The kiss lingers between us, but this time, there's something different in the way our lips meet. There's no frantic urgency, no desperate need to claim or be claimed. Instead, it's a slow, measured thing. It's like we're testing the waters of something deeper, something that can't be easily defined.
When Damon pulls away slightly, I feel the shift in the air. I still feel him—his warmth, his presence, that almost magnetic pull that tugs me closer—but there's more to it now. More than just the physical attraction, more than just the storm of emotions that have been brewing between us for what feels like forever.
"Ella," he says, his voice low and quiet, almost like he's afraid to say it out loud as if he's unsure of the weight his words might carry. "I need to know something."
I pull back just enough to look at him, my chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. His eyes are dark, but there's something different in them—something raw, something real.
"What do you need to know?" I ask, my voice softer than I expected it to be. I don't know what it is about Damon that makes me want to lower my guard, but at this moment, I can't help it.
He hesitates, his jaw clenching before he speaks again. "Are you sure about this?" His eyes search mine, looking for an answer, but I don't think it's one he can get in words.
"I'm sure of what I feel for you," I reply, my voice steady, despite the storm inside me. "But I need to know what this means. What are we doing here, Damon? Because it feels like I'm falling, and I don't know if you're ready to catch me."
He looks at me for a long moment, the weight of my words sinking into him. And then, to my surprise, he reaches out, brushing his fingers against my cheek in a way that feels tender—gentle, even.
"I don't know if I'm ready either," he admits, his voice a whisper, "but I can't stop what's happening between us. I can't walk away from you. Not now. Not ever."
His words hit me harder than I expected, and my breath caught in my throat. I wasn't prepared for this—wasn't prepared for him to lay himself bare like this, to admit the vulnerability he hides so carefully behind that guarded exterior of his. I don't know how to respond. Part of me wants to run, to pull away before things get even more complicated than they already are. But the other part—the part that's been buried beneath layers of fear and confusion—wants to take a chance, to step into whatever this is with him.
"Why me?" I ask, the question slipping out before I can stop it. "Why are you doing this? After everything... all the history between us?"
Damon's expression softens, and for a moment, I see the cracks in his façade. I see the man beneath the layers, the one who's been hiding for so long. "Because, Ella," he says quietly, his hand still resting against my cheek, "you're the only person who's ever made me feel like I could be more than what I am. More than the things I've done. You make me want to be better."
I stare at him, my heart thumping painfully in my chest. His words cut through the walls I've spent so long building around myself. I can't breathe, can't think. For a moment, all I can do is look at him, to see him for the first time.
"You're not alone in this, Damon," I finally say, my voice breaking. "You don't have to hide from me. I don't want you to."
He's silent for a moment, and then he pulls me into him again, his arms wrapping around me with an intensity that leaves no room for doubt. "Then don't make me fight for you anymore," he murmurs against my hair. "Because I'm not letting go, Ella. Not now. Not ever."
I can feel the sincerity in his words, the truth of them settling deep within me. For so long, I've been running, afraid of this—afraid of him, afraid of what this connection might mean for both of us. But standing here in his arms, feeling the weight of his words and the depth of his emotions, I know there's no turning back.
"I won't let you go either," I whisper, my voice small but steady. "But we have to do this right. We have to face whatever comes next—together."
Damon pulls back, looking at me with a fierce determination in his eyes. "Together. Always."
And for the first time in what feels like forever, I believe him.