Rumored To Be His

chapter 4

The sound of my name made me turn.A stranger was watching me. I had no idea who he was.The second Damon saw him, his whole expression went cold.His jaw tightened, his eyes darkened, and whatever warmth had been there a second ago vanished completely.

I felt it too. The air shifted. Without warning, he grabbed my hand, his grip tight and urgent, and pulled me with him.

No explanation. No looking back. Just the sound of our footsteps.

Thirty minutes Damon and I were still walking in silence.

The tension between us was almost unbearable, yet strangely, neither of us seemed willing to break it.

Damon walked beside me with his hands buried in his pockets as we moved along the quiet street. The air was cool against my skin, brushing gently over my face, but my body felt strangely warm.

Maybe it was because of him.

Or maybe it was because I couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened between us.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye.

Of course, Damon noticed.

"What?" he asked.

I quickly looked away.

"Nothing."

A quiet laugh escaped him.

"You're a terrible liar."

I frowned. "And you're annoying."

"Yet you're still here."

That made me stop walking.

Damon took a few steps before realizing I was no longer beside him. Slowly, he turned around.

His expression difficult to read.

"What is it?" he asked.

I folded my arms across my chest and stared at him.

"What exactly are we doing here?"

His eyebrows pulled together.

"Walking."

"You know what I mean."

For a few seconds, Damon said nothing.

The silence stretched between us, heavier than before.

Then he walked closer.

Close enough for my heart to begin racing again. We stopped at a small cafe tucked on the corner.

"This isn't a date," I said quickly.

A small smile appeared on his lips.

"Who said it was?"

My face immediately grew hot.

"I didn't say you said it was."

"You just did."

I glared at him.

Damon laughed.

"You're impossible."

"And you're insufferable.”

He smiled.

We entered the cafe. The air smelled like coffee and warm bread, but he didn’t even look at the menu. He just grabbed a few things, paid at the counter, and turned to leave.

He didn’t wait for me.

I stood there for half a second, stunned, before I hurried after him.

He stopped came closer.

This time, I didn't move away.

And I hated that.

I hated how easily Damon could make me forget myself. How one simple look from him could send my heart racing as though I had done something wrong. How standing this close to him suddenly felt dangerous in a way I wasn't prepared for.

His smile slowly disappeared.

"I'm serious, though," he said.

I looked at him.

"About what?"

"About getting to know you."

The playful expression was gone from his face now.

He looked completely serious.

And somehow, that frightened me more than his teasing ever could.

"Damon..."

"I'm not asking you for anything."

I swallowed.

"Then what do you want?"

He stared at me for a long moment "What do you mean, nothing?"

"I mean exactly that."

Damon glanced at me.

"You don't owe me anything. Not your trust. Not your time. Not even your forgiveness."

His words made something inside me tighten.

I wasn't expecting that.

Most people always wanted something.

An explanation.

A second chance.

Forgiveness.

But Damon?

He simply wanted to walk beside me.

"You make it difficult to understand you," I said quietly.

A faint smile touched his lips.

"Good."

I rolled my eyes.

"See? That's exactly what I mean."

He laughed again.

And for the first time that night, I found myself smiling.

A real smile.

We continued walking, and eventually, the conversation became easier. We talked about nothing important—school, work, and the ridiculous people we had encountered during the day. Damon made sarcastic comments, and despite myself, I found myself laughing at them.

For a while, everything felt normal.

Too normal.

And maybe that was why I suddenly became afraid.

Because walking beside him, I had started enjoying myself.

I was starting to enjoy being around Damon.

The realization hit me so suddenly that I stopped walking again.

Damon noticed immediately.

"What happened?"

I looked away.

"I should go home."

His expression changed slightly.

"Oh."

He checked the time and nodded.

I expected him to argue.

To tease me.

To make another sarcastic comment.

But he didn't.

Instead, he simply continued walking beside me.

The silence between us returned.

But this time, it wasn't uncomfortable.

When we finally reached my street, I stopped in front of my gate.

Damon stood a few feet away from me.

For some reason, neither of us moved.

"Thank you," I said.

"For what?"

"For lunch."

He smiled.

"And the walk?"

I hesitated.

"That too."

His smile widened.

I shook my head.

"Don't get too proud of yourself."

"Too late."

I laughed despite myself.

But when I looked at Damon again, the laughter slowly disappeared from my lips.

The way he was looking at me made my heart beat faster.

Not because he was smiling.

But because he wasn't.

His eyes had become serious again.

Soft.

Almost dangerous.

For a brief moment, neither of us said anything.

The entire street seemed unusually quiet around us, as though the world had disappeared and left only the two of us standing there.

"Bye," I whispered.

He didn't answer immediately.

Then he took a small step backward.

"Goodbye."

I opened the gate.

But before I could walk inside, his voice stopped me.

"Hey."

I turned around.

Damon's eyes met mine.

"Today wasn't a date."

I narrowed my eyes.

"I know."

A slow, confident smile appeared on his face.

"But the next one might be."

My breath caught.

Before I could answer, he turned around and started walking away.

I stood there, staring at his back as he disappeared down the quiet street.

My heart was racing.

And the worst part?

I couldn't stop smiling.

I quickly touched my face and frowned.

"This is ridiculous."

Then I went inside.

But long after I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling while sleep refused to come, one thought continued to circle through my mind.

Damon had said today wasn't a date.

But somehow...

It felt like one.