A few days had passed since our mostly triumphant return to New York City, and I was doing my absolute best not to think too much about the tenuous situation in which I was currently floating around. I could tell that Damon and I were on a similar page, both of us refusing to give breath to the true complications that had risen up around us since Barry and Jeff were caught in the act. Now that the threat to my life was apparently gone, I was left wondering how the hell to pick up the pieces. It wasn’t as though I didn’t appreciate having Barry and his little minion out of the picture. I was deeply grateful to no longer have to look over my shoulder and triple-check all my locks before bed. I could go about my usual daily routine without worrying that some beefy guys might jump out of the bushes to drag me away. That was, of course, a great improvement. I didn’t like to live my life with fear. I had decided years and years ago, back when I was still just an anxious, scrawny kid at boarding school, that letting fear dictate how I lived my life was just not the way I wanted to do things. I had managed to tune out the bullies, the naysayers, the dog-eat-dog competitors who wanted to drag me down. I’d even learned how to accept the fact that not everyone would like me, and even fewer people would understand me. Hell, I was an out and proud gay man living in difficult times, and yet I had never let that break my spirit.

But god, was I struggling right now. And it had nothing to do with Barry or Jeff or Mayor Wade or any of that drama. In fact, it had more to do with the lack of danger in my life. And more specifically, the fact that if I was no longer at risk, then it stood to reason that I no longer required a bodyguard. Damon’s mission was complete. His services were no longer needed-- at least, not his services of the bodyguard variety. I knew it, and I knew he knew it, too. But neither of us were talking about it, and I had a pretty good idea why. We were in limbo together now, just going through the motions of daily life in and out of the office. Damon was still following me around like a comforting, looming shadow, just as he had been before. I was treating him like a bodyguard, but with some added perks that most definitely were not part of his contract.

In other words, we were both in silent denial. I supposed that we both assumed the very second one of us brought it up, the spell would be broken. Whatever miraculous twist of fate that had brought the two of us together in the first place would snatch us right back out of each other’s loving arms, and we would both go back to our considerably less fulfilled lives. Alone.

The thought of living my life the way I used to, back before Damon came sauntering into my universe made me sick to my stomach. I couldn’t fathom ever giving him up. In such a short amount of time he had become so important to me. Vital, even. His love and support gave me strength I didn’t even know I had until he inspired me. I was a better man with him by my side, and I would’ve dared to say the feeling was mutual.

So today, as I sat behind my big mahogany desk, slogging through boring paperwork, I couldn’t help but keep glancing across the office at Damon. He was sitting in the same corner he sat in the very first hour we spent together some time ago. Only now, instead of doing everything in his power to ignore me, he often spoke, smiling and joking. Encouraging me in that stoic, earnest way he did. For a split second, I tried to picture that chair empty without him in it, and my heart thumped so painfully it nearly knocked the wind out of me.

Still, I knew we’d have to talk about the situation eventually. I was in the midst of trying to shove that thought as far into the back of my mind as humanly possible when my desk phone rang. Desperate for a distraction, I snatched it up after the first ring and answered, a little too eagerly, “Davenport!”

There was a pause, and then the voice on the other end of the line said slowly, “Mr. Davenport, this is Nolan Wade. Do you have a minute to talk? This won’t take long.”

I glanced up at Damon, who noticed the emphatic look on my face and mouthed, “Mayor Wade?” I nodded vigorously. Damon got up and came to sit across from me, leaning forward with genuine interest.

“Mr. Davenport? Are you still there?” the mayor repeated.

“Oh! Yes. Yes, I’m here. Sorry. I was distracted. How may I help you today?” I replied awkwardly, wincing.

Damon gave me a sympathetic look and took my free hand, giving it a little squeeze. I smiled, instantly calming down a little.

“Well, I wanted to touch base and give you a firm answer on your proposal,” the mayor said. I held my breath. “I’ve had extensive discussions with my committee and my budgetary advisors, and I’m pleased to tell you that we have decided, unequivocally, to go with your nanopores system.”

