drive to the gates and they open up for us. Damien puts on the music and we both open up our windows letting the warm air come in because we both know this will be the last time it will be warm before winter starts to settle in.
We are listening to Run the world both screaming out the lyrics and I am starting to feel better already.
Who run the world? Girls!
Who run the world? Girls!
Who run the world? Girls!
Who run the world? Girls!
Who run this motha? Girls!
Who run this motha? Girls!
Who run this motha? Girls!
Who run this motha? Girls!
Who run the world? Girls!
Who run the world? Girls!
Who run the world? Girls!
Who run the world? Girls!
Damien and I are both laughing as we pull up to the gas Station to get gas. This is the last stop before his Aunts lake house, so we stock up on Ice-cream and anything else we will need. My phone had been going off so Damien took it off me and threw it in the back seat. I have my feet up on the dashboard as I wait for Damien. I am flipping through the music stations when his phone ring. I see he is busy so I pick it up for him.
“Hello, Damien’s phone.” I wait for the other person to say something but all I hear is heavy breathing in the background. Ok that is weird.
“Hello, is anyone there or are you just being an asshole?” I wait again but still get nothing so I hang up on them. Damien is coming back with his hands full as I put his phone back.
“Who was that?” I shrug my shoulders as he starts up the car again. It takes about another hour before we reach his aunts Lake house. I get out and stretch my legs and Damien takes all our food inside the house. I walk around to the back of the house and go and stand at the edge of the dock.
We used to come here as children all the time. Damien’s Aunt passed away a few years ago and the lake house was passed onto Damien. I wrap my arms around myself and look out onto the endless lake.
I let my mind wonder to what everyone else is doing at the moment. But I don’t dwell long because I let out a scream as I go air bourn. I land in the water which I freezing cold. I come up from under the water to see Damien grinning.
“You idiot, the water is cold!” Damien laughs as he jumps in fully clothed. He comes up and grins at me.
“I know what you were thinking about. That part will come tonight. Right know we celebrate you being successor and our friendship. Later you can cry and think to your heart’s content.” I growl at Damien and I jump onto his shoulders trying to push him under. Somehow I ended up on his shoulders as he runs out of the water pretending to be hulk. I laugh the whole way up to the house where Damien kicks open the door and flings me off from his shoulders onto the floor. I am still laughing as I walk into the shower to try and warm myself up.
The shower is warm against my icy skin and if I get sick I am so going to give it to Damien. I get out of the shower and dress into my track pants and hoodie. I walk downstairs to see Damien has already taken a shower and is cooking us dinner.
“Do you need any help with that?” I ask sitting on the stool at the kitchen counter.
“Nah I have got it. Any way, we are only having macaroni and cheese.” I smile that he still remembers my favorite type of food.
“You remembered.” He comes over with two bowels and we cuddle up into the lounge.
“I remember a lot of things about you. But I don’t ever remember you being in love.” I look down into my bowel and back to Damien. I guess this is the DNM time. I sigh because I don’t really know where to start.
“Where do I start Damien, so much has happened…”I stop before I can cry. I watch as Damien takes a mouthful of food so I follow his actions and eat.
“How about, how you meet Cole.” I cringe when Damien says his name because it hurts like hell to hear.
“I was in advanced powers. This was before anyone knew we matured. Our teacher made us sit in class and do theory while the rest did practical.” I smile as I remember how annoyed Travis was.
“Anyway we were both mocking our father when he walked in. At first I thought he wasn’t even real. He was talking to Travis and he didn’t even really notice me until Travis introduced. When he looked at me I thought I was going to melt.” I have a sad smile and take a bite of my food.
“After a while he started to show up more in my life and my feelings for him became stronger. We eventually went on our first date. Drake was there and gave the whole big brother speech. At the time I thought I merely liked him but I look back now and I know I loved him from the start.” I start to tear up but Damien doesn’t come close to me he just sits there and take my food out of my hands.
“I told Vixen I had no idea why Cole would like me. I mean look at me. Then one night my father hit me and I ran away. Cole found me and took me back to his place.” I see Damien tense next to me while I cry.
“I thought he loved me, so I slept with him. I told Vixen that he only wanted to screw me and leave but he didn’t. I thought maybe I was wrong. Maybe he does really love me. He would always touch me like, hold my hand when I was nervous or upset. The amounts of times he was there when I needed him. It all turned out to be a lie. He never loved me. It was all a game to him. Take the sweet and innocent Nikki and break her.” I can no longer see as tears over my vision but a warm body is wrapped around me rocking me back and forth.
