Leaving
651 Words
The next morning, Damien was gone.
At least that's what Ethan thought.
He woke up before sunrise.
Got dressed.
Walked outside.
And noticed Damien's truck wasn't parked near the house.
For some reason, his stomach dropped.
Immediately.
The feeling irritated him.
A lot.
Good.
It should.
Because if Damien had finally left, that was what Ethan wanted.
Right?
"You look awful."
Ethan glanced at one of the ranch hands.
"Thanks."
"You two fight again?"
Ethan kept walking.
The ranch hand laughed.
"So yes."
The entire morning felt wrong.
The ranch looked the same.
The work was the same.
Everything should've felt normal.
Instead, it felt quiet.
Too quiet.
No sarcastic comments.
No complaints.
No arguments.
No Damien.
And Ethan hated how much he noticed.
By noon he was irritated with everyone.
The horses.
The weather.
The ranch hands.
Even himself.
Especially himself.
Then Damien returned.
Driving a dusty rental truck.
Ethan immediately looked away.
Good.
He didn't care.
Not at all.
Unfortunately, Damien walked straight toward him.
The city boy looked angry.
Tired.
And somehow even more stubborn than usual.
"What?"
Ethan asked.
Damien tossed a folder onto a nearby table.
Ethan frowned.
"What is this?"
"Open it."
"No."
"Open it."
The ranch hands immediately stopped working.
This looked entertaining.
Ethan opened the folder.
Inside were dozens of papers.
Financial reports.
Maps.
Contracts.
Company projections.
He frowned.
Then frowned harder.
Because something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"These aren't the development plans."
Damien folded his arms.
"No."
"What are they?"
"The alternatives."
Silence.
Ethan looked up.
Damien looked annoyed.
As usual.
"The company has three backup locations."
Ethan stared.
"What?"
"The board wants your land."
Damien's voice was calm.
"But they don't need it."
The words hit like a freight train.
For several seconds Ethan couldn't speak.
Because the implications were enormous.
"If they can build somewhere else..."
"They can."
"Then why—"
"Because your ranch is cheaper."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Ethan looked back down at the papers.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Trying to understand.
Trying to process.
Trying not to feel like an i***t.
"I spent all week arguing with the board."
Damien's voice was quiet.
"I drove into town this morning because I needed proof."
Ethan looked up.
The city boy looked exhausted.
Actually exhausted.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
"And now you have it."
The ranch hands exchanged confused looks.
Nobody understood what was happening.
Neither did Ethan.
Not completely.
Finally he asked the question that mattered.
"Why?"
Damien laughed.
A tired laugh.
"I honestly don't know anymore."
The answer surprised both of them.
The silence stretched.
Then Damien shrugged.
"Maybe I got tired of everyone assuming I'm the villain."
The words landed hard.
Because Ethan had done exactly that.
Repeatedly.
For the first time in weeks...
Ethan didn't have a comeback.
That evening the tension remained.
But it felt different.
Less angry.
More complicated.
Which was somehow worse.
After dinner, Damien sat alone on the porch.
Watching the sunset.
Thinking.
The ranch had changed him.
He hated admitting it.
But it had.
The screen door creaked.
Ethan stepped outside.
Neither spoke immediately.
The silence settled between them.
Not comfortable.
Not uncomfortable.
Just there.
Finally Ethan spoke.
"You really argued with your board?"
Damien snorted.
"For three hours."
Ethan almost smiled.
Almost.
"How'd that go?"
"Poorly."
That earned a small laugh.
A real one.
From Ethan.
The first Damien had heard.
And for a second both men froze.
Because somehow that felt more dangerous than any argument they'd ever had.
Neither knew what to do with it.
So Ethan stood.
"Don't get used to it."
Damien smirked.
"There he is."
The cowboy rolled his eyes.
And walked back inside.
Leaving Damien smiling despite himself.
Because for the first time since arriving at the ranch...
Ethan Hayes had looked at him like a person.
Not an enemy.
Not a businessman.
Just a person.
And somehow that mattered far more than it should have.
- Writer
