Monday morning soon arrives and I feel completely rested, having done nothing but catch up on sleep the entire weekend. Walking into my office, I take a seat at my table when I notice something sitting on my disorganized desk. A Starbucks coffee cup is sitting there, steaming hot. I notice small post-it note on the cup and I curiously read it.
I know it's not much but consider it a peace offering.
~D~
I roll my eyes, taking out my phone to call him since I'm too lazy to walk all the way there.
He picks up on the first ring and I can hear the smirk in his voice.
"good morning, angel."
"Morning. Thanks for the coffee."
"Your welcome. It's just the beginning of my peace offering."
"Damiennnnn..."
"I know your still mad at me."
"I thought we've been over this. I'm not mad at you although now, you're kinda pissing me off."
"You're calling me Damien."
His matter-of-fact tone stumps me for a few seconds.
"What?"
"You always call me Arius but when you're mad at me, you call me Damien."
I remain silent for a few seconds, shocked at his astute observation. It was true but I never knew he noticed it since it wasn't even a really obvious thing.
"Angel? You still there?" his voice comes through, a smirk in his cocky voice.
"Y-Yeah. Umm, look I need to get back to work. Talk to you later."
"Wait, meet me for lunch?"
"I can't. Lunch meeting."
"How about tomorrow?"
"I promised Marcus that I'll have lunch with him."
"Oh, alright then. "he says stonily and I instantly fell bad.
"I can do Wednesday. You free?"
I hear a few clicks before he answers,"It's a date."
Wishing him goodbye, I hang up ignoring the tingles of his last sentence. Shaking my head, I force myself to look at the email in front of me.
The week passes by quickly and Damien and I are..well it's complicated. We're talking to each other but we're not as close as we were before Dubai. Before this, it was perfectly normal for us to hang out at each other's houses or go out for dinner but this past week, the only form of interaction we had outside of work was lunch on Wednesday and a few texts here and there. Admittedly, it was kind of my doing that things were this way. I thought if I didn't spend so much time with him outside of work, my feelings for him would fade away but boy was I mistaken. I missed that idiot. I missed us talking about the randomest shit, I missed us cooking together, I missed us singing along to the radio in the car, I missed him. But was I going to call him? Nope. it was better this way, this was how it supposed to be. Just regular friends and business partners. Best friends was dangerous territory.
I was cleaning my apartment when I got a facetime call from Belle. Answering it, I lean against my sparkly clean kitchen counter.
"Hey, babe."
"Hey, watcha doin?"
"Cleaning."
"I thought you had a part time maid."
"I gave her the day off. Needed something to keep myself busy."
"You mean to keep your mind off my brother."
Staring at her annoyed, I ask"Did you need something or do you just miss me that much?"
She chuckles,"Jay and I are going to the carnival tonight. You're coming."
"And be the third wheel while watching you two be nauseatingly lovey-dovey? No thank you."
She smirks evilly and i stiffen, not liking where this going.
"Oh, you won't be the third wheel. Damien's coming too."
"He is?"
"Did I not mention it earlier? Hmm, I swear I did."she says, pretending to think deeply.
Glaring at her, I say,"Belle, I swear I'm gonna hang up on you."
"Ooh, no wonder my brother likes you. fiesty."
"Isabelle.." I say in a warning tone. She sighs,"uggh, you're no fun."
"Whatever. Anyway, have fun. I'm not coming."
"Avoiding my brother?"
"If I was avoiding him, I wouldn't have had lunch with him on Wednesday."
"And what about the rest of the week?"
"We were busy."
"Oh, come on. You guys used to hang out all the time and now you're busy?"
"Look, I'm not avoiding him. We've been spending so much time together that it would do us good to have some space. We both have our own lives you know."
"You're impossible, you know that. I swear the both of you are so completely oblivious. Avoiding him or spending less time with him isn't gonna make your feelings go away."
"What feelings?"
"Don't play dumb with me Al. I'm your best friend."
I sighed, hating that she could read me so easily.
"Okay, what time am I meeting you guys?"
"6.30. I'll ask Damien to pick you up."
"No, it's okay. I need a getaway car in case I can't stand you two."
She rolls her eyes at me."See you later, babe."
"Yeah, see ya." hanging up, I stare at the clock. It was only four in the evening so I had plenty of time to get ready. Deciding that I still about an hour to kill, I head to my hidden weapons room, deciding my guns could be cleaned.
Cursing myself, I run out of my shower heading to my walk in closet. I got a little too engrossed in cleaning my guns that I lost track of time. It was already 6pm and given New York traffic, I was so gonna be late. Randomly I grabbed whatever pieces of clothing that my hands came across, not bothering to check if it even matched. {outfit at top} Quickly running a hair brush through my hair, I throw it up into a high ponytail. Quickly dabbing on tinted moisturiser, I line my eyes with eyeliner and a layer of mascara. Dabbing a little nude lip gloss on my lips,and brushinh some highlighter on my cheekbones, I grab my bag, making sure everything I need is there. Grabbing my car keys, I dash out the door into the elevator. Starting my ignition, I glance at the clock on my dashboard, cursing when I realise that it's already 6.15pm. Revving my engine, I speed along the crowded streets of New York, swerving in and out of cars. In hindsight, I could have driven at a normal speed and arrived a little late but where's the fun in normal?
