left behind.

Location: Damian’s apartment

With: Damian Maxwell

@damian-maxwell​

Lu knew it probably wasn’t the best idea, but she found herself briskly walking back to Damian’s place later that night after she had taken a shower, ate a little bit and hydrated, brushed her teeth and then taken a Tylenol. She’d always preferred talking face to face, hence why she didn’t even reply to his texts anymore, and she already felt like she had to make amends, if she wanted this mess to not get any bigger. As soon as that door was opened to his apartment, Lu immediately stood up on her tiptoes, grabbing a hold of Damian’s face gently before pressing her lips against his. 

“I told you how you calling me babygirl did things to me,” Lu softly said as soon as she pulled away from the kiss slightly. “And I’m just.. I’m so tired of having to deny that I want this, that I want you. I’ll always want you, Damian,” Lu said, looking into his eyes. “Maybe we can.. talk now?” She hesitantly asked.

Damian paced his place shirtless, desperately running his hands through his long hair. When he hadn’t heard back from Lu from his latest texts, he thought up a million different ways and scenarios of how to get her to talk to him. Some included going to her place and not leaving until they had a conversation, others calling her but the second to last thing he expected was for the doorbell to ring and when opening the door, seeing Lu there. The last thing he expected? To feel her lips against his. By sheer habit his hand ran up her shoulder and into her hair as he leaned down to allow her better access to his lips. 

Lu: DAMIAN

Lu: You know what you calling me babygirl does to me 😩😩😩

Lu: OH GOSH NO I DON'T!! I definitely do NOT regret last night. Not at all!!!!

Lu: I just... It was all just??? Too much too soon, I think? 😔😔😔

Lu: Because you're right. It definitely wasn't the best timing and I... I might have had this thought in my head of how it would have happened if you and I... did it again, and drunkenly hooking up... wasn't how I pictured it

Lu: I'm sorry, Damian. I should've told you all this to your face but I got scared

Damian: LU!!

Damian: it wasn't on purpose.

Damian: but if calling you that could get you back to my place and talking? communicating with me? i'd call you babygirl all day.

Damian: you should've talked to me. but i understand getting scared, lu. just... fuck!

Damian: i woke up and went out of my mind that you weren't here. last night was incredible, drunk or not.

Lu: IM SORRY

Lu: IM SORRY IM SORRY IM SO SO SO SORRY DAMIAN

Lu: I woke up really early and I was so confused and hungover and I saw that we were NAKED under the sheets and then I remembered what we did and I just panicked and left without saying goodbye

Lu: I also stole your shirt and I'm sorry

Lu: I just

Lu: I panicked

Lu: I'm really sorry 😭😭😭

Damian: calm down babygirl. breathe.

Damian: i mean... lu.

Damian: and you can have all of my shirts as long as you tell me you don't regret last night?

Damian: granted it wasn't the best timing.

Damian: why'd you pull a houdini this morning?

Damian: or was i so drunk that i imagined it all?

There it was, that guilt that she was unloading her problems onto someone else but it was hard to be anything but completely honest when it came to Damian. At a certain point in her life, he was the person she told everything to, without the fear of being judged. When they were back in high school, he had been her best friend, and became someone she considered she was closer to than her own sisters, and it was hard to shake the habit of just being completely honest with him. It’s those kind eyes, she thought as she looked up at him with a sad smile. She could tell those eyes anything. “Thank you, Damian,” Lu said, knowing the heat in her face wasn’t just because of the alcohol. Even after all these years, she still found it a shock whenever people complimented her, especially when it came from someone she had been absolutely head over heels for at one point. “I had this specifically picked out for this event and I… didn’t really feel like wasting it,” she admitted before letting out a groan, because try as she might to just keep it all inside and not ruin anyone’s night, she had to admit that she needed to say something. 

“I just… I don’t understand it, you know? Any of it,” Lu blurted out.  “I’ve done literally nothing wrong, and yet he still thinks I’m to blame for the end of the relationship,” Lu murmured, her voice low as she struggled to keep up the facade of not being anything but happy to be there tonight. 

