by Alex Strong
His face went dark. “I’m just glad he didn’t hit anyone else. Especially you.”
“Who is he? The police asked me a couple questions, but they seemed to get everything they needed from your security team. I noticed they even spoke with Tom.”
“He was a stalker.”
“You have a stalker?” she asked.
“Yes and no. He’s been stalking this model who I happened to accompany to an event once. Our picture was in some tabloid and he started sending me threatening letters, accusing me of stealing his girlfriend. My men looked into it and he didn’t seem like a real threat. But I guess he had a psychotic break recently and for some reason blamed me.”
“Oh my god, Damien, that’s messed up.”
“And that’s why I have security.”
“But this man still shot you.”
“And he probably would have succeeded in killing me if it hadn’t been for them.” He frowned. “Or you. I’m just sorry that you were in harm’s way.”
“What happened last time?” she asked. “You said something had happened once before. Was that a stalker as well?”
He shook his head. “It was a cousin.”
“A cousin,” she repeated, wide-eyed.
“After my parents died, she apparently felt slighted for being left out of the will, even though we’d never had much contact with her. She tried to sabotage my car, thinking that if I died, she would inherit everything. Fortunately, she not only did a horrible job of executing the plan, but she left so much evidence that there was no doubt who it was. And the irony of it was that if anything had happened to me, a little would have gone to staff, but the bulk of it is set up to go to various charities.”
“I’m so sorry,” Karina said.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, shrugging. “Like I said, I never really knew her. Now she’s just my crazy cousin.”
“Where is she now?”
“Serving a life sentence in prison.”
“That’s awful,” she said, crossing her arms.
Tom walked in carrying a plastic bag. “I managed to find a t-shirt in the gift shop,” he said.
Damien pulled out the navy blue t-shirt that said Miami, FL across the chest.
“It was the plainest thing they had,” Tom explained.
“I just need it to get me home.”
Apparently word had gotten out that an attempt had been made on Damien Bishop’s life, because as they neared the glass entrance doors of the hospital, news teams could be seen waiting outside.
“I’ve got this,” Tom said. “You go out a side entrance and have security pick you up. I’ll meet you back at the house.”
“What’s he doing?” Karina asked as Damien led her through the hospital, looking for a door that wasn’t being watched.
“He’s giving a statement on my behalf,” he said. “I’m not a fan of talking to the press in the first place, and the last thing I need is footage of me in this awful t-shirt on the nightly news.”
“I kinda like the t-shirt,” she said with a smirk.
“It’s a little tight,” he grumbled.
“Exactly.”
He looked at her and smiled just as they found an exit. His bodyguards found them quickly and dropped them off at the restaurant where Damien’s car was still waiting.
Karina couldn’t believe how late it was by the time they got back to the house. Now that Damien was safe and well, she felt cheated. In less than forty-eight hours, she was heading home.
“How exactly am I getting home on Monday?” she asked hesitantly when they sat down to dinner.
“The same way you arrived here,” he said.
“Your plane?”
He nodded. “Is that all right?”
“Of course.”
“Um, what time?”
“I told Jim he should plan take-off for eleven,” he told her. “That way he can get back at a decent hour.”
“That sounds fair,” she said, pushing the food on her plate around.
“Are you that eager to leave now that I’ve put you in danger?” he said in jest, but she could see the uncertainty in his eyes.
“What? You didn’t put me in danger.”
“A man fired a gun at us today, Karina. It could have just as easily hit you instead of me.”
“That’s not your fault,” she said. While it wasn’t a pleasant topic, at least they weren’t discussing her homecoming any longer.
He grabbed her hand resting on the table.
“I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to you,” he said.
“Well, I was a mess earlier because something did happen to you,” she said, squeezing his hand. “I’m glad you’re okay though.”
“I’m beginning to feel invincible,” he said with a smile.
“It’s thoughts like those that will get you killed,” she said, not returning his smile.
“Good advice. Now why don’t we talk about something else. Like why you aren’t touching your food.”
Karina looked down at her plate. “I’m not hungry, I guess.”
Once Romi cleared the plates, Karina tried to talk Damien into a night-time swim, but he wouldn’t hear it for fear of what his men might witness. She let him convince her to watch a movie in the entertainment room. It was the most normal—mundane, as Damien might say—activity, but Karina cherished being curled up in his lap, the two of them just being together. It only lasted halfway through the movie, though, since it turned out they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other for that long, and they eventually moved up into the bedroom.
Karina fell asleep that night with Damien at her back, his arms wrapped tightly around her, and she wished he never had to let go.
Karina woke the next morning, aware that it was her last full day here. Damien was still asleep, his back to her, and she faced it, pressing her lips to his warm skin. He stirred and she ran a hand down his back and around to the front of him.
