A Long Lost Love (Closed)

Damian hadn't always been confident, strong and fit. In fact his past had been quite different indeed. Raised in what one would consider the best of neighborhoods, beneath the surface was anything but perfect. He hid the bruises... the physical signs were easy to hide, the emotional scars weren't as easily. Like most who had grown in an abusive household though he managed to hide it from others.

Growing up he was highly introverted, it taking until high school before he even began to develop any form of confidence, and that was because he was incredibly smart. Being smart had it's advantages but also it's dis-advantages, namely he was titled as a nerd, and of course his popularity was never that high. He did make two good friends who he valued more than others, but when he reached the twelfth grade he met her.

She was beautiful and smart and everything that Damian could never really hope to be. Yet she was also thoughtful, gave him the time of day and over the span of that last year of high school Damian found himself falling in love. That was until that day. He had been sitting in Physics... actually helping her through one of the more complicated projects they were working on when his thoughts were blaringly interrupted by the loudspeaker.

** Damian Maloy, please report to the Front Office... once again Damian Maloy, please report to the Front Office. **

Confused as all heck, Damian did get up from the work bench and with a nervous smile, nodded to the teacher before he headed out of the classroom. That was the last time she had seen him. High School gossip traveled fast and it was later found out that Damian's father had gone on a bender. Now, normally that would have been fine as the community was a small town and everyone knew everyone so to speak, but not this time.

The fire had broken out from one of the oil lamps falling over as his father had chased his mother back at home. She had managed to grab a pan and smack him over the head, but not before he had stabbed her with his utility knife that he always carried. They had both died it the fire.

From there Damian had seemed to dissapear. The police who had come to the High School escorted him first to the office, and then to one of the emergency foster care homes. He was gone in the morning, and no one had seen him after. The Police did make an effort to find him but by the time anyone realized he was missing he was gone.

Damian had managed to escape it all... he knew his uncle was alive but the thought of going to him was even worse than knowing his parents were dead... mostly his mom. His mother had always been the strong point of his world... and with her gone in his broken mind he had nothing left. Taking one of the Greyhounds with the little money he had, he had gotten out. From there when he managed to get to one of the recruitment center's Damian enlisted in the army... and was gone.

~~ Ten Years Later ~~

The slight squeal of the wheels gave clear indication to the Greyhounds protest at having to stop, and yet it smoothly did at the Point, the local shop which also served dual purpose as the Greyhound stop point for the small town as well. Not to many people climbed off, but with dark grey jeans and a dark green polo shirt Damian stepped off the bus.

He had thought long and hard before returning 'home'. He doubted anyone who he had even known would still be around. He did have a smartphone but he wasn't personally linked on any social platform. He did have pseudo names on there which is how he knew Trevor Kallon had moved to Florida and had become an accountant (Damian's first friend) and also that Kyle Janson had moved to Washington to become a politician. Both had been his extremely limited circle of friends all those years back, but other than that... other than her... there was no one else here who should even care.

Taking in the warm day Damian nodded to the driver as the older man went over to the underbelly storage. The old man had been a pleasure to talk to through the ride. He was a veteran himself so they traded stories and overall it had made this trip back home more bearable.

Damian had served his country for ten years. Right after his enlistment Damian had gone to Book Camp for the initial eight weeks. From there he had done six weeks for his pre-Basic Underwater Demolitions training. Once he had completed that he had gone to Coronado California where he kept up his training while he waited for his class to assemble. That ended up taking two months after which he entered his INDOC, which he passed with flying colors. From there he began his full Basic Underwater Demolitions training which took him six months further.

Once he was done he went to Jump School in Yuma and spent a month to make sure that he was ready for what came next. He went headlong into his Skills Qualification Testing and pushed right through that, though the exact amount of time it took to get through everything for SEAL included he wasn't quite sure. He did know at the end of two years he was 'crowned' a Navy SEAL and from there he went on deployment. His initial tour went smoothly, and when he returned he was invited to become a SEAL Sniper.