“Instead of working things out, he thought it was better to just… dump me on Valentine’s Day. He just– he said he knew I was going to cheat on him, that I probably already have, and I just… I’m starting to wonder how well he even knew me if he was so convinced of that,” Lu murmured, roughly covering her eyes with the palms of her hands as she reiterated to herself that this was not the place to fall apart. “I’ve given him no reason to not trust me, but he just– I–” Lu said, heaving a deep sigh as she removed her hands, only to stare at the empty shot glasses on the bar counter. “I’m sorry,” Lu quietly and suddenly said, playing with the edge of the bar counter, needing her hands to be busy, something that signified she was feeling anxious. “I know you probably don’t want to hear this and I’m sorry I’m just… putting all of this on you. We don’t… we don’t have to talk about it,” she said, showing him a small smile before unable to stop the laugh from escaping her lips. 

“But that wouldn’t be fair on you. You didn’t sign up to be my chaperone for the night and it’d be a shame to waste the open bar,” Lu teasingly said, reaching out to gently hold Damian’s hand, swallowing thickly as she looked down at their intertwined hands. “I’m touched, Damian. Really, I am, but you don’t… you don’t have to go out of your way for me,” she murmured, squeezing his hand tightly. “Though I do have a favor to ask, though. Oh– actually two. Can you… can you maybe keep a hold of my phone for me? I really don’t want to somehow end up drunk calling him tonight, especially because I just… I don’t even want to talk to him,” Lu admitted, reaching over to her pocket to bring out her phone before handing it over to him with a sigh. “Second, you have to promise me you won’t hug me, because if you do… well, I’m going to cry and I… I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop and that’s… that’s not fair on you. None of this is,” she muttered with a shake of her head. “Really, Damian, you don’t have to be here, listening to your ex-girlfriend mope around over some guy who just broke her heart,” Lu quietly said, looking up suddenly to get the bartender’s attention, ordering yet another shot. “I’ll be fine,” Lu said, lying through her teeth as she tried a smile. “I mean… don’t you have a date?” She couldn’t help but ask, her eyes looking up at his curiously.

Damian had never been one to blame people for having a weak moment or two. Especially not Lu. When it came to her, he'd do just about anything to make her happy, including listening to her rant about her recent breakup with a boyfriend, whom he couldn't stand. Even after all these years and her avoiding him for the better part of a year after he returned to town from college, there was still a large chunk of his heart that belonged to her. Even after all the blame she'd put on his shoulders back in high school and all the fights they'd had. Especially after their talk on the rooftop of some stupid party. He understood her better now. For a long while back in their school years, he'd believed that she was it for him. That she would always be there and he'd be hers. Marriage, kids, the happy life his parents had had before his father's untimely death, and somewhere in the back of his mind the possibility still lingered. He'd spent all this time squashing it down, while she was with Kyle, but he couldn't stop the slight tingling of hope that traveled throughout his heart and head. "Well, you look fantastic." A smile lingered on his features and he gave her a discreet once over again. The dress screamed Lu's name.

He listened to her ramble about Kyle and bit down on his molars to try and keep the words on the tip of his tongue from escaping him. When she finished Damian shrugged, "Not to rub it in or anything..." He started, before taking a deep breath and leaning against the bar with his lower arms on the edge of the counter and looking into the opening of his beer bottle, "But now you know how it feels. Being distrusted for something you haven't done and never would do." Damian's eyes were sympathetic when he looked towards her. He wasn't trying to rub it in. The similarities were just too damn uncanny. Sure there were differences, like the fact that he'd slept around before he and Lu got together and he'd been known to tell the girls he slept with he loved them, just to get laid back then, but Lu had always been different. He’d been different with her. "I never gave you a reason not to trust me and I know Mal had a lot to do with the distrust you placed in me. But it's crazy, how things come full circle, huh?" He asked, wanting nothing more than to hug her and tell her it would be okay.

"Look, I'll always listen to you and I’ll always be there for you. Because I'd rather be your friend, than be nothing to you." He admitted with a sigh and downed the rest of his beer, not daring to look in Lu's eyes. She'd always mean the world to him. She'd always be his best friend. "I'm not being a chaperone... Okay, maybe I am.” He chuckled and continued “But I do not want you do get into any trouble tonight." He admitted with another chuckle and pushed the seriousness of his earlier words away. He never wanted Lu to feel worse, so instead he flashed her a grin, "I'll take care of your phone. The hug... I can't make any promises." He winked but followed it with a small laughter as he grabbed her phone from her hands, "I promise. Now drink your shot”

To say that Lu was barely hanging on by a thread was an understatement. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry, maybe have her sisters come and hug her and they could all eat ice cream until she felt just a little bit better, but she always felt guilty when it came to unloading her problems on other people, especially when it was supposed to be a celebration. So Lu did what she had to do, strapped on a smile and held herself together for as long as she possibly could. At the first chance of being alone, though, Lu immediately went to the open bar and decided to inhale two shots right off the bat. It was the reason why she was feeling a little tipsy already, her eyes sometimes looking at the room, trying to see if Kyle would show up. She didn’t even know whether she wanted him to or not. After downing her third shot, Lu looked up to see Damian there, all decked out in a blazer. She knew he only dressed up on very rare occasions so the sight of him alone was enough to bring a small smile on her face. 

