Damon's confession made Svetlana gasp for air.
Her hand, which was still in his, got a little tighter, as if she wanted to ground herself in the present.
For a few seconds, the sound of the waves filled the silence between them.
Damon looked at her face, his heart racing as he waited for her response. Still being vulnerable after he said it.
He didn't look away, even though a small part of him wanted to.
He needed to see her response, whatever it was.
Svetlana finally spoke, her voice soft but steady. "Damon… you have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say that."
His eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You have?"
Well he knew, but he was overwhelmed right now so anything surprised him.
She nodded, her lips curving into a gentle smile. "Yeah. I've liked you for a while now, but I didn't know how you felt. I didn't want to ruin what we had."
