A beautiful storm *COMPLETE*

The start of something?

MADELINE POV

After Damiens father’s funeral, I felt like we had reached a different level in our relationship. He was there for me when I was at a really low point and I was there for him at a really low point. We had a deeper understanding of each other and where we came from. Gemma and I were great friends, but she didn’t grow up struggling in the same sense that I did. With Damien, there was a common ground. A lack of parental support. It made for a closer bond. We worked the next few days in sync, having a good time. Damien’s drink mixes were a hit and we have plans to sit down soon, test running a few of his new ideas. Gemma let us know that she was closing the bar for a few days to go out of town with her family. I planned on taking this time to enjoy the beach, maybe do a little shopping, and relax before we hit July 4th. That was our second busiest time of the year. Gemma always stayed open until 3 am for that whole week. Tips were great but lord, it was exhausting.

Today was my first day of “vacation”. I groaned, climbing out of bed. It was 11 am, but I still felt incredibly tired. I texted Gemma ‘Enjoy your time off. Have fun! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.’ with a kissy face emoji. She texted back quickly ‘Bi*ch my whole trip is going to be stuff you wouldn’t do ? love ya. Don’t miss me too much’. I laughed, shaking my head. She’s not wrong. I opened the fridge hoping to find something for breakfast, but was greeted with empty white shelves, aside of the few condiments in the door. Well, I’m not eating ketchup for breakfast. I needed to go down to the supermarket and restock the fridge. I threw my hair up quickly and checking my reflection. My old band t-shirt and biker shorts are gonna have to cut it for this trip. I walked down to the store, grabbing some necessities. I decided that I was going to make spaghetti tonight with my special bread. I’ve perfected a homemade sauce recipe and tweaked the bread a little. I grab everything, check out, and head back to my condo.

I quickly put everything that I bought in the fridge and pantry. It’s been a while since I deep cleaned the place. I put my music on shuffle, jamming to some Our Last Night and A Day to Remember. After a couple of hours, everything was clean, fresh, and put away. I glanced at the clock. It was now 5:30. I started pulling out all of my ingredients for the spaghetti and bread. I started by sautéing some garlic and onions in olive oil. After a few minutes, I cooked down a bag of spinach. I added a can of tomato paste, two cans of diced tomatoes, red wine vinegar, a little brown sugar, and some Italian spices. The smell was mouthwatering. While that simmered, I boiled some spaghetti noodles, and cut the loaf of Italian bread. I spread some softened butter, sprinkled garlic powder and parsley, and topped with grated parmesan cheese. Wrapping that in foil, I set it aside. I splurged a little at the store today and bought a bottle of my favorite sweet wine. I poured a glass, enjoying my first real night off in a while. I put the garlic bread in the oven, waiting until I could smell the garlic throughout the kitchen. I combined the sauce and cooked noodles, making sure everything was mixed thoroughly. I set the table, and quickly pulled out the bread. I sat down looking at everything. This was really nice.

I had just made my plate when there was a knock at the door. I wasn’t expecting anyone tonight, so I’m a bit nervous. I walk over, cracking the door open. Damien stood there with his hands in his pockets. “I should have called first.” he said, shaking his head. “No, no. Do you want to come in?” He smiled and nodded. I opened the door and moved to the side, letting him pass me. “What is that amazing smell? I feel like I just walked into an Italian restaurant.” I couldn’t help but to laugh. The wine had me feeling light. “I just made some dinner. Are you hungry? There is plenty for the both of us.” “I’d love that. Thank you.” he said, following me to the dining room. “Would you like some wine?” he nodded, and I brought my glass as well as another with the bottle of wine. “I’m sorry for coming over unannounced. I was out and about, kind of lost in my own head, and drove past here. I turned around hoping you’d be home.” he explained sheepishly. I waved my hands dismissively. “I’m glad you’re here. It’s kind of lonely eating dinner by myself.” We both dug into the food. “This is fu*king fantastic. It’s better than any Italian restaurant I’ve ever eaten at. Where did you learn to cook like this?” he asked. “I always cooked for my mom and her boyfriend's growing up. When I was on my own, I played around with the recipe, tweaked a few things, and found what made for the best sauce and bread.” He looked at me sadly “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for you to bring up the past.” I shook my head “No, it’s okay. I have to talk about it.” I shrugged. I refilled my glass of wine and cleaned up the plates from dinner, packing the leftovers in the fridge. I motioned towards the couch and we both sat down to talk.

I was really feeling loosened up from the third glass of wine as we sit down. “You said you were in your head while driving. What do you mean by that?” Damien looked a little embarrassed. “I was thinking about my dad. Kicking myself for not being here. For letting my mom down. I moved to Raliegh and never looked back. There was even a moment after I received the call that he was gone that I debated not coming.” he explained honestly. I was a bit surprised by his revelation. “If it makes you feel any better, I could care less if my mother was dead or not. At least you care.” I slurred out. Okay, the wine was most definitely hitting me. He didn’t look at me shocked or surprised, just curious. “Why do you dislike your mom so much?” Ah. The golden question. “You mean putting aside the fact that she was a drug addict, a p********e, and I basically raised myself? She tried to w***e me out to one of her boyfriends on my 18th birthday. When I said no, he r*ped me while she was completely blasted on drugs.” I can’t believe the words just came out of my mouth. Once I started speaking, it was like word vomit, it all came out at once. I covered my mouth with my hands. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you all that.” I whispered. I felt the couch dip next to me, as Damien pulled me into a hug. He pulled my hands off of my face “Don’t feel bad for being honest with me. It’s refreshing to have someone be transparent. I’m sorry that happened to you. You deserve better. I’m glad that you fought and rose up from your circumstances.” When he spoke, I felt emotion in his words. I was looking into his eyes. I didn’t see pity. I saw pride. He was proud of me. I don’t know if it was the wine or me realizing that I had growing feelings, but I closed the distance, capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. He seemed startled at first, but quickly recovered. I felt his hand run through my hair, pulling me in to deepen the kiss. I climbed onto his lap, straddling him. Our tongues fighting for dominance. I’ve never kissed anyone like this. It was hot, heavy, and passionate. I pulled away, realizing that we just crossed a line. He started speaking breathlessly “That was....” “Intense” we finished in unison.