I tried to make myself job search, but every time I went to update my resume I found that I couldn’t write my time at Brasher without crying. It was probably for the best. I’d barely worked there for four weeks. My anger and fury came rushing back when I realized that was almost the exact timeline of all of Damien’s conquests.
Chapter Seven
Damien
I tried to shake off the nervousness I felt as I walked up to Lily’s apartment and pressed the buzzer. She didn’t know I was coming, and I hoped that she would actually be home. I’d tried to visit every day for weeks, and still no answer. She hadn’t returned any of my emails, texts, or calls, and I finally knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of silence. Silently, I cursed myself for sleeping around for years and ditching all of the girls. If I’d known a tenth of this pain, I never would have done it more than once.
To my shock, the door opened and Lily’s slight figure stood there. She was wearing jeans and a grey long sleeved shirt with her hair in a bun. It looked like she hadn’t slept or showered in days, but I’d never seen her more adorable. She started to shut the door and I caught it with my foot, keeping it wedged open a few inches as she pushed hard on the other side.
“Please let me talk to you,” I begged, searching for her eyes. She refused to look at me and I saw a single tear leak out of her eyelid and fall down her cheek. The sight alone nearly broke my heart, and I took a deep breath. My chest ached with love for her.
“I can’t,” she said. “Please go away and let me shut the door. I don’t want to talk to you, Damien.”
“I quit,” I replied. There was no answer, but the pressure on the door didn’t let up.
“What?” She asked, sounding skeptical. “Really? I don’t believe that. I think Scott fired you.”
“He didn’t. He hates me, actually. I took my buyout and left.”
The door opened a fraction of an inch and I could see Lily’s eyes were swollen and puffy. “Why?” She asked in a flat voice.
“Because I fucked up,” I explained. “Can I please come in?”
“So what happened?” Lily asked dully. She wrapped her hands around a steaming mug of tea. I tried to catch her gaze but she wouldn’t look at me.
“After you left, I quit. I told Scott I wanted a buyout, and that I never wanted to see him again.”
“So where does that leave you?” Lily asked bitterly. She took a sip of tea and coughed, eyeing me warily.
“Fucked,” I said in as cheerful a tone as I could muster. “Because I know nothing about running my own business, and now I’m technically a competitor.”
“Oh,” she said dully. “Why did you come here?”
I looked at her in shock. “Did you not believe me when I told you I really cared for you?” I asked her. “I know you’ve been ignoring me, but I have to explain about everything. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. When I realized how much I liked you, I realized that I couldn’t’ possibly tell you about the past,-“
“And why ever not?” Lily snapped, her eyes flashing. “Did you not think I was worth that little detail?”
“Because I thought you would run,” I admitted flatly. “I thought you would hate me, and leave. Or worse, decide to be with Scott instead.”
“Ew, god,” Lily replied, leaning back and looking at me with disgust. “Really, you have to have a better opinion of me than that.”
“I do,” I said carefully. “I want you to start a new company with me.”
“What?”
“I want you to start a new company with me,” I repeated. Lily looked unsteady and suddenly I worried she was going to start screaming and throw me out. “Please,” I added. “It’s the only thing I can do. I have to be with you.”
She bit her lip. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?” She asked finally. “And why me?”
“Because,” I said, staring at her. “You’re you. You’re smart and capable and funny, and you don’t mind doing grunt work if you have to. You’d be a great face for our business, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked when Brasher was going to hire a female board member! Don’t you get that? You’re perfect,” I finished. My heart was in my throat. “And I love you.”
Lily stared at me with her jaw dropped. “What?” She asked again, squinting.
“I said you’re perfect,” I stammered. My chest tightened. “I’ll leave, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have forced my way in,-“
“Yes.”
I looked at her in disbelief. “What?”