Loving Damon

| 12 | Six Weeks Later

A/N: Another update?!😱 I know I feel the same way you guys! Let's cross our fingers and keep this energy going!🤞😂

| Ariel |

| 4th of July |

Its been one month that I've been back home, well 6 weeks if you really want to get technical, and its almost as if I had never left! My dad and I quickly settled back into our normal routine, only I no longer went to school. Now I stayed home and figured out ways how to expand my small bakery or creating new ideas for Sweet Treats.

The night I arrived home with Damon and he stayed for the late night snack, was surreal. Much to my embarrassment my dad brought out all my baby pictures while he and Damon slowly became 'buddy buddy' with the help of a Mr. Jack Daniels. I rolled my eyes at the memory, trying to suppress the smile.

I want to say that after that night he called me regularly or made it a point to at least see me at some point but that was not the case at all. Something happened after that night, it was as if he were avoiding me. Not so much with malice intent but I felt like he wanted some space? Almost as if he needed to be away from me. It hurt, of course it did but what did I expect, for him to change his life and quickly make me a part of it? He cared for me, I knew that much — enough to fly out and make sure I was okay and bring me home to keep me safe.

For the past six weeks I tried to contact him, casually...texting him, calling him every so often and sometimes I would get a text back with a short but sweet reply but never more than two word anwsers. Eventually I got the message. I wasn't that stupid, I knew when someone didn't want to be around me and I wasn't going to act like a love sick puppy dog around him — I told myself I was better than that and I wouldn't do such a thing anymore. I had no idea what was going on with him but when he wanted to talk again, he knew where to find me.

I had to take my mind off of him and push away the hurt I felt, I shouldn't be feeling that way, I had no claim over him, he wasn't mine.

I kept busy. Between networking my baking business here in NY, trying to find affordable apartments, and meeting up with Emma and Lena, the past month or so has gone by within a flash. Were things a little different now? Of course. I was 22 with a small growing business and more heartache than I knew how to deal with, but essentially it was like being a teenager again — only now Lena wasn't next door anymore. She was now living in the city as one of the most popular up and coming fashion designers in New York. Rumor has it Emma is going to ask her to make her wedding dress!

Just last Friday Lena came down here from the city for a dinner date night at Emmas house, which was a tradition they had between her, her brothers and Lena. Now that I was home I was finally able to enjoy that with them as well. Once every month and It was something for me to always look forward to! Damon also didn't show up for that...

I still kept in touch with Ricki, he could never be erased from my life no matter how far away he was. We tried our best to video chat or at the very least talk on the phone as much as we could! Three nights ago was the most recent I got to speak to him and he and Erick, the young professor he told us about, had been going strong since we left. He sounded happy, missing me but happy. He also told me Andrew was released and had his court date. He wasn't sure what had come from it but he was going to keep me updated with everything. The last thing he wanted was for me to ever get hurt by him again, but I was more than sure there would be no sign of Andrew ever again in my life.

Pushing all thoughts away from my mind, I focused on wrapping up an apple pie, a blueberry pie, and a lemon tart cheesecake to take to Emmas moms house for the Fourth of July bbq.