Three is a crowd

Chapter 21

Like Jade had promised Damon, she called him the next day at around eight and like he had promised, he was there waiting for her.

"I didn't think you be here," Jade said as soon as she saw him and he shrugged with a smile.

"I did say I would be there and I keep my word," Damon replied and Jade's heart twitched.

She remembered Nigel and how he 'always kept his word'. It didn't feel like that anymore.

"I'm happy you are," Jade admitted innocently which made Damon smile.

Jade had a way of making people feel like they were important to her which was what she was doing to Damon. She was making him feel like he was so much more when he was just a friend or maybe much less. They walked quietly for several minutes until Damon noticed they were headed in the opposite direction to Jade's room.

"Where are we headed?" Damon asked glancing at Jade.

"I don't know," Jade replied lightly before grinning at Damon. "Kidding, there's this awesome doughnut place just outside campus and I wanted to take you there. The doughnuts there are to die for."

Damon looked pleased that Jade wanted to take him somewhere.

"Are you asking me out on a date Jade?" Damon teased and Jade smiled.

"Do you want me to?" Jade taunted playfully and Damon shook his head.

"I'm flattered you're considering it," Damon replied seriously and Jade laughed.

"Well I wasn't asking you out on a date but now that you've mentioned that you're flattered, the situation has changed," Jade said seriously making Damon shake his head in amusement.

"How has the situation changed?" Damon asked and Jade grinned.

"I'm asking you out on a date, right now. Damon Quincy, go out with me for doughnuts," Jade announced feigning seriousness but she was giggling the whole time.

"I would love to," Damon replied and Jade smiled.

They took longer than the time they needed to reach the 24 hour doughnut shop. Mostly because Damon brought out the inner athlete Jade didn't even know she had. They chased each other around, joked and laughed. Sometime on the walk, Jade got tired and Damon had to carry her on his back.

He endlessly complained about Jade's weight which made her laugh. Damon finally dropped her by the door of the small shop. Pink neon signs flashed brightly written Pinky's doughnuts. The whole place was pink, counters, worker's uniforms, even the tables and chairs. There was a little white here and there but otherwise the whole place was pink.

"It looks like a rainbow vomited pink all over this place," Damon whispered making Jade giggle.

"You get used to it," Jade whispered back as they settled into a booth at the back of the restaurant.

There weren't a lot of people inside, just a bored waitress and a friendless boy who was slumped over stacks of papers occasionally sipping his coffee. Jade and Damon ordered a dozen rainbow doughnuts and like Jade promised, they were to die for.

"You were so right, these are really to die for," Damon moaned making Jade smile.

"I know right."

"How did you find this place anyway?" Damon asked and Jade's heart twitched again.

This was where Jack used to take her, but that was history.

"I just did," Jade lied.

Damon didn't press the topic any further. Instead he helped himself to the four doughnuts left on the plate while Jade watched him amused.

"I forgot to ask, how's Jack?" Damon asked.

Jade could see through him. He wanted to know if Jack was still in the picture.

"We haven't really talked in a long time," Jade replied.

She kept her gaze trained onto him; she thought she saw pleasure at the information about them not talking.

"Trouble in paradise?" Damon asked and Jade shrugged.

"We broke up," Jade replied.

She didn't mention that Jack was the one who broke up with her and that Jack had discarded her just before his big break.

"I am so sorry," Damon said and Jade shrugged lightly plastering a fake smile onto her face.

Damon sounded genuine and she almost believed he was truly sorry but deep down she knew. Jade knew Damon was waiting for an opportunity to strike and hurt her like Jack and Nigel had done. At the realization Jade felt her heart close off; she didn't think she could ever trust anyone of the opposite gender again. The idea of falling in love with someone again seemed like a fairytale, a fairytale Jade didn't want to be a part of.

Jade wanted revenge; she wanted hurt all men like they did women. She wanted to be the one to toy with their feelings and leave them high and dry. Jade wanted to leave before she was left.

"When's our next date?" Jade teased as they were walking to her dorm.

Damon smiled and thought it over. "Tomorrow."

Jade shook her head no.

"I'll be busy tomorrow. Let's make our days three days from now," Jade suggested and Damon agreed.

Jade wasn't going to talk to him for those three days. She knew out of sight meant out of mind, but absence also made the heart grow fonder and that was exactly what Jade was aiming to achieve.

Damon and Jade stopped by their spot at the door just staring at each other. The air around them was laid back even though underneath it, it was laden with emotion. Jade somehow managed to make it everything seem light and laid back when nothing about the moment was light at all. The two snapped back to reality when Jade announced that she had to get some rest.

"Goodnight," Damon whispered, unwilling to let her go.

"See you around," Jade replied and winked at Damon.

He smiled his dimply smile and Jade entered her room shaking her head with amusement. Damon was scared of how Jade had managed to wrap him around her finger in just a matter of days but he shoved down the feeling and told himself it was nothing but a harmless crush. How wrong he was.