Aurora had just finished her breakfast when Damian, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly looked up at her. He was holding his cup of tea in both hands, but his eyes weren’t on the cup. They were on her.
“You know,” he said, leaning back in his chair slightly, “I was thinking… maybe we should go shopping today.”
Aurora blinked, the words catching her completely off guard. “Shopping?” she repeated, trying to process what he had said. “Are you serious?”
A small smirk tugged at Damian’s lips as he leaned forward, setting his cup down. His expression was dead serious, though. “Of course, I’m serious. You need some new things. Clothes, maybe… something else.”
Aurora stared at him in disbelief, her mind racing. Shopping? Damian didn’t shop, and he never cared about what she wore at least, that’s how it had always been.
“Is this a joke?” she asked, half-laughing now. “I mean, you never even asked about my clothes before. Why now?”
He didn’t laugh or soften his gaze. He was still looking at her as if he had just made the most normal request in the world. “I’m serious, Aurora. You’ve been wearing the same things for a while now. It’s time for a change.”
She shook her head in disbelief, her mind still spinning. “But… shopping? Why would you?”
“You don’t like the idea?” Damian interrupted, his tone slightly amused but still serious.
Aurora narrowed her eyes. “It’s not that I don’t like the idea,” she said, feeling a little annoyed by how casual he was being about it. “It’s just… you don’t care about stuff like that. You’ve never cared about what I wear.”
Damian leaned back in his chair again, his fingers tapping against the table. “People change, Aurora.”
She froze. He had said it so simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re telling me you’re changing?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “You’re treating me like… like I’m someone special, like I’m worth something. But you’ve never done that before.”
Damian looked at her, his expression softening for just a moment. “Maybe I’ve been too harsh with you,” he said quietly. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t care. I don’t know why, but something’s different now. And maybe… maybe I want to make it up to you.”
Aurora’s chest tightened at his words. “Make it up to me? For what? For all the times you’ve treated me like… like I don’t matter?”
Damian’s eyes darkened, a flicker of something dangerous passing through them. “I never said you didn’t matter,” he said, his voice low and firm. “But I can’t undo what’s been done.”
Aurora took a deep breath, trying to calm the rush of emotions that were building up inside her. “So what is this, Damian? What are you really trying to do?”
Damian was quiet for a moment, staring at her. Then, with a sigh, he stood up and walked toward her. He stopped just in front of her, leaning down so their faces were close.
“I just want to know something,” he said softly. “Do you love it when I’m… dominant? When I take control?”
Aurora’s breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t expected him to ask her something like that, especially not in such a calm, serious way. “What?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
“Do you like it when I’m in charge?” Damian repeated, his gaze never leaving hers. There was something intense in his eyes now, something she couldn’t quite place. “Do you like it when I decide what happens?”
Her heart raced. She wasn’t sure what to say. The question caught her completely off guard. “I don’t know what you mean,” she finally managed, her voice shaky.
Damian straightened up, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I think you do.”
Aurora shook her head, trying to push down the confusion that was swirling in her mind. “You’re… you’re acting like someone else. I don’t know what to think anymore. First, you want to buy me clothes, and now you’re asking me about control?”
Damian didn’t respond right away. Instead, he reached out and touched her cheek gently, his thumb brushing against her skin. “I know I’ve been hard on you, Aurora. But maybe… maybe you like it too.”
She pulled away slightly, feeling her face heat up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said quickly, trying to avoid his gaze. “I’m not like that.”
Damian’s smile widened a little. “Are you sure? You don’t even know what you want.”
Aurora felt a little breathless now. She wasn’t sure if she was angry, confused, or something else entirely. She tried to calm her racing thoughts but couldn’t.
“I don’t want to be part of your games, Damian,” she said firmly. “I don’t know why you’re doing all this, but I don’t trust it.”
Damian’s expression shifted slightly, his amusement fading into something a little more serious. “I’m not playing games, Aurora. I’m trying to… figure things out.” He paused, as though searching for the right words. “Maybe I’ve been unfair to you. But I’m not going to let you go without knowing what this… whatever this is, means.”
Aurora stood up from the table, her emotions all over the place. “I need time to think about this,” she said, her voice steady despite the storm of thoughts inside her head. “You’re changing, Damian. And I don’t know if I can keep up.”
Damian watched her for a long moment, his eyes studying her face. “You don’t need to keep up with anything, Aurora. You just need to trust me.”
Aurora stopped in her tracks, looking at him. “Trust you? You’ve never given me a reason to trust you.”
Damian’s eyes darkened, and for a brief moment, she saw something dangerous flicker in them. But then it was gone, replaced by a quiet sadness.
“Then maybe I’ll have to earn it,” he said softly.
Aurora couldn’t bring herself to say anything more. She just walked away, her mind still spinning with his words. What was happening? Why was he suddenly so… different? She didn’t know, but she knew one thing for sure: this was only the beginning of something she couldn’t predict. And she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.