I reach the amusement park at 6.45pm, an achievement considering traffic and certain drivers who hogged the lanes. Just as I pull up in a lot, my car is mobbed by paparazzi. I curse when they recognise my car although in hindsight how many people drive a Lambhorghini Veneno and it didn't help that my car was parked right next to Damien's car. Luckily, my windows are heavily tinted but that did not deter them from pressing their camera lenses against my window and flashing away, hoping to get even a blurry picture. Just then, my phone rings and it's Jay.
"Hey, Jay."
His frantic voice comes through,"Alex, stay in your car when you get here. The press spotted us and it's crazy. Call me when you get here."
"Too late. I'm already here, beside Damien's car. Where are you guys?"
"Beside the ticketing counter. Shit, just wait in your car. I'm coming."
"I can handle it. Meet you there."
"Alexx.."
"I got this."
Hanging up on him, I take a deep breath and calm my nerves a bit. Truth was, I had never handled such an aggressive crowd before. Large, yes but these people were literally sandwiching my car and yelling out questions. But, I knew better than to let Jay come get me, it would only get worse. I open my door, keeping my head down and pushing my way through. I hold on tight to my bag and lock my car. They keep yelling and I fight the urge to cover my ears knowing that I couldn't appear weak to them. I push and elbow my way through, resisting the urge to slam the cameras that are up in my face. All of a sudden, a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around my waist. My immediate instinctual reaction is to flip the person over but the tingles and sense of warmth that washes over me tells me that the person is none other than Damien. He pulls me close to him, keeping me protected against his chest. He yells at them to move out of the way, pushing his way through. Within seconds, he has us inside the park where they can't get in. I tell my body to pull away from him but it remains rooted in its spot. In fact, I lean my head against his chest, breathing in his signature Armani cologne that calms me down. He doesn't say anything, just wrapping his arms around me tightly, one hand cupped at the back of my head. His other hand gently rubs circles around my back and I can feel him plant a soft kiss in my hair. Once I'm calm, I blush realising our position and pull away, not being able to look him in the eye. However, looking him in the eye would have been a better option than meeting two amused, knowing gazes. Belle and Jay stare at the two of us, a smirk on their faces and I blush even harder.
"You okay?" a deep voice breaks my gaze away from them. I turn my head to Damien, smiling softly.
"I'm fine. Thank you, Arius."
When he hears me call him that, his smile turns into a grin and I roll my eyes in amusement.
"Anytime, angel. but, what the hell were you thinking?" his grin now turns into a frown.
"Yeah, I told you to wait for me." Jay pipes in and Belle chimes in agreement.
"It would have been worse if one of you came out. They would have gone wild."
"No, it would have been worse if we didn't come. What if I didn't come, huh Angel? What if one of them shoved you a little too hard and you fell?"
I sigh, knowing that Damien had a point.
"You're right. I'm sorry. If it helps, you saved me from a possible lawsuit."
He furrows his eyebrows at me,"What are you talking about? Did one of them hurt you?" he immediately starts scanning my body for injuries and I shake my head at him.
"I'm fine but one of the photographers almost had his camera smashed to the ground, possibly his face too."
He chuckles, shaking his head at me."Then, you're lucky I came when I did, aren't you?"
My eyebrow raises at the double meaning behind it and Damien quickly catches on. His eyes widen comically, tsking at me.
"You're one dirty-minded angel." I chuckle and Belle says behind us.
"If you two lovebirds are done flirting, maybe we could start going on some rides."
Damien and I look at each other before bursting out in laughter again. Belle and Jay stare at us for a few seconds before catching on to the innuendo. They roll their eyes at us, walking off towards the first ride. Damien nudges me and I turn to him, a smile on my face. He smiles and hands me my wristband. Thanking him, I put it on and begin walking beside him. Halfway to the ride, I feel his fingers slip through mine and a small smile slips onto my face. However, a siren goes off at the back of my head. Avoiding him only made me miss him. It was official. I had fallen for Damien Arius Black. And somehow, I was okay with that.
