308 Beautiful Flaws

"Where's the rest of your clothes?" Damien asked in almost a whisper, his voice remained cold and almost angry while his eyes were trained on hers and not on her body. If he as much as glance below her jaw at the moment, he would lose it.

"What—" Katherine glanced down and sighed, turning around to grab the shirt that was on top of the pile she just made. She wore it on her again and grabbed her jacket and cap too. Walking past him, she tossed her stuff on the sofa. "It's my house, I can walk around naked when I want."

"Except you're living with another man who is not me. Do you always walk around naked while he's here?"

"Styles is asleep. I only do it when I'm alone." She rolled her eyes and slumped on the sofa, exhausted from everything that she did that day. The soft material against her back was so nice and comforting compared to the one she had fallen asleep on in the motel. Her back was aching and her eyes instantly closed as though she couldn't be bothered that Damien was still standing there staring at her. She just wanted to sleep. "What are you doing here, Damien?"

"I came to check up on you," he answered, walking towards where she was resting to check if she was harmed.

"I already told you that I was fine…"

"It doesn't mean I will stop worrying just because you said so." He dug his hands in the pockets of his grey trench coat.

Katherine slowly fluttered her eyes open and looked at him. Underneath his coat, he was only wearing a plain white t-shirt and black joggers — something that he wore whenever he was just lounging at home.

Home… They didn't share the same home anymore.

"You didn't have to drive all the way out here. You could have just called. And I'm home now, so there's no need to worry—Achoo!" She sneezed.

"I will ride a plane if I have to, Katherine. You cannot stop me." He handed her a tissue. 

"Thanks."

He didn't have to ride a plane, really… just a one-floor-down ride of the elevator. So convenient.

"Are you sick? I knew the pool was a bad idea." He pressed the palm of his hand on her forehead to check her temperature. She didn't feel hot.

Just then, Katherine's stomach growled and her hands flew to cover her tummy as though it will make the sound less audible. Damien only chuckled at her reaction and shook his head. 

"And you haven't eaten yet…" He turned around and strolled towards her kitchen and started grabbing some tools. "I brought food. Go and change while I heat it up," he said.

Katherine followed him and leaned against the wall, watching him as he moved about in her own kitchen. "You seem to be so at home… You're raiding my kitchen now?"

"I can feed myself, Damien. You can go home now." She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and drank it to cool herself. She was annoyed at the reminder because now she could only think of what he did to her in the walk-in closet. The scowl on her face was evident.

"I will after you eat. And why are you irritated? Are you still sexually frustrated?"

Katherine spat out some water and choked on it. Damien Park… whose middle name was 'Shameless'... just couldn't resist embarrassing her. 

"You are the most annoying man!" she bit out, wiping the water off her shirt.

He laughed while stirring the food in the pot with a wooden ladle. He had a cute smile on his face as he said, "Thank you…"

"That wasn't a compliment!" She got even more annoyed by his nonchalant behavior.

"I know… I'm flattered." He winked at her again.

"Ugh! You're impossible." She turned around and headed towards her bedroom to change. She had to wash her face with cold water to calm down or she might have to punch Damien.

While she was feeling all worked up, the charming, tall man in the kitchen was having the time of his life while fixing his love with some food to warm her up. Of course, Damien only found her reaction adorable. His Little Kitten was having a tantrum.

…

Later…

"Do you really have to do this? I feel fine…" Katherine climbed on her bed and settled in the middle, allowing Damien to tuck her in. "You're overreacting."

He ignored her and sat on the bed facing her. It had been a while since they were this close. Their relationship was nowhere near how they were before but there was certainly some progress. "I'm glad you're okay… I called you a few times but you didn't answer. What were you doing?"

"I fell asleep waiting for Falcon…"

He nodded softly and asked, "Is she a good friend of yours?"

Katherine darted her eyes to the side as she tried to come up with how she was going to answer Damien. 'She's your mother!' she wanted to shout.

"I actually just met her recently… A few days before I came back…"

"I see… The three of you seem to be a great team," he remarked. 

It was suddenly quiet as the two of them didn't know what to talk about. But before Katherine could say anything, Damien laid on the bed next to her.

"What are you doing?" She flinched.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to touch you. Just let me lay down for a bit." He kept his gaze straight at the ceiling. "This… you and me, Katherine... It feels a little bit surreal."

She turned and laid on her side to face him, watching the outline of his face just several inches in front of her. He wasn't wearing any perfume yet his familiar scent made her feel as though she was 'home'. She heard him but she didn't know what to say so she just stared at him, her gaze tracing the curves of his nose, his lips, his jaw…

Damien shifted and laid on his side facing her. The two of them were now looking at each other but not saying anything. The quiet moment allowed the two of them to appreciate the presence of the other without the need to talk.

He wondered what was going on in her head. He wanted to ask but he didn't want to disturb the peace in the air, afraid that if he said something, she might turn away. So just like her, he kept quiet.

"Tomorrow, I'll tell you…" she started.

"Hmmm?"

"Tomorrow… I'll tell you the truth. And you're not going to like it."

Ever so slightly, Damien revealed a small smile on his face and told her, "The truth isn't always pretty. And I might not like it… But I like you. I'm not perfect either. So whatever flaws you have, Katherine... They will only be beautiful to me."