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Another Side of Damien
His cheeks were flushed, his grin wide and flashy. He looked perfectly fine, if not great. Yet, he'd called in sick.
"I thought you said you were ill!" I half-yelled.
Damien grinned in response and stepped aside to let us in. Leo walked into the house but I was still transfixed to the spot, glaring at my enemy with the most hatred I could muster up in that second.
"Well, clearly, I'm not."
"Then why'd you stay at home?" I asked, crossing my arms in front of my chest and continuing to hold my glare level with his amused gaze.
"For fun," he said with a shrug. "You know, if you don't step inside, I'm going to close the door in your face even though I am trying to be the perfect gentleman."
I snorted. Right. Perfect gentleman. He sure was a dreamer. Nevertheless, I took a step inside and followed the two to the living room. The television was on, blaring some music in the background when we entered the area and sat down on the couches.
Damien turned the TV off and turned to face me with a grin.
"So...about the project..."
That was when I lost it.
"You know about the project?!" I got to my feet immediately, taking a step forward and getting ready to launch my body at Damien. He didn't so much as flinch at my reaction, smiling still from the couch opposite mine. In fact, it was probably a good thing that Leo had shot to his feet and wrapped an arm around my waist to hold me back.
"Easy Makayla," he muttered, forming an iron grip on my wrist to keep me from throwing myself at the one person I so wanted to murder in this world.
"You saw the text, and you didn't reply?!"
To say that Damien was even the least bit scared would be an outright lie. No, he was completely happy with my reaction, a look of accomplishment crossing his face as he grinned and crossed his arms triumphantly over his chest.
"That's right."
"And you didn't pick up when I called you!"
"You see my dear," he said, crossing his legs as he grinned up at me. "I missed you so very much that I wanted you to come visit me. And I knew I would have no other way to do so unless I acted like I hadn't read your text or seen your calls."
That was it. I'd had it up to the maximum limit. "I'm leaving," I muttered, dragging Leo with me as I headed toward the front door. I was surprisingly strong for him as he dug his feet into the floorboards. That, or he wasn't trying. Probably the latter.
"Give him another chance Makayla."
"No, I won't. He's insufferable," I responded.
Just when I was about to set step out of the house, Damien's voice called out cheerfully, "Happy failing!"
He had me. He had me exactly where he wanted me and he knew it. My grades mattered most and though I never showed myself to be the type who cared more about grades, Damien had somehow figured out I did. And that's why when I walked back into the living room with a sulky expression on my face, he wasn't the least bit surprised.
"Welcome back," he said, smiling.
"Leave me alone you big-headed moron," I answered curtly before plopping myself down on the couch next to Leo who seemed to be absorbing the scenario in with somewhat of an interest.
Yet when he stood up and announced that he was leaving, I couldn't help but want to wrap myself around his leg and beg for him to stay.
"You're kidding right?"
He shook his head at me, seeming to pity me just a little as he said, "I'm sorry Makayla but the only reason I came was to check if Damien is alright. Now that I know he is, I might as well go home and work on my own project."
"But you can't leave me alone with him!"
He squeezed my hand comfortingly before letting go. "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to." Without a word, he gave us both a little wave before walking out, not even daring to look over at me again.
I cannot believe he'd ditched me. First Nick, second him.
And now I was stuck with the Dark Lord himself.
~ - ~
"So," he started with that grin on his face, "how are you liking my company so far?"
I grimaced, scooting to the other side of the couch and keeping my eyes stuck to my notepad. Ever since Leo had left, I felt as if I'd entered a land where time stood still. Damien was either asking, relentlessly, questions on how much I'd missed him and other things that had no such relationship to the true purpose of my visit.
The notepad that I'd opened to take any notes on the project was still empty. Nothing had been written because Damien had said nothing of use. How much I wish I was Leo's partner instead of his, and yet I couldn't help but feel surprised at the thought of Damien preferring solo-work as Mr. Waters had put it.
"Seriously, Damien, if you don't shut your mouth, all you'll see is me walking out of the-"
His grin widened, knowing that I would do no such thing to put this project at stake. I wanted to strangle him right then and there.
"You really are a workaholic aren't you?" he teased, getting up.
"Speak for yourself Mr. Solo-Lover."