“I love him Damien and I thought he loved me. But I was just a foolish stupid girl. How could anyone love me, the wild beast that needs to be controlled! How could anyone ever love someone like me. The shy and broken girl who is meant to rule. I am weak, pathetic and useless. I don’t belong here, I don’t belong anywhere. Why am I here Damien? Please just tell me because I don’t see it.” It is like I am taken back all those years ago where I tried to kill myself. It is the same pain all over again but ten times worse because of my bloodlust.
“Hey Nikki, I don’t ever want to hear you talking like that again. You are an amazing and smart women why can you not see that. You think that no one will love you but you are wrong in so many ways Nikki Stark.” I didn’t even see it coming when Damien leaned in and kissed me on the lips. It was a gentle kiss like he was kissing glass about to break. He moved his lips against mine asking for permission to enter. I open up for him and the moment I feel his tongue touch mine I push him away.
“I…can’t…I …I ….I am sorry.” I run out the front door not knowing where I am going. I use my speed until I trip over landing on the floor. I curl into a ball and cry and the rain starts to mix with my tears. I lay on the muddy floor and I wish I can just disappear. My stomach start to churn and I sit up just in time as the acid burn my throat coming out of my mouth. I clutch my stomach in pain sinking onto my knees. My sobs are drowned out by the sound of thunder in the distance. Lightening cracks across lighting up the forest which I know seem to be in. My head and heart hurts that I don’t think I can deal with it anymore. I just want to give up on everything. Cole would know what to do. Just thinking about him makes it even worse. I feel vomit come up and I expel it all over the ground clutching my stomach. I keep on crying for the loss of Cole until I feel darkness finally coming to consume me.
I wake to a very warm room and a fire crackling. I open my eyes to see Damien in a chair looking into the endless fire.
“Hey your up.” I nod my head which seems very foggy. “I was scared when I found you outside. You let your bloodlust take complete control. The depression side of it. I didn’t think you would come out of it!” He gets up and comes and sits next to me taking my cold hands into his warms ones.
“I am sorry for kissing you Nikki. But you need to see you are worth it and people do love you. I love you Nikki. I have since we were little.” I go to talk but he puts his finger on my lips stopping me.
“Listen. You don’t need to say anything ok. I just wanted you to know. You are my best friend and always will be, don’t ever stop and think that we are not. I was always hoping one day you would finally see me as more than a friend but I can see it now that you don’t feel the same way.” I go to open my mouth again but Damien stops me.
“I can see that you love Cole. No listen. I can see that you love Cole and I hope that one day someone can look at me the same way you and Cole look at each other. I know you don’t want to believe it Nikki but Cole does love you and that is why I have to let you go Nikki. I can see that we are only meant to be friends but truth Nikki I will take you anyway I can get you. I only want you to be happy, and if by some miracle you do see me as something more than friends, just know that I am here waiting. I have waited for whole life for you Nikki I can wait a few more years or centuries.” He kisses my hands and lets me talk.
“I am sorry Damien but I don’t want you to wait for me. I want you to find someone that can love you the same way that I love Cole. I do love you Damien, but I love you as a friend and I am sorry for that.” He takes me into his arms and I start to cry again. We both end up falling asleep in each other’s arms on the couch with a warm fire and a thunderstorm raging outside.
I wake in the morning and untuck myself from Damien. I take a moment to have a look at him. His sandy blonde hair has fallen over his eyes making him look like a sleeping angel. I walk into the bathroom and get a good look at myself in the mirror and see I look shocking. My face is tear streaked and my hair is a mess from the wind. There is dirt and mud all over my cloths but what shocks me the most are my eyes. They have lost the emerald in them and look a very dull green. I see a few tears slowly leak from my dull puffy eyes and I wipe them away and start up the shower.
When I come out the place is foggy and I see some colour has come back into my face. I walk out of the bathroom and am greeted with the smell of bacon and eggs. I walk into the kitchen to see Damien humming to the low music playing in the background.
“Hey something smells yum.” He turns around and smiles at me.
“Just in time.” He places the food in-front of me and we eat in silence.
“So what are we doing todays?” I ask and we do the dishes.