Time had flown from there, and ten years later he had changed quite a bit from the man he had been before. Damian collected his duffel bag and shook hands with the driver one last time before he headed into town. His first stop was to the Sheriff's office. He wanted to apologize to the Police for his disappearance all those years back, and he wasn't all that surprised when it was Sheriff Dobson who met him. It took him about an hour of sitting and talking with the Sheriff before he made it clear he was here to stay. He had gone all over the world but in his heart though this place was also the place of his pain... it was also his home, and he wouldn't give it up without a fight.

From there Damian headed to the local Hotel... he didn't have a permanent place right then, but he knew he'd be all right. The Local Hotel housed quite a few drifters who came and went and things were quiet for a while there. He wasn't sure what his actual plan was but for now he was content to be 'home'. Paying for a month of a room in cash, he headed in and dropping off his duffel bag he decided the first thing he needed to do was go grocery shopping, so he headed over to the grocer's. Picking up fresh chicken a bag of rice and some frozen veggies he was good for now... though after that first day he figured he should get a job.

So first he headed to the library to write up a resume which he hadn't had to do for ten years, but outlying all the training and skills he had, well he figured he'd make a pass as a fitness coach. Helping people achieve their goals was something that Damian had discovered that he enjoyed immensely, so he figured personal training people at the local gym would be a good start. The Gym was up to date and was a good one, and he was right, no one even remembered him much less the name Damian Maloy, so coming 'home' was much easier than he had thought it might be... or so he thought!

Sitting in her car outside the gym, Isabella contemplated her life for a moment. She had grown up in this town, left briefly, and come back with a husband in tow. However, it was a situation that she was never entirely comfortable in.

She had always been pretty, a knockout if the guys in the high school were to be believed, but she had never liked the attention that her looks gave her. She had been born poor, her mother a single teenager when her father had skipped town and never came back. They had depended on low income housing her entire life to keep a roof over their heads, even when her mother worked three jobs to make ends meet. The moment that Isabella had turned 15, she had picked up a job of her own, keeping it as secret from the kids at school as possible. She didn't want them to know that instead of working for money at the stores, she was working for money to put food on the table.

On top of all of that, it was discovered in middle school that the reason she had never truly at anything academic was because she had a learning disability. They couldn't afford the therapies and various tools that might have helped her, so even though she tried her hardest, she was never on par with her peers. Not that she was an idiot, but they often treated her like she was nothing but an airhead.

Until Damian came along. He was just as introverted as she was and so incredibly smart. Just being around him, she felt smarter by association. And he helped her, no matter what he thought she was struggling at, he would stake the time to sit down and talk her through her problems. Their senior year, she actually started to make gains, to learn in a way that she had never been able to before.

Then he was suddenly gone. One day in class, he had been helping her and then he was called to the office and never came back. She had never gotten the story from anyone as to where he went, but she never saw him again. She had barely graduated, but once she had, she knew that she couldn't go to college. She would never survive.

She had worked for a few months at her waitress job before someone had offered her a trip to New York City to talk to a modeling company. All expenses had been paid and by the end of the trip, she had been signed to an agency. Because of her body shape, she found a niche in lingerie, even if she felt incredibly uncomfortable some times. It was a moneymaker, however, and she very rarely complained. Working hard to get as much money as possible, she had bought her mom a house, made sure that she never had to worry about money again, and then worked on her own life.

Then, almost eight years later, she met Scott. Scott Allen was a multimillionaire, wealthy beyond even her wildest dreams. He was also 20 years older than her, but from the moment that he had seen her, he had declared that there was no one else for him. He wanted her in a way that she had never been wanted before. Of course, their relationship had ups and downs to it, but at the end of the day they had been married and she had somehow convinced him to move back to her hometown. He was setting up a large business there, employing many of the same people that she went to high school with to work, and building a monster of a house on the outskirts of town.

He was also cheating on her. She knew that when he went back to New York City, he had someone waiting for him more often than not. It had bothered her when they were first dating, but he had convinced her that it wasn't anything to do with her. He loved her, but he loved sex even more. Isabella had simply nodded and said that she understood, when she really didn't. He took care of her, gave her what she needed, made sure that she didn't work if she didn't want to, but she felt hollow inside.