I had a great time at the carnival. We went on almost all the rides, even the really childish ones. It felt good to just let my inner child come out and play. Going through what I went through, I had to grow up a little too fast and I appreciated times like this where I didn't have to worry about the never-ending pile of work on my desk, the next SSS mission or the next weapons shipment at HQ. Surprisingly, Damien was having a great time as well and it was kinda cute to watch him and Jay act like teenage boys, which they practically were half the time. Damien and I had a competition at one of the ring tosses, challenging our aim. We both won and I asked for the panda that I knew Damien secretly wanted, intending to give it to him. Coincidentally, Damien had the same thought , choosing a really cute dog that I wanted and we presented our gifts to each other. It was cute to watch Damien Black, brooding billionaire walking around a fair with a stuffed toy panda in his hand. I snap a quick picture when he's not looking and smile when jay teases him about his little toy. We even went to the haunted house which wasn't even all that scary to be honest. Jay was perfectly happy considering Belle was so scared and clutched onto her boyfriend so tightly. I on the other hand, waltzed in beside Damien, only raising an eyebrow when a human zombie jumped out of nowhere. I even managed to scare one of the ghosts, much to my delight. Walking out of the haunted house, Damien grumbles about how I was such a weird girl, scaring the ghost instead of the opposite reaction. I secretly think he was just annoyed I didn't cling onto him like Belle did to jay. We were all hungry so Belle and I decided to get some food while the boys guarded our table. They wanted to go instead but we insisted since they paid for all the rides. Thankfully, the line wasn't that long and we paid for our food after 10 minutes. We chat while walking back to the table when we notice a sudden crowd at our table. More specifically, a sudden crowd of girls. They're surrounding Damien and Jay who look really uncomfortable. Belle stalks off in Jay's direction when one of the girls places her hand on Jay's arm.I smirk as I watch her tell off the girl, who scurries off quickly. jay is pacifying her and she slowly calms down. However, my attention is focused on the blonde girl who has her hand on Damien's chest. I feel jealousy bubble in my chest and I clench my fists in anger. But, I remember what I told Damien at the airport and I intend to honour that promise.After all, he isn't mine in the first place. Damien gently pushes the girls's hand away but she doesn't seem to get the message. I sit down opposite him, beside Belle and pretend that the girl isn't there. Out of my peripheral vision, I notice that he keeps looking at me, half surprised that I haven't said anything and half worried that we're gonna go back to square one. The girl can't be a day over 17 and has her face caked with makeup, her shorts barely covering her ass and her tank top so tight that her boobs may just fall out. Jay and Belle send me quizzical looks, silently questioning why I haven't kicked this girl's ass yet but I just smile serenely at them. Damien grows fed up of the girl's advances and tells her point blank to leave. She covers her look of disbelief with a glare in my direction, god knows why to which I only reply with a flip of my finger. She gasps in shock, her screechy voice annoying me.
"Excuse me, do you have any idea who i am?'
I roll my eyes at her haughtiness, replying with a fake smile.
"Yup, you're the girl that just missed her curfew. Better scoot or else someone's gonna be grounded."
She glares at me, mouth opening and closing like a fish in the water before she storms away in those sky high heels. I smirk, turning back to find an amused-looking trio looking at me. Shrugging, I say,"What? Her voice is annoying."
Belle and Jay chuckle while Damien just smirks.
"Jealous, angel?"
I scoff at him,"You wish, idiot."
He's about to retort when a tap on my shoulder causes me to turn and for him to glare stonily at the person behind me. I turn around, internally rolling my eyes when I notice that it's the guy from the queue earlier. When Belle and I were lining up to get some chow earlier, this guy was behind us and kept hitting on us, rather me specifically since Belle told him that she was taken. I was about to tell him the same but my best friend was quick to reassure him that I was single. He kept trying lame pick-up lines on me to which I kept shooting down. He was cute but cocky, the kind of guy who was used to girls throwing themselves at him. Kinda like Damien except this guy was a total jerk. I roll my eyes at him, raising an eyebrow.
"Can I help you with something?"
"Are you absolutely positive that we didn't take a class together?I swore it was Chemistry."
I hear Belle scoff behind me and I smirk at him,"You really need to learn better pick-up lines, dude."
This doesn't deter him as he continues cockily,
"You know,after our encounter just now, I googled 'sexy' and a picture of you came up."
"Huh, that's funny. You'll get the same result if you google 'not interested'."
Behind me, I can hear Belle and Jay's silent laughter but Damien is silent.
"You're not making this easy,are you?" he says, slightly frustrated.
I smile,"It would be a lot easier if we just went our separate ways, honestly."
He opens his mouth to say something but Damien beats him to it. His brows eyes are almost black in anger and his jaw is clenched so tightly it can cut through steel. In a icy voice, he says,
"You heard her, pal. So, leave."
The guy turns to Damien, eyes challenging him,a cocky smirk on his face and I mentally shake my head at this guy's stupidity. Damien was taller and slightly more built. He could easily take down this guy and I did not want a fight to break out.
"And, who are you?"
"Someone you'll never be. Now, leave."
"or what?"
"Or I'm gonna rearrange that face of yours, you cocky little shit." Damien's on his feet by now and the guy realises that this was a fight he could not win. He just turns to me, still has the audacity to wink and saunters off. Damien glares at his retreating figure and I hide a smile, Belle and Jay doing the same.
"Why did you send him away? It was fun watching Al spit out sassy comebacks to his sappy lines."Jay whines. Damien glares at him.
"Fun? Aren't you supposed to be the overprotective brother and scare these jerks away?"
Jay just smirks at him,"Al can handle herself just fine. This isn't the first time and it sure won't be the last."
Damien just mumbles under his breath and I smirk cockily at him, throwing his words back at him.
"Jealous, Arius?" I expect him to scoff and come up with a witty comeback but he stares at me seriously, the intensity in those brown pools leaving me breathless.
"What if I am?"