The Hidden Stranger

Maddison'S POV:

I sat on the bench, shuddering against the cold while I waited for Damon to come pick me up. I was expecting him to decline, but he asked me where I was and when I told him, he was already leaving his house. The stars were out tonight, reminding me of the night on the roof. After I finished telling him about my parent's divorce, he started to make me laugh. That's one of the reasons why I love him.

His familiar truck pulled up next to the curb and I pushed myself off the bench, walking over to where he was parked. I opened the passenger side's door and climbed into his warm truck. Damon sat in the driver's seat, clad in jeans and a sweatshirt. His hair was messier than usual.

"Did I wake you?" I asked taking in his appearance.

He gave a wave of his hand. "No. I was just watching a movie."

I pulled the seatbelt over me, trying to get warm. My fingers were freezing. The jacket I was wearing didn't do justice against the cold. It was more of a jacket to wear with an outfit that was made for fall time. Out of nowhere, his sweatshirt appeared on my lap. I glanced over to see him wearing only a t-shirt.

"Damon-"

He turned the heater on the highest it could go. "Put it on. Don't worry about me, Maddison. I'm fine."

"Thank you," I mumbled pulling off my damp jacket and switching it with his warm one. It was a little big, but I didn't care. I snuggled into the material, bringing my hands to my chest.

He pulled out onto the road. "Is it all right if we go back to my place?"

"That's fine," I muttered resting my head on the window. "Just get me away from this area."

Damon turned his turning signal on as we sat at a red light. "Everything okay?"

I gave a small laugh. "Not really. My brother came home today and my family being the way they are, we started fighting about... just typical stuff."

"About me?" he asked.

I glanced at him. "How'd you know?"

Damon shrugged. "From all the times you tell me your parents hate me and your brother would love to kill me, I just figured it was about me."

"It was about other stuff too," I said.

He turned onto the road we needed to go down. "Anything you want to tell me? I promise I'm not gonna go and run to my friends," he added with a grin.

A smile tugged on the corner of my lips. "I kind of lashed out of my parents."

"Hmm," he muttered.

I ran a hand through my hair. "Yeah, and I brought up the fact that I haven't forgave my dad yet about what he did."

"You haven't?" he asked.

"I've been trying to, but I just can't seem to do it," I answered honestly.

He glanced over at me. He must have noticed that I was holding my hands close to my mouth. "What's wrong?"

"I'm trying to get warm."

Damon nodded and after a minute, he raised his arm in a hugging gesture. I looked at him with an eyebrow raised. He flickered his eyes to his arm. "Come here."

"What?" I asked confused.

"Body heat. It'll warm you up faster," he said.

"Look who's paying attention in Health," I joked but undid my seatbelt in the process. Damon shot me a look. I scooted over and rested my head on his shoulder, instantly warmer. He wrapped his arm around me, driving with his left hand. "Gah, so much better."