The Virginia air hit differently than he remembered.
It smelled like something he hadn't felt in years—freedom. Regret. Home.
Damien stepped out of the sleek black car, the leather duffel in his hand looking out of place against the cracked sidewalk outside Ava's apartment complex. He hadn't planned the moment. No rehearsed lines. No strategy.
He just needed to see her.
He stood there for a long while, staring up at the balcony he remembered all too well. The same wind chimes still hung by her window. The same rusted railing. The only difference now was him. And her. Ten years had passed, and yet she lived in his every breath.
His heart pounded. Would she slam the door in his face? Had she moved on?
He had imagined every version of this moment during the cold, sleepless nights in Canada. But none of them prepared him for the sharp edge of reality.
She was no longer his.
And yet… he knocked.
---
Ava
There was a rhythm to healing. Slow mornings. Painful stretches. Quiet afternoons where time ticked differently.
Tonight, Rylan had gone out to pick up dinner, insisting I rest. I'd curled up with a blanket and a sketchpad, trying to remember how to draw with a hand that felt unfamiliar. It was clumsy, but it was something.
Then the knock came.
I paused. Not Rylan—he had a key. Chloe wouldn't knock either. My heart ticked faster.
I opened the door slowly, cautiously.
And the world froze.
"Hi," Damien said.
His hair was longer, his jaw sharper, but his eyes—the storm-gray ones I once memorized—were exactly the same.
I couldn't breathe.
"You…" I swallowed, voice trembling. "You're back."
"I had to be."
He looked at me like I was a miracle. Like I hadn't aged a day, even though the lines under his eyes said otherwise.
"I didn't think you'd come," I whispered. "Not after all this time."
"I wanted to every single day," he said. "But my father—"
"You left." My voice cracked. "You left when I was at my weakest. And you didn't even say goodbye."
He stepped forward, but I backed away instinctively. That flicker of pain on his face was brief, but it was real.
"Ava," he said gently, "I didn't have a choice. He threatened everything—your mom's job, your family, your name. I thought I could fix it later. I didn't know 'later' would take ten years."
I stared at him. "Do you know who did have a choice? Rylan. And he chose to stay."
Damien flinched.
I looked away, tears burning behind my eyes. "You didn't even call. Not once."
"I couldn't," he said. "They monitored everything. And then time just… slipped. But I never stopped thinking about you. Never stopped loving you."
His voice cracked on that last word.
I hated how it still affected me.
"I'm sorry, Ava. I don't expect forgiveness. I just wanted you to know—my leaving was never about not caring. It was the opposite."
Before I could reply, the door opened behind me.
Rylan stepped in, holding two takeout bags—and froze.
His eyes locked on Damien, expression shifting instantly from surprise… to fury.
"You," Rylan said coldly. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Damien straightened. "Talking to her."
"After ten years of silence?" Rylan stepped in front of me, protectively. "You don't get to just show up and act like nothing happened."
"I don't want to fight," Damien said quietly. "I just wanted to see her."
"You saw her," Rylan growled. "Now go."
The tension pulsed like electricity. My heart thudded so loudly, I thought the entire street could hear it.
Damien's gaze flicked to mine one last time. "If you ever want to talk… really talk… you know where to find me."
Then he turned and walked down the stairs, leaving nothing but the ghost of who we used to be.
---
That Night – Ava
I sat in bed, the takeout untouched.
Rylan sat beside me, quiet. He hadn't spoken a word about Damien since the door closed.
Finally, I whispered, "Do you hate me for not slamming the door in his face?"
He shook his head slowly. "No. I just hate that he still has a piece of you."
My heart cracked again.
"I don't know what to feel," I admitted.
"You don't have to figure it all out tonight," Rylan said gently. "But know this—no matter what storms come back… I'll still be standing here."
I reached for his hand, clinging to the only thing that had never let go.
But deep inside, something stirred.
Because Damien was back.
And nothing would ever be simple again.
---