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 that glasses-wearing guy would stop staring at her.

He is sitting at his own table, his tie neat and his hair slicked back, wearing a nervous little smile. He is clearly smitten with Elise, and it irritates me more than I care 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 had better cut it out.

I mutter under my breath and scoot a little closer to Elise, keeping my eyes fixed on the other guy. If I were a Rottweiler, I would be baring my teeth right now.

"Uhh..." Elise glances up, looking uncomfortable. "Why are you sitting so close?"

I narrow my eyes at her and mutter, "No reason."

"Okay..." she says before returning to her typing.

My jaw tightens as the guy continues staring at her with that dreamy expression. Seriously? He has some nerve.

I have to make my move. I need to show him who's in charge and make it clear that Elise is mine. Slowly, I drape my arm over her shoulders. She shudders and stiffens, but I ignore it. My goal is simple: keep that other guy away from her.

"W-what are you doing?!" Elise snaps, glaring at me.

It is hard to take her seriously. She is like a tiny, angry bunny trying to scold a lion.

Whatever. I am not moving my arm. There are snakes in this library, and I do not trust that guy 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 much worse than it is.

"My weight is not pressing you down," I mutter, a little offended that she would even suggest such a thing.

Her nostrils flare. "D-Damien! You are squeezing me!"

Oh no. I had not even realised. 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. He has a determined smile on his face, and he is holding a letter with a heart drawn on it. He holds it out to Elise.

"I wrote this for you, Elise," he says.

A love letter. Of course it is.

I want to snatch it from her and protect her from whatever nonsense he has written, 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 and lankier than me, with hardly any muscle definition. He has nothing on me. Still, I cannot shake the thought. What if Elise actually 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 don't you read it later?" Lucas asks gently. "I have to go now, but maybe you can look at it when you get home. I know you do not like people getting too close, so I thought a letter might be better."

Wait. Is he glaring at my arm around Elise's shoulders?

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 when I get home."

"Great!" Lucas beams. "See you later, then!"

"See you later, Lucas!"

Once he leaves, Elise places 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 me watching her.

I am only inches from her face, staring straight into her eyes. She leans back, but I do not look away.

"Isn't 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, pushing my arm off her shoulders 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 let my mischievous side take over. "Dear Elise..."

I pretend to wipe away 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 turns bright red. "Damien, stop!"

"Not yet," I say, continuing to read. "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... at least, she does when she is sober. I think she does, anyway. I hear her fighting with your father a lot. The last time I saw her, she had bruises."

I stop reading, suddenly realising how serious the letter has become.

I look at Elise. She is glaring at me, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Are you satisfied now?" she asks at last.

"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 actually 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. Would love to hear back from you.

Love, Lucas.

I swallow hard.

That little guy is genuinely a good person, probably better than me. Lucas cares about Elise, but... why has she never told me about her parents?

I am not that unapproachable, am I?