Chapter 9

There was no way he just declared me his girlfriend in front of the entire class. I shifted in my seat as everyone started to look at me and probably wonder what he even saw in me.

I totally agree with them, I don’t know what he saw in me too. My waist length curly hair always sat in a huge bun on top of my head, and it was always tangled.

I had freckles running freely along my nose and under my eyes, my mouth was too full for my face and everyone in my former school took every liberty they had to remind of it. I was just too plain looking for someone as hot as Damon to call me his girlfriend.

What if it was a prank? I mean it happened before in 10th grade when the football captain asked me out in the cafeteria, and I had readily said yes but it turned out that it was a bet among him and his football buddies.

My breath grew short as I thought more about what Damon just declared. Like how it made me a target for the likes of Annabel that liked him but were not getting any attention.

Cold hands touched my shoulders breaking me away from my thoughts. I turned to see Damon’s worried eyes on me.

“Are you okay? It seemed like you were losing it for a second” he said, sitting on my desk so we were now facing each other.

I simple nodded, scared that my voice would betray the turmoil that I felt inside. His hands found my hair and they massaged my scalp gently.

“Does it still hurt?” he asked quietly.

“Just a little” I answered, almost moaning when his fingers soothed the back of my head that had gotten the most of Annabel’s anger.

He kept massaging my head, my bun loosening in the process. My curls dropped in a tangled mess all over my face and down my back making me cuss. I reached up to tie it back, but his hand stopped me.

“Leave it down” he said gently before proceeding to brush it down with his fingers, careful not to hurt me further. By the time he was done my hair looked fairly okay.

He came down from my desk and picked up my bag. “Let’s get out of here” he said, holding his hand out for me.

Slowly I put my small hands in his very large ones, and he helped me up. Everyone moved aside to let us pass.

We walked down the hallway and into the courtyard together, everyone immediately turning to look at us which made me move closer to Damon. I didn’t need that much attention in my life.

“My girl is shy I see” he said, bending slightly so he could talk close to my ear. It didn’t help that I was a head shorter than him.

Instead of answering I held his hand tighter, already getting accustomed to the coldness of his skin now.

He headed straight for the river, and I followed, feeling relief flood through me once I saw the flowing water. There was just something about this place that was soothing to the soul.

When we get to the rock that I had been staying the other day, he removed his jacket and laid it down on the floor before helping me sit down.

He flopped down beside me, taking my hand in his again and leaving it on his chest. It was easy to see the attraction in his eyes and it made me happy that what he felt was actually genuine and not some stupid bet or dare.

“Thank you” I said quietly, fighting the urge to bury my fingers in his hair as the gentle breeze ruffled it up a bit.

“You’re welcome” he said then a more serious look crossed his face “Why did you just sit down there and let her pull your hair even when it obviously hurt?” he asked.

I looked away, unsure of how to answer his question “There was nothing I could do” I said, my voice only a little above a whisper.

“You should’ve stood up to her that way she’ll know not to mess with you”

“It’s not that easy” I countered.

“It is, you just don’t want to” he said, his voice deep, almost like he was angry, but I couldn’t tell if it was directed at me.

“It will only make it worse if I stand up to her, trust me I know from experience” I started saying as I gazed at the river “I learned it was better to just take their brutal treatment quietly and hope that your gaze does not meet theirs across the classroom or the cafeteria.” By the time I was done speaking I felt exhausted.

He sat upright, taking my two hands in his and forcing me to look at him “What happened?” he asked softly.

“Nothing serious, just high school boys being silly” I answered.

He held my chin making me look at him “They bullied you” he said, cutting through my words. His thumb caressed the back of my palm, “You did not deserve that.”

I didn’t believe him.

“You don’t have to deal with that anymore, I’m here to protect you now” he said, his expression so sincere that I almost cried. That someone would want to look after me and protect me touched my heart in more ways than one.

In a heartbeat he released my hands and put his arms around me, giving me a hug that I didn’t realize just how much I needed it.

I buried my face into his chest and breathed in his scent, he smelled like the river and something exquisite that I couldn’t place a name on. I held him tighter so I would remember this moment for days to come.

He rubbed my back before pulling away from me. “Are you hungry?” he asked out of the blue.

“No” I shook my head at the same time my stomach grumbled.

He smiled at that “Your stomach begs to differ” he teased making blush rise to my cheeks. This was definitely embarrassing. I put my hand on my stomach—that was just wrong timing.