“Well todays will be the last day I see you cry. So to cure that we are going to watch a bunch of movies that will make you cry.” I smile as he pulls out the 22 tubs of Ben and Jerry’s that we bought. We make ourselves comfortable. And we start the first movie. ‘A walk to Remember.” One things the humans are good at is making you cry. I even say Damien shed a tear at the end. The next few movies were ‘The Notebook’, ‘My sisters Keeper’, ‘Remember Me’, ‘Dear John’, ‘Marely and me’, ‘p.s. I Love you’, and ‘Titanic’
“I don’t understand why he had to die.” I cry. We just finished watching Titanic and I don’t get why Jack had to die. Couldn’t they take turns of the float?
“Why did she have to let him go? I just don’t get it.” Damien laughs at me but he is one to talk. He cried in every single movie. “Shut up Damien you cried as well.” We both laugh as we wipe away our tear. I look around the lounge room to see we have both eaten all 22 tubs of Ben and Jerry’s
“I feel so sick.” Damien groans and rest his head on the couch. I lean back as well and pat my very full stomach.
“Dad would kill us if he knew we ate this much.” We both laugh again but make no move to clean up.
“We should clean-up” He says and I look around.
“We should.” Eventually we both get up and clean up the mess we made. We don’t bother with dinner and both go straight to bed.
I am having a very peaceful dream until a giant air horn went off. I wake up screaming to see Damien grinning.
“You dick!” I hell and pull the covers over my head.
“Nope, up you get Nikki. Today we are going to going out on the boat.” I look outside to see it still dark.
“Get lost Damien and let me sleep. I am princess and I command you let me sleep.” He just laughs and pulls my covers off leaving me cold. He is lucky I don’t sleep in the nude, unlike him.
“If you want to rule vampire you are going to have to do better than that.” It take another few tries until Damien finally gets me out of bed. We don’t have breakfast and go straight out to the dock. Damien paddles us out into the middle of the lake and set up two fishing rods. While he does that I settle in with the blanket and close my eyes. The next time I open them the sun is rising and Damien is fishing.
“About time you got up. I was planning on chucking you over board soon.” I rub my eyes and sit up.
“Caught anything yet?” He shakes his head as his line snags. He starts to reel the fish in laughing the whole time.
“I think I caught a big one honey. The kids will get there feed for the week.” He says in a very bad country accent. That has me laughing so hard that the small boat starts to rock.
“Watch what you are doing Nikki.” I stop laughing to see that Damien’s fish is gone. “You scared my fish.” He says laughing.
“No I think you did that with your looks.” He lunges towards me and starts to tickle me. “Stop… Damien please stop… I am about to wet myself.” Damien stops and sits up grinning to himself.
“Give me the darn rod.” I take it off him and cast it into the lake. We spend the rest of the day talking about everything and nothing at the same time. I tell him about my paintings and he said he might try and see if he can come to my art showing. We row back to the dock at sunset with two fish both caught by me. We both go inside laughing as rain starts to pelt from the sky. We just make it in time before the starts to chuck it down. We cook fish and chips for dinner laughing over good old times. Not once do we mention what is going on back home and I am glad. I feel like I am finding the old Nikki back the one that left when I matured. By the time dinner is cleaned up I am reading for bed.
“Night Damien.” I yell from my room.
“Night Nikki.” He yells back as we go to sleep.
When I wake on Saturday I am sad to see this is my second last day. I open up my ears to see if Damien is awake and I can hear him snoring in the room across from me. Excellent. As I walk into the kitchen I get this strange feeling that I am being watched. I shake it off and pull a bucket up with cold water. I walk into Damien’s room with a bucket of water and smile when I see half his body hanging off the side of the mattress and the back that his sheets are bunched up around his waist. God this is going to be cold. I start to giggle and clamp my mouth shut when he stirs. I wait until he settle down before I lift up the bucket. I count to three and tip the whole thing on him running away with my speed.
“Ahhhh what the hell! That is fucking cold. Nikki Stark I am going to kill you!” I laugh as I open to door and run outside, as I hear his thundering foot seats. I don’t get far before I scream as I am wrapped around Damien’s yet body.
“Damien let me go, you are cold.” I say between laughing.
“Oh you think I am cold.” He picks me up and start to walk towards the lake.
“No Damien, don’t even think about it.” The bastard is walking slowly and I know why. “No stop.” I say laughing as he shakes his wet hair onto me.
“Why Nikki? What you did this morning was cold.” I laugh at the pun that was inside of that.
“Well, you woke me up with an air horn.” He laughs and I giggle out of his grip a little.
“Damien Brandon Winter you are going to let me go this instant.” I use compulsion on him and he drop me to the floor. I run back into the house and lock all the doors. I hear a banging on the door for him to let him in. I open the blind to see Damien standing at the front of the house in only a pair of boxer short wet and cold. I laugh at him and stick my tongue at him.
