Chapter 27: So that’s the game

By Tuesday morning, Damian had already received three messages from Emily.

The first had come around eight.

Emily:You awake?

The second came ten minutes later.

Emily:Actually never mind 😂

The third arrived just before Damian walked into class.

Emily:I’ll tell you later.

Damian stared at the screen for a second before putting his phone away.

That was annoyingly vague.

He glanced toward Ethan, who was sitting beside him with his laptop open and absolutely nothing resembling schoolwork on the screen.

"You look off," Ethan said.

Damian frowned. "How?"

"You’ve been staring at your phone like it personally offended you."

"It didn’t."

"Then why do you look like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you’re trying to solve a murder."

Damian gave him a flat look.

Ethan grinned. "Exactly that."

The lecturer walked in before Damian could respond, saving him from having to explain anything.

For the next hour, the classroom settled into the usual rhythm of lectures, typing, occasional whispers, and Ethan quietly complaining about how much work university seemed determined to create.

Damian actually enjoyed the class.

There was something strangely satisfying about being able to sit through a lecture without constantly calculating whether he could afford the next unexpected expense.

He still took notes.

He still checked deadlines.

He still worried about assignments.

Money hadn’t magically turned university into a vacation.

And honestly, Damian preferred it that way.

When class ended, Ethan stretched.

"Food."

"You just ate."

"That was breakfast."

"It was thirty minutes ago."

"Breakfast can have two phases."

Damian shook his head.

They were halfway across the hallway when someone called his name.

"Damian."

He stopped.

Adrian stood several feet away with two members of his entrepreneurship team.

He looked as polished as usual, but there was less of the casual confidence Damian had seen before.

This time, Adrian looked focused.

"What’s up?" Damian asked.

Adrian nodded toward the entrepreneurship building.

"You’ve got a minute?"

Ethan looked between them.

Damian shrugged. "Sure."

Adrian’s teammates continued ahead while Adrian stayed behind.

"I wanted your opinion on something."

Damian raised an eyebrow.

"My opinion?"

"You gave us a useful critique yesterday."

"That’s what you wanted?"

"Partly."

Adrian pulled out his phone and showed him a short presentation.

It was the same business concept Damian had seen earlier—a software platform aimed at helping small retailers manage inventory, sales, and customer information.

The presentation was good.

Very good, actually.

Clean design. Clear problem statement. Reasonable market assumptions.

Damian scrolled through it.

"You changed the onboarding section."

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because you said our original version assumed too much from the user."

Damian looked up.

Adrian shrugged.

"I disagreed at first."

"I noticed."

"But then we tested it with a few people."

"And?"

"They got confused."

Damian smiled slightly.

"So you changed it."

"Obviously."

There was a brief silence.

Adrian wasn’t trying to impress him.

He genuinely wanted feedback.

That was more interesting than Damian expected.

"You fixed the right problem," Damian said. "Don’t keep changing things just because you’re worried the judges might find another weakness."

Adrian nodded.

"That’s what I thought."

"You wanted me to confirm it?"

"I wanted another opinion."

Damian handed the phone back.

"You’re probably fine."

"Probably?"

"Don’t get comfortable."

Adrian laughed quietly.

"Fair enough."

He started walking away, then stopped.

"One more thing."

Damian looked at him.

"The competition presentation is Friday."

"I know."

"My team is going to be good."

"I figured."

Adrian’s expression sharpened slightly.

"So is yours."

Damian frowned.

"I don’t have a team."

"Not yet."

Adrian walked away before Damian could answer.

Ethan had been waiting nearby.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"That definitely wasn’t nothing."

"Adrian wanted feedback."

Ethan stared after him.

"Since when do people voluntarily ask you for help?"

Damian started walking.

"Apparently since today."

Ethan followed.

"You know, this whole thing between you two is getting weird."

"There is no thing."

"Right."

"There isn’t."

"Sure."

Damian sighed.

"Can we just eat?"

"Absolutely."

By Friday, the entrepreneurship competition had taken over a large section of campus.

Tables had been arranged around the main hall. Posters covered the walls. Student teams moved around carrying laptops, printed proposals, presentation boards, and enough coffee to keep the entire building awake.

Damian hadn’t planned on staying long.

He was there because Emily had asked him to come.

That was it.

At least, that was what he told himself.

He found her near the registration desk.

She spotted him almost immediately.

"You came."

"You told me to."

"I wasn’t sure you actually would."

"You’ve known me long enough to know I’m pretty reliable."

Emily laughed.

"That’s true."

She looked toward the hall.

"Come on. I want to show you something."

They walked inside together.

Emily explained how the judging would work, which teams were competing, and which presentations she thought were strongest.

Damian listened.

Then he noticed Adrian’s team setting up near the front.

Adrian spotted them too.

For a second, his eyes moved from Emily to Damian.

Then he looked away.

No hostility.

Just awareness.

He was paying attention now.

And Damian knew exactly why.

A few minutes later, one of the event coordinators called for the teams to begin their final preparations.

Emily checked her phone.

"I should go help Claire."

"Go."

She took two steps, then turned.

"Damian?"

"Yeah?"

"About what I told you yesterday..."

Damian waited.

Emily hesitated.

"I haven’t forgotten."

His expression softened slightly.

"Okay."

"I’ll tell you after this."