With a long sigh, Izzy grabbed her gym bag and exited the car, slinging it over her shoulder to walk across the parking lot. It wasn't busy that time of day. Most people weren't there in the middle of the afternoon, but it was when she went in. She would work hard for an hour and a half, shower, and then go back home. She kept in shape on the off chance that she had to go back to modeling. She might have been dumb as a rock in most people's eyes, but she had a street smarts that was unrivaled.

Isabella "Izzy" Allen: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0f/64/1f/0f641f8a14e890cec24d777c662f2c6c.jpg

Damian Maloy

Damian had never even thought of Izzy until a few years later. It wasn't because he hadn't harbored feelings for her, it was just that with everything that had happened to him, well he wasn't in the right mental place to even think. The army and then SEALS gave him that focus, that purpose. His family was gone, his uncle was even worse than his father so he had fled and honestly hadn't looked back for a long time.

It wasn't until he had finished his training and was working in one of the SEAL teams that he had found a folded picture of Izzy in his leftover belongings on one of his leaves. When he had enlisted they had stored his things for him, and though he had plenty of time to go back to it he had delved fully into the army and his missions.

Upon his retirement he had thought about her but figured like anyone else she would have moved on from the town. After all even if she did have a difficult time with school Damian figured she became an actress or something, which would have suited her just fine. On the way home he HAD done a bit of searching for her by her initial name and tracking her through online medium's wasn't that hard. He wasn't all that surprised by the fact that she had become a model, it was close to actress, though he had to admit that DAMNED she was even more beautiful than he remembered. It was sobering to think she was married though, and tucking such information into his mind he left it be.

Going into Grey's gym he had a short interview with the owner. Grey had been in charge of the place along with his family for generations, and with Damian's nutritional and fitness studies from the Navy and schooling that he had done in the ten years he had been away he was frankly over qualified for a personal trainer, but he gave the young veteran a job anyway. Damian had a smaller bag with a pair of black and gray shorts along with a simple light gray T-shirt, so he made his way to the staff changing room and did just that.

He didn't think he'd have many clients at first. After all not only was he new, he was a bit intimidating with his tattoo's as well as just his demeanor. He was kind though and the receptionist Suzy was nice enough to pair Damian up with a few newcomers to the gym. There were some who were looking to lose a few pounds, others who were looking to tone and keep in the best shape that they could along with some who were looking to be heavy lifters. Damian went through the goals with them all, gave them each a notebook and had them promise to write down a food journal for a week so that he could help them with nutrition and after the initial assessments sent them on their way.

He was just finishing up with an older gentleman named Bruce at reception when she would arrive.

" All right now Bruce you take it easy for the next few days, nothing strenuous."

Bruce was chatting him up and Damian was smiling. Certainly no longer the lanky kid he had once been... really the only thing that was the same about him was the dirty blonde hair which was starting to grow back in and his icy blue eyes. He had changed a LOT, but at his core Damian was a soft hearted man who cared about others, despite the pain of his past he'd work through it all, and helping others helped him do that as well!

Izzy entered through the front door of the gym, swiping her card to let herself through the barrier by reception. She offered a small smile to Suzy as she passed by the front counter, not really sparing a separate glance to anything else around her. She was often in her own little world when she went places in town. It made her seem like a bitch, but much like she was in high school, she was more comfortable on her own than she was talking to people.

It was just when she was about to enter the locker room that she heard a familiar voice that she hadn’t heard in a long time. Turning, she looked at the new person in the gym. He looked so different than the last time she had seen him, but she instantly recognized him.

“Damian?” She asked, so confused as to how he had suddenly reappeared. “When did you come back?”

Damian's focus had been squarely on Bruce and honestly he was much like Izzy in that way that neither had really 'seen' each other at all upon her entrance. He smiled kindly to Bruce Carter and the older man headed out when he heard his name called. Looking around surprised though he gasped when he saw Izzy. She had aged beautifully but he was just more shocked than anything to see her again!

" Izzy?"

