The Hidden Stranger

I'm Ready

He chuckled, "Knew it probably would."

My hands grasped the cotton of his shirt. "Thank you," I mumbled into his shoulder.

"No problem," Damon whispered paying attention to the road.

I'm going to be honest with you. I never knew I would love being in his arms as much as I did right now.

When we pulled up to his apartment complex, I was almost asleep. The breeze of the heat blowing on my face, the gentle ride against the road, and with Damon's heartbeat... it created a lullaby. A nice, soft lullaby.

He pulled into an empty parking space and we sat there for a minute, letting the warmth absorb us. The radio was playing softly in the background. It couldn't have been more perfect. His arm was still wrapped around me. I was snuggled up against his side. I never felt more... safe in my entire life.

I shut the door behind me, walking towards the entrance to the building until I heard Damon gently say, "Wait."

I turned around to see him standing next to his truck with his hands in his pockets. He sighed and cocked his head in the left direction. "Can I show you something?"

I buried my hands deeper into his sweatshirt. "Sure."

Damon held his hand out with a serious look on his face. I took a deep breath before sliding my hand out of the pocket and into his hand. He clutched it tightly. He started to walk towards the back of the apartment building. I was confused on why he was taking me back here, but I continued to follow him.

Damon stopped in front of a ladder in the back, gesturing to it. I glanced at him before stepping onto the first step. He followed behind me as I climbed to an unknown place. I finished climbing the steps, my feet setting on solid ground. We were on the roof of his apartment complex.

Wow. You had an amazing view of the city and sky from up here.

Damon walked over to the ledge and sat down, his feet dangling in the air. As I watched him, I thought he was completely idiotic. What was he doing sitting on a ledge far away from the ground beneath him?

"Come over here, Maddison," he said softly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Do what?"

"I'm not gonna bite," Damon glanced behind him with a grin on his face. He noticed that I was standing away from the ledge as far as possible.

I took another deep breath. I walked over and carefully sat down beside him. We stared down at the city in front of us. New York City was the city that never sleeps. Lights were on on almost every single building. It wasn't as chilly as earlier, but we were also sitting next to a heater. I looked over at Damon and he was staring at the city; his green eyes glued to the bright lights.

"Maddison, do you want to hear stories about the gang?" Damon asked in the dead silence.

Damon'S POV:

I turned my head to see her reaction and she looked shocked by my sudden question, but for some reason, I wanted to tell the stories. The stories about why people chose to become a gang member.

And I wanted to tell her. Only her.

"But you have to promise to not tell anyone them," I said strictly.

Maddison nodded, her grey eyes meeting mine. "I promise."

I cleared my throat, thinking about which member to start with. "Any requests?"

"Yours," she whispered.

I shook my head.

"Well, then, Gale's," Maddison answered.