KING'S APARTMENT
NOVEMBER 7th
15:12 p.m.
Dinner had gone surprisingly well on Saturday. Noelle had the impression that Damian's brothers liked her for her rather than solely on what she does for Damian. The past week had moved so fast, she didn't notice it was Monday until her alarm woke her up at seven in the morning.
But the school day went well. Nobody stared at her or treated her like a traumatized victim. They were respectful, of course, but no one randomly hugged her in the halls. There were the occasional questions about that old photo from the cafe, but Noelle didn't know how to respond to them.
What were she and Damian? The obvious answer would be the "boyfriend/girlfriend" label, but could she tell anyone that? Would he want to keep it lowkey?
She hadn't even told Silas about their kiss on Halloween. Things hadn't gone completely back to normal, as she had hoped, but they got better. Her and Silas were talking again, and it felt great. It's hard to talk to him with Christian hanging around all the time. Though, she does sense something different about that...
Her thoughts about Silas were interrupted with the sight of her white apartment door. The three numbers seem to gleam in the dim lighting.
Mindlessly turning the key clockwise to unlock the door, she steps inside. With a sigh, she drops her backpack against the door.
"You're late."
Noelle lets out a yelp before quickly turning around to face the source. Damian stares at her from her couch, eyebrow raised in confusion at her reaction.
"Damian!" Noelle exclaims, putting a hand to her chest. Her heart beats rapidly as it attempts to calm down. "What the hell?!"
He shrugs. "You said your dad was going back to his normal work schedule. Was that not an invitation?"
"It was an invitation for you to come and knock on my door like a normal person," Noelle retorts. She leans back against her door before letting out a breath of relief. "HomeWrecker, you scared me."
He stands up from the couch, revealing the same turtleneck and black pants he usually wears. Except this time, there's a neutral blazer to accompany it. He looked cute.
It takes Noelle a second to process that Damian is in her apartment as Damian and not Robin. A slight pressure rested itself on her chest.
But the anxiety was quickly put away once those emerald eyes made eye contact with her light brown. He's been here before, she reminds herself, there's nothing to worry about.
Noelle gives him a smile before making her way to him. He doesn't stop her from gently cupping his face before bringing her lips to his.
Damian never understood the appeal of kissing. Based on others, it didn't look that appealing. But kissing Noelle changed that. He felt himself wanting to kiss her almost all the time. In school today, he kept getting distracted from his studies because he was too busy thinking about Noelle. He would think about her warm embrace and how her eyes reminded him of milk chocolate.
The two didn't get a chance to see each other after dinner on Saturday. And even though it's only been two days, Damian missed Noelle greatly.
Finally, he kisses her back, resting his hands on her hips and pulling her just a little closer. A few more seconds pass before Noelle slowly pulls away. She looks into his eyes before giving a small grin.
"I've missed you."
"It's only been two days," Damian retorts, slightly embarrassed by her words. Noelle gives a triumph grin at the blush that formed on his cheeks. She strokes his warm cheek with her thumb, making him unintentionally lean against it.
"Two days too long," she retorts. She lowers her hand before touching the hands on her hips. "I got you something."
"You did?" His brows furrowed in confusion. What could she have possibly gotten him? Was he supposed to bring something? Oh god, it's only been a few days and he's already messed up. She gonna get mad. She's gonna break up with him right there and kick him out and—
"Here."
He didn't notice her escaping from his gentle hold and going to her backpack. He looks down at the bag.
"What is it?"
Noelle rolls her eyes before handing it to him. "You have to open to find out." He opens the bag, an orange tinted muffin decorated with chocolate chips greeting him. "I know you don't like unnecessary carbs, but you said it was your favorite."
He couldn't stop the small smile from forming. It immediately falls when he remembers he worries from a moment ago.
"I..." he trails off, making Noelle raise a brow. This was it. She's gonna be mad, and he hated that but he'll plead for her forgiveness. He'll buy her an entire store, he'll do anything just to stay with her a little longer. "I didn't get you anything."
Noelle's quiet for a few moments. All of the sudden, a laugh escapes from her. He looks down at her in confusion, not exactly sure what he said that was so funny. Is this a trick?
"Damian," Noelle starts, making his heart skip a beat. He loved hearing his name come from her. "I wasn't expecting anything."