“No. Not really,” she honestly said before swallowing thickly, turning away from Damian momentarily to get the bartender’s attention, already in need of another drink. It didn’t even matter to her what kind anymore, or that it was pretty bad to mix drinks in the first place. She just wanted to be drunk enough to forget what happened this morning. “I don’t know,” Lu curtly said before letting out a mirthless laugh. “He, uh, he broke up with me this morning,” she murmured, speaking the truth into existence for the first time. It felt wrong to say it, like she was saying the alphabet in the wrong order – because that’s exactly what it felt like, like everything was so… wrong. “So– You look great, though,” Lu murmured, taking a deep breath as she touched the front of his blazer gently. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” she said, raising her newest shot in the form of a cheers before downing it quickly, wincing slightly at the welcome heat that settled in her stomach.

Seeing her down a shot just as he approached, Damian had a sneaking suspicion something is wrong and his suspicion is proved correct, when Lu admits to not being okay. As he’s about to comfort her, she turns away to order another drink and then the man knows something is definitely not right. Lu’s never been a big drinker, especially not shots. Instead of pushing her and asking what’s wrong, Damian takes the seat next to her by the bar, and orders a beer waiting for her to open up. When words of their breakup leave her lips, Damian’s eyebrows raise in shock. Sure, he’d been dumb enough to let her go back in high school, but they had been young and dumb and in no way good for each other at that point, due to her insecurities and his inability to get it through her thick skull that he wasn’t cheating on her. Her and Kyle on the other hand were grown up. Damian has had his share of interactions with her ex-boyfriend and every single time he’s proved himself to be an asshat. 

“I’m.. Uh.. Sorry. I know you cared about him.“ He manages to let out through a clenched jaw. The words taste bitter in his mouth. In no way shape of form does Damian want Lu to be upset, but he can’t bring himself to not feel a bit of joy at the fact that they’re no longer together. When she turns the conversation back around on him, Damian looks down himself and sheepishly chuckles, “Thanks. You too. That dress... I mean, wow.“ He speaks the latter in a genuine tone, gesturing up and down her frame while a smile lingers on his lips.

"Happy Valentine’s Day, Lu.” Damian brings the beer to his lips, before he turns towards the woman at his side. “The idiot didn’t deserve you. He’s now apart of a club nobody wants to be apart of, called the ‘I let Luisa Tezel go’ club.” He chuckles at his own joke, before gently caressing her upper arm, “So how about this. You go crazy with the alcohol, and I’ll make sure you get home okay. Do we have a deal? If you don’t say yes, I do have to warn you, I’ll probably have to bring you home right now, so you don’t do something stupid.” Damian chuckles, before taking a sip of his beer again, vowing to himself that this will be his only drink of the night. 

DATE: Saturday February 14th

WITH: @luisatezel​

dahlia always tried to avoid throwing out any of the devils if she could. mostly because she was close with quite a few of them. plus she knew that if she called that someone would come to get it all sorted out. usually it was damian and it was because he was one of their prospects. from what she had noticed they tended to do what some might call the grunt work. she was rolling her eyes at damian but couldn’t help but smile,” please, marathon? you?” she was just happy that she wasn’t stuck trying to deal with the drunk idiot. she could only shrug as she watched him place the guy’s arm over his shoulder,” trust me i was tempted, he kept trying to hit on me.” she was just happy that the mess was not going to be her problem. her gaze went towards the few other patrons who all looked relieved. she was going to begin to finally gather all the glasses that he had refused to let her clean up. she was going to put them in a tray that was destined for the washer. only to turn her head as she realized that damian was already to the door and she bit down on her lip,” if you bring me a burger from hale’s it would be appreciated! that and your sparkling personality for the rest of the night!” honestly she just wanted to hang out with a friend after the night she had and damian was the best choice. 

