*Isabella's POV*
And then, a new song started. The lights dimmed, a single, soft spotlight illuminating Chris Martin. The opening notes were simple, hypnotic, a soulful melody that immediately quieted the roaring crowd.
Before I could even place it, Damien's hands were on my waist. He spun me around to face him, a wide, unguarded smile on his face. And then, with a strength that still took my breath away, he lifted me. My feet left the ground, and I was suddenly wrapped around his waist , held tight against his chest, his arms a secure, as mine braced on him shoulders.
The hypnotic, soulful voice of Chris Martin thumped in my ears, a raw, emotional sound that seemed to be singing just for us. As Damien held me, his eyes locked on mine, Chris sang on stage, " 'Cause you're a sky, 'cause you're a sky full of stars..."
Holy shit. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic, wild rhythm. I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding on tight as he swayed with me, moving slowly to the music.
"...I wanna die in your arms, oh, oh-oh," Chris's voice soared, full of a beautiful, painful ache that resonated deep inside me. In that moment, surrounded by thousands of people, it felt like we were the only two people in the world. The lights, the music, the crowd... it all faded into a blurry, colourful background. All I could see was his face, illuminated by the soft stage lights, his eyes burning with an emotion so raw and open it made my chest ache.
"'Cause you get lighter the more it gets dark, I'm gonna give you my heart, oh," Chris sang, and I felt Damien's arms tighten around me, a silent, possessive echo of the lyrics. He buried his face in my neck, and I could feel his warm breath against my skin, a quiet, intimate gesture in the middle of all that beautiful noise. I was completely and utterly lost, a sky full of stars, and I was right where I was supposed to be.
Damien's eyes were locked on mine, and in that moment, they were telling me a thousand silent words. Tonight, he wasn't the CEO, Damien Lancaster, the man who owned cities and commanded boardrooms. He wasn't even my rough, dominant lover, the one who left me aching and begging for more. He was just Damien. The real, simple Damien. And tonight, for the first time, he had the fucking courage to show himself to me, to let that carefully constructed fortress crumble to dust. And I realised, with a jolt that felt like a lightning strike, that I liked him more than any other version of him. The man before my eyes, with his warm gaze holding mine, was a version of Damien that I adored, a version I could easily, terrifyingly, fall for.
"You're my sky full of stars, Isabella," he whispered, his voice a low, raw murmur that was just for me, a secret confession against the backdrop of a roaring crowd. "Please don't ever stop lighting up my path."
I could hear the music faintly, a distant, thumping beat, amidst the fucking explosion of feelings my heart was bearing. It was too much. It was everything. All my defences, all my sarcasm, all my carefully constructed walls, they just crumbled into dust.
"'Cause you get lighter the more it gets dark, I'm gonna give you my heart, oh," Chris Martin's voice soared from the stage, a beautiful, painful ache that resonated deep inside me. "I don't care, go on and tear me apart I don't care if you do, ooh-ooh, ooh."
And that was it. That was exactly it. I didn't care if he tore me apart, piece by fucking piece. In that moment, held in his arms with his whispered words in my ear and a sky full of stars above us, I would have let him. Gladly.
I adore all of him. His power, that cold, calculating control that could make a whole room hold its breath. His dominance, the way he could bend me to his will with just a look or a word. But this... this raw, unfiltered vulnerability he was showing me, letting his walls down just for me... it made me weak in the knees. It made me feel like I was seeing a secret part of him no one else ever had.
"I was never good with words, Isabella," he whispered, his voice a low, raw murmur that vibrated right through me. "I was always good at numbers, at strategies, at seeing outcomes. But feelings... they're a messy, unpredictable offence. I can't tell you what I feel right now, mostly because I don't know...It's beyond me. But you... you make me feel things I don't know how to name. You make me feel... happy. So fucking happy. And for as long as I live, I promise I'll try to do the same. To make you happy. I want you to be mine. Forever, don't ever leave me."
My heart was pounding like thunder in my chest, a frantic, wild rhythm that felt like it was trying to break free. I felt tears sting my eyes, a hot, surprising rush of emotion. I couldn't remember the last time I cried, not from sadness, not from pain, but it was an thrilled feeling of freedom and Joy, a release of all the tension I'd been holding onto for so long. I adored him deeply, more than I could've ever imagined.
Our lips collided like stars in an epic explosion, a desperate, hungry kiss that was full of the emotions simmering between us.
With my eyes closed, I could see everything that had transpired between us more clearly. The unspoken words, the stolen glances, the secret touches. I could feel the softness of his touch, his arms wrapping tighter around me, holding me like I was something precious, something he was afraid to lose. I held him tightly, my hand at the back of his neck, feeling safe, secure, and for the first time in my entire fucking life, not afraid.
"I won't leave you, Damien," I whispered when we finally broke apart, our foreheads resting together. "I'm here for as long as you want me. But please... please don't hurt me."
"I would never, Isabella," he whispered, his voice a raw, broken sound that was more powerful than any declaration. "I would never."