Chapter 26: I like Emily

Monday morning started normally.

Damian was halfway through his breakfast when his phone buzzed.

Ethan:

You coming to class or should I tell the lecturer you died?

Damian looked at the time.

7:51.

He sighed.

Damian:

I’m coming.

Ethan:

Godspeed Damian.

Damian grabbed his bag.

"Idiot."

By the time he reached campus, Ethan was already outside the lecture hall.

"You’re late."

"I’m on time."

"You’re breathing heavily."

"I walked quickly."

"You ran."

"I did not run."

Ethan grinned.

"You definitely ran."

Damian ignored him and walked inside.

The morning passed without anything unusual.

A lecture.

A short group discussion.

An assignment announcement that nobody wanted.

Normal university life.

There was something comforting about knowing exactly what the next few hours would look like.

Until lunchtime.

He and Ethan were leaving the cafeteria when Ethan suddenly stopped.

"Look."

Damian followed his gaze.

Adrian was standing near the courtyard with Emily.

They were talking.

Nothing strange about that.

Then Adrian handed Emily a small envelope.

Damian frowned.

"What is that?"

"No idea."

They continued walking.

Ethan glanced at Damian.

"You’re staring."

"You’re the one who called my attention."

"Same thing."

Damian ignored him.

Emily opened the envelope.

Her expression changed slightly.

Adrian said something Damian couldn’t hear.

Emily shook her head.

Adrian smiled and said something else.

This time Emily laughed.

Damian looked away.

It shouldn’t have bothered him.

It didn’t.

Probably.

"Let’s go," he said.

Ethan followed.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Emily caught up with Damian later that afternoon.

"Hey."

Damian turned.

"What’s up?"

"Nothing."

She fell into step beside him.

"You disappeared after lunch."

"I had somewhere to be."

"Where?"

"Library."

Emily smiled.

"Of course."

Damian laughed.

"What was that about earlier?"

"What?"

"With Adrian."

Emily looked at him.

"You saw that?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

She was quiet for a moment.

"He gave me an invitation."

"To what?"

"A charity event his family is hosting this weekend."

Damian nodded.

"That makes sense."

"He also asked me out."

Damian’s expression barely changed.

"Oh."

Emily glanced at him.

"That’s all?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don’t know."

Damian shrugged.

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him I’d think about it."

Damian nodded.

"That sounds fair."

Emily studied him.

"You’re not curious?"

"About what?"

"Whether I’m going."

Damian looked at her.

"You’re allowed to go."

"I know."

"Then?"

She smiled.

"You really don’t get it."

"Get what?"

"Nothing."

She walked a little faster.

Damian caught up.

"You’re confusing."

"So are you."

They continued in silence for a few seconds.

Then Emily spoke.

"I haven’t decided if I want to go."

"Why?"

"I don’t really know him that well."

Damian nodded.

"That seems like a reasonable reason."

Emily smiled.

"Exactly."

Across campus, Adrian sat with Marcus outside the business building.

"So?"

Adrian looked up.

"She said she’d think about it."

Marcus nodded.

"That sounds like a no."

Adrian smiled.

"Maybe."

"You’re taking this surprisingly well."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing."

"Exactly."

Adrian leaned back.

He wasn’t angry.

Disappointed, perhaps.

But not angry.

Emily didn’t owe him anything.

If she wasn’t interested, that was her decision.

Still, Adrian wasn’t ready to walk away.

Not yet.

There was another problem.

Damian.

Adrian had initially assumed Damian was simply Emily’s friend.

That assumption had become increasingly difficult to maintain.

Emily talked about him.

Spent time with him.

Asked him to attend events.

And now Adrian had noticed something else.

Emily seemed more relaxed around Damian than around most people.

That didn’t necessarily mean she liked him romantically.

But it meant Damian mattered.

Adrian looked across the courtyard.

"Do you know much about him?"

Marcus shook his head.

"Not really."

"Find out."

Marcus raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"I want to understand who I’m competing with."

"You’re assuming you’re competing."

Adrian smiled.

"Am I?"

Marcus laughed.

"You’re definitely competing."

Adrian didn’t deny it.

Tuesday afternoon brought the entrepreneurship competition preparation meeting.

Damian wasn’t participating, but Emily had convinced him to attend.

Again.

"You owe me," she said as they entered the room.

"For what?"

"For making you come."

"You asked."

"Not my business ."

Damian smiled.

They took seats near the back.

Adrian was already there.

His team had a presentation displayed on one of the screens.

It was polished.

Clean.

Well organized.

Damian looked through the slides.

"That’s good."

Emily nodded.

"His team has been working hard."

"I can tell."

Adrian noticed Damian looking at the presentation.

"You want to see the full proposal?"

Damian looked over.

"Sure."

Adrian handed him the document.

Damian read through it.

The idea was solid.

The target market was clear.

The revenue model made sense.

But one section bothered him.

"You’re assuming customer retention will stay above eighty percent?"

