Eddie didn't sleep. He hadn't in two days. Sleep was for the sane, and he hadn't been that since the moment Maya smiled at Damon like he hung the damn stars.
He sat in his office chair, legs spread, whiskey untouched on the desk. His tie was loose, shirt half-buttoned, a mess of papers scattered around him—some fake, some real, all a waste of time. But his plan? That had been perfect.
Sabotage the deal. Create a phantom error. Get Damon called out of state. Away from Maya.
And for a few hours, it worked.
He even smiled.
Until he walked into the Thompson Group office that morning, expecting a Damon-free world, and—
"Morning," Damon said casually, already seated, sleeves rolled up, laptop open. Like he owned the place. Like he hadn't just fucking crawled out of Eddie's worst nightmare.
Eddie stopped mid-step. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
Damon barely glanced at him. "Fixed your little 'mistake.' You're welcome."
There it was. A jab, but polite enough to keep it in the family. Classic Damon.
Eddie's jaw tensed. He stormed into his office, slammed the door shut, and cursed loud enough to rattle the blinds.
Of course Damon would sniff out the setup. He wasn't an idiot. That's what made him dangerous.
That's what made Maya like him.
That morning…
Maya sat with Luna and Sally in the café lounge at school, red designer tote perched on the chair beside her, phone in hand, nails perfectly done, voice animated.
"Yeah, he said he doesn't care if I love him or not," Maya said, fingers twirling her iced latte straw. "He just wants to be by my side. Like, no pressure. Just support."
Sally blinked. "Okay, what the fuck? That's actually kind of romantic."
Luna smirked. "It's Damon. Of course it is. He's like… Daddy energy with soft boy morals."
They all laughed, Maya especially loud.
"But seriously," Luna said, "you need to give him a chance. Eddie? He was fucking twisted. Look what he did to you."
"He's evil," Sally added. "And stupid. And manipulative. And—"
"Okay, okay," Maya laughed again, eyes rolling. "I get it. He sucked."
"No. He didn't suck," Luna said, dead serious. "He was fucking sick."
Maya fell silent, lips tightening. "Yeah."
Sally leaned closer. "You need to be sure about your feelings. Like, actually sure. And if Damon makes you feel safe, you owe it to yourself to try."
Maya bit her lip. "You're right. I just… I need to talk to him."
She picked up her phone. Dialed.
It rang.
And rang.
Straight to voicemail.
Back at the office, Eddie was pacing, watching Damon. That bastard was too calm. No one's that calm unless they know something.
Then Damon's phone buzzed.
Eddie's head whipped.
"Answer it," he snapped.
Damon raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
"Don't be a dick. Just answer it."
Damon did.
"Hey," he said smoothly.
Eddie stopped breathing.
"Where are you?" Maya's voice burst through the speaker. "I've been calling you all morning! I even went to the office—they told me you were on a business trip! What the hell?"
Eddie's heart did something violent and stupid.
She still remembers my number. Maybe she'll ask about me. Maybe she'll—
"I'm… away," Damon said, locking eyes with Eddie, tone sharp. "Business stuff."
Maya paused. "Why didn't you say goodbye?"
Eddie flinched.
Then came the memory—
Her. That day outside his house. Laughing. That red fucking jacket swinging off one shoulder. She'd smiled at him. Right before she walked past like he was invisible.
He clenched his jaw.
"She misses you," Damon mouthed.
Eddie wanted to smash his face in.
Then Maya's voice again, light but honest. "Anyway… tell Eddie I said hi."
Eddie's eyes widened. There it was. That flicker of hope. Maybe—
Maybe she's still thinking about me.
Damon gave him a glance, paused… and said, "I'm with Eddie right now."
There was silence.
Then Maya: "Oh. Okay. Whatever. See you later."
Before Eddie could move, Damon hung up.
Eddie lunged. "Give me the goddamn phone—"
Damon stepped back. "Too late, Romeo."
