LOVE + FEAR | Damirae

JUST DESSERTS

The aroma hit Damian like a wall. It was sickly sweet. Layers of syrupy scents burning his nostrils.

Is this where air fresheners come from?

Damian's breath stopped short as lips pressed against his mouth.

Startled couldn't begin to describe his reaction. He hadn't felt this sensation in months. Yet he knew, even without peeking through his eyelashes.

It was her. Damian remembered the exact softness of her lips, the lavender that filled his nostrils, the cool, slender fingers that twisted in his hair at the base of his neck. Damian already pulled her close — by instinct.

An unavoidable irritation entered Damian's mind which was clouding over, consumed with every detail of her. Rationality lurked at the very periphery of his consciousness.

It took all of Damian's willpower, years of discipline and restraint, to unhook the arms locked around his neck and pull away.

She looked like his Raven. The blush on her cheeks matched the subtle violet of her lips. If Damian focused hard enough, he could picture her face from that night; rain sliding down her skin, kissed by violet-pink neon lights. Her crimson gem glinting —

A violet gem was settled on this Raven's forehead.

Damian recalled the explanation he overheard of the emoticlones, some lifetime ago. 'For every emotion, there's an emoticlone: Joy, Passion — more like lust, really — Love, Fear, Rage.'

Passion — more like lust, really.

Raven's eyes, precious amethysts that matched the gemstone, glanced at Damian's lips. They flickered up to his gaze.

"Hi," she said.

Damian's hands tightened around her wrists. "Are we going to do this every time we see each other?"

"Are you opposed?"

His head cocked to the side. "If this is what you want — all of you."

Damian approached everything this Raven did with suspicion. It wasn't a complete version of his Raven. The embodiment of Raven's desire could've jumped anyone.

There was a new razor edge to Raven's gaze, as if Damian's doubt was clear on his face. "I brought you here for a reason. Only you."

Damian looked around for the first time. They were in a candy shop. The checkered pattern of red and black on the floor was as dizzying as the smell. Neon signs shaped like lollipops buzzed over their heads. When Damian shifted, licorice and candy sticks brushed against his shoulder like indoor plants.

"What is this place?"

"The panic room," Raven said.

"—TT—" Damian wasn't the least bit surprised.

Raven still hadn't moved. Her body was pressed against his, arms latched in his grasp. A fraction of her eyebrows scrunched together. "I owe you an apology..."

Damian's grip on her wrists loosened. "For what?"

"For last time." Raven bit her lip. "When I kissed you."

Damian held his breath, reinforcing his stoic expression. Would she apologize for the kiss? He wasn't certain that he could control his emotions from affecting her.

Damian felt Raven's deep inhale against his chest. "I shouldn't have said what I did. I didn't do it because I was scared or stressed. Even with the emoticlones and stopping time —"