His smile was genuine as he set his clip board down onto the rear of the central receptionist desk before he went over to her, though kept a respectable distance as well.

" Oh wow it IS you, you look amazing!"

He blurted it out without thinking but didn't look away... his confidence had certainly grown, though so had pretty much everything about him. Where once had stood a tall lanky teen aged nerd now stood a handsome and VERY fit man.

"I just came back two days ago... I didn't really have anywhere else to really go so I figured come back home, even if it's weird."

He had rambled a bit but caught himself and smiled gently to her.

" What about you? I did see you went and became a model, how'd that work out for you?"

He had been caught off guard by seeing her, but he recovered as quickly as he could. There were no doubt thousands of questions going through both their heads but Damian waved Suzy off as she tried to hand him another client.

" I'm going to take my fifteen Suzy, Get Lennon to go change and warm up and I'll join him."

He grinned though to Lizzy, clearly just as intelligent as ever, though where he had been for so long was still a complete mystery!

"I honestly can't believe you're here right now." Izzy said with a genuine smile on her face. "I thought you were gone together."

He had certainly grown since she had last seen him, growing muscle where there had been none before. "You disappeared that day and I expected you to come back. Because of you, I nearly passed that class. After you left, it just kind of went downhill."

Damian's smile slightly faltered as she said that she thought he was gone forever. Truth be told he wasn't all that sure how to take that one, though as she began going on about that fateful day, Damian nodded as he listened quietly.

" I'm sorry about that... it wasn't intentional I can assure you. There was the whole fire at home and with my parents gone they were going to send me to my uncle and I couldn't have that, so I ran."

It was a massive over simplification of the events of that day, but it was also the truth. As she said that she hadn't passed physics though Damian shook his head slightly.

" Damned... I'm really sorry about that Izzy... I didn't mean to abandon you."

Glancing over to the treadmill he saw Lennon heading over so he knew he only had a few more minutes.

" Tell you what, I have to go see to Lennon, but if you're still around when I'm finished with him in an hour I'll give you a free lesson."

He clearly wanted to make up for his leaving her, and besides, it would give them much more time to catch up, but right then he was 'on the clock' and needed to see to his next client. He didn't want to make Mr. Grey think he wasn't working hard first day on the job. Izzy knew there wasn't a harder worker than Damian around!

“I don’t take free things from anyone anymore. I have the money to pay and I’m going to pay if you do that.” Izzy insisted, a little defensive about it. “We’ll see how it goes. My husband is in New York City this week, so I’ve got the run of the place. Not much to do around here, as I’m sure you already know.”

She was babbling a little bit, trying so hard to make small talk with a person that she felt like she should know but didn’t really know at all. “We’ll meet up and talk after your done. Even if you have to take me out for coffee, we’ll catch up.”

Damian shrugged slightly though held his hands up in a surrendering motion.

" Hey, I will never turn down being paid for my services."

He smiled gently, not put off by her defensive nature... Izzy was still self conscious about herself... why, he didn't really have any idea, but if she wanted to be that way he wasn't really one to argue with her. Waving to her as he headed off he left her at the main desk, she seeing how much he certainly had changed.

He hadn't even flinched at the mention of her husband. He had mentioned knowing that she had become a model, so it also made sense that he'd know she was married, though he had nodded on the way over.

" Definitely not much, though if I have anything to do with it Grey's Gym will be the busiest place around!"

With that soft grin of his he jogged effortlessly over to Lennon, and showing he could be completely professional Damian lead him through his test and nutritional outline, giving him his book as the younger runner thanked him and headed out. Damian took a moment to grab a bottle of water from the staff fridge before he went looking for Izzy, wondering where she was at. He had been tunnel visioned on his previous client, so he wasn't sure where she was, but he'd find her!

Izzy watched him go back to work, staring for a long moment as she took in all the changes that she saw in Damian. It was like he was completely different yet the same as always. That was confusing to say the very least. However, it seemed that he really did want to catch up when they were both done. Most people in town saw her as a way to make some quick money, especially when her husband had announced his newest facility. They thought they could pull their past friendship into account for an easy job. She tended to ignore people like that.

