What should I do? Damien is angry at me. I followed him back to their unit, but he won't even say a word. He was busying himself in the kitchen, and acted like I wasn't around at all. "Damien..." I called him. "Are you not really going to talk to me...?"
Damien turned around and looked at me. His stare was blank, I couldn't read it at all. Then without saying anything, he turned around again.
It was worse than him forgetting about me, worse than him being angry at me.
"I'm sorry, for not taking your call or replying to your message... I didn't want to upset you..." I sighed. There was a knotted feeling in my stomach, I hated that feeling. "I'm sorry."
Damien sighed and then turned around. "I'm more upset that you didn't tell about meeting him today. It's not like I'm going to stop you from seeing your friend, but you know how I feel about Ethan, right?"
"I know..."
"Besides, why wasn't Axel with you? Why is it just the two of you alone?"
"His personal assistant was with us... sort of..."
"Teo." Damien said sternly.
"He wanted my help in buying a gift for Axel's birthday, so he didn't ask Axel to come with us."
"That's convenient..." He sighed again. "Anyway, don't ignore my calls or messages next time."
"Yes..." I replied meekly. "So, you won't get angry if I meet Ethan again?" I asked carefully.
"There's nothing I could do about that." He sighed heavily. "It's not like I have the right to tell you who to meet or avoid."
It was stupid of me to think that everything was fine after that because it was far from fine. Damien started acting a bit cold and distant. He wasn't really trying to avoid me, but he doesn't smile that often anymore.
Almost a week had passed, but Damien was still acting distant. He hadn't called or sent a message. He was always busy with schoolwork, so I didn't get to see him the whole week. He didn't even visit our unit. During the weekends, he was at his father's restaurant the whole time. Although he said he wasn't angry at me, I can't help but feel that way.
Having Damien give me the cold shoulders was worse than that year I spent apart from him, thinking that he hates me. Worse than when he forgot my face.
I just wanted him to call my name again and smile at me.
Who would have thought that going shopping with Ethan would be such a disaster?
It was two days before Axel's birthday, and Damien was still acting a bit distant. "Are you two still fighting? Come on, Teo, my birthday is in two days, how can we celebrate if you're depressed?"
"Sorry..."
"Make it up with him already." Axel added. "It's been almost a week, I can't believe you still haven't made up with him. He's literally just on the other side of your wall, go and talk to him already."
"How? He barely talks to me..."
"Did he really get mad when he saw you with Ethan?" Axel asked as we stepped into the elevator.
I sighed and nodded. "I think he doesn't like Ethan."
"Yeah, the same way you don't like Elisse." Axel replied.
"That's different..."
"How so?" Axel scoffed. "You don't like Elisse hanging around Damien too much because you know she likes Damien, and you want Damien to yourself. Damien doesn't like Ethan because he feels that Ethan is stealing you away, he wants to be your number one."
"I don't like Elisse because she's two-faced. She acts nice to me when Damien is around, but she really wants me gone." If only I can tell Axel that I heard her thoughts, then everything would be easier for me. That woman, it would be better if someone like her isn't around Damien.
"Aren't you exaggerating?" Axel said. If only he knew what that girl was thinking. "Have you properly apologized to Damien?"
"I did." I sighed. "I don't know why he's still angry at me..."
"When you were apologizing, did you mention Ethan?"
"Well, I asked him if it's alright with him if I hang out with Ethan again." I replied honestly.
Axel left out a heavy sigh. "That's it, you idiot... You shouldn't have mentioned Ethan. He got mad because you were with Ethan, why did you still mention him."
I'm an idiot. How did I not realize that sooner? I had no idea that Damien disliked Ethan to that extent. When he said he was jealous of Ethan before, he must really serious.
"It's very clear now." Axel said.
"What is?" I asked him, not knowing what he was talking about.
"Ohhh... what should I do with you?" Axel sighed. "Anyway, Damien is waiting for you, you have to approach him first." Axel explained.
I don't really understand it, but it seems that I am at fault. I should apologize again.
I stood in front of unit 20D's door nervously. "What are you waiting for?" Axel asked and pressed the doorbell.
The door was opened by James. "Teo. Ohh, finally..." He said with a relieved smile.
Finally? What does he mean by that?
When we entered their unit, Clark was in the living area watching a movie. "Who was that?" He asked James as he looked back. His face turned pink the moment he saw Axel and I walked in.
"He ran..." Axel said, dumbfounded, as we watched Clark make a dash to his room.
"Did you do something to him? Why did he run away?" I asked him.
"I don't know, but I'm going to figure it out." Axel replied. "Talk to Damien, I'll talk to Clark." He said before walking towards Clark's door.
James chuckled as he watched Axel. "Damien is probably doing some schoolwork. Just go in, don't bother knocking. He usually has his headset on while drawing." He told me nicely.
I did as James told me, which, thinking back, was not the best idea. Although, I can't say I fully regret it. It's very embarrassing though.
"Teo!" Damien exclaimed as he hurriedly turned around and took a shirt from his cabinet.
He was shirtless when I got in, and his hair was still wet. Apparently, he just got out of the shower. It was the first time, after a long. And god, it was glorious. You could trace your finger through the crevices of his chest and abs.
Seeing him like that was enough to burn my face. I willed myself to calm down, but to a very little success.
