Something is wrong
614 Words
The storm showed no signs of stopping.
Rain battered the small shelter.
Thunder shook the walls.
And Ethan was beginning to regret every decision that had led him here.
Especially the one sitting across from him.
Damien Black.
The city boy had fallen asleep.
At some point during the night.
Curled against the wooden wall.
His head tilted awkwardly.
His expression peaceful.
For once.
No arguments.
No sarcasm.
No smart remarks.
Just quiet.
Ethan hated how much he noticed.
His gaze lingered longer than it should have.
Much longer.
Finally Ethan looked away.
Immediately.
Annoyed.
Something was wrong with him.
Very wrong.
Around midnight another clap of thunder rattled the shelter.
Damien jerked awake.
"What happened?"
"Thunder."
"Oh."
The CEO rubbed his eyes.
Still half asleep.
Ethan looked away again.
"You're staring."
Ethan nearly choked.
"I wasn't."
"You were."
"I wasn't."
Damien smirked.
Even exhausted, he was annoying.
An impressive talent.
The storm continued for another hour.
Then another.
Eventually Damien shifted on the bench.
Trying to get comfortable.
Failing miserably.
"This thing is torture."
"It's a bench."
"It's a weapon."
Ethan rolled his eyes.
A few minutes later Damien stood.
Stretching.
His shirt pulling slightly across his shoulders.
Ethan immediately looked away.
Again.
Too quickly.
Damien froze.
Suspicion appeared on his face.
Then confusion.
Then something else.
Something dangerous.
"Ethan."
"No."
"I haven't said anything."
"You were about to."
The city boy grinned.
A slow grin.
The kind Ethan had learned to fear.
"Are you avoiding looking at me?"
"No."
"You're absolutely avoiding looking at me."
Ethan focused very hard on the wall.
The wall suddenly seemed fascinating.
Damien laughed.
Actually laughed.
And somehow the sound made Ethan's chest feel strange.
Uncomfortable.
Warm.
Terrible.
The realization hit him like a truck.
And he immediately hated it.
No.
Absolutely not.
Not happening.
Because Damien wasn't supposed to matter.
He was temporary.
A visitor.
A problem.
A businessman trying to buy his ranch.
Nothing more.
Yet lately...
Ethan found himself looking for him in the mornings.
Listening for his voice.
Expecting his sarcastic comments.
Missing them when they weren't there.
The realization made him miserable.
Across the shelter, Damien was having his own problem.
Because Ethan had changed.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
The cowboy wasn't as cold anymore.
Still grumpy.
Still stubborn.
Still impossible.
But different.
And tonight Damien had caught him staring.
Twice.
Maybe three times.
Which was ridiculous.
Completely ridiculous.
Neither spoke for a while.
The silence stretched.
Thunder rolled outside.
Rain tapped against the roof.
Then Damien asked quietly,
"What happens when the month ends?"
The question caught Ethan off guard.
The answer should have been simple.
Damien would leave.
The contract issue would be settled.
Life would return to normal.
Instead Ethan felt something unpleasant in his chest.
A feeling he didn't recognize.
Or didn't want to recognize.
Finally he answered.
"You go home."
Damien nodded.
The response should have ended the conversation.
Instead something about his expression changed.
Just slightly.
Disappointment.
Ethan noticed.
And for some reason...
It hurt.
Neither understood why.
Neither wanted to.
The storm finally began weakening near dawn.
The first light appeared through the cracks in the shelter.
Soft.
Golden.
Warm.
Damien moved toward the doorway.
Looking out at the clearing sky.
Ethan watched him.
Again.
This time Damien noticed immediately.
Their eyes met.
For a second neither looked away.
Neither spoke.
The air felt strangely heavy.
Then Damien smiled.
Small.
Barely there.
Not mocking.
Not teasing.
Just real.
And for the first time since Damien arrived at Hayes Ranch...
Ethan's heart did something very dangerous.
It skipped.
The cowboy immediately looked away.
Because whatever was happening between them...
It was becoming impossible to ignore.
- Writer
