Page 2 of Mutual Desire (The Awakening #1)
Digging the Grave
Damien couldn't decide what was worse: the headache or knowing he had no one to blame but himself. There was a time, waking up with that throbbing pain had been an unfortunate ritual. He turned his head slightly, glimpsing at Craig, who was sound asleep beside him. The sunlight streaked through the curtains, highlighting the loose strands of Craig's brown hair.
For a moment, Damien just watched him, marveling at how peaceful his man looked in his sleep. Even after three years, it never got old. Damien loved this—this quiet, intimate ritual of mornings spent together. Gently, he brushed his fingers through Craig’s hair, careful not to wake him. The headache could wait. Watching Craig sleep was his favorite way to start the day.
It was moments like this that reminded him how lucky he was to have Craig in his life. After everything he had been through, the whirlwind relationships, the toxic connections—Craig was the calm after the storm. Life had been hectic lately—work shifts colliding, missed conversations, stolen moments—but seeing Craig like this made all the chaos feel distant, like white noise in the background. Damien missed the little things: the morning coffees together, the long conversations that stretched into the night, and the intimacy of their lovemaking . Yet somehow, watching Craig sleep made all of it feel okay.
As he gazed at his boyfriend, memories of how they first met floated into his mind. He could still picture that night as if it were yesterday—Craig, sitting across from him in that crowded café, stealing glances when he thought Damien wasn’t looking. Craig had been adorably shy, his cheeks flushing the moment their eyes met. It was a simple look, but one that sparked something between them.
Damien smiled at the thought, his fingers still idly playing with Craig’s hair. If someone had told him back then that Craig would become the best relationship he had ever had, he might not have believed them. After all, he had been through so much before they met—relationships that left scars more than they provided comfort. Like Nolan. Damien’s mind flickered briefly to his first serious relationship with his former teacher. That had been... complicated. Comforting in a way Damien had needed back then, and eye-opening, too—his first relationship with a man, but not love. Maybe he hadn’t known the difference until now.
With a soft sigh, Damien shifted slightly and glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table—9:38. He cursed under his breath. He had planned to go to Nick’s around ten, which left him with barely any time to eat or even think about anything else. His headache lingered, so he popped two pills, hoping they’d kick in soon. A cold shower helped somewhat, but the rush was on. He dressed quickly, grabbed his black bag with his MacBook and iPad, rushed to the door and headed out.
He winced as the cold morning air hit him, reminding him of his headache that the painkillers hadn’t quite cured. Driving to Nick's condo, his mind drifted between the comforting memory of Craig sleeping and the upcoming task of helping Nick with his project. As he drove, he shot a quick message to Craig, letting him know his plans for the day. The last thing he wanted was for Craig to wake up and worry. The thought of Craig waking up alone tugged at him—he wished he could’ve stayed longer in bed, but Nick needed him.
When he arrived at Nick’s condo, Damien let himself in using the spare key. The place was a familiar chaos of clutter. He wasn’t surprised at the mess. Nick had never been one for tidiness. Living with him back in the day had proven that point thoroughly. Papers, clothes, empty mugs cluttered every surface, and there were cables strewn across the floor like some kind of digital jungle. Despite the chaos, the place hadn’t lost its luxurious edge, though Damien could almost hear his mom’s voice in his head, telling him how untidy men always are when they live alone.
Nick was still in his pajamas, sitting at the kitchen counter surrounded by his two laptops, both of which were littered with coding screens. From the look of him, Nick had been glued there since their early morning call. His brown hair looked as if he’d been ruffling it in frustration, his muscular torso bare, and Damien could see from his red-rimmed eyes that his friend had probably been awake all night. The second Nick noticed Damien, his stressed expression morphed into pure relief.
“D! I've missed you, man,” Nick said, practically leaping from his chair to pull Damien into a hug. His arm wrapped around Damien’s neck in a quick embrace, the excitement in his voice at odds with his clear exhaustion.
A small, amused smile tugged at Damien’s lips. It had been a month since he last saw Nick, and in that time, his friend had clearly been run ragged. The dark circles under Nick’s red eyes told the whole story. Damien could see the toll of too many sleepless nights. Damien wondered how many espressos and energy drinks Nick had consumed to survive. He knew he’d need at least a couple himself if he was going to make it through the day.
Damien gave a small chuckle and patted Nick’s back. “You look terrible,” he teased, though concern was simmering underneath. “How many espressos have you had?”
Nick groaned, shaking his head. “Not enough, apparently.”
“Yeah, I can see that,” Damien chuckled, sliding his arm around the back of Nick’s neck, pulling him in for a proper hug.
They walked back to the kitchen, Nick pulling Damien by the waist as if he’d just returned from a long absence instead of just a few weeks. Damien glanced at the two laptops and the endless lines of code, and already, his headache seemed to pulse again. Damien’s mind briefly wandered to Craig back at the apartment. He wished he were still at home with Craig, sipping coffee and watching his boyfriend sleep off the night shift. He quickly shoved those thoughts aside—this was a day to be a friend. Nick needed him. His friend had always been the type to overwork himself, and as much as Damien wanted to get this software situation handled quickly, he couldn’t ignore the deep fatigue in Nick’s eyes.
“So, what’s the emergency?” Damien asked as they both sat down at the cluttered kitchen table.
Nick sighed heavily and rubbed his face. “It’s that fucking bug, man. I’ve hit a wall. I’ve been working on this for days, and nothing’s clicking. I just need your fresh eyes on it.”
Damien nodded, pulling out his MacBook and setting it on the counter. He pulled up the software interface Nick had sent him after their phone call a couple of hours ago, diving in despite the dull ache still knocking at the back of his skull.
“I’ll do what I can. Let’s take a look.”
Nick jumped straight into explaining the latest glitch in the system, hands flying over the keyboard as he spoke. Damien listened, following along as best as he could, though some of the details flew over his head. Still, he appreciated Nick’s trust—it wasn’t every day someone handed you their mess and asked you to make sense of it.
That was the thing about Nick; he always knew Damien would come through, no matter what. Nick’s desperate gaze lingered on Damien for a moment longer, and Damien couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. He’d known Nick for years, and while Nick always threw himself fully into his work, it wasn’t often that he saw him this frayed.
As they worked, Damien found his thoughts drifting again—not to Craig this time, but to the complexity of his relationships. Nick, of course, had always been there, one of the few constants in his life. He couldn't help but feel lucky to have such strong bonds, especially after everything he'd been through in the past. The toxic, whirlwind romance with Jason had left scars. Then Craig came along—steady, dependable Craig. It was Craig who brought calmness into his otherwise complicated life.
Nick snapped him back to the present. “D, you okay? You look like you’re on another planet.”
Damien blinked, refocusing on the screen. “Yeah, just thinking.”
Nick smirked. “About Craig?”
Damien couldn’t help but laugh. “Always.”
As they worked, the hours blurred together. Line after line of code filled the screen, and slowly, bit by bit, they began to make progress. As the sun began to lower in the sky, and the familiar hum of the city softened outside the windows, Damien knew it was time to wrap things up. His fingers ached from typing and his headache had returned, but Nick seemed in much better spirits now.
“Thanks for this,” Nick said, his voice quieter now, gratitude evident. “I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Damien smiled, shaking his head. “You’d figure it out. You always do.”
Nick grinned. “Maybe. But it’s good to know you’re there when I can’t.”
They shared a quiet moment of camaraderie, and for the first time that day, Damien felt a sense of peace. He would head home soon—back to Craig—and for now, everything seemed manageable.