Should Have Not Asked - New Adult Romance (Wattys 2014)

Chapter 20 - More Than Just One Night

Chapter 20 – More Than Just That One Night

Turning my head from side to side, I try to shake the scene off my head and recreate thoughts that will strengthen every fiber of disinterest towards Damien.

He just didn't say he likes me, did he? I force myself to believe that I misheard things, that it was only my overly creative imagination and nothing more.

Why would he even like me? Never in my life have I thought that my arch enemy would have diverted into another way of tormenting me, and this time uses fondness to what? Control everything? He surely is too evil to think of this method.

I know a great deal of this man, and he isn't someone who will confess his heart out to someone like me. It is just too impossible.

If I know this is just some scheme to make things difficult for me. What else would this be? Damien breathes to plague me.

Hurrying off, I nearly bump to everyone I happen to pass by into. Muttering sorry is all I can do. I do not want to stay any longer in this place where I know he can easily stop me.

"Angel!" he calls.

I hear him, but I don't want to stop. Everyone is looking at us, at me in particular, probably wondering why I am running away.

I don't even know why I am sweating out. I just know I don't want to see him or even hear him out. It's a scary feeling. Hearing my heart beat so loud, overpowering my breathing, and even the little voice in my head. I'm not sure what it is saying, but I know it is not something nice. I fear it. I am disgusted by it.

"Angel!"

Not long enough, Damien has caught up to me, and his strong clutch on my hand sends feverish sensation all over me. When I turn back to look at him, I know I just turned tomato red. I am so ready to explode.

His gray eyes are piercing, and they look exactly the same as that night in his apartment —disarming and arresting. I feel my legs tremble when he pulls me close to him. Feeling a little bit of air passing through his nose, I realize that we are so close to each other, there's no way I could be distracted by the ogling eyes around us. Damien is awkwardly resting his hand around my waist, and this touch is giving me exactly the same feeling he was giving me that one wrong night.

I am burning hot, not only because of the previous revelation but also probably because of the doubtful spectators' heightened curiosity over this commotion that is slowly ripping me apart. I try to push him away, but his grasp tightens the more I avoid him. There's no way I could get away from him. With these tiny arms and body of mine, Damien can easily engulf me.

"Please, Damien, not here," I say in a whisper.

With one quick look at my side, I see Ms. Tarth gaping at us in disapproval.

"If not here, where? If not now, when?" he replies.

"Don't create a scene, will you?"

Gossips arise. I hear two girls to my right whispering though I couldn't clearly hear what they're mumbling about.

"You don't know how much patience I stretched for you," he adds as he keeps his gaze fixed on me.

"It's not your obligation, Etheridge, and neither am I demanding it from you."

He's practically hurting me now. His fingers are wrapped around my wrist like strong chains, and the more I shake them off, the more they squeeze into my skin. Gone is the Damien whom I thought is a little merciful, whom I thought is capable of sacrificing. He's back to being the villain now — the real unforgiving one, the one who used to pester me in the cafeteria or at Max's, the one whose gaze could kill literally anything. What's happening to him? Just a few seconds ago he was so red, blushing like a young boy. Now he's still red, but fuming and demanding my sole attention.