CHAPTER 6

The morning that had started with humiliation somehow shifted into something… lighter. I hadn’t expected that.

After that awkward hallway truce, Taylor and I ended up sitting together in the next class, and it was surprisingly easy to talk to him. I thought maybe it would be awkward, a constant replay of him tripping me earlier, but instead, the minutes slipped by faster than I realized. He had a quick wit, the kind of humor that slid into conversation naturally, and before long we were comparing notes on how ridiculous some of our teachers’ quirks were.

For a while, I didn’t think about Damian. Or Marianne. Or the way I’d been stewing over her sitting in my spot in the car.

I just… enjoyed myself.

By the time lunch rolled around, I was actually looking forward to it for the first time in weeks. Taylor waved me over as I entered the cafeteria, and we found a table near the window where sunlight slanted across the seats, warming my back.

We’d just started talking about how he’d transferred here because his dad’s job relocated when a familiar figure approached.

Damian.

Without asking, he dropped into the empty seat beside me, the scent of his cologne curling into my space like it always did.

“There you are,” he said, leaning back casually but looking straight at me. “You’ve been scarce today. Do you know how many times I’ve walked past your locker and you weren’t there?”

I blinked at him, caught off guard by the way his presence immediately shifted the air between us. “Scarce?” I echoed. “I’ve been in class, Damian.”

“Yeah, but not where I usually see you,” he replied, like that explained everything.

I smiled despite myself. As frustrating as he could be, there was a small, selfish part of me that liked knowing he noticed my absence. “Well,” I said, “I guess I’m unpredictable now.”

He smirked faintly… but then ruined it. “Marianne went for cheerleading practice, I couldn't sit with her today.”

My smile faltered before I could stop it. A little sting pushed its way into my chest, and I hated that he could cause it so easily. Of course he’d mention her. Of course, that was the real reason he’d ended up here beside me, Marianne wasn’t available.

I forced my attention back to the food in front of me, pretending it didn’t matter.

Taylor cleared his throat then, and I remembered I wasn’t alone in my head. “I’m Taylor,” he said, offering Damian a nod.

Damian turned to him with the kind of easy charm he seemed to carry everywhere. “Damian,” he said, shaking Taylor’s hand. And just like that, the two of them fell into conversation as if they’d known each other longer than the five seconds it had been.

I sat back and listened as they compared favorite sports teams and complained about the cafeteria fries. I didn’t mind, not really. But I couldn’t help feeling a little… sidelined.

Until Damian reached into the paper bag beside him and pulled out a burger.

He turned to me without breaking his conversation with Taylor and held it out. “Here. I got you one.”

I blinked at him. “For me?”

“Who else?” he said, like the question was ridiculous.

I reached out to take it, warmth curling in my chest, but at the last second, he pulled it back. My brows furrowed, and then I saw him peel back the bun, plucking out a stray slice of onion.

“I thought I got all of these out,” he muttered under his breath, tossing it onto a napkin.

For a moment, I just stared at him. He still remembered how much I hated onions. That tiny, almost throwaway gesture made my heart swell in a way I couldn’t hide.

I smiled so wide it made my cheeks ache, the edges of my glasses almost feeling too tight on my face. “Thanks,” I murmured, my voice softer than I meant it to be.

Damian shrugged like it was nothing, but the corner of his mouth tugged upward. Then he went right back to laughing with Taylor, and I was left holding the burger like it was some kind of treasure.

At some point, without warning, he slung an arm around my shoulders.

It wasn’t unusual , Damian had always been casually tactile. But something about it felt… different. His hand rested lightly against my arm, his warmth seeping through the thin fabric of my shirt. My heart tripped over itself, and my cheeks heated instantly.

I pushed my glasses up higher, trying to mask my expression, and took a big bite of the burger just to keep my mouth occupied. The onion-free burger. The one he’d made sure I’d like.

The rest of lunch passed in a blur. I didn’t say much, letting Damian and Taylor carry the conversation while I listened. But the entire time, I was acutely aware of his hand still draped over my shoulder, his thumb brushing absently once or twice against my sleeve.

When the bell finally rang, we all stood, tossing our trash into the bins. Taylor waved before heading off toward his next class, leaving just me and Damian walking side by side.

We’d barely stepped into the hallway when Damian’s hand slipped down from my shoulder, and straight into mine.

It was such a simple thing, such a normal gesture between best friends. But my breath caught anyway.

His palm was warm, his fingers curling naturally around mine like they belonged there. And even though students were brushing past us, voices and footsteps filling the air, the only thing I could really focus on was the steady weight of his hand holding mine.

To anyone else, it might have been casual. To me, it was everything.