Damian raised his arm to let Dahlia know he’d heard her and then he was out the door with the drunken man hanging off his shoulder. When finally exiting he placed the man in the Uber and went to talk to the driver about not under any circumstances letting the man out of the car until they’d made it to Charming Auto. 

___________

rafael was just hoping that he could make it in and out with no problems. as long as sam was in her office he knew he would be fine. he also knew that damian was well aware of what was going on. the last thing that he wanted was to put his prospect in the middle of their problems. yet he knew that he couldn’t avoid the places she frequented. he was glancing around before looking back at damian,” good.” he knew that he would have to let someone know that he was leaving. that was why he remained standing where he was. instantly glancing around again and taking a breath. in a few minutes damian was walking back over after speaking with the one behind the desk. he was shrugging as he made his way towards the door and went to push it open,” got to go upstate,” he explained,” just to pick up payment that we’re owed.” he was heading towards his bike which was parked just outside of the gym,” i just need to get the hell out of this town for a few hours.” 

It wasn’t unusual for Charlotte to be up at the crack of dawn, sometimes even before, if she were being honest. Though, it was unusual for her to be out this early. But, today was no typical day. With a new semester having just gotten underway, Charlotte had been brainstorming ways to introduce the first reading assignment of the semester to her freshman students, and she’d finally come up with the perfect plan. Though, that plan required her to arrive at the school early, to begin setting up and getting everything in order before the first bell. She’d been so excited about the idea, she hadn’t bothered to make her normal breakfast, or even a cup of coffee, before heading out the door, figuring she’d swing by the local bakery for a morning pick-me-up. Despite living in Charming for her entire life (save the four years college took), it hadn’t dawned on her until she’d arrived that the bakery wouldn’t be open until 6 AM. Charlotte had planned to wait on the bench out front, though as she approached she realized half was already claimed. “May I sit?” She asked, signing and speaking simultaneously to the man in front of her. “I promise, I’m only in the mood to bite pastries. So, you’re safe there.” 

Damian was ripped from his own thoughts of tranquility, when a woman approached and begun speaking and signing. Damian, instantly a bit curious, gestured towards the seat next to him and graced her with a pleasant and friendly smile. “The pastries here are amazing. Even if you wanted to bite me, I’d tell you to wait for the pastries.” He chuckled before shaking his head. He’d seen the woman around, but never given her much thought, too wrapped up in the dealings of his own life. Charming was a small town though, and it was impossible not to notice someone signing, even from a distance. “I’m Damian.” He tried to remember how he’d been taught to sign his name in ASL back in school, but wasn’t able to remember, so instead he reached out a hand and offered to shake hers while smiling. 

Lu was in the mood for something sweet to start her day, having woken up so early despite the fact that she didn’t even have a shift at the lab today. It was probably because she was so used to waking up at around this time, which was why she donned a sweatshirt, changed her cotton shorts for denim ones and pulled up her straight hair into a messy bun, already knowing she wouldn’t be able to fall back to sleep any time soon. What she hadn’t expected that morning was to see none other than her ex-boyfriend, Damian, all sweaty and still undeniably gorgeous outside of the bakery. Even just the sight of him was enough to make her heart skip a beat, a feeling she was already familiar with, though there was guilt there too since she knows she shouldn’t feel that way about him. Especially not now. “I know you love yourself but you’re really talking to yourself now, Damian?” Lu teasingly asked him before taking a seat next to him on the bench, an affectionate smile forming on her lips as she found herself in the company of somebody she was still so comfortable to be around. “Had a good run?” She asked before the smile widened as this situation reminded her of something. “Remember when we both tried to get me to jog with you back in high school? Now, that… that was a disaster,” Lu said, a laugh escaping her lips at the memory.

Seeing a pair of breasts swinging in the wind while two women fought, seemingly over one of them exchanging texts with the others boyfriend from what they were yelling as they clawed and pulled at each other wasn’t on his agenda today yet here he was. The entrance to the record store blocked by a crowd of people, half egging them on and half trying to get them to stop. Nik chose to stand back and let the spectacle play itself out, quietly lamenting the inconvenience of not being able to open the store on time. He sighs as he leans against a parking meter, folding his arms. There’s someone standing a foot next to him and he speaks jokingly, “Guess I’m not getting in there any time soon.” He gestures towards the store. “Hopefully you weren’t eagerly waiting to browse the latest indie section.” 