"Then why give me this muffin?"
"Because I like you, dum-dum," Noelle retorts before giving him a chaste kiss on the cheek. "And I wanted to be nice."
"Well now I feel bad," he admits, looking down at the muffin. Noelle smiles at the confession, knowing he isn't usually this in-touch with communicating.
"Yeah?" Noelle teases, "I know a way you can pay me back." She laughs as his cheeks redden again. "I've never seen you get this embarrassed before!" she points out, making him look away. She gently grabs his up arm before turning him to face her again. "It's adorable. But get your head out of the gutter, babe, I just want you to hold me."
Hold her? Like, pick her up? What, did she want him to throw her too? She tugs at his arm before sitting on the couch. He leaves the muffin bag on the coffee table before sitting beside her.
"You've never had a girlfriend before," Noelle notes after seeing his perfect posture.
"You've never had a boyfriend before," Damian retorts, taking offense to her claim.
Noelle laughs it off. "No, I haven't. But even I know the social norms."
"I don't know if you remember, but I'm not exactly normal," he mumbles. Noelle nods before gently pushing his chest back against the couch. He doesn't fight her, but instead looks at her strangely as she tries to get him to relax.
"Good," she compliments. She picks up her legs before resting them across his lap. "Now, put your arm around me." He slowly obliges, giving her the chance to either change her mind or correct him. "Perfect. Now I'm just gonna rest my head here..."
She rests her head on him, pushing her head gently against the crook of his neck. She could feel the heat radiating off him and it made her smile. Without having to be told, Damian wraps his other around her, resting his hand on her thigh.
"Is this okay?"
"Perfect," Noelle mumbles as she closes her eyes. "See? Not so bad, was it."
Truth be told, Damian wasn't sure what to think. But as the seconds passed, he could feel himself getting more relaxed. It felt nice to hold her this close, to keep her in his embrace.
He didn't ever want to let go.
"What am I supposed to do?" She suddenly mumbles against him.
"About what?"
"My family." He can feel her breath fanning against his neck. "I don't know how I'm gonna tell them I'm dating you."
"Do they not like me or something?" Of course they wouldn't. He didn't blame them, but it's not like the headlines of him were anything interesting. He's done his best to remain apathetic to the events he had to attend. He didn't draw attention, good or bad. He was just...there. It's what Father expected from all of his sons.
"I have no clue," Noelle admits. "My mom would probably be more nervous than anything since you're her boss's son."
"What about your father?"
Noelle lifts her head, gaining Damian's attention. She gives a soft smile. "You said it yourself, I've never had a boyfriend before. He'd probably want to jokingly threaten you. But for my mom's sake, he won't."
"Why? I'm not going to get her fired or anything. Father doesn't really care about these things unless her working performance is below adequate."
Noelle shrugs before leaning her head back on his shoulder. "They get paranoid sometimes. I think it's because my mother's first generation born."
"Maybe you shouldn't tell them," Damian suggests, "maybe you could just show them?"
Noelle scoffs. "My mom nearly had a fit after seeing that photo of us at the cafe. She already knows you're my friend though..." Noelle sits up again as an idea forms. "I'll just invite you to dinner! She's been wanting to meet you anyway, might as well use this as an opportunity to tell her."
"That'll work," Damian agrees. He didn't like how Noelle was suddenly moving so much. He wanted to go back to their earlier position: it was much more relaxing. "When did you want to do this?"
"I'll have to ask her first, but I'll let you know." With a sly smile, she pecks a spot on his neck that's known to be sensitive to most. Her sly smile deepens as his grip around her tightens and his neck starts to heat up. "I knew it," she mumbles.
"Knew what?"
"That even you aren't immune to affection." She snuggles against him even more. "I'll do that more often." She lets out a small yawn. "You probably want to rest right now for later. I don't know how, but I forgot that's why you come here. I'll shut up now. Close your eyes and get some rest."
He gives a small smile. "That's not the only reason," he reassures. Noelle grins as his hand moves to her face. He pulls her close, giving a gentle chaste kiss before lowering his hand again.
Noelle doesn't say anything, knowing it will only prolong the rest he needs. He leans his head against hers just as she rests her head in the space between his neck and shoulder.
The two fell asleep to the rhythm of each other's breathing.
12/9/20