She changed into her gear in the dressing room. A standard pair of black workout pants and a sports bra. Over the top of that, she pulled on a loose tank top as to not completely expose herself to the others in the gym. She had no shame when it came to her body and knew that she looked damned good, but she never wanted to put anyone else in an awkward position.

That was how Damian found her when he was done. She was jogging away on one of the treadmills, watching a screen mounted above the area for the runners to entertain themselves while they were working hard.

There was a lot different about Damian than the young insecure teenager who she had befriended. Damian had no doubt that others might have tried to befriend her due to her husband and his wealth, but Damian had saved his own money... like Izzy he had a sense of need for independence in regards to self worth and as such had no desire to use anyone else for such gains.

As Damian went across the main floor of the gym he spotted her. As he approached though he had to admire her lithe yet stunning form. She clearly worked to keep herself in shape which he could appreciate, but not only that she was clearly just as beautiful if not even more so than he remembered.

Catching himself though he smiled and stepping up and onto the treadmill beside her, he set it to an easy jog setting as he looked over to her.

" So... I'm back because I wanted to help people here, but last I saw online of you you were in New York City modeling. I have to admit I'm just as shocked that you're here."

He smiled though. The Perks of a personal trainer was that his schedule freed up in the afternoons, he had set it up that way even before re-uniting with her, but he was glad for it. He kept pace to the jog setting without even picking up his breath, not to show off but just because he felt the need to do something since she was working out as well.

" Look... Izzy... I'm sorry."

He didn't really even know what he was apologizing for but he felt the need to apologize to her. He had actually been on the verge of telling her his feelings way back then, but then his life had shattered and afterwards he had to pick up the pieces. Some parts he assumed she knew about, but it was no wonder she didn't know much about what Damian had gone through. Even in a small town like this one some things weren't conveyed through the proverbial grape vine.

Izzy glanced over at Damian as he joined her, jogging on the treadmill next to her. They could talk and she could finish out her routine. It seemed that there was a lot that he wanted to tell her, maybe spilling his soul for the first time since they had last seen one another. She understood and she would never make him feel awkward about it.

"I was in New York City for a while. Then I met my husband and things just seemed to happen. I knew I wanted to come back here and he seemed open to the idea. He's gone a lot of the time, but it's all worked out nicely." She said as she tried to explain why she was back in town when she could have been anywhere in the world.

"You don't have to apologize for anything. Never think that you have to." She said instantly, cutting off any other apology that he thought that he had to make. "You didn't do anything wrong. In fact, I'm sure that wrong was all done to you."

She glanced over at him, jabbing the button on the machine to slow her running down, taking a cool off lap. "And that's all you need to tell me if you want."

Damian thought it was a good idea, after all runners needed to cool off otherwise they'd end up in worse shape than they had started in. He didn't know why he felt as bad about leaving her as he did, but he had honestly panicked and it was only later that he had thought back to that day and felt regret for her.

He listened as she explained... it didn't seem like she was all that happy but Damian wasn't one to judge, so even as she cut off his apology he shrugged slightly and lowered the jog to a walk, he not having gone as long as her, though he shrugged as she said that he didn't need to tell her anymore.

" Well fine, I won't tell you where I've been the last ten years."

He mused with a playful smile, though she could tell he was joking. He was much more easy going than he had been before... he had been so nervous and uptight, and yet he seemed to understand how to break schooling down in a way that she'd understand. They had gotten along so well, which was part of why he felt bad for just leaving.

" So, do you want a session of my showing you how to get into even better shape, or do you want that coffee?"

He asked, clearly he wanted to spend more time with her, and though it COULD have been to try and get something out of her, Damian in his heart wasn't going for that. Izzy was pretty much the only friend he had here now, so he was going to cherish that!

"Well, considering we just worked our asses off, let's get some coffee." Izzy said with a grin. "My treat. Just let me go catch a shower and get changed and then we can go."

She turned off the machine and stepped down, toweling everything off before she started for the women's locker room. It was nothing fancy and she did nothing fancy in it. A quick shower, some light makeup and a blow dry, and she was ready to meet him at the entrance to take him to one of the new local coffee shops that she enjoyed.

