Loving Damon

| 13 | Fireworks

A/N: Be aware! This is a very long chapter🙈 LOL I just didn't want to separate it into two chapters. I felt like it was perfect like this. Please let me know if you think otherwise. Ill just break it into two! 🤔

| Damon |

I shifted into fourth gear and sped my car down the clean street. On my way to my moms house for her annual fourth of July bbq the only thoughts that plagued my mind were of the beautiful girl I was about to see...

For the past six weeks I have fought with myself, clawed at the need wrenching in my gut to call her, see her all because I was feeling something I have never felt before, well that's a lie I have in fact felt something like this before and it damn near killed me. Never again.

I gunned my car into fifth gear, going faster, the music bumping in my car was drowning about the horrid memories. Funny the music didn't drown out Ariels face or the need I had to see her.

These feelings turned into something that made you weak, they made you vulnerable and susceptible to the farce that is love. I had to stay away from Ariel, I had to do anything in my power to not strengthen these feelings but it was turning out to be much harder than I expected.

For six weeks I drowned myself at work; staying late at the firm even after my uncle had left, going to meetings that didn't require my presence and picking up extra work load when we already had enough. Despite not being happy with my career choice and feeling drained of life trying to make my dad happy, I still made the time to come home at night and do the one thing that fueled my fire, the one thing that gave me motivation and ambition. My one love in life that I knew would never hurt me.

Art.

There would be nights where I would get goodnight texts from Ariel wishing me a goodnight and hoping that I had a good week, that everything was okay... I smiled at my sweet princess, I fought hard to not respond at all but I couldn't do it, I kept the messages short and sweet because I couldn't risk getting too caught up on her.

After a message like that I got even more motivation to sit down and work on what I truly loved and it was far from Architecture.

I finally pulled into the driveway at my moms house, turned off the ignition and hoped out of the car, shutting the door behind me. I didn't even bother going through the front door when I knew the gates to the backyard would be wide open. Pocketing my phone and keys, I walked along the grass towards the back of the house.

The sounds of summer hit me immediately, laughter, chatter, splashing, and sizzling from the grill. It all takes me back to every year my mom does this, the only difference is, now I have a much better reason for showing up, one that sent excitement through my veins. I wanted to see her, its been six weeks and as much as my brain was telling me to push her away, something else was having trouble understanding that message.

I was going through a complete mind fuck.

Before I could make it too far into the party, I heard my mom before I saw her.

"Damon!" I turned my head towards her voice and immediately she wrapped her arms around me, giving me a hug. I chuckled at her enthusiasm and hugged her back.

"Hey mom," she kissed my cheek and pulled away slightly "Your late and everyone is already eating," she paused mid-sentence "Well except for the girls, they are still in the middle of a match."

I raised a brow intrigued, shoving my hands in my pockets as I walked side by side with her further into the backyard "The girls in a match?"

My moms lips curled into a smile as she glanced my way "Mhmm, a volleyball match. Ariel is facing Emma right now."