Adrian nodded.

"Based on our initial research."

"That’s optimistic."

Adrian smiled.

"That’s what projections are."

"Projections should still have a reason behind them."

A few people nearby turned toward them.

Adrian didn’t seem bothered.

"What would you use?"

"Lower initial retention."

"Why?"

"Because you haven’t tested it yet."

Adrian leaned against the table.

"And if our research suggests otherwise?"

"Then I’d keep it."

Adrian smiled.

"So you agree with the proposal."

"I agree with the parts supported by evidence."

Marcus, standing nearby, laughed.

"You two are doing it again."

Damian looked at him.

"Doing what?"

"Arguing without actually arguing."

Emily covered a smile.

Adrian laughed.

"Fair."

The meeting continued.

Damian eventually stepped outside for some air.

A minute later, Adrian followed.

"You’ve got a habit of challenging assumptions."

Damian looked at him.

"So do you."

"Sort of makesus alike."

Adrian leaned against the railing.

"I’ll be honest."

Damian waited.

"I underestimated you."

Damian raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"I thought you were just another random guy."

"And now?"

"Now I’m not sure what you are."

Damian smiled.

"I’m still an average irrelevant guy"

Adrian laughed.

"That’s not what I meant."

"I know."

They stood quietly for a moment.

Then Adrian spoke.

"I like Emily."

Damian’s expression remained calm.

"I figured."

"I’ve been meaning to ask her out properly."

Damian nodded.

"Then you should."

Adrian looked at him.

"You’re not going to tell me not to?"

"Why would I?"

"Because you’re close."

Damian shrugged.

"She’s her own person."

Adrian smiled.

"That answer tells me more about you than you probably realize."

Damian frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing bad."

Adrian pushed away from the railing.

"I’ll see you around."

He walked back inside.

Damian remained outside.

For some reason, that conversation stayed with him.

Not because Adrian had threatened him.

He hadn’t.

If anything, Adrian had been surprisingly straightforward.

He really likes her.

Damian looked toward the building.

The thought bothered him more than it should have.

That evening, Damian met Ethan at a small restaurant near campus.

Ethan looked at the menu.

"Why are you staring at the same page?"

"I’m deciding."

"You’ve been deciding for five minutes."

"I like knowing what I’m ordering."

Ethan laughed.

"You’ve changed."

Damian looked at him.

"Again?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

"You actually look like the main character of your show."

Damian looked around.

The restaurant wasn’t expensive.

Just nicer than the usual student cafeteria.

"It’s a restaurant, Ethan."

"I know."

Ethan smiled.

"I’m talking about you."

Damian didn’t respond.

Ethan studied him for a moment.

"You’ve been quiet lately."

"Have I?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe I’m tired."

"Maybe."

Ethan didn’t push.

Instead, he pointed at the menu.

"I’m getting this."

Damian looked.

"That’s expensive."

Ethan stared at him.

"You literally told me to order whatever I wanted."

"I know."

"So why are you judging me?"

"I’m not."

"You definitely are."

Damian laughed.

"Order it."

Ethan grinned.

"That’s what I wanted to hear."

The conversation moved on.

Football.

Classes.

The upcoming practical assessment.

A professor’s terrible jokes.

Normal things.

But Damian’s mind kept drifting.

Back to Adrian.

Back to Emily.

Back to the simple statement Adrian had made.

I like Emily.

Damian wasn’t sure why hearing it directly had affected him.

He had already known.

Maybe there was a difference between knowing something and hearing someone say it out loud.

He looked across the table at Ethan.

"Can I ask you something?"

Ethan stopped eating.

"That’s usually dangerous."

"Forget it."

"No, no. Ask."

Damian hesitated.

"Never mind."

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

"You’re definitely hiding something."

Damian smiled.

"Eat your food. Moron."

"Suspicious."

Later that night, Damian lay on his bed staring at the ceiling.

His phone rested beside him.

Emily hadn’t messaged.

That was normal.

They didn’t talk every night.

Still, Damian found himself checking the screen.

Nothing.

He tossed the phone aside.

What am I doing?

He closed his eyes.

Adrian wasn’t a bad guy.

He was confident.

Successful.

And genuinely interested in Emily.

There was nothing wrong with that.

So why did Damian feel uneasy?

He didn’t have an answer.

Maybe it was simple competition.

Maybe he just didn’t like someone else getting involved in his friendship.

That sounded reasonable.

At least, that’s what he told himself.

His phone buzzed.

Damian grabbed it immediately.

Emily:

You awake?

He smiled.

Damian:

Yeah.

Emily:

Good.

A pause.

Emily:

I decided something.

Damian stared at the screen.

Damian:

What?

The typing indicator appeared.

Disappeared.

Appeared again.

Then:

Emily:

I’ll tell you tomorrow.

Damian laughed quietly.

"Seriously?"

He put the phone down.

But this time, he didn’t try to convince himself he wasn’t curious.

He was.

Very curious.