The almost moment
566 Words
The next morning was a disaster.
Not because anything bad happened.
Quite the opposite.
Everything was normal.
And that was the problem.
Damien couldn't stop thinking about what Ethan had said.
You're jealous.
The words had replayed in his head all night.
Annoyingly.
Constantly.
Which was ridiculous.
He wasn't jealous.
Absolutely not.
Unfortunately his brain wasn't cooperating.
By breakfast he was exhausted.
By lunch he was irritated.
By dinner he wanted to throw himself into a river.
And Ethan noticed.
Of course he did.
The cowboy noticed everything.
"You look terrible."
Damien glared.
"Good evening to you too."
Ethan sat down across from him.
Far too amused.
The ranch hands immediately sensed danger.
And started paying attention.
"You sleep okay?"
Ethan asked.
"No."
"Thinking about something?"
"No."
"Liar."
The table erupted with laughter.
Damien wanted everyone fired.
Especially Ethan.
That evening things somehow got worse.
Because Victoria finally left.
The board had called her back to the city.
Meaning Damien spent the entire afternoon helping load her luggage.
Ethan watched.
From a distance.
Pretending he wasn't watching.
When Victoria hugged Damien goodbye, Ethan's jaw tightened.
When she kissed his cheek, it tightened further.
And when she whispered something that made Damien laugh—
Ethan nearly walked away.
Unfortunately Damien noticed.
And for some reason...
The realization made him smile.
A dangerous smile.
The kind that usually meant trouble.
That should have been Ethan's warning.
It wasn't.
Later that night the ranch held a small bonfire.
Nothing fancy.
Just workers relaxing after a long week.
Music played softly.
People talked.
The stars stretched endlessly overhead.
Damien found himself sitting beside Ethan.
Not intentionally.
It just happened.
Neither moved away.
Which was new.
Very new.
The conversation drifted around them.
Stories.
Jokes.
Old ranch memories.
For once Damien wasn't an outsider.
He belonged.
At least a little.
And Ethan noticed.
The realization made something warm settle in his chest.
Something he wasn't prepared for.
Hours passed.
People slowly started leaving.
Until eventually only a few remained.
Including Ethan.
Including Damien.
And unfortunately...
A bottle of whiskey.
Not enough to get drunk.
Just enough to lower defenses.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
At some point Damien started laughing at one of Ethan's stories.
A real laugh.
Bright.
Genuine.
Ethan found himself staring again.
The firelight danced across Damien's face.
His smile.
His eyes.
For a second the rest of the world disappeared.
Then Damien looked up.
And caught him.
Again.
The laughter faded.
The conversation around them faded.
Everything faded.
Their eyes locked.
Neither looked away.
Neither seemed able to.
The air suddenly felt different.
Heavy.
Warm.
Charged.
Damien's smile disappeared.
Not because he was unhappy.
Because suddenly...
He couldn't breathe properly.
Neither could Ethan.
The distance between them felt incredibly small.
Too small.
Someone across the fire said something.
Neither heard it.
The moment stretched.
Long.
Dangerous.
Impossible.
Then a ranch hand shouted,
"Ethan!"
Both men jumped apart instantly.
Like they'd been caught doing something.
Even though nothing had happened.
Nothing at all.
Ethan stood too quickly.
"I'm going to bed."
The words came out rough.
Damien nodded.
Neither trusted themselves to say anything else.
As Ethan walked away, Damien watched him disappear into the darkness.
His heart was pounding.
Fast.
Far too fast.
And for the first time since arriving at Hayes Ranch...
He couldn't pretend anymore.
Because whatever this thing between them was...
It wasn't hatred.
Not anymore.
- Writer