Things had definitely changed here over the years. Some things did remain the same, but like Damian so too had the town done some of it's own growing, and he hadn't been here for a long time either.

He but nodded when she said that with a grin and hopped off the treadmill. In truth he had only been on there for a few minutes so he didn't really need a full out shower, but since she was going to take one he headed to the staff area and grabbed a quick wash down himself. He had to admit quietly that he thought of her a lot, but she was married, so to him, she was completely off limits!

He was changed into a light pair of black jeans with runners and a deep green polo when she met up with him at the front desk and smiling he let her 'lead the way'. Most places here could be walked to, and it was a great day. As they headed out though he kept glancing to her. It was hard to believe she was firstly here, and secondly wanting to spend time with him. He honestly figured she'd be angry at him for dissapearing, but that didn't seem to be the case, so he was a bit off foot and unsure of how to 'act' around her.

She came back out of the locker room dressed in simply jeans and a graphic tee. When she wasn't on the road or on a job, she liked to dress simply. She had no one to impress there in that town, most importantly Damian. He didn't expect anything from her and she didn't expect anything from him.

"Let me toss this bag in my car and we can walk." She said as she unlocked the backseat of her car and tossed the gym back inside, locking it back before she joined Damian's side once again. "Shall we?"

It was about three blocks away, but it was a nice day. The sun was shining and the temperature had finally cooled off. It was this time of year that she enjoyed the most. It meant she could be outside, taking part in life, instead of hidden inside behind closed doors. It was how she found herself more often than not. Not because anyone had insisted that she live that way, but because that was how she liked it. Scott could have all the women he wanted. He had given her comfort and that was what she was more indebted to him for.

"When we get there, order anything you like. Like I said, it's all on me today." Izzy said, giving Damian a smile as they approached the front door and entered the cafe.

Damian headed out and simply smiled to her. It was hard to believe that she was there with him right then, but both of them had always been quieter people, so he figured they'd just walk over in a comfortable silence. That wasn't to say he didn't harbor feelings for her, but the truth was that he didn't think she was interested in him in anything more than a friend, which was fine since she was married.

Pushing his hands into his pockets he smiled, though as she approached the door he managed to slip by her and opened the door. He had been chivalrous in his own weird way way back then, and that hadn't changed. Heading in with her he let her pick where they were to sit, it was mid afternoon by then so there weren't that many people around. Once she had picked he slid into the booth across from her and simply leaned back, admiring her a moment before the waitress brought over the menu's.

Taking his he ordered an iced tea to start, letting her pick for herself. He was incredibly considerate and gave her space, but there WAS certainly still an air of mystery to him, whether she'd be tempted to want to know more, he left for her to decide.

"So." Izzy said after she ordered her coffee and a sandwich. "Ten years and you decided to come back here when everything was said and done? Where did you go in all of that time?"

She was curious as to why Damian had suddenly reappeared and why he hadn't thought to contact anyone in all of that time. Not that they were super close back in high school, but they had still shared some good times together.

Damian nodded to her as she said that, though he himself ordered a grilled chicken salad along with a coffee as well. Thinking things over though he seemed more at ease with things than ever.

" Well, after I ran I didn't really know where I should go. I certainly couldn't go to my uncles, so instead believe it or not I enlisted in the Navy."

He smiled at the memory... his life had been a mess, but the Navy had given him a purpose.

" I actually made SEAL sniper and worked with a team for about seven years."

He shifted in his seat and digging out his wallet from his pocket, he opened it up and pulling out a carefully folded picture which he unfolded and showed it to her. True to his word the photo was of him and seven other men and women who he had served with.

" Once I was done my last deployment I retired. The SEAL's gave me a lot, but I felt that fighting and having the chance of not living through deployments was too much of a risk now, and so I figured why not come back? in the end this was home."

He mused softly.

"They looked for you for a long time. The rumor in school was that you might have done the entire thing." Izzy said, alluding to the fire that had killed his family. "I kept telling them that they were full of shit, but what did I know? I was just the dumb girl from the bad side of town."