I jumped to my feet, grinning from ear to ear. Damon followed suit, pumping his fist in the air. I could hardly keep from laughing with joy as the mayor continued, “Could we schedule another meeting sometime in the upcoming week? My people need to speak with you about how best to go about establishing the new system. I’ll admit, it’s a bit out of my depth, personally. But that’s why I have people who do that kind of thinking for me.”

“Yes. Yes! That will be perfect. I’m looking forward to it. You won’t regret this, Mayor, I promise. Thank you for the opportunity. I’m excited to get started,” I gushed.

Mayor Wade chuckled. “No, thank you, Mr. Davenport. Your work is going to change a lot of lives here locally. Oakview will be very lucky to have you onboard. Well, I’ll have my secretary call your people later this afternoon about the meeting. Have a great day.”

“Same to you, sir. Thank you again,” I said, and hung up. The second I set the phone down, Damon came rushing around to my side of the desk, throwing his strong arms around me in a tight embrace. He swayed side to side, kissing me on the cheek. I knew the interns and execs out there could definitely see us through the glass walls of my office, but I didn’t care, and neither did Damon.

An hour later, we had informed everyone in the building about the good news, and so we all decided to put off work for the rest of the day and hold an impromptu office-wide celebration in the biggest conference hall in the building. Someone had run out and picked up a gigantic catering order of sushi and sake, one of the interns brought in a stereo system from home and plugged in a lively playlist of upbeat, catchy songs, and Susan, to my surprise, brought in a massive cake. We were all gathered together, laughing and chatting, getting progressively tipsier on sake shots, just celebrating this enormous victory as a group. Even Susan was wearing a big smile as she wove her way through the chattering crowds to talk to Damon and me as we stood in a quieter corner together.

“Congratulations, Jamie!” she exclaimed, shaking my hand. “This is a big win, for us and for the people of Oakview. All your hard work is paying off. How do you feel?”

I grinned, shaking my head in disbelief. “Honestly? I’m overwhelmed. It’s so much to take in. I’ve been dreaming about something like this for so long, I can’t believe it’s finally happening. And of course I couldn’t have done it without all of you,” I added, patting her on the shoulder. She smiled.

“Oh, you’re too diplomatic. Come on, brag a little. You’ve certainly earned it,” she said with a most uncharacteristic wink. I realized with some amusement that she had probably already downed a few sake shots and was feeling a little buzzy. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, her usually austere ponytail sliding a little loosely down the back of her head. She then seemed to notice Damon for the first time since walking over here, and she tilted her head to one side.

“Hey, why are you still here?” she asked.

“Wow, Su, that’s a little rude,” I snorted. “He’s here for the party, too.”

“Well, yeah,” she laughed, rolling her eyes. “I know that. I meant to say what’s the plan now? I mean, clearly you’re not needed as a bodyguard anymore. So, what’s your next move?”

Damon looked at me with concern for a moment before answering coolly, “I’ll be moving on soon, of course. On to the next contract.”

“Right on, man,” she said, lifting her drink and wobbling a little. “Got to keep that hustle a-moving. Money, money, money.”

“Uh, maybe you should have a seat and chill for a while,” I suggested, my face burning.

She scoffed and waved her hand, still grinning.

“I’m good. I’m great, actually,” Susan replied before wandering off to chat with someone else.

Before I could turn to say something to him, Damon walked away, leaving me standing there alone and confused.

“Damon?” I said, frowning. “Damon, hold on.”

I followed after him and was surprised to see him duck into a supply room in the hallway, away from the prying eyes and noise of the party. Before he could lock the door, I grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door open, sliding into the room. I shut the door behind me and then turned to look at Damon, whose face was glowering. I could tell he was upset.

“Hey, what’s going on? Why’d you run off?” I asked softly.

“She may be drunk, but Susan has a point,” he sighed. “You don’t need me anymore.”

“That’s not true,” I protested, shaking my head. “You know it’s not true.”

“Come on, Jamie. You’re free. Barry and Jeff are out of the picture, your work is going to be implemented in a big way, and you have no need for a bodyguard anymore,” he said.

