Waiting

10.

Summer POV

Damien had stepped out of the waiting room.

Everything still felt raw and heavy after losing Papa. My head hurt. My chest hurt. I felt like I had been crying for days, even though it had only been hours.

And that’s when I saw him again. The boy from earlier. The one I had openly stared at, unable to turn away.

He was sitting alone in the far corner now. Head bowed, covered by his hands. Completely still.

Not scrolling on a phone. Not fidgeting. Not pretending to be busy.

Just… unraveling.

Something inside me tightened. He showed a stillness that didn’t look calm or comforting—he looked completely defeated. His shoulders weren’t shaking, but there was a weight crushing down on him.

I didn’t think. I just moved.

I walked over and rested my hand gently on his shoulder.

“Hey… um, are you okay?”

The reaction was immediate.

His body went rigid beneath my touch. Slowly, he lifted his head, and my breath caught.

I got lost in his blue eyes—but not just any ordinary blue. They were luminous. Deep. Almost glowing in a way that didn’t make sense under fluorescent hospital lighting.

They looked… ancient. Completely wrecked.

For a second, I felt like I had interrupted something private.

“I—I, um…” He swallowed. “I was thinking about how I was loosing someone very dear to me.”

His voice wasn’t smooth. It wasn’t flirty. It wasn’t confident.

It was fractured. Broken.

His tone pulled at something deep in my heart, and I felt like crying all over again.

“Oh,” I breathed. “I’m so sorry.”

Before my brain could catch up with my body, I stepped forward and pulled him to his feet. My arms wrapped around his waist automatically. I didn’t ask permission.

I just held him.

Because that’s what I needed earlier.

And maybe he needed it too.

For half a second, he didn’t move.

Then slowly—carefully—like he was handling something sacred, his arms came around my shoulders. His cheek rested on the top of my head, and the world went quiet.

He was warm. Steady. Solid.

I pressed my cheek against his chest and listened.

His heartbeat was strong. And the more I held him, the louder it became—like it was awakening from a deep sleep for the first time in a very long time.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “I just lost someone I loved so very much. I know how hard it is not knowing if they’ll pull through or not.”

His arms tightened just slightly.

Not possessive. Not desperate.

Just… present.

He rubbed my back once. Slowly.

“I’m sorry for your sadness,” he murmured. “I wish you didn’t have to go through that.”

The way he said it wasn’t rehearsed. It wasn’t polite.

It was personal.

When I pulled back enough to look up at him, I didn’t let go. I didn’t want to.

And I could feel that he didn’t either.

I was transfixed by his blue eyes again. Up close, they were unreal. Bright. Sharp. As I held his gaze, they seemed to glow brighter and brighter in a way that made my stomach flip.

There was something intense about him. Something that made me feel like he saw more than was humanly possible.

Suddenly, his hold loosened slightly. Something inside me dipped—disappointment, maybe?

I didn’t understand it.

But he noticed, because instantly his arms tightened again.

And heat bloomed across my cheeks.

Did he do that because of me?

“Thank you for the hug,” he said softly. “I needed it.”

That did something to my chest.

“I’m Arie, by the way.”

Arie.

It fit him.

Strong. Simple. Clean.

“Oh—I’m Summer,” I said quickly, suddenly aware that I had just thrown myself at a complete stranger. “Sorry. I’m a hugger. And you just looked like you needed one. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

I blinked when his fingers brushed my cheek.

The touch was gentle. Curious. Like he wasn’t entirely sure he was allowed to do it.

My breath caught.

His eyes—impossibly blue—softened as I instinctively leaned into his warm touch. I swear they almost glowed under the harsh hospital lighting—like the ocean right before a storm rolls in.

“I’m glad you did,” he said gently. “Thank you.”

Something in his voice felt… real.

Not practiced. Not charming.

Just honest.

“Oh, um… you’re welcome.” I swallowed. “I’m Summer. It’s nice to meet you, Arie.”

He took my hand when I offered it, and the second our palms met, a strange little spark ran up my arm.

Not painful. Not shocking.

Just… right.

