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I didn’t respond right away. He just stood there in the doorway, snow still clinging to his black coat, his eyes locked onto the gloves I was holding like they were evidence in a damn trial.
I could almost picture a courtroom forming in his mind, complete with a judge, a jury, and a flashy slideshow titled "Exhibit A: My Boyfriend Is a Suspect."
I was beyond happy to have him back home. But instead of him looking thrilled to see me, he seemed ready to commit a few crimes.
So much for a grand welcome home, am I right?!
"So?" he asked softly.
"So... what?"
His jaw tensed. "Why was Jeremy here?"
I blinked, "Oh, he brought my gloves back."
Damien stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind him with a finality that made the apartment feel much smaller and tense.
He dropped his travel bag with a muted thud without even a glance at it, his eyes locked onto mine for a moment before drifting down to the gloves.
The muscle in his jaw ticked implying he was already several steps ahead in a conversation I was still struggling to catch up with, all while I tried not to notice how ridiculously good he looked for someone who had just spent twelve hours battling airport seating and dealing with delayed flights.
"The gloves you left with him." He said.
"...Yes?"
His eyes shot back to mine. "You were with him."
"I told you I was."
"Alone."
I rose an eyebrow...why was he making such a big deal out of Jeremy Abernathy showing up for thirty seconds? I’d spent the weekend convinced something terrible had happened to him.
I frowned, "Damien—"
"Alone."
I threw my hands up in exasperation, almost smacking myself with the gloves. That would have made quite the tragic scene.
"Yes, alone! We went for food after work because I promised him after he aced his psychology test. Then he confessed he liked me, tried to kiss me, and I told him to get lost. This morning, he came back to apologize and return my gloves."
There was a beat of silence, Damien took another step closer. The mix of cold night air and expensive cologne hung around him, mixed with the tired smell of airport baggage, making the situation feel like a warning that things were about to get heated
"...He what?"
Shit...there was no way Damien would be happy to hear that. Why the fuck did I even say that?!
"He...um, he tried to kiss me." I mumbled.
Somehow, the room got even quieter, the hum of the fridge suddenly blaring like a fire alarm.
I rubbed the back of my neck. "But I shoved him away and went home."
Damien’s expression didn’t soften, it somehow got worse. "He tried to kiss you, did he touch you?"
"Oh my God." I snapped back, finally letting my frustration spill over. I’d worried about him all weekend while cleaning like a madwoman, trying and failing at Alfredo sauce, and calling him every half hour until my phone battery finally gave out. "He touched my face for like two seconds before I moved!"
"You’re not allowed to see him anymore, I told him weeks ago to stay away from you, and now it seems I have to tell you the same as well."
"Are you serious right now? You can’t dictate who I can and can’t see–!"
I stared at him, genuinely confused at how much of a big deal this guy was making out if all of this, you’d think he caught me in bed with Jeremy...
No, wait...Ew, that was a gross thought.
"I left for one weekend–!"
"You left because I told you to fix things with your family! And the first thing you do when you finally show up is accuse me of... what, exactly? Cheating with your childhood rival while I was left worrying about you?!"
The words just slipped out, echoing through the dorm as if the walls I’d scrubbed clean were now judging me.
His expression flickered for a moment, but then it was gone again.
"I couldn’t sleep," I admitted quietly. "I kept checking my phone because you weren’t answering. I thought some weird shit had happened to you! I made dinner from scratch for a guy who thinks I can’t survive one evening without proposing to the fucking pizza delivery guy!"
I gave a bitter laugh with zero humor behind it. "And this is what I get when you get back after I spent hours missing you like crazy? Wow...fuck you, Damien."
Something shifted across Damien’s face, too quick to identify, but he maintained his cold demeanor as he closed the gap between us until my back hit the wall beside the door.
One of his hands was braced beside my head, the other relaxed at his side. Suddenly, the height difference felt much more intentional, and his intense gaze made the space between us feel even tighter.
"And I spent twelve hours stuck in an airport, thinking only about getting back to you," he said, his voice so low it practically vibrated against my skin.
"And the first thing I see is Jeremy Abernathy walking out of our hallway with a fucking grin. So excuse me if I’m not in the mood for calm explanations about how nothing happened when the only thing stuck in my head is him standing where I am now and being so close to you. I guess we’re both disappointed."
I crossed my arms, trying to ignore the twitch at the corner of his mouth that tempted me to stop being angry.
"You know what? Fine, asshole."
"What?"
I tried to push him away so I could leave. But the guy was built like an annoying ass brick wall and wouldn’t budge.
"I can’t do this with you right now. I’m leaving, so move your dumb ass."
Damien glared at me while I pushed at his chest. And I glared up at him back.
"I said move." I said with gritted teeth, "I have better things to do than yell at you, Damien."
"You’re not going anywhere, Oliver." He said, his voice low as his eyes searched mine.
I eyed him defiantly, "What are you doing to do? Are you going to stop me?"
I should have continued pushing him away. I should have kept arguing about how ridiculous all of this was, how Jeremy wasn’t worth the energy Damien was putting into this.
But instead, he grabbed the front of my shirt and yanked me in, crashing our mouths together.
The fight and anger of the whole heated encounter fucking evaporated the moment his lip brushed mine roughly.
And I was basically putty in his arms, I hated how easily I folded.
How easily I forgot the reason why we were even having a screaming match.