“Sure, maybe not. But that doesn’t mean I want you gone,” I explained, stepping closer. My heart pounded in my chest. “In fact, I--I kind of never want you to leave. I feel safer with you around. I feel good. I need you.”

Damon’s beautiful blue eyes softened. “No, you don’t need me.”

“Fine, then. Maybe I don’t need you. But I do want you. And not just temporarily, either. I want you around for good, Damon. I want you to stay,” I insisted. “I don’t want to imagine my life without you in it. Please don’t go.”

He raked his fingers back through his dark hair, groaning. “Jamie, you can’t afford to keep me on. My salary is a frivolous expense at this point. That’s money you could put toward more groundbreaking work.”

“I can afford it,” I said stubbornly, folding my arms over my chest.

“But you shouldn’t have to,” Damon countered. “You hired me for a job, and that job has ended. That’s how a contract works, Jamie.”

“Look, I’ll do anything to keep you,” I said, closing the space between us and grabbing his hands. “I mean it. I’ll do anything. Pay anything. You say the word, and it’s yours.”

“I don’t want anything from you,” he said patiently.

I stared at him hard, searching his face for an answer, for an opening. But he was resolute, and I knew I had to pull out the big guns. It was time to be honest, even if it scared the hell out of me to do so.

“Listen, Damon. I’m going to be really, really honest with you here,” I began, taking a deep breath. “I’m in love with you. I love you. I want you in my life. Not as a bodyguard, but as a boyfriend. As whatever you want to be. Just… don’t leave.”

“Jamie,” he murmured, those blue eyes widening.

“And what’s more, I think-- I think you feel the same way. You said so yourself, didn’t you? That night on the hotel couch, when I was falling asleep in your arms. I thought I heard you say it,” I rambled, grasping at straws.

He smiled, sending a ray of warmth through my body. Damon nodded.

“Yeah. You’re right. Of course, you’re right. I did say it. Because it’s true, Jamie. I love you. I never could’ve seen it coming, but there it is. I love you,” he said, grinning.

Happy tears burned in my eyes as I leaned forward and kissed him, my heart surging with affection when he kissed me back. We broke apart, and I said, “So what do we do? How do I keep you around me?”

“Well, if you want me to be your boyfriend, that’s fine by me. But I do need to make a living, still. I can’t just rely on you. I may be a catch, but I’m no trophy husband.”

He chuckled.

Then it hit me, and I gasped. He looked startled.

“What? What is it?” he asked warily.

“I have an idea,” I said, smiling excitedly. “You know how you scolded me for how lax and crappy my security is around here?”

“Yeah. Sorry about that. I was a little harsh,” he said.

I shook my head. “No, no. You were totally right. I had no idea how bad it was until you pointed it out, and you know why? Because you’re good at that stuff. You know how to run a security team like nobody’s business. What if-- hear me out-- what if I hired you on to help Susan run security?” I suggested, a little breathlessly.

He looked stunned at first, then thoughtful. “And you don’t think Susan will mind?”

I snorted. “Oh, god no. She’d be elated. That woman hasn’t taken a day off in probably months. It’s no wonder she’s getting toasty on sake in there. She needs a break. Besides, she’d probably appreciate finally not having to be the only one on the security team with any idea what the hell she’s doing. What do you say, Damon?”

A broad, joyous grin spread slowly across his handsome face and he nodded. “Okay. Yeah. You know what? Okay. I’m in. And by that I mean I’m all in-- the job and the whole boyfriend thing, too. I love you, Jamie, and I’m not going anywhere.”

I wrapped my arms around him, peppering his cheek with kisses as my heart swelled with joy. “Thank god,” I murmured. “I love you.”

And I knew without a single shred of doubt in my mind that this was right. This was the fate I’d been unwittingly walking toward my whole life. Every misstep, every mistake along the way had only worked to bring me here, to Damon’s arms. Where I belonged. He was the one. I knew it with every thump of my happy heart. He was the one, and I had no intention of letting him slip away.