"You fucking—" He grabbed his collar, yanked him forward. "What are you even doing here?"
"Fixing the mess you made," Damon hissed. "I know it was you. Don't act surprised."
Eddie laughed bitterly. "Bingo. Took you long enough."
"You fucked with company data just to get me away from Maya?" Damon's voice was rising. "That's low, even for you."
Eddie's smile faded. "You don't get to have her."
"She's not yours."
"Bullshit. You saw what we had."
"I saw what you broke," Damon spat. "She cried over you for months. And you didn't even look back."
Eddie's fists curled. "Stay the fuck away from her."
"No."
"You wrote that blog post like a little bitch—"
"She deserved the truth."
"She deserves better than you," Eddie growled. "And you wanna play knight in shining armor? Go ahead. But don't forget who broke her in the first place. I did. I broke her."
"You're proud of that?" Damon asked, eyes burning.
Eddie didn't answer.
Damon shook his head. "You're not just toxic, Eddie. You're sick. Fucking evil."
Eddie lunged.
But Damon was faster.
Fist. Face. Crack.
Eddie hit the floor hard, blood in his mouth.
"Get up," Damon said coldly.
Eddie stayed down.
And when Damon walked out, Eddie didn't follow.
He sat there, chest heaving, knuckles bruised, heart ripped open.
Eddie sat there for a long time.
Jaw throbbing. Hands shaking. The metallic taste of blood spreading across his tongue like punishment he couldn't spit out.
Damon's footsteps faded down the hall.
He didn't care.
No—he cared too much. That was the problem.
His chest felt hollow and full at the same time. Like a sinkhole packed with dynamite. Like if he moved the wrong way, he'd fucking explode.
"Tell Eddie I said hi."
That line echoed. On repeat. Like a fucking curse. She said it so easily. So casually. Like he was a memory, like he didn't matter.
Like he hadn't once made her scream his name into a pillow.
She still remembered his number. Still thought about him.
But not enough.
Not enough to ask. Not enough to care. Not enough to stop herself from loving someone else.
Not enough to come back.
"Fuck," he whispered, dragging his hand down his face.
He stood, stumbled, kicked the chair. It slammed into the wall with a crash that didn't satisfy him nearly enough. He wanted to destroy something alive.
Wanted to tear Damon apart, limb by limb.
Wanted to grab Maya and make her remember—who she used to be when she was with him. The fire. The fights. The way she used to look at him like he was the whole damn universe.
She didn't look at Damon like that.
No—she looked at him softer.
Quieter.
Safe.
And it fucking killed Eddie.
He staggered to his desk, grabbed his phone,
His fingers hovered over the screen.
His breath caught
He stared at it.
Thumb trembling.
His reflection caught in the phone screen—bloodied lip, eyes wild, tie hanging like a noose.
He opened his messages. New phone number, burner SIM. No name. She'd never know it was him.
Typed :
"Does he know you used to beg me to stay? Even when I was fucking everything up? Does he know what you sound like when you cry my name?"
Send.
He sat back. Chest heaving. Eyes stinging.
A pause.
Three dots appeared.
Typing.
Then—
Blocked.
Again.
The screen flashed: This user is unavailable.
Eddie stared.
Silence.
And then he started laughing.
Loud. Hysterical. Fucking broken.
He leaned back in his chair, head against the wall, laughing so hard he couldn't breathe.
She blocked him.
Again.
Of course she did.
That was Maya—loud, stunning, sharp-tongued, and fucking done with him. Even now. Even after everything. She had the nerve to block him with a brand-new number.
"Cold," he muttered. "That's cold, baby."
But he couldn't stop smiling.
Because she answered.
She read it.
And for just one second—he was in her head again.
He stood, grabbed his jacket, and walked out of the office without a word.
He wasn't done.
Not even close.
Damon might've won today.
But Eddie?
Eddie wasn't playing fair anymore.