Page 141 of Taeja

Sighing, she pulled her phone out. She texted Liyah and Mason, congratulating them on their engagement. Liyah replied, recanting all the events of the monumental night. As happy as she was for her friend, Taeja wasn’t as happy as she should be. Not when her boyfriend was across the room in a sour mood. She hated this hopelessness, but there was nothing she could do but wait like he asked.

When he finally spoke, his words weren’t what she expected to hear: “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I didn’t ask what it was,” Taeja said.

“But you want to.”

“Can you blame me? You’re shutting me out. This isn’t like you.”

Damon sighed and stood, grabbing the tray.

Taeja jumped to her feet and took long strides to keep up with him as theyexited the room. “Did I do something?”

“No.”

“What’s bothering you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now, Taeja.”

His cold tone planted a lump in her throat. Chills ran through her body as tears neared.

“Okay,” she mumbled, standing aside while watching him wash his plates. “Do you want space?”

“I don’t know.”

“You sound unsure, so I’m not leaving you. Do you want to do something to get your mind off it?”

“I don’t know.”

Taeja sighed, looking away from him before looking back with a hopeful smile. “I’m great with my hands. I can give you a massage. Maybe it’ll help?”

Damon fixated on something outside the windows above the sink, and Taeja held her breath. Finally, he nodded and looked at her. “Sure.”

“Okay. Do you have somewhere we can do it?”

“The dining hall.”

Her brows crinkled. “What?”

“No one ever eats there.” Damon dried his hands with a paper towel, threw it away, then started walking away.

“I’ll grab the stuff,” Taeja yelled, but he didn’t reply. She sighed and ran upstairs. She rummaged through the different oils Damon bought her, smiling at the bottle of vanilla as memories hit her. Pushing them away, she finished getting what she needed, then returned downstairs. Damon sat on a chair, staring out of space.

She cleared her throat. “I brought a sheet to throw over the table. I hope it isn’t your favorite—”

“It isn’t.”

“Okay,” she said, then laid all the items on the chair beside him. She gently laid her hand on his shoulder as if he was Zain. “Stand.”

Damon complied, and she helped him out of his clothes. She blushed asthe piercing gleamed at her. Knowing it wasn’t the time to think like this, she wrapped a towel around his waist, then patted the table. Damon climbed onto it. He lay on his stomach.

“Do you have candles?” she asked, and he shook his head. She grabbed her phone and found a playlist of calming classical music. The gentle melody played softly in the background. Taeja doused her hands in oil while admiring the contours of Damon’s body.

Working on his calves, she was in awe of how strong they were. She trailed her hands along his legs, realizing that Damon looked taller lying down. She ran her hands up the muscles on his back, working at the knots in his tense shoulders until they loosened. Taeja smiled, wanting to ask if he was enjoying it. She chose to stay quiet and let her hands do the talking… All over his tense body until he was putty melting between her talented fingers.

“Turn over,” Taeja whispered, her voice low and soothing.

Damon turned over, and Taeja took one of his hands in hers. She placed a kiss on each knuckle, watching his body relax further. She repeated the same action to his next hand, then moved to his abdomen.

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