The door to the penthouse clicked open, and Sienna didn't need to turn around to know it was him. Damien's presence filled the space the moment he walked in, his heavy footsteps against the hardwood floor punctuating the tension that had been building between them for days.
She was sitting by the window, the city lights casting a soft glow across her face. The silence between them had been oppressive since he'd left earlier. She hadn't known how to feel, let alone how to process everything.
Damien wasn't himself when he returned. The usual composed and confident façade was gone, replaced by something raw, almost desperate in his demeanor. His tie was undone, his jacket hung loosely over his arm, and his hair, usually neatly styled, was tousled. There was a weariness in his eyes that made her chest tighten with something unidentifiable.
He stood still for a moment, just inside the door, as if gathering the courage to speak. The heavy air between them seemed to press against her, squeezing the words out of him.
"I've been trying to figure out how to say this," Damien finally spoke, his voice strained. "But I don't think there's an easy way."
Sienna's heart hammered in her chest. She didn't move, didn't acknowledge his presence in the way she usually did. She simply waited. The truth, it seemed, was inevitable.
He walked toward her slowly, each step measured, but there was an urgency behind his movements now that hadn't been there before. He stopped in front of her, close but not quite touching, the space between them charged with unsaid things.
"I know what I've done," he began, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I know I've hurt you, and I don't know if I can undo that. But I need you to understand something. This"—he gestured between them—"everything I feel for you now… it's real. It started as a lie. A game. But it's not that anymore."
Sienna's chest tightened, her breath catching. The words hung in the air between them like a challenge—an invitation to confront the truth that she'd been avoiding for so long. He was telling her the truth now, wasn't he? He was saying everything she had needed to hear but didn't know how to ask for.
"I'm not asking for forever," Damien continued, his eyes dark and intense. "I'm not asking for some grand, sweeping promise that we can't keep. I just want one honest night. One night where everything between us is laid bare. Where we stop pretending, even if it's just for a little while."
Sienna's throat felt tight, her mind spinning with his words. Could she trust him? Could she really believe that this wasn't just another moment in a long string of manipulations, a way to salvage the story they'd created?
Her hands were clenched tightly in her lap, but it wasn't anger she felt—only uncertainty. Fear. And something else. Something she hadn't let herself acknowledge.
"I don't…" she began, her voice faltering. But she couldn't find the words to match the emotions swirling inside her. She couldn't tell him that she was scared. Scared of what this meant for them. Scared of how far this would go.
Damien took a step closer, the space between them narrowing to nothing. "I don't want to hurt you, Sienna. I never wanted to. But I know I've done just that, and I'm sorry. I should've been honest with you from the start. I should've told you how I was feeling when I first realized it wasn't just a game. But I was scared too." His voice softened. "Scared of what this would mean for me. For you. For us."
Her heart fluttered in her chest, the walls she'd built around herself starting to crack. She wanted to pull away. She wanted to keep him at arm's length. But she couldn't.
"I can't promise forever," Damien whispered, his face inches from hers. "I can't promise anything beyond tonight. But what I can promise is that I'm here. I'm here for you, Sienna. Just for tonight. And I need you to know that I'm not lying anymore."
The intensity in his gaze locked her in place. There was no escape from the honesty in his eyes, from the raw vulnerability that poured from every word. She didn't trust herself to speak, didn't trust her voice not to betray her emotions. Her heart was racing in her chest, her body caught between the fear of what this could mean and the desire to let herself go.
She wasn't ready for forever. She wasn't sure she could trust him with her heart—not yet. But as she looked into his eyes, she realized there was no going back. Not anymore. She couldn't pretend this wasn't real. She couldn't pretend she didn't want it.
Without a word, she reached out, her hand finding his, pulling him closer. The air between them was thick, charged with everything they hadn't said, with everything they'd been avoiding. She didn't need words now. She didn't need promises.
She pulled him in, her lips finding his in a kiss that was slow, tentative, but full of everything that had been left unsaid. Damien's hands found their way to her waist, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. And for the first time in what felt like forever, Sienna didn't hold back. She didn't question. She didn't doubt.
She let herself feel it all.
The kiss wasn't just about desire; it was a release. It was everything they hadn't said but had needed to. It was the truth—laid bare between them, raw and unguarded.
When they finally broke apart, they were both breathless. Damien's forehead rested against hers, their breaths mingling.
"I don't know what comes next," he said softly. "But I'm here. And that's all I can give you right now."
Sienna's heart was still racing, but she didn't pull away. She didn't need to say anything. She simply nodded, her fingers brushing against his cheek.
For the first time in a long while, she didn't feel lost. She felt seen. She felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
And maybe that was enough—for now.