Scars To Your Beautiful : A Modern Beauty and the Beast retelling ✔

45. FRIENDS

Damien Pierce pulled his lips tighter, tearing his gaze away from hers. She found his silence to be just as worse. Her suspicions were right. Damien always knew about her feelings for him. And judging from the look in his eyes, he was ashamed of it.

"Talk to me. Have you always known?" She coaxed, trying to force of the truth from him. Viola needed to hear it from his mouth, even though she was sure it'd hurt. But it was the closure she needed to move on from him.

"Yes." He dropped his words quietly. Leaving it as it was. She just stared at him. Rigid blue eyes returned her look.

Viola tried to tone down her annoyance. Her small shoulders leaned against the cool wooden chair as she took a beat to absorb his words.

When she got back her composure, Viola accused. "Why didn't you say anything all these while?"

"You and Harvey are my best friends. Your feelings would have made things too complicated for all of us. I just hoped it would disappear overtime. I didn't want to lose our beautiful friendship, Vi. You need to understand." Damien Pierce gently brushed his fingers over her hand that was set on the oval table and gave it a gentle squeeze. She paled at the cooling sensation it brought her.

Viola pulled away from his touch, trying hard to suppress the heartbreak attached to his words. "Oh really? Just like your feelings for Callie?"

He ground his teeth. Viola could see the pulse throbbing at his temple. "This is different."

"You're right. It is different." A smug expression tipped her lips. The candlelight cast a small shadow over her face, the flickering kindle drawing out Viola's crooked smirk. "I'm the idiot that fell in love with her cousin for almost a decade and you're the colossal dipshit that can't get his shit together without dragging a poor girl into his mess."

"Everyone should just stop telling me how I should feel, okay? I am not obsessed with her. I am not dragging her through my emotional problems. I am not using her to compensate for my loss. I—"

She started to say, her tone sounding very wry at his unconvincing statement, making him stiffen. "I didn't say that last part. But I'm guessing you were thinking the same thing too." His ignorance to his actions were disappointing. Viola couldn't believe how she had wasted years loving a person who was so out of touch with the world.

Damien Pierce instantly lost his cool. He was done listening to anything from her mouth. He was sure Viola was poisoning his mind out of jealousy and he made sure to prove her wrong. His voice dropped, low and dangerous. "You have no idea what I'm willing to do for Callie. I'll prove to you. I'll prove it to the whole damn world."

Viola's heart pulsed faster. His tone was different from what she was used to. It seemed almost manic and had her worrying about Callie's concerns on his past behavior. She was hoping to change Damien for the better but it seemed like her actions just released a dangerous new type of Damien. And it scared her.

★★★

Maxime grinned. "This is the dawn of a new era, guys. This is a moment we'd tell our children and they'll tell their children, who'll also tell their—"

"We get the point, Max." Leona rolled her eyes.

"Okay, fine." With light gleaming in his eyes and his arms stretched out apart, Maxime's face held a spark of triumph. "This is the time we all aligned to—"

Larkin's eyebrow raised. His tone, amused. "Wait, is this because I invited you guys here to watch a game and get drunk with me?"

Leona and Callie had started to laugh, and Maxime scowled at Larkin. "I practiced this speech at home. Come on, let me finish."