Chapter Nine — What Does He Know?
923 Words
I couldn’t stop thinking about Damien’s reaction.
Not because I cared.
At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.
He had been perfectly fine until Ethan showed up.
Then suddenly, he wanted to leave.
And that bothered me.
The following afternoon, Ethan met me outside the library.
“You ready?”
I smiled.
“Yeah.”
We started walking toward the student center.
“So, where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
“That sounds suspicious.”
He laughed.
“You don’t trust me?”
I looked at him.
“Should I?”
He smiled.
“You’ll find out.”
We reached a small café near the edge of campus.
It was quiet, with only a few students inside.
We ordered drinks and found a table near the window.
For the first few minutes, everything was easy.
Ethan was funny.
He made me laugh.
He didn’t annoy me every five seconds like Damien did.
It was nice.
“So,” Ethan said, leaning forward, “what’s your biggest pet peeve?”
“People who think they know everything.”
He laughed.
“That sounds specific.”
“It is.”
“Damien?”
I laughed.
“Definitely Damien.”
Ethan smiled.
“I knew it.”
We continued talking.
Then my phone buzzed.
I glanced at the screen.
Damien: Where are you?
I frowned.
I didn’t reply.
Another message came.
Damien: Amara.
I locked my phone.
Ethan noticed.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Who was that?”
“Just someone from school.”
He nodded.
I didn’t mention Damien.
A few minutes later, my phone buzzed again.
This time, I ignored it completely.
When we left the café, the sun was already beginning to set.
Ethan walked beside me.
“I had a good time.”
“Me too.”
He smiled.
“Maybe we can do this again.”
“Maybe.”
He stopped walking.
“That’s not a no.”
I laughed.
“No, it’s not.”
He smiled.
Then he stepped closer.
I suddenly became aware of how close we were.
Before either of us could say anything, a voice came from behind us.
“Amara.”
I turned.
Damien.
My stomach tightened.
He was standing a few feet away.
His expression was unreadable.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
He looked at Ethan.
Then at me.
“I was looking for you.”
“Why?”
“You left your project notes in the library.”
I frowned.
“I did?”
He held up my notebook.
I walked toward him and took it.
“Thanks.”
He nodded.
Then his eyes moved to Ethan.
“Enjoy your evening?”
Ethan smiled.
“Yeah.”
Damien didn’t return the smile.
Instead, he asked, “You two were alone?”
I frowned.
“Why does that matter?”
“It doesn’t.”
“Then don’t ask.”
His jaw tightened.
Ethan looked between us.
“I should probably go.”
I looked at him.
“Okay.”
He smiled.
“Text me.”
“Sure.”
Ethan walked away.
I turned back to Damien.
“What was that?”
“What?”
“You were rude.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were.”
He sighed.
“Fine.”
I crossed my arms.
“You don’t like Ethan.”
“No.”
“At least you’re honest.”
“I never said I didn’t like you.”
I blinked.
“That isn’t what I asked.”
“I know.”
For some reason, that answer made me nervous.
I looked away.
“Why don’t you trust him?”
Damien didn’t answer.
“Damien.”
He looked at me.
“Because something about him isn’t right.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It doesn’t have to.”
“Yes, it does.”
He stepped closer.
“You don’t know him.”
“Neither do you.”
“I know enough.”
I stared at him.
“What does that mean?”
He hesitated.
Then his eyes shifted toward the road.
“Forget it.”
“No.”
“Amara.”
“What do you know?”
He looked back at me.
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
I laughed bitterly.
“You always say that.”
“Because it’s true.”
“You don’t get to decide what I need to worry about.”
His expression softened.
“I know.”
There was something in his voice that made me stop.
He wasn’t angry.
He sounded worried.
Genuinely worried.
Before I could say anything, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
The change in his expression was immediate.
He answered.
“Hello?”
He listened.
His eyes moved toward me.
Then he turned slightly away.
“I understand.”
A pause.
“No. She doesn’t know.”
My heart stopped.
I stared at him.
Who was he talking about?
Damien ended the call.
He turned around.
“What?”
I looked at him.
“Who was that?”
“No one.”
“You said, ‘She doesn’t know.’”
He was silent.
“Who doesn’t know what?”
His eyes held mine.
Then he said quietly,
“Some things are better left alone.”
He walked away.
I stood there, frozen.
Because for the first time, I was certain of something.
Damien Carter wasn’t just hiding something from me.
He was hiding something about me.
And whatever it was…
he was terrified I would find out.
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