CHAPTER 7 — The Rules of the Game
337 Words
Ava hated that she was thinking about him.
She hated that she noticed him everywhere.
In meetings.
In the hallway.
Even when he wasn’t there.
Damien had become a question she couldn’t answer.
And Ava hated unanswered questions.
After school, she found him waiting outside her car.
Her patience disappeared.
“You have a habit of appearing where you shouldn’t.”
He looked at her calmly.
“And you have a habit of walking into danger.”
“I can handle myself.”
“I know.”
That answer always annoyed her.
Because he didn’t say it like a challenge.
He said it like a fact.
Ava crossed her arms.
“Then why are you here?”
His gaze moved over her face.
“I want to understand you.”
She almost laughed.
“People don’t understand me.”
“Because they don’t try.”
The seriousness in his voice caught her off guard.
For a moment, she saw something beneath the cold exterior.
Something exhausted.
Something lonely.
Then it disappeared.
“I saw what happened last night,” she said.
Damien didn’t react.
“I know.”
“You’re not denying it?”
“No.”
“Who are you?”
The question hung between them.
His expression changed slightly.
Not anger.
Pain.
“My name is Damien Vale.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“It is the only answer you get.”
Ava stepped closer.
“You expect everyone to obey you.”
“Yes.”
The honesty shocked her.
Most people would deny it.
He didn’t.
“And you expect me to?”
His eyes locked onto hers.
“No.”
The reply was immediate.
“Why?”
A slow silence.
Then:
“Because you are the only person who looks at me like I’m still human.”
Ava didn’t know what to say.
Because for one second—
She saw him.
Not the powerful man.
Not the dangerous man.
Just someone carrying too much.
And that scared her more than anything.
- Writer