@charmingstarters​ 

Having approached Revival Records on his bike, in order to have a chat and hopefully catch up with Nik, Damian quickly got sidetracked after picking up coffee, by the two women fighting in front of the record store. He had stopped for a second, assessed the situation and made the decision that staying back would be wisest. There were already people trying to pull the two women apart. And although the people standing in a semi-circle around the spectacle, staring, hooting and hollering about which one was winning, weren’t helping, Damian doubted how much he could really do. As Nik approached and spoke to him, Damian looked towards the other a scowl in place, “That can’t be good for the business” He nodded towards the two women. “But I’m actually not here to browse the indie section. Wanted to catch up. Brought coffee” He raises one of the cups from the tray towards the other, before shaking his head at the fight once again. While most twenty-four year olds would be more than excited about a catfight, Damian wasn’t one of them. This was a scene he’d seen one too many times before, and it was too early for this shit anyways. 

Location: Lu Luna

With: Damian Maxwell

@damian-maxwell​

“just shut up,” she hissed at the clearly intoxicated man who was a member of the devils. it wasn’t an uncommon occurrence in her line of work. she just didn’t have the best patience that night. she had called to get someone to pick him up and in the mean time had tried to get him sober. that meant getting him to drink water and eat some actual food. she had managed to convince him to sit down by the time that damian walked in,” thank god,” she breathed,” no offense but you couldn’t have gotten here sooner? this asshole has tried to start fights and nearly puked all over the bar.” she motioned towards the trash can and she knew that it was only because of her that the security guard hadn’t kicked him out,” sorry i’m just-i don’t have the patience for bullshit tonight.” 

Location: Renegade Gym

With: Damian Maxwell

@damian-maxwell​

honestly the last place that rafael wanted to be stepping into was the gym. things with samantha were not exactly in a good place. however he needed his prospect which was the sole reason he had stepped into the damn place. damian was working but the club came first. rafael was going to walk over and reached to throw his arm over his shoulder’s,” prospect!” he ignored the woman who was glaring at him. he was clearing his throat and jerking his head back towards the doors,” we got a run,” he explained,” and we have to get going now.” he knew that it would likely piss of sam if he pulled damian when he was in the middle of a shift,” you ready?” 

Nothing built Jas up for a twenty four hour shift than running in the morning. Fitness, in her line of work was paramount and although there were others in the Firehouse who certainly took a daily risk with their fitness level, Jas wasn’t one to mess about. She had a team to lead, a truck to look after and had to ensure her family made it back to theirs. Her usual route took her by Sweet Escapes. Her new favourite haunt, she would grab coffee and perhaps some danishes for the rest of the crew. But something must have been off with her schedule as she stopped outside of the little store and gently bent over to inhale and exhale slowly. A quick look at her watch made it seem she was early alongside the tell tale sign of the darkened store front which meant she had to think about a longer route if she were getting quicker. She nearly missed the words which came from the guy sitting on the bench in front of her and she straightened back up quickly and began gently stretching out her hamstrings. “It’s my favourite time of day….” she mused, thinking if they were both waiting, there was no harm in striking up conversation. “…like the calm before a storm.”

Her sleep schedule was all kinds of messed up. She was up all day, sleeping in the evening, and staying up all night well into the next morning. Usually Nikki would make herself something to eat, but she was too exhausted to do that. So she figured she’d drop by Sweet Escapes then head home for a quick power nap before she was back up heading toward Flor Amor. She noticed the young man sitting on the bench and overheard him talking to himself. “The quiet surely beats gun shots, sirens, and even just the very loud wail of a crying baby. But then again, I think all those things combine and give us that perfect small town feel.”

Looking up at the sound of a woman’s voice, Damian nodded his head and smiled politely. He was used to certain townspeople shying away from conversation with him, due to his affiliation when seeing him wearing a Devil’s Disciples prospect cut and now that he wasn’t wearing it he wondered if she would’ve approached, had he been. Damian pushed the thought away, rather focusing on responding to the woman’s words, “Yeah. It wouldn’t be Charming without the mix of all those sounds and then the tranquil early most mornings. Perfect balance. Although it’s a bit eerie, the silence, don’t you think? Like a calm before the storm, or some shit. Or maybe I’m just being crazy” He chuckles and shrugs, before looking down the street, still waiting for someone to come and supply him with a cup of coffee. “You here looking for a caffeine fix too?”