“It’s nice to meet you, Summer,” he said.

The way he said my name did something to me.

Slow. Careful.

Like it meant something.

“Hey… do you want to sit down?”

“Sure!” I smiled, and something in his expression changed—like he hadn’t expected that smile to be for him.

Plus, I could use a break from my family. God, that sounded terrible, but it was true.

Between losing Papa and Damien and Simon’s weird tension earlier, my emotions were scrambled.

We sat down, and somehow it wasn’t awkward. Not even a little.

Which made it weirder.

Normally I overthink everything. Normally I trip over my words or talk too fast or ramble about things that don’t matter.

With him?

It just… flowed.

“So, Arie,” I asked, tilting my head, “do you live around here?”

He hesitated. Just slightly.

“Um… yeah. Kind of. I just moved. Things got complicated.”

Complicated.

That word felt heavier than it should have.

“Do you live around here?” he asked quickly.

“Yeah. I grew up here. This is my home. We’ve never lived anywhere else. Even my grandparents are from here.”

“I’m hoping this can be the place I call home.”

When he said he’d never had one place to call home, something twisted in my chest.

That made me sad for him.

But he smiled—small, almost private.

The way he said it made me light up without even thinking.

“Yes! That would be great! You’ll love it here. I can show you my favorite places. I can be your official tour guide.”

Oh my God.

I was doing it again.

Rambling.

I felt my cheeks heat.

“I’m sorry. I get carried away. I don’t mean to impose.”

He laughed softly. Not at me—with me.

“I’d be honored,” he said.

Honored.

Who says that?

Before I could stop myself, I squealed and launched forward—straight into his lap.

The second my arms wrapped around his neck, I felt him freeze for half a heartbeat.

Then his arms came around me.

I instantly felt secure.

I pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and inhaled.

He smelled like rain and the vanilla scent of Jeffrey pine trees.

It was wonderful. Completely wild and clean.

For a split second, I forgot where we were. He helped me forget about the hospital. About the grief I’d been consumed by over the last couple of hours.

All I could think about was the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath me.

When I pulled back, his expression was stunned—but not unhappy.

Just… overwhelmed.

I liked that I could do that to him.

We exchanged numbers, and the conversation only got easier from there.

We talked about the boardwalk, the cliffs, the stupid ice cream shop with “unicorn guts.” He looked genuinely confused about that, and it made me laugh harder than I had all day.

He asked questions and enjoyed just listening—really listening—to what I was talking about.

Slowly, the ache in my chest from losing Papa dulled into something softer.

Then—

I felt it.

A shift.

The air thickened.

A heated, heavy, overbearing weight pressed into the room.

When I looked up, Damien was standing there.

“What the hell, Summer? Why are you over here? Who is this?”

Damien didn’t smile.

Not at me.

Not at Arie.

For half a second, something shifted in him—subtle, but I felt it. His shoulders squared slightly. His chin lifted. His jaw tightened.

It was small.

But I knew him well enough to see it.

Arie stood up slowly from his seat.

Calm. Polite. Not intimidated.

The air between them felt tight. Heavy.

Like the moment right before a summer storm cracks open the sky.

Neither of them spoke as they looked at each other.

There were no loud voices. No dramatic chest thumping.

But something was definitely happening.

Damien stepped closer to me—not aggressively, not noticeably to anyone else—but close enough that his hand found the small of my back.

Light.

Casual.

Familiar.

Possessive.

I blinked.

That was new.

And I hadn’t expected him to do that.

Arie didn’t move. Didn’t react.

He just met Damien’s stare evenly.

Steady.

Composed.

Like he wasn’t the least bit concerned with whatever silent pressure Damien was pushing into the room.

I felt it.

That invisible push of dominance.

Arie was choosing not to return it.

I knew immediately—without him saying a word—that he was doing it for me.

“Okay…” I said slowly, looking between them. “Did I miss something?”

Neither answered.

Damien broke eye contact first—but only to look down at me. His expression softened instantly.

Like a switch flipped.

“Nothing,” he said smoothly. “Just meeting your… friend.”

Friend.

He said it like he was testing the word.