The smile slid of his face, replaced by a frown at my name calling. He muttered, "Fine. I'll be right back."
I heard him hurry up the stairs and those few moments of silence provided a relief to me like never before. When I was in Damien's company, my heart was constantly beating fast and not for the reason that most girls would around a guy like him. I resisted the urge to strangle his neck with each second and the urge grew stronger and more difficult to suppress.
How could he be this annoying? I had never met a guy that could make my blood boil so much as he did.
It was...unnerving, to say the least.
"So here's what it is."
His voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I looked up. Damien was carrying a bunch of folders and papers in hand, and he dumped them onto the couch. Sitting back down, he sorted through them and handed me a few to keep for myself.
"The basic gist of the project is to do a research project on dictators of the past. And I- sorry we are doing Joseph Stalin."
I blinked as a frown made its way to my face. Damien met my expression and tried to hide the surprise in his tone as he asked, "You do know who Joseph Stalin is right?"
By the look on my face, my answer was pretty obvious. Damien groaned (for the first time) and leaned back against the couch. "I'm going to fail this project thanks to you May."
"Hey!" I snapped, taking offense in what he'd said and his sudden mood change. "Since when do big dumb jocks care about grades?"
"Excuse me?"
That had struck a nerve. His dark eyebrows arched in anger, he glared at me with such competitiveness that I'd never expected to see in his eyes.
"Is that what you think I am?"
I opened my mouth to say something but words escaped me. I resulted in directing the conversation another way.
"So one second you're all over me and the next you've transformed into some nerdy hothead?"
His face contorted into an expression of pure anger. Anger that I never in a million years would have imagined I'd see on his face. But he masked it, taking in a deep breath as he composed himself.
In a calm voice, he said, "Whether or not you want to do this project with me doesn't interest me. But I'm going to score an A on this. And you are going to help me with that, all games aside. Alright?"
It didn't even sound like a question. It was more of a statement of what exactly Damien expected from me and what he knew I should give. I'd never seen this side of him before, and it didn't scare me (as it probably should) but it definitely had me thinking. Who is Damien really?
"Good," he muttered, turning around to glance through the files. "I've already done the research on him so the hard part is over. All we've got to do now is one: type the report which we'll be handing in, and two: design the poster. So we're going to have to meet up a couple of times over the following weeks. When should we?"
Suppressing the inquisitive questions that had formed on the tip of my tongue, I slowly went along with what Damien proposed in order to avoid further arguments and said, "When do you want to meet?"
"What about on Sunday? Around noon at your place?"
"Why not here?"
Damien's lips drew into a thin line and he shook his head at me before saying, "Because I said so..."
Clenching my jaw, I shrugged and muttered, "Whatever."
I couldn't help but puzzle over the sudden change in Damien. I replayed the past few minutes in my mind over and over again, trying to make sense of him. Did he really just wear a mask when he was all flirtatious? I wanted to know him past the walls. I wanted to know him when he wasn't so infuriating.
But would I ever get the chance when he kept changing his identity?
I've never been the confrontational type. Bold, I am but I hated being inquisitive. Yet, there was something about Damien that I couldn't shake off. His flirting enraged me but the way he continuously snubbed me off sometimes...
It was intriguing.
Just when I was about to open my mouth and ask him, his phone started ringing. And, another surprise came my way. His ringtone was a classical piece... Damien liked classical music? Since when do big hunks of man listen to soft pianos and violins strumming?
What came next was what truly gripped me in shock.
"Hello?" Damien said, turning away from me slightly. "Yeah Jess, sure... Wait. Oh. He's on his way now?! Great, I can't believe this... Where are you?"
He sounded pretty upset and I couldn't help but notice that his grip on his phone tightened, the skin over his knuckles growing abnormally white.
"Fine, I'll just," he glanced over at me, "send my guest away."
Snapping the phone shut, he stood up and looked down at me with an uncalled expression of irritation. "You have to go now."
"But why?"
Bending down to pick up my bag, he shoved it at me and then walked over to the front door, pulling me along. This was certainly not gentlemanly like.
"I'll see you Sunday," he muttered, pushing me out.
And then, he slammed the door in my face.
--------------------CHAPTER END---------------------
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