Silence, so Damian turned to him. “Yes?”
“Six years is a long time…”
“What do you want to know?” He felt warm inside, his blood rushing, pushing that mounting wrath around. “You want to know if we fucked?” Watching their blanched faces, their eyes darting away. In that moment, that was all he could see. That weakness, their blanched, soft flesh squeezed in too tight shirts and pants, the lies in their eyes. In that artificial room, Damian could only see puppets, lifeless, animated by that invisible master they couldn’t even count anymore. Money. Greed. Faceless days churning in that detached existence where he didn’t belong anymore. A sudden determination, puzzled and mad at himself for letting it go so long. He fixed his eyes on them. “Yes, we fucked. Glorious fucks, too.”
Walter snickered above that silent embarrassment. “Well… when nothing else is around but a guy… but I mean, you’re back now… we have some good fun planned for later.” He wiggled his eyebrows, but Damian had stood, despite Harold gesturing for him to sit.
“I’m going. It was a pleasure, gentlemen.”
“Hey… we’re still going to that special place. We booked some nice girls. A special treat for you, so you fuck that gayness out of your head with a real woman.”
Damian put his jacket on. “Thanks, but no thanks. I have a husband, so it’s a ‘no’ from me.”
Stunned silence, Harold’s mildly panicking face, showing him to shut up.
“Husband? What the fuck!”
“Precisely. Now, gentlemen, if you will excuse me, I need to mop up some fuck-ups.”
Harold stood and walked to him. “You can’t leave, not now. We have the others joining us, and….”
Damian put his hand at the base of his neck, his thumb digging into his throat on the side. “I am not going anywhere anymore. Got it?”
Harold nodded, almost choking. Damian took his hand away. “Ok… ok… your daughter… she’s coming to see you tomorrow. I told her where you’re staying.”
Damian’s heart raced, but he kept his face still. “Don’t be there.”
“Ok.”
Damian turned and left, hailing a cab outside. Watching the night lights rush.Cassie…That mad fright, braced for her wrath, the memories of Kevin’s words still there, burning that tortured heart.
A knock in the morning, but Damian was awake, wearing jeans and a black T-shirt, barefoot. He walked to the door, his heart in his throat.Come on…He opened, his eyes straight on that black-haired young woman, a bit shorter than him, that gorgeous hair in lush waves down to her shoulders. A strong body, her colorful clothes hugging her curves. For a fleeting moment, he had no idea who she was, almost closing the door on her, thinking she had been sent by Harold, but then, her arms were around him, hard. Squeezing, a strength there which surprised him. A wave of shock running down his spine at her voice.
“Daddy…”
Jesus… Cassie…His mind struggling with it, pairing that young girl of fourteen with her face filled with hate with that young woman hugging him, but it was her. Her voice. Her touch. Her scent. He knew, and laced his arms around her. Thrilled at her affection. Dead scared that it was just her initial shock, so he braced himself for a slap when she stepped back to look at him.
Her hand went to his hair, her eyes almost not believing. “You aged… weird…”
“Yeah…” His voice, a breath as his eyes ate her up.So beautiful. So strong. Hoping she would stay a bit, not leave straight away. At that moment, he could have taken anything from her if it meant she stayed.
“Come, let’s sit. We have a lot to talk about.” She took his hand and led him inside, sitting on the sofa where she had thrown her large backpack. She patted the cushion. “Sit.”
Damian obeyed, facing her, his hands in his lap. For a moment, they just looked at each other, trying to find the other one.
Cassie saw it first, that soft light in his clear eyes. Her heart filled with her hopes. “So… I can barely believe this… that you’re here. You went to see mum, she told me. And Kevin… you know.”
“Yeah…” He could not get enough of her, trying to sound coherent when he felt like fainting.
“I told her not to mess it up, but she was always like this. Too bad. Kevin will come around, maybe… but Peter is a good dad…”
Damian just nodded. He had nothing to say. Both of them knowing, their eyes speaking.
He sighed, not even knowing if it meant anything. “I’m sorry…”
Cassie raised her hand. “No. It is useless, Dad. What happened is gone.” Her lips curled up, a playful light in her eyes. “You remember that last day when you slapped me before leaving?”
Damian nodded, his throat tight.
