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“You know,” August says to me, pointing at his brother, “Damon wasn’t always the hardened bad boy like he is now? He was once such a shy teenage boy...”
“That’s enough,” Damon shoots back.
He really doesn’t seem to like talking about his past. Even something as cute as when he was a nervous adolescent.
But I’m used to emotionally unavailable men. His past is something that will only be unraveled when he wants it to, I can tell.
The server takes our order in a professional style. When she leaves, it’s Damon’s turn to aim his guns at his brother.
“Have you got a girl you’re hiding from the rest of us, brother?” he asks.
I notice August’s cheeks go a very slight shade of pink. Unlike Damon, he clearly can’t hide his secrets well.
“No,” he replies. “No one.”
“August once had a big crush on the daughter of our family maid,” Damon tells me. “It was quite something...”
“When we were teenagers,” his brother correctsquickly. “It was a childhood thing. A mere fling. Nothing serious.”
“It was quite intense,” Damon continues. “Wasn’t it? That’s what I remember. You wereobsessedwith her for ages if I recall correctly. Didn’t you once walk in on her dancing on her own? Didn’t you say that it was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen? You liked to call her beautiful if I remember correctly.”
August’s cheeks somehow shade even more pink. It’s sweet.
“Shut up.”
“Have you seen her since?” Damon asks. “Ever tried to get back in touch with the girl? You two parted ways, didn’t you? Lost each other in the tumult of life and the waves of fate. Would be a shame to lose your one true love just because you can’t even be fucked to go out there and look for her.”
August rolls his eyes at that.
“Damon can be so controlling,” he says to me. “He likes to dominate a conversation.”
“Oh, I’ve noticed,” I reply with a smirk.
“But he’s loyal,” August adds somberly. “Very loyal. He’ll go above and beyond for his loved ones. Even if he does tend to rip into them for no reason. He’s got a good heart, though.”
Damon sits there, next to me, his arms folded. His face is stone as August praises him. I have a feeling these brothers don’t compliment each other as seriously as this often.
“But he can get closed off,” August continues about his brother with the confidence as if Damon isn’t there. “I still don’t know much about the time when we disappeared for a few years in New York. Those wilderness years when wedidn’t even hear a peek from him. No one really knows what went on, not even our other brothers.”
“There is nothing to know,” Damon replies. “And that’s final.”
After the delicious meal,I have a strong sense that the two brothers want to spend some time talking with each other, and so I excuse myself and head outside to get some fresh air.
It’s nice to stretch my legs.
Sitting with the two in there was a very different experience from what I was expecting. I was seeing a whole new side of Damon. A more chilled version of him. I have a feeling that what August was saying was right about him being very closed off - it seems like Damon only lets a select few people through the tough barriers he surrounds himself with, and rightly so. His career demands that of him. But it is good to see him with someone who I can tell he trusts with everything.
I’ve only ever heard horror stories about the Penmaynes. I never knew how loyal and kind they are to each other. They seem to genuinely care for each other in a way that few other families ever do.
A tight bond strengthened by blood.
It’s made me see Damon in a whole new light.
I walk across the road to the main park of Crystal River. It’s night now, and everyone is in bed. The streets are empty. The only lights seem to be coming from the restaurant. I spot The Oak across the street on the other side of the park, all closed up for the night.
I take a seat on the playground swings and gently rock,thinking about Damon and the dress he’s made me wear and his carefree laugh.
I could lose myself in the sound of his laugh...