Although it was a sight to behold, seeing his naked body like that made me feel a bit embarrassed. I wanted to look away, but I was simply mesmerized by it. It's embarrassing to say, but he looks really... sigh...
"Sorry... ummm... James... he said to come in... he said you were studying..." I stammered as I turned around. I didn't want him to see my face burning red.
Damien cleared his throat. "Umm... So... Why are you here?" He asked me. He still sounded a bit distant, which made me feel really down.
How should I apologize to him? What should I say?
"The thing is..." I didn't even know where to start or what to say. What can I do to make him feel better? If he's still worrying about Ethan taking his place, should I confess to him? That way he'll know that he's the most important person to me. He's already angry, though, what if it only makes even more furious?
"What is it?" Damien, still sounding a bit cold. "Do you have something to say?"
I can't mention Ethan, he'll only be in bad mood.
At that point, Damien was drying his hair with a towel. He didn't wait for me to speak and sat in front of his dresser. There was a hair dryer on the dresser and I knew that once he turned it on, I would lose my chance of apologizing to him.
"I'll help you dry your hair." I said in a panic.
"What?" Damien was as surprised as I was. I mean, I said that in a panic, but after realizing what I just said, I felt instantly embarrassed.
"I'll help you." I said as I stood behind him after taking the hair dryer in my hands.
"Hey, Teo..." Damien complained, but I turned on the dryer to drown out his protest.
I started drying his hair clumsily. Honestly, I didn't know what I was doing. I just felt that if I didn't do anything, then I would have to leave even before I make up with Damien.
Drying his hair, though, it was next to useless.
Things would have been better if I was sitting on the edge of the bed, drying Damien's hair with a towel while he sat on the floor; like a movie scene. But I was standing behind him, using a hairdryer. I look like a hairdresser.
"This won't do...." I sighed to myself and then turned off the hairdryer.
"My hair is still wet..." Damien complained.
"I look like your hairdresser." I told him as we locked eyes through the mirror. "That's not what I wanted..." I sighed.
"Should I sit on the floor by my bed? You can dry my hair with a towel." He said looking back at me. "Just like in movies." He said with a blank face.
Can he read my mind? How embarrassing...
"For me..." I hesitated. "You're number one. So... so... Please... stop being mad..." My face turned beet red after saying those embarrassing words.
"Really? I'm number one?" Damien asked. I nodded. "What about Ethan?"
"I already told you... I... like you way better..." My feelings for you is something I can't compare with my friendship with Ethan. It's something more, something special. I said as I avoided his eyes. Why does he have to ask that, it's embarrassing? Doesn't he feel embarrassed at all?
"I'm not telling you to stop being friends with him, but if you hang out with him behind my back, it makes me feel insecure. Just tell me, I won't get angry." Damien said.
"But..." I hesitated. Somehow it was hard for me to believe that he won't get mad.
"Fine, I might feel a bit annoyed, but I won't get mad at you..." He finally admitted.
"I hate it when you're mad..." I sulked. "I like it when you're smiling at me..." I admitted, despite my shyness.
"You're cute when you're shy like that." He said and then snatched the dryer from me. My cheeks blushed as I felt even more embarrassed. "This won't do." He sighed. "I can't stay mad at you..." Damien stood up, after putting down the dryer, and then turned to me. "Let's not fight again, okay?" He said with that nice and warm smile that I missed as he pinched both of my cheeks gently.
I nodded contently. "Mmm..." I replied.
Making up with Damien felt like a boulder was lifted from my shoulders. It was a great relief.
On the other hand, it seemed that Axel had a very different result with Clark.
"Hey! Open the door!" Axel was knocking on Clark's door when Damien and I walked out of the room. "Are you angry at me? Why? What did I do?" Axel insisted as he continued on knocking.
"What happened?" Damien asked James.
"Clark ran away. It's really funny..." James said as he chuckled softly.
He looks really attractive when he laughs like that.
Peter, Damien, and James, those three are really unbelievably handsome. It's really amazing.
I must've been staring at James for a bit too long, when I finally realized that I was staring at him, he gave me a smile.
"Teo!" Damien suddenly called me. I turned to him in surprise. "What do you want for dinner, I'll cook for you?"
I was about to reply when Clark's voice suddenly echoed in the unit. "Hey! You idiot! Are trying to break my door?!" He shouted at Axel as he opened the door.
"Why did you run away from me? Are you angry with me? Why? I helped you with Nelson last week and all, so why are you angry?" Axel persisted.
"Help? You call that help?" Clark scoffed sarcastically. "Stop doing that, it's only complicating things."
"How so?" Axel asked. He could be really annoyingly persistent when he wanted to. "Is he still bothering you?"
"I haven't seen him since then..." Clark said weakly.
"See? It worked. So why are you angry?" Axel asked. "Ahhh... because your ex-girlfriend might misunderstand? Why you still like her?"
"Wait..." Clark looked confused. "Ex-girlfriend...?"
"Yes, that girl that was confined, Marissa?"
"So you think Marissa is my ex?"
"Yes, and you had a falling out with Nelson because he stole her from you. Didn't you?" Axel explained his hunch to Clark. Judging by Clark's dumbfounded expression, Axel might be wrong.