“Nikki Jade Cordelia Stark if you don’t let in the house this instant…” I hear the threat but I laugh.
“You forgot princess and please Damien.” He growls at me but I can see the smile in his eyes.
“Fine. Princess Nikki Jade Cordelia Stark will you please let me inside before I lose my balls to frostbite.” I laugh again. I love this game.
“Only if you say, Princess Nikki Jade Cordelia Stark is the best person in the whole wide world!” I laugh again as I see him bounce from foot to foot. Damn it must be cold out there.
“Fine. Princess Nikki Jade Cordelia Stark is the best person in the whole wide world! Happy now will you please let me in.” I think about it for a second before I have an idea.
“I think I might take a shower first. A nice hot shower.” I laugh clutching my stomach when I see his expression. “Ok fine.” I open the door and the first thing he does is run inside and turn on the shower. I cannot stop laughing that I am on the floor rolling around laughing my head off. Damien tells me to shut up and I do. I get up and close the front door but before I do, I get the sense like I am being watched. I glance around the area and open up my hearing for anything out of the ordinary but I get nothing.
“What are you doing Nikki?” I jump when I hear Damien’s voice.
“Jesus don’t scare me like that.” I smack his chest and look outside again.
“What’s wrong?” I tell him I feel like someone is watching me so Damien open his ears but get nothing.
“Stop being paranoid Nikki. We haven’t even started the horror section of the weekend yet.” I listen to Damien and blame it on my messed up emotions and bloodlust. We decided to bake some cakes but that ends in a food fight. I grab the flour and use to speed to jump it in Damien’s hair which has eggs all through it. Who knew I had such a good aim.
“Nikki!” He yells and I laugh but not before I get a handle-full of flour in my face. I have honey all through my hair and egg everywhere. There is flour all over our faces and cloths. I pick up the butter and it smacks Damien right in the chest. He looks at it and watches it slide down his top. I am laughing as I watch his expression. It turns from amusement into something that I don’t like. He looks outside and I see where he is going.
“No, don’t even think about it.” He smiles and throws me over his shoulder. “Damien put me down!” I smacks his ass and he laugh. I am holding onto his shirt when I feel him stop. “No!”
“Yes!”
“NO!
“YES!” he throws me over his shoulder but what he doesn’t now is my hands are clutched around his belts loops so as I go into the freezing lake so does Damien. I come up from the water laughing my head off the same as Damien. I splash water at him and start to swim back to the deck. I get out the water and run my finger through my hair to find it sticky.
“I swear, you are going to have to wash my hair Damien.” I see his horrid expression. Even as kids I have always had thick black hair it was a nightmare. I guess that is why Damien found it funny to put honey all through it.
“No way. I would rather fight a rouge witch and werewolf at the same time, than wash that hair of yours.” I laugh as we both walk back to the house pushing each other. I hear the sound of a twig snap which stops both Damien and I. Damien straight away puts me behind him protecting me from the danger. We both wait than we laugh when we see a white bunny come out of the tress.
“Jesus we were scared by a fluffy bunny.” We both laugh walking inside leaving the bunny alone. 2 and a half hours later all the honey is out of my hair.
“Damien if you ever put honey in my hair again I will kill you!” He laughs as I see the whole place set up from more movies. We both sit on the floor and eat popcorn while watching horror movies. I must have fallen asleep because I feel myself being picked up and carried to bed. I feel myself being lowered into bed and tucked in.
“I love you Nikki.” I hear a deep voice that my heart recognises but I don’t have time to think before I am out like a light.
I wake in the morning and I am sad that we are leaving. I go downstairs to find Damien has already cleaned up our mess.
“Hey you just about ready to go.” I nod my head and bring my bags to the front door. It is at this moment that I realise Damien has been a distraction from all the pain. Damien seems to notice the change in me and pulls me into a hug.
“It’s going to be fine Nikki.” We finally pull apart and he grabs our bags and puts them in his car.
“We have to do this again.” I say as we drive back home.
“Sure thing. Next time we can bring Travis and Vixen.” I smile at that.
“Question did you take me to bed last night.” He looks confused and shakes his head.
“I thought you got up in the middle of the night and put yourself to bed.” I shake my head. Maybe I did. I shake my head again as we start to ride back to reality.
*****
Hey so this chapter broke my heart to write not just because of Nikki's pain but for the pain Damien is in. So what did you think about Damien confessing his true feelings to Nikki?
Who do you think put Nikki to bed?
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