Arie gave a small, controlled smile.

“Pleasure.”

It didn’t feel like one.

And suddenly, I had the strangest sensation that I had stepped into something instinctive.

Something territorial.

Something that had absolutely nothing to do with me—

And everything to do with me at the same time.

I pushed Damien’s arm off my back and took a step away.

Okay.

There was way too much tension in the air, and I wanted no part of whatever silent macho contest they had going on.

“Well, before you so rudely came over and started… whatever the hell this is”—I gestured between them—“let’s start over. Hi, Damien. We’re talking. This is my friend Arie. Arie, this is Damien. He’s my dad’s boss. Damien’s dad was my dad’s boss, but he passed away recently, and now Damien’s inherited the business.”

I didn’t mean to ramble.

It just happened.

Arie laughed softly and pulled me into a hug.

Something inside me melted.

He leaned down slightly and whispered, “You’re rambling again—but I’ll take all the insider gossip you want to share about anyone in your life.”

Oh my God.

I pulled back and slapped him lightly on the chest, trying not to burst into laughter.

My cheeks had to be bright red.

Arie extended his hand toward Damien.

“For the sake of starting over—hey man, it’s nice to meet you.”

Damien didn’t take it.

“Yeah, whatever. Summer, come on. Your family is waiting.”

And there it was.

Not charm.

Not politeness.

Dismissal.

“What the hell, Damien?” I snapped before I could stop myself. Heat rose straight to my face. “That is not how you treat someone you’ve been introduced to. Especially if they’re my friend.”

His jaw tightened again.

Just slightly.

But I saw it.

And in that second, something inside me shifted.

I had always admired Damien’s confidence. His composure. The way he carried himself like he belonged in every room he entered.

But this?

This wasn’t confidence.

This was control.

And I didn’t like it.

Arie remained calm.

“It’s alright, Summer. Don’t worry about it,” he said gently. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”

But I knew he had.

Arie could’ve matched Damien’s energy.

He could’ve pushed back. Challenged him. Escalated.

He didn’t.

Because of me.

And that mattered.

“I’ve got to go anyway,” Arie added softly.

My stomach tightened unexpectedly.

Wait.

Why don’t I want him to leave?

As if he could hear that thought, he opened his arms.

I didn’t hesitate.

I stepped into them.

I wrapped my arms around him and rested my cheek against his chest. His heartbeat was strong and steady. I tilted my face slightly, breathing him in.

Rain.

Forest.

Something warm.

Safe.

Behind me, I could feel Damien watching.

Arie pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.

“Talk later?” he asked quietly.

“Definitely,” I replied without hesitation.

And I meant it.

“Come on, Summer.”

Damien’s voice cut in sharply.

He reached for my arm.

I stepped away.

“No. Stop being such a jerk.”

The words came out firmer than I expected.

But I didn’t take them back.

Because I was annoyed.

Really annoyed.

Not because he was jealous.

But because he assumed.

Because he dismissed someone who had done nothing wrong.

Because he acted like I was something to be retrieved.

I slipped my hand around Arie’s arm instead.

“I’ll walk you out. Hey, Mom, I’ll be right back.”

As we moved toward the hallway, I could feel it clearly now.

The crack in Damien’s mask.

The impatience beneath the polish.

The dominance beneath the politeness.

The expectation beneath the smile.

And for the first time—

I saw it.

Really saw it.

Behind us, I heard Simon’s voice.

“Who the hell is that?”

I couldn’t hear Damien’s exact response.

But I heard the edge in it.

Sharp.

Controlled.

Angry.

And just before we rounded the corner— I could’ve sworn I heard a low growl.

My stomach flipped.

Not from fear.

From clarity.

Because in that moment, something became very, very clear.

Arie had every reason to escalate.

Every reason to challenge.

He didn’t.

Not because he couldn’t.

But because he respected me.

Damien, on the other hand—

Had just shown me a side of himself I had never seen before.

And I wasn’t sure I could unsee it.

For the first time in my life, I wondered if the boy I had always trusted so easily…

Wasn’t quite who I thought he was.