“Oh, no issues there. Don’t worry about it.”
The moment the words leave my lips, I regret them on some level. Soren’s eyes are burning into mine, and the smile falls off my lips. The anger is there, thinly concealed, and he’s waiting to strike.
At this moment, I start to realize the depth of his obsession because not a single thing about the way he’s looking at me is telling me he’ll let me go. He never will, and I’ll remain trapped within the cage of his obsession forever.
TWENTY-NINE
Inever thoughtI’d be this excited to return to the academy. Yes, it’s my favorite place on Earth, but even then, I’m not particularly looking forward to retaking all the damned exams Soren fucked up for me. Though, he’ll never admit that to anyone who matters.
Lila, Grace, and Avalon went home after spending a few days at my place. We ditched the New Year's party, mainly because we’ve been drinking every single night and didn’t have the energy to go. And now, I’m back, and they’re too far.
Damien’s been a fucking gem. He hasn’t mentioned the Christmas party event, though I’m pretty sure he also knows about it. It’s the two of us, and a handful of other students at the Academy, and I’ve been tutoring him for the past two days straight.
“You need to go back to elementary school,” I groan. “This is basic mathematics. If you can’t grasp that concept, I can’t help you further.”
Damien smiles sheepishly. “Maybe you can help me cheat?”
“Absolutely not,” I gasp, offended. “You do realize that the whole concept of cheating is what got me here, right?”
Damien grins. “But you didn’t cheat, did you?”
“Of course not,” I drawl out, half-exasperated. He’s such a sweetheart, but he has no serious bones in his body. He’s always joking around, and at times like this, it’s making me want to strangle him. “But I’m not going to help you cheat. Best I can do is pray for you.”
“But you’re not overly religious.”
“Exactly. Besides, I don’t think God would be able to help you now.”
“No need to be rude,” he teases. “And no matter how much you think you haven’t been helpful, you have, in fact, helped me a lot.”
I blink, taken aback. My eyes fall onto the desk, and it’s filled with textbooks, my notes from the past summer and the beginning of the previous semester, all color-coded, and as neat as humanly possible. Then, I glance at his notes that consist of three sheets of paper, and one of them is missing a corner.
“I don’t know how you’ll be able to… manage this.”
Damien shrugs. “Don’t worry. I won’t fail this time around.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Damien leans in a little, brushing away a fallen strand of my hair, tucking it behind my ear. His fingers linger there for a brief moment, and the eye contact’s getting too intense for me to handle. His eyes dip down to my lips, and I feel my throat tightening up.
“Damien…”
His name falls from my lips in a hushed whisper, but it’s not quite right. It doesn’t feel like I should be the one saying it, and it’s definitely not the same as Soren’s name slipping past my mouth. It’sdifferent, and only one of the two is making my heart race uncontrollably.
“Sophia,” his voice drops an octave, and he leans in closer.
It’s just the two of us in the library, and even the librarian is still taking a break. The lighting is dim, as it usually is, with only a few lamps scattered around providing light into the massive room. Damien’s getting too close, and I don’t know how to react.
Just as I’m about to make myself seem like an asshole and reject him, his phone rings. Reluctantly, and with a sigh, Damien pulls back, checking his phone. A sigh of relief comes from me, and if he noticed it, he chose to ignore it.
“I have to take this call,” he mutters, pushing the chair back. “I’ll be back in a few.”
“Okay.”
As soon as he’s out of the door, I slump into the chair, rubbing my temples. I take the reading glasses off, folding them and putting them over my textbook, then put my head on the table.
Damien is an amazing guy and ever since the girls have pointed out he might have a thing for me, I started noticing it, too. He’s always close, he’s always looking for an excuse to be near me, or to be touching me, even if it’s lightly.
I can no longer turn a blind eye to it, and I don’t know how to reject him politely. He’s still one of my close friends, and hurting him is the last thing that I’d want to do.