“Hold on here while I get you something to eat” he said, getting up. I wasn’t sure where he went but a minute letter he came back with biscuits, apple, and a bottle of orange juice. He set it down in front of me.

The apple was the first, he held it to my lips, and I took a bite, chewing quietly so I wouldn’t gross him out. He made sure to feed me all the food he had brought, saving the juice for the last.

“You’re not going to eat?” I asked as he put another biscuit into my mouth. He laughed at that like I just said something ridiculous.

“Darling, I’ve not eaten food in the last thousand years, I definitely don’t need it now” he answered.

I was confused but maybe that was his way of letting me know he didn’t want to eat without being upsetting about it. When I was done he put everything away, the excitement back in his eyes now that I was well fed, and my stomach wasn’t rumbling anymore.

“Strip” he said suddenly making me choke on my own saliva as I swallowed hard.

“What?” I asked, not sure if I heard him correctly.

He laughed deeply this time, his voice deep and spreading its wings all around me “Your face was totally worth it” he said ad-mist laughter.

He stopped laughing at some point and cleared his throat “What I mean is, strip down to your underwear so we can take a dip in the river, trust me it’ll be refreshing” he explained.

I eyed him with suspicion “I can’t swim”

He stood up and dusted out his clothes before reaching out for my hand “You don’t have to worry about that, I’ll be there to keep you afloat”

“Okay” I said, even when my head said no. I wanted to spend more time with him even if it meant swimming in freezing water. I removed my shirt when he turned to give me privacy, my pants followed and soon I was standing with just my bra and matching panties.

His eyes raved my body when he turned, so much that I instinctively put my hands over my chest. He pulled one hand away and held it, slowly guiding me into the water.

The cold water snaked up to my waist as I went further in, and I had to put a lot of effort into keeping my teeth from clattering. He led me further in until the water was just below my shoulders.

Keeping my breath steady I let him hold my waist, keeping my body close to him. I put my hands on his chest to keep myself steady trying as much as I could to bask in the moment.

“Your hair turns a dark brown when it’s wet” he commented. I didn’t even know that. “You should let it down often” he said before turning his palm upward and scooping water that he poured over my head.

The cold liquid drenched my hair and soothed the places that still hurt, now I knew why he loved the water so much. He did it again when he saw that I liked it and I closed my eyes so I could feel the water cool off my scalp.

My eyes flew open when he stopped, he was looking at me with a thoughtful expression on his face. “Did I do something wrong?” I asked, afraid that I ruined the moment.

“You’re beautiful” he said, catching me completely off guard. I blinked severally to make sure that I heard him right. “You are beautiful” he said again for good measure making me know that the doubt in my eyes were visible to him.

“Thank you” I said, not wanting to be rude “You’re beautiful too”

He chuckled at that “Did you just call a man like myself beautiful Liz?” he asked, my mouth went wide.

“I’m sorry that’s not what I meant. You’re hot…no! attractive is a better word” I stuttered, my hands gesturing at the air to make him understand what I was saying.

“Liz” he said, his voice calm and calling me back to focus “I understand what you’re saying perfectly”

I nodded, but in my words he really was beautiful, his blue eyes sparkled under his long curly lashes. I don’t care what he said, this man was beautiful.

“You on the other hand…” he said, trailing off as his gaze dropped on my lips “You are every definition of beautiful” his voice turned deep and husky, like he had just woken up from sleep and it sent vibrations through me that came out in a shiver.

His index finger tucked a stray hair back in place and my skin burned where his fingers brushed. My gaze dropped to his lips too, the pinkness of it calling to me.

He moved closer to me, our lips barely touching in the process. Just as his lips brushed mine my leg lost footing and I fell into the dark water, water filling my mouth when I tried to scream. I felt something grab me which only made me kick my legs more.

“Elizabeth!” I heard Damon yell before he pulled me out of the water and onto the floor. His hands pressed my chest gently and I found myself hurling out all the water that had forcefully entered my body—and that was a lot.

“Are you okay?” he asked once I opened my eyes coughing, I only managed a nod in response. I tried to breathe in, but my lungs protested restricting airflow.

“Damon…I can’t breathe” I said, gasping for air. He immediately bent to me and parted my lips. He pressed his mouth gently over them and blew in air, my lungs relaxing in return. In a few seconds, my breathing evened out, but he stayed where he was.

I was about to assure him that I was okay when his lips captured mine and he gave me my first kiss.