“Are you trying to start something?” he murmured, rolling onto his back.
“Only if you want me to,” she said, climbing on top of him.
He smiled as he ran a hand up her arm to the base of her neck.
“I always want you to,” he said, sitting up so that she was now in his lap.
Karina stared into his honey-colored eyes, so many things she wanted to say on the tip of her tongue, yet she was unable to say them. She settled on kissing him, pressing her chest against his as though her heart could speak to his. He responded by wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into him so tight it was difficult to breathe. And still it wasn’t enough.
They finally dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast, but he pulled her in the opposite direction of the dining room.
“There’s something I want to show you,” he said, leading her into his office, where he sat in the chair at his desk.
He pulled her into his lap and tapped the touch pad, bringing the screen to life and revealing a web page.
“What’s this?” she asked, scanning the page.
“Read it,” he said. “This is what I was going to talk to you about yesterday on the boardwalk.”
“Miller School of Medicine? Where’s that?”
“It’s here,” he said. “At the University of Miami.”
“Why are you showing me this?”
“I thought you might be interested in going to school down here. It’s a great program. It ranks—”
“Why do you think I should go to school here instead?” she asked, looking him in the face.
Say it, Damien. Just say it.
“I just thought you might not be ready to go home yet,” he said quietly.
“There’s a huge difference between not being ready to go home and committing to two years of school down here.”
“You’re saying you don’t want to stay?”
“I’m saying that my family is up north. I’d need a reason to stay.”
His eyes searched her face.
>
Dammit, Damien, just say it, she screamed in her head.
His lips parted, about to say something, and her heart raced.
“I understand,” he said, and her face fell. “That makes sense.”
“Does it?” she asked, frowning at him.
He nodded. “What shall we do for your last day, then?”
And there went the last little thread holding her heart together. It was all she could do not to run off to the bedroom and cry. But she wasn’t about to waste her last few moments with Damien. Even if he was willing to let her go.
“Will you take me out on the boat? One last time,” she said, almost choking on the words.
He grazed her cheek. “Of course.”
They boarded the boat with a full basket of wine and food, compliments of Romi. Damien let her take the helm again, and again they ended up down below, all the while those depressing words hovering in the back of Karina’s mind. One last time.
When they both became too restless to lie in bed any more, Damien led her back up top, where they set out a blanket and watched the sun set over the city of Miami.
“Have you ever watched a sunset on the west coast?” he asked as she leaned back into him.
“I’ve never even left this coast,” she said.
“It sets on the ocean over there. It’s beautiful.”
“Maybe someday I’ll get the chance.”
He kissed the top of her head while grazing the fingers of his right hand along her left arm. Neither said anything more until the sun slipped down below the buildings and only the orange glow was left.
“We should probably head back in,” he finally said. “I’m not too keen on docking in the darkness.”
She turned around to face him.
“What if we just sailed away forever?” she asked. “We could be nomads, going wherever the wind takes us.”
He smiled at her.
“Then you’d really never finish school,” he said.
“It was a thought.”
“A very nice one.” He brushed a stay hair from her face. “Stand up, I need your help.”
Together they sailed the boat the short distance back home, where someone was waiting to assist Damien in tying it off.
When that was done, she and Damien walked up to the house, where a candlelit dinner was set up on the patio.
“Oh, Damien,” Karina breathed.
“I wanted to make sure your last night was memorable,” he said.
She turned to face him.
“This whole month has been memorable.”
“I’m glad you came down,” he whispered as he touched his forehead to hers.
“Me too.”
That night, Karina found Damien to be just as reluctant to fall asleep as she was. Even after they were too exhausted for sex, they continued to lie there, talking about everything except what tomorrow would bring.
When the alarm went off the next morning, Karina was sure she had just closed her eyes and wanted nothing more than to spend every last second in bed with Damien. He must have been thinking the same thing, because he climbed out of bed and opened the door, where a breakfast tray was waiting.
“I thought this would save time,” he said, setting it on the bed between him and her where they ate breakfast, completely naked.
“What time does the car arrive?” she asked, glancing at the clock.
“A little less than an hour,” he said sadly.
“I should probably get in the shower, then.”
He nodded.
“Care to join me?” she asked.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said with a smirk.
Eventually she was dressed and stuffing the last few items into her toiletry bag.
“Car’s here,” Damien said. “I’ll take your suitcases downstairs.”
“Okay, I’ll be right down.”
Damien walked up to her and held her face in his hands before kissing her. It was beautiful, and she felt a tear slide down her cheek knowing this kiss was among the last. When he pulled away, he looked into her eyes as he wiped the tear with his thumb. And then he turned around to walk out.
Karina gripped the counter, needing a second to collect herself. Taking a deep, calming breath, she grabbed her toiletry bag and shoved it into the duffle still on the bed. She made her way down the stairs to find only Tom in the foyer with her bags, typing away on his phone.
