Page 13 of Call You Mine

The interior of the mansion is just as breathtaking as the outside, only unlike the Craftsman style of the exterior, the interior is modern and eclectic. The white and black theme continues throughout the space. Sunlight beams in through the many windows along the front reflecting beautifully against the white marbled floors. Modern black furniture and furnishings are expertly placed along the space with a beautiful, spacious living room to the right and an expansive kitchen, along with a large rectangular island visible to the left.

But the one thing that catches my eye is the breathtaking marble staircase leading up to the second floor. The black marble tile has hints of white and silver, the railing a stark shade of matte black, and the steps are framed with mirrored strips of stainless steel that beautifully reflect the shimmering chandelier hanging directly above.

This house is everything I’ve ever dreamed of having in my space. From the roses outside, to the elegance of the decor, it’s like his designer picked apart my mind and built my dream home.

But it’s not mine. Not even temporarily, because now more than ever I’m determined to spend as little time here as possible.

Lines are already becoming blurred, my feelings clouding my logic, and I haven’t even spent a full hour in his presence.

Damon leads me up the stairs and down the hallway. I follow behind him, shielding my eyes with my sunglasses and hiding the way being in his space is making me feel. He stops in front of one door at the far end of the hall, reaches for the knob, and opens the door, motioning for me to enter before him.

I step around him, taking in the spacious guest bedroom, completely furnished and decorated. A beautiful queen-sized, four-poster bed sits symmetrically placed in the middle of the room. On one side, a large antique armoire sits beside an ivory-colored chaise, while on the other, there’s a dresser with a large potted plant giving life to the otherwise colorless space.

Unlike the rest of the house, this room’s decor has subtle earthy tones I assume were the choice of the interior designer because it doesn’t fit the vibe of the rest of the house.

Taking in the surrounding space, I’m suddenly overwhelmed with fear, my hands trembling anxiously as I recall everything that led me here.What have I dragged Damon into?

This man here with me now isn’t the same Damon I left behind a year ago after the first actual fight we had. He knew I wasn’t being forthcoming about what was really going on with me and I’d made it clear he had no fucking right to pry. I owed him nothing.

My exact words were,“You’re not my father nor my fucking boyfriend, so stay the fuck out of my life”. The worst part is I’d meant every single word at that moment.

For the first time since our friendship began, the lines between friends and something more were becoming blurred. We’d become complacent, used to each other's company. Hell, I texted him every fucking day, of course, deleting our conversations so Enzo would never discover us. Not that there was anything going on. But our texts were sometimes playful and flirty, even though they meant no harm. I’m not sure Enzo would think the same.

However, the last time I came home differed from the few other visits I’d made in the past. Something had shifted in our relationship and we both felt it, but we also both fought against it.

Damon clears his throat and my attention shifts toward the connecting bathroom he’s walked over to. “There are towels in the linen closet in the bathroom and it’s stocked with all the toiletries you’ll need.” He pauses, turning to me as he steps under the doorframe. “Ruby stayed here before I moved in and she ensured the rooms were stocked.”

I nod, unsure of what else to do. I’m out of my element here. I’ve never been one to allow my vulnerability to show, but now here I am standing before him, bloody, dirty, and practically homeless.

“Will she be coming here?” I ask, because the last thing I want is to run into his twin sister. Not that we didn’t get along. I mean, we would have had to communicate for that to happen and I honestly never felt the need to get to know Ruby Drake. The girl usually kept to herself and I doubt she was even friends with Scarlett and Jade, even though they came to Servite from the same foster house.

I know Ruby means everything to him, although he tries to deny it. She’s his twin sister. The connection Ace and I once had, is unlike anything else. He has no other family—only an aunt from his mother’s side he met a few years ago, but given our distance, I don’t know how that ended, and the uncle he had for a few months was now gone.

Drake’s body tenses as he contemplates an answer. “Nah, she’s got her own place in Galen Grove. After she ended things with her ex, she didn’t want to stay in Hillcrest.”

From what he’s told me in the past, Ruby was on and off dating one of the other guys from their foster home, Jaxon Ithink. Despite their rocky relationship, Damon always remained friends with Jaxon, making things awkward between them.

I don’t make a move toward him, instead sitting at the edge of the bed, nervously strumming my fingers over my legs.

He clears his throat once more, walking toward the bedroom door. “I’ll leave you to it then,” he says, walking out and reaching for the doorknob.

I hate the awkward tension in the room between us that’s been threatening to suffocate me. We were friends. Friends who texted almost daily. Two people who, despite the shitshow happening around them, kept each other grounded.

It was our little secret. A friendship I learned to treasure more than anything, and here I was about to ruin it all.

“Damon, wait,” I call out and he halts in his tracks. “Thank you, really. I honestly don’t know where I’d be if you hadn’t agreed to help me.”

He doesn’t immediately turn back my way, his fingers tightening around the knob.

“Don’t thank me yet, Princess.” Over his shoulder, curious eyes meet mine with conviction. “You’re not off the hook. Take your shower, wash the fucker’s blood off your skin, but when you come to me, you’re telling me everything.”

And with that last threat, he closes the door behind him, leaving me alone for the first time in so long.

I’ve beenout of the shower for forty-five minutes. Add that to the almost hour-long deep tissue scrubbing I underwent to get rid of every trace of Enzo from my skin, and I’m surprised Damon hasn’t come looking for me, afraid I’ve jumped out a window to get away.

Not that I haven’t toyed with the idea, but I wouldn’t want to ruin the rose bushes with my fall.

As I walk down the stairs in search of the kitchen, my empty stomach rumbling loudly, I hear his voice in the distance, along with another. My body stiffens at the thought of someone else knowing I’m here.Who could he have called?

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