Damien! It is embarrassing! Do not read it!"
Damien's POV
The library is quiet, almost too peaceful. I am sitting here with Elise, munching on an apple while she focuses on our project. Everything would be perfect if only that glasses-wearing guy would stop staring at her.
He is sitting at his own table, tie neat, hair slicked back, with a nervous little smile. He is clearly smitten with Elise, and it irritates me more than I like to admit. Who does he think he is, looking at her like that?
Elise is with me. She is not his. She will never be his. I am not jealous, well, not really, but come on. That guy better cut it out.
I mutter under my breath and scoot a little closer to Elise, keeping my gaze locked on the other guy. If I had been born as a rottweiler, I would be baring my teeth right now.
"Uhh…" Elise glances up, clearly uncomfortable. "Why are you sitting so close?"
I narrow my eyes at her and mutter, "No reason."
"Okay…" she says, returning to her typing.
My jaw tightens when that guy keeps looking at her with a dreamy expression. Seriously? He has some nerve.
I have to make my move. I want to show him clearly: I am in charge, and Elise is mine. Slowly, I drape my arm over her shoulders. She shudders and stiffens, but it does not matter. My goal is simple: keep that other guy away.
"W-what are you doing?!" Elise snaps, glaring at me. It is hard to take her seriously. She is like a tiny, angry bunny scolding a lion.
Whatever. I am not moving my arm. There are snakes in this library, and I do not trust him for a second. The moment I let go, he will try to get too close to her.
"What do you mean?" I smirk. "I am doing nothing."
"Do not play dumb! Why is your arm around me? It is so heavy!"
"It is as light as a feather," I reply.
"No, it is huge, and your weight is pressing me down!"
She is exaggerating. I am a big guy, yes, but she is making it sound worse than it is.
"My weight is not pressing you down," I mutter, a little offended that she would suggest such a thing.
Her nostrils flare. "D-Damien! You are squeezing me!"
Oh no. I had not realized. When did I get so close to her?
"Elise?"
I snap my head up and freeze as the glasses-wearing guy steps in front of our table. His smile is determined, and in his hand is a letter with a heart drawn on it. He shoves it toward Elise.
"I wrote this for you, Elise," he says.
A love letter. Of course it is.
I want to snatch it from her, to protect her from this, but she reaches for it without hesitation.
"Oh, thank you, Lucas," Elise says sweetly. "W-what is it?"
That is exactly what I want to know. I am being completely ignored, and my chest tightens. Why does this guy make me feel like this?
Is she into him?
No. Never. Not a chance.
But… what if she is?
Lucas is shorter, lanky, and lacks any muscle definition. He has nothing on me. Still, I cannot shake the thought. What if Elise likes him?
She has not even accidentally touched my abs once, and that happens all the time with other girls. Which means… oh my god… Lucas might actually have a chance.
"Why do not you read it later?" Lucas asks, his voice gentle. "I have to go now, but maybe you can look at it at home. I know you do not like people too close, so I thought a letter might be better."
Wait. Is he glaring at my arm around Elise? Tough luck, kid. I scoot even closer to her. She stares at me like I have grown two heads, but I do not care.
"Uh…" Elise clears her throat, smiling nervously. "That is really thoughtful, Lucas. I will read it once I get home."
"Great!" Lucas beams. "See you later then!"
"See you later, Lucas!"
Once he leaves, Elise sets the letter back on the table. I stare at it like a hawk, wishing I had superpowers so I could burn it just by thinking about it.
"I wonder why he gave me this," Elise says aloud, turning bright red when she notices my eyes on her.
I am only inches from her face, staring straight into her eyes. She shrinks back, but I do not look away.
"Is not it obvious?" I growl.
Her lips tremble. "Uh… no, it is not."
Is she serious? Probably.
I sigh. "Lucas wrote you a love letter, Elise. It is probably full of cheesy, dumb, sappy stuff. What do nerds even write these days? 'You make my heart race like Mario Kart' or something?"
"That is mean, Damien," Elise says, shoving my arm off her shoulder and glaring at me. "And Lucas does not even like me!"
I snort and reach for the letter. "You want to bet?"
"No! Do not read it!"
I smirk, holding it just out of her reach. "Too late. I am already opening it. I need to see just how much Lucas loves you."
"No, please, Damien! It is embarrassing! Do not read it!"
I clear my throat and start, letting my mischievous side take over. "Dear Elise…" I fake a tear with my finger. "Aww, Lucas is actually kind of cute. He calls you 'dear Elise.' That is what a gentleman would do."
Elise is bright red. "Damien, stop!"
"Not yet," I say, reading on. "I know your year has started rough, but the book club misses you. And I miss you. We used to be best friends."
"Please just stop," she mutters.
I keep going. "You moved away from your parents’ house. It might be for the best. Your mother misses you… the times when she is sober, at least, I think she does. I hear her fight with your father a lot. The last time I saw her, she had bruises."
I stop for a moment, realizing this is serious. I look at Elise. She is glaring at me, tears sliding down her cheeks.
"Are you satisfied now?" She ask, finally.
"Elise…" I begin.
"No, just forget you!" she snaps, grabbing her things. "I am going home. But do not worry, Damien. I will finish the stupid presentation for both of us because some people take things seriously."
With that, she storms off. I stare at the rest of the letter, my heart hammering. I skip the parts about her parents and read the final sentences:
Love you, Elise. I know your situation is not easy, but maybe I could help. You could live with me. We have known each other since we were kids, and even if you do not have feelings for me, I would like to help put a smile back on your face. Love to hear back from you. Lucas.
I swallow hard. That little guy is a genuinely good person, probably better than me. Lucas cares about Elise, but… why did she never tell me about her parents? I am not that unapproachable, right?