"I'm glad that you found your way, though. I worried about you for a while before I realized that I couldn't change any of the situation. I hoped that you were out there doing well." She said as she gave him a small smile. "As soon as graduation was over with, I started working full time. The day after, in fact. Everyone else was out partying and I was here waiting tables. Then I got lucky and was able to move to NYC. Everything else just kind of happened after that."

Damian smiled ever so slightly as she said that they had looked for him, though he nodded as well.

" Sheriff Dobson filled me in when I came back, I think he was more relieved than anything."

He didn't even blink at the fact that rumors were that he had killed his family, though he shook his head slightly and reaching across the table he took hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze.

" You know a lot, and don't ever let anyone tell you that you're dumb, you just learn in a different way!"

He may have changed a lot, but it was clear he still cared for her. Sliding his hand back he nodded to her, though he let her tell him about working, he nodding as she mentioned New York City, he had mentioned seeing that she had been a model. He didn't of course mention that once he had gotten himself together and his head on straight he had kept an eye on her modeling career as well as that he secretly thought about getting back or writing to her, but being a SEAL wouldn't have been fair to her then, he would have been gone so much that he would have felt bad, so instead he had worked through it and had been happy for her.

" It seems you ended up all right though... you're like a cat, always landing on your feet."

He mused with a playful smile, though by then the waitress had brought out their food, so Damian tucked in and began eating, though he couldn't help but wonder what would their lives have been like together? He quickly pushed such thoughts away, she was married and had money and a good life, he shouldn't ruin such a life for her.

“I suppose so.” Izzy said, thinking about how her life had turned out. “Scott and I haven’t been married long and he’s gone a lot, but beyond all of that, I suppose it’s been good. My mom has a house and she doesn’t have to worry about her bills. Scott gives me anything I could ever want. I guess that’s really all I could ever ask for, right?”

She didn’t mention love. She cared for Scott greatly, but they were both living two separate lives. He had girlfriends in NYC. She had a life where she wanted. They saw each other a couple of times a month and that seemed to be good enough for the moment. He enjoyed having a pretty wife he could have on his arm. Izzy found she wasn’t really bothered by it in the least.

Damian leaned back slightly in the booth as she explained the 'situation'. After all it was similar to a few of the guys when he had been a SEAL, they went on deployment, went all over the world, and came back in between so long as they lived. Not everyone did. He had been considering that as she said that last part, but her own words seemed to ring hollow.

" Yeah, you're lucky Izzy."

It sounded like she was happy, but Damian DID notice that she didn't mention love. Not all marriages were based on love, but he had seen that most did. Those who weren't in his experience didn't end well, but he didn't want to be a downer on her.

" If you're ever wanting a hard workout come on down to the gym... I still need to figure out a permanent place but for now I'm in the Hotel off the highway for the next month."

He made it clear he wasn't planning to dissapear again... he had done enough of that, now... well now he wanted to help people. There was word that the local Hospital was going to be expanding their rehab section, so Damian would check into that and see if he couldn't help people in that way, but mainly he wanted some stability, and while Izzy was great to see, her life was already set in a way, and Damian intended not to intrude on that.

“Scott and I...well, mostly me, owns some rental houses. I’d be happy to let you look at a few of them today if you like.” Izzy offered, feeling bad that he didn’t really have a place to go outside of a hotel. “I have nothing else planned for the rest of the day and I don’t mind taking you around.”

Damian didn't feel bad for himself... His 'home' had been multiple bases in different countries for the last years, so he was still adjusting to civilian life. He was still brand new fresh back in town but honestly for Damian he thought he was doing all right. He looked curiously to her as she offered to show him some rental houses in the area.

" You sure?"

When she said that she had nothing else planned though Damian smiled slightly and nodded.

" All right, though first, desert!"

He had noticed that the diner they were at had an apple crumble pie that was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and so he finished up his salad and ordered that, he insisting that she spoil herself a little bit by ordering something, anything for herself for desert as well. His eyes silently were thankful though, letting her know he appreciated her acts of kindness!