Castle in the City

20

"What's something you're afraid of?" I questioned as Damien and I walked side by side in the city. We had recently left the restaurant, which I greatly enjoyed because the food was great and so was Damien's energy. Now, we were casually walking through the area and continuing to enjoy each other's company.

He teased, "Well, this got serious very quickly."

While touching my forehead and scrounging my nose at my question, I chuckled, "I didn't mean for that to happen. You don't have to answer." We were having lighthearted conversations until that question, but my intentions were to continue getting to know him, even his darker sides.

He chuckled, "No, it's fine. I was joking." In a more serious voice, he answered, "I guess...being abandoned by the people I care about. That's actually one of my biggest fears."

He stared at the ground as we walked, and I took a brave chance at taking his hand in mine. I locked fingers with him, and he looked at me with curiosity and happiness laced in his eyes and smile.

I smiled, "I know your childhood wasn't easy, and I know that my family can't replace the one you had. What I do know, however, is that you have us as people you can always go to and feel welcomed by. We won't abandon you....I won't abandon you."

Damien smiled lovingly while looking into my eyes. He stopped walking, so I did the same, and he cupped my right cheek with his free hand. He then passionately connected his lips with mine, causing fireworks to ignite inside me.

When we pulled away, we continued walking hand in hand around the city, and after a few conversations, Damien asked, "What's something you're afraid of?"

I thought on it for a moment before answering, "I'm afraid of myself."

Damien playfully frowned, "Why?"

I sighed, "I'm so used to holding myself back. I panic before I make big decisions, and I doubt myself so much that it actually stunts my growth. I'm proud of who I am and what I've accomplished, but I know that there's so much inside of me that I'm holding back. I'm afraid that I'll always be afraid and that my fear will prevent me from growing into who I wanna become."

Damien nodded in understanding while caressing my hand with his thumb. "Well, I believe in you, Sagacity. I have faith that you will be whatever you want and even greater than that. If there's anyone I know who is hardworking, ambitious, and passionate, it's you. I used to be afraid that I'd prevent myself from growth too, but then the right people came into my life and helped me grow pass certain fears. You don't have to battle your fear alone. Sometimes, you just need a gentle third-party push in the right directions, and my hands will always be free for you."

I blushed, "Thank you, Damien. That means a lot to me."

Damien smiled, "Anything for you, beautiful." His smile then fell as he stared at something across the street. He looked confused and frightened at the same time as he frantically looked over on the other side of the street.

"What's wrong?" I questioned as I looked across the street as well. There were a bunch of people walking on that block, so I couldn't pick up on anything strange.

Damien's eyes snapped to mine as he shook his head. "Nothing...just thought I saw...never mind."

With worry, I asked, "Are you sure you don't wanna talk about it? You looked very frightened and confused."

Damien nodded, "I'm fine. I just thought I saw someone, but I think I was just seeing shit. I'm...I'm fine."

I worriedly watched his eyes, which still seemed a bit out of it, and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Sorry. Uh...where were we again?"

To lighten the mood, I decided to ask, "Um, how's your work now that you're doing stuff related to marketing?"

We continued walking as he smiled, "Really fun, actually. I'm glad I chose the right field to major in. I've had internships before, but not like this one. Your dad has me working on actual big projects instead of activities mocking big projects."

"Like what?" I asked to continue getting him to speak. I didn't know who he thought he saw, but he seemed shaken up by it. I wanted to try to keep his mind off of the weird moment while getting to know him better. Letting him talk about things he was passionate about was one of the best ways I found fitting for my goal, and it appeared to be working.