Chapter 123: Damn, Jealousy Looks Good on Him
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"They’re loud. People usually end up making choices they’ll regret later. Someone’s bound to cry, too." He tilted his head. "I’ve never found the appeal very convincing."
"So why do you go?"
"I don’t dislike them." He paused. "And I find people fascinating to watch."
"That’s a bit creepily intriguing."
"I assure you, my observation is harmless."
"You say that, but..."
"I’m genuinely harmless."
"I remember you before your first cup of coffee at Joy’s cafe. Trust me, I have data."
He grinned. "Fair point."
We walked past the edge of campus, where the streets opened up and the party noise grew louder, the bass now a solid thud in your chest, laughter and music swirling together into a single sound.
"So," I said, clearing my throat and trying to sound casual with mixed success, "why are you actually coming tonight?"
He turned to me. "You invited me."
"I didn’t. Joey did."
"You agreed to going, so I had to." He smirked, looking ahead. "Ahh, I remember the last party."
My stomach dropped and I sent him a death glare. "Don’t."
"I remember it vividly, just like it was yesterday."
"I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"You kissed this person for the first time."
"It was a game. A silly game." I argued, "And it was all your fault, by the way."
"It was."
I blinked. "You seem way too comfortable with agreeing to that."
"I’m agreeing with the facts."
"That feels a bit suspicious."
"It probably should." He looked at me, the smile still there but now more reserved. "I just wanted to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself."
"What does that mean?"
"It means..." He paused, choosing his words. "I’d rather you didn’t kiss another random person tonight."
My heart skipped a beat. "...Why?"
"Because."
"That’s not much of an answer."
"It is."
"It doesn’t say anything."
He stopped walking and I halted too, a moment later, turning to face him. The noise of the party faded into the background, becoming less relevant all of a sudden.
His expression had changed. The teasing was gone, replaced by something more direct.
"I was just kidding," he said softly. Then, after a beat that felt significant: "Mostly."
Something shifted in my chest, and I couldn’t ignore it.
"If another party game starts tonight," he continued, his gaze steady on mine, "I don’t want you kissing someone else."
I swallowed. "I—"
"You kissed me once during something like that." His voice was steady, almost measured. Like he’d held onto this thought for a while and had decided tonight was the night to lay it out. "I’d be really upset if the next person got that because of a game."
I stared at him, speechless.
"Whether it’s truth or dare," he went on, unhurried, "or spin the bottle, or seven minutes in heaven, or whatever ridiculous game college students come up with by the time we walk through that door—" A small smile flickered across his face, softer than usual but not quite reaching his eyes. "I’d be mad if you kissed anyone else."
There was silence...complete, unbroken silence that had nothing to do with the volume of the world around us.
My face felt hot all of a sudden, a rush of warmth creeping up that probably made me look like a fire truck, just like Maya had said, and I turned away quickly enough to give myself whiplash.
"You..." I coughed, realizing I had nothing better to say. "You’re ridiculous."
"Maybe."
"You say things—"
"I do."
"—that no regular person would just say."
"I’ve never claimed to be normal."
"Nope, definitely not."
I rubbed the back of my neck, pretending to be fascinated by a nearby hedge while my heart thudded loudly in my chest, a noise I was doing my best not to analyze.
Was he serious? Was this just another form of teasing that I couldn’t quite grasp? Was he saying something true sideways and waiting to see how I’d react?
The really annoying part... the embarrassingly honest part, was that some part of my brain that I hadn’t fully given the green light to was genuinely hoping he meant every word.
That he was just as jealous at the thought of me kissing someone else the way I was about him.
We finally reached the frat house, which came into view half a block ahead, and it was clear Joey had, for once, not exaggerated. Even from the street, the place was buzzing in every direction, colored lights flashing in the backyard, reflecting off the huge pool like scattered bright pieces.
And well, it was...a lot to say the least.
Music blared from speakers large enough to be structural elements, the bass present enough to feel in your feet before you even heard it. Laughter and shouting melded together, creating a constant wall of sound that probably reached the next county.
Students covered the front yard, wearing swimsuits and bikinis under hoodies, clutching inflatable pool toys, drinks in hand, towels draped over shoulders, the complete inventory of a summer party that was all in.
Someone cannonballed into that big ass pool, and immediate cheers erupted.
The smell of grilled burgers mingled with chlorine and sunscreen, plus some fruity drink everyone seemed to be holding, and the whole experience was a tad overwhelming in the typical way Joey’s plans always were.
"...Wow," I said.
Damien looked amused. "Bigger than you thought?"
"Much bigger."
We stepped through the open gate, and the crowd shifted, not toward me, of course, that’s just not how my life works ...but toward Damien. A blonde girl near the entrance froze mid-sentence and turned.
A guy with a volleyball raised his hand from across the yard. Two girls by the pool leaned in together, whispering. Voices began calling from different directions.
"Damien!"
"Lockwood!"
"Dude, you actually came—"
In under thirty seconds, people flocked to him from every corner, laughter following every word he spoke, asking questions and greeting him like he was a familiar friend.
Girls in swimsuits, guys from half the sports teams on campus, students I vaguely recognized from the quad or classes I barely attended. It seemed like everyone knew him, or wanted to, which was a whole different kind of knowing.
Damien stood in the midst of it all, looking totally at ease, calm, unhurried, smiling politely at something a girl with dark hair was saying, the polite smile that wasn’t the real one I’d come to recognize.
I stood a few feet away, watching.
Which was fine. I didn’t need to meet everyone. I’d find Joey, grab a burger, maybe hang out by the pool and keep to myself like a normal adult until it was time to go home.
I had no reason to be by his side in public. I wasn’t a ’Hawthorne Elite’. I was just Oliver the scholarship guy.
The girl with dark hair touched Damien’s arm lightly, laughing at something he said.
Something twisted sharply in my chest, hot and immediate and completely irrational. I knew I had no claim over him. Not at all. He could talk to whoever he wanted, smile at anyone, stand within inches of anyone, and it was none of my business.