“Ready to go?” he asked, looking up.
“I think so. Where’s Damien?”
“He, uh, he’s in his office. Should we get going?”
“What about Damien?”
Tom’s face fell. “I’m sorry Karina. I tried to warn you.”
“You mean he’s not coming with? He’s not even going to say goodbye?”
Tom shook his head, looking at her with pity.
Karina dropped her bag and stormed off.
“Karina! I don’t think—”
“Shut up, Tom!”
She didn’t even bother knocking on the door, just barged in.
“You can’t even fucking say goodbye?”
Damien was sitting in the small sofa against a wall, his head in his hands, but he looked up at her, his eyes red.
She rushed over and knelt before him, placing her hands on his knees.
“I want to stay, Damien. I really do. But I need to know I’m doing it for a damn good reason.”
“What do you want me to say?” he asked, his voice cracking.
“Tell me why you want me to stay. Why were you asking me to go to school in Miami?”
“I want you here. Isn’t that enough?”
“But why do you want me here? Why did you come to my apartment that morning? Why did you pull so many strings just to bring me down here?”
“I can’t tell you what you want to hear,” he said, slowly shaking his head. “I don’t know if I ever will.”
She stood up. “Then I can’t stay here.” Tears trickled down her cheeks as she reached up to unclasp the necklace.
“Don’t,” he said. “I want you to keep it.”
“I don’t want the trinket of a man too damn chicken to speak his heart.”
Her hand trembled as she held it out to him, but he refused to accept it.
“Take it, Damien.”
“No,” he whispered.
She slammed it on the side table and made her way to the door.
“It’s not like you’ve said it!” he called out, and she turned around. “We both know you’re just as stubborn as I am. You can’t say it either.”
“I love you, Damien. Is that what you’ve been waiting for? I. Love. You.”
He looked at her, anguish in his eyes, but still he said nothing.
“Goodbye, Damien.”
She slammed the door behind her and marched into the foyer, where Tom was still waiting with her bags.
“Let’s go,” she snapped, walking right past him and out the front door.
Home
Karina boarded the plane and threw her purse on a seat before dropping into the one across from it. Then she realized it was the same two seats she and Damien had always sat in, so she got up and stormed to another one.
“Can I get you anything?” Tom asked hesitantly.
“A stiff drink,” she said, staring out the window.
“Any preference?”
She turned to look at him.
“You know what, never mind. I don’t want anything else from him. Just get me home.”
“It’s a three-hour flight,” he said. “Sure you don’t want a snack or something?”
Karina narrowed her eyes at him, and Tom finally turned without saying anything to take a seat on the opposite side of the cabin. She looked out the window again, feeling guilty about her rudeness. He had tried to warn her, after all. What made her think that she knew Damien better than Tom?
The plane was at cruising altitude before Karina turned around.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn�
��t meant to snap at you.”
“Apology accepted,” he said. “Not that I really blame you.”
Karina faced the seat in front of her again for a second before twisting back around.
“You probably get yelled at a lot, don’t you?” she said. “By the exes, I mean.”
Tom raised an eyebrow at her.
“What?” she asked.
“You’re the first,” he said.
Confused, she climbed out of her seat and sat across from Tom.
“People keep saying that,” she said. “That I’m the first. Surely Damien’s dated others.”
Tom frowned, clearly uncomfortable with the topic, and she rolled her eyes.
“I’m not asking for details, or even names. But you can’t honestly tell me he’s never dated anyone else.”
“He has,” Tom said, still scowling. “Never anything serious though. Not like you.”
“I suppose I was a trial run then,” she said, crossing her arms.
“I told you—”
“I know,” she said, uncrossing her arms and standing up. “Damien Bishop doesn’t do love.”
She settled back into her seat and didn’t speak another word for the rest of the flight.
It was raining when the plane landed, and Karina felt like the city was crying for her, as if it felt her pain. She dug a rain jacket out of her bag as the door was opened and Tom escorted her under an umbrella out to the waiting town car.
“I can ride with you to your apartment,” he said as the driver loaded her bags.
“It’s okay,” she told him. “You might as well head home.”
“I’m sor—”
“Don’t,” she snapped, and Tom shut his mouth. “Don’t you dare apologize for him.”
He sighed. “Goodbye, Karina.”
“Bye, Tom.”
“Oh, I can’t believe I almost forgot!” He pulled an envelope from his inside jacket pocket and handed it to her.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“It’s your tuition. As per the agreement, I believe.”
“I don’t think I want this anymore,” she said with a frown.
“Just take it,” said Tom. “Think of what this can do for your future.”
Her future without Damien.
And then, to her surprise, he pulled her into a hug.