"Take your time."

She smiled.

"Thanks."

Then she disappeared into the crowd.

Damian watched her leave.

He didn’t follow.

He didn’t ask again.

But he couldn’t stop himself from wondering what she’d decided.

Probably nothing dramatic.

At least, that’s what he hoped.

A voice interrupted his thoughts.

"You seem distracted."

Damian turned.

Adrian.

"Do you ever stop appearing out of nowhere?"

Adrian smiled.

"Not particularly."

Damian glanced toward the stage.

"You ready?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

Adrian folded his arms.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why aren’t you competing?"

Damian shrugged.

"Didn’t feel like it."

Adrian studied him.

"That simple?"

"Pretty much."

"You’re good at this."

"I’m decent."

"You’re better than decent."

Damian gave him a look.

"Are you complimenting me?"

"Don’t get excited."

Damian laughed.

Adrian’s expression became more serious.

"You could’ve entered."

"Maybe next time."

"Why not this time?"

Damian thought about it.

Because honestly, he hadn’t wanted the attention.

He was still figuring things out.

Westbridge was already becoming more complicated. His finances were growing faster than he’d ever imagined. His social life had changed. Emily had become important to him. And now Adrian had entered the picture.

He didn’t need another spotlight.

"I wasn’t interested," Damian said.

Adrian nodded slowly.

"I understand."

He paused.

"But I don’t think that’s the only reason."

Damian raised an eyebrow.

"You’re really interested in figuring me out, aren’t you?"

"Maybe."

"Why?"

Adrian looked toward Emily across the room.

Then back at Damian.

"Because I don’t like competing against people I don’t understand."

That answer was honest enough to catch Damian off guard.

Before he could respond, Adrian’s teammate called him.

"I’ve got to go."

He started walking.

Then he stopped.

"Good luck."

Damian smiled.

"You too."

Adrian walked away.

Damian watched him for a moment.

Unhealthy .

That was almost annoying.

It would have been easier if Adrian were arrogant and obnoxious.

Instead, he was competent.

Confident.

And apparently capable of admitting when Damian had a point.

That made the rivalry much more interesting.

The first presentations began.

Damian sat near the back with Emily and Claire.

Several teams presented solid ideas.

Some were polished but lacked substance.

Others had interesting concepts but terrible presentations.

One team completely forgot their pricing slide.

Ethan, who had somehow appeared halfway through the event, leaned toward Damian.

"If they forget another slide, I’m leaving."

"You came here voluntarily."

"I came because there might be free food."

"There isn’t."

Ethan looked offended.

"Then why am I here?"

Damian laughed.

Claire glanced at them.

"You two are impossible."

"We’ve been told," Ethan replied.

When Adrian’s team was called, the atmosphere changed slightly.

They walked onto the stage confidently.

No hesitation.

No awkward introductions.

Adrian took the lead.

Their presentation focused on a software platform designed specifically for small retailers—businesses too small for expensive enterprise systems but too busy to rely on spreadsheets and handwritten records.

Their problem statement was clear.

Their solution made sense.

Their numbers were realistic.

And, most importantly, they understood their customer.

Damian leaned forward.

That’s actually good.

Very good.

When the presentation ended, the room applauded.

Adrian stepped down.

As he passed Damian, their eyes met.

Neither said anything.

They didn’t need to.

The message was obvious.

Your turn.

Except Damian didn’t have a turn.

Not yet.

The event ended in the late afternoon.

Students began filtering out of the hall.

Emily found Damian outside.

"You stayed the whole time."

"You asked me to come."

"You really like saying that."

"Because it’s true."

She smiled.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Emily looked down at her phone.

"I decided."

Damian’s heart gave an unexpected little jump.

He kept his expression neutral.

"About Adrian?"

Emily nodded.

"Yeah."

She looked at him.

"I told him I don’t want to go out with him."

Damian was quiet.

Not because he was shocked.

Because he suddenly didn’t know what he was supposed to feel.

Relief?

Happiness?

Something else?

Emily continued.

"He was nice about it."

"That’s good."

"I told him I don’t know him well enough, and honestly..."

She hesitated.

"I don’t think I’m interested in finding out."

Damian nodded slowly.

"Fair enough."

Emily looked at him for a few seconds.

Then she smiled.

"But that’s not the only reason."

Damian frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Emily tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I’ve been spending a lot of time with you lately."

Damian’s stomach tightened slightly.

"Yeah."

"And..."

She looked away.

"I like that."

Damian didn’t answer immediately.

Emily laughed nervously.

"Wow. This suddenly feels awkward."

"A little."

"Great."

They both laughed.

Then Emily looked back at him.

"I just wanted you to know."

Damian smiled.

"I’m glad you told me."

Emily nodded.

"Good."

They started walking across campus together.

Neither of them said anything about what came next.

But for the first time, Damian found himself wondering whether friends was still the right word for whatever this was becoming.

And somewhere behind them, Adrian stood outside the entrepreneurship hall, watching the crowd disappear.

His teammate walked up beside him.

"You good?"

Adrian nodded.

"Yeah."

He looked toward Damian and Emily.

They were already halfway across campus.

Adrian’s expression remained calm.

He wasn’t angry.

He wasn’t going to blame Emily.

She had made her choice.

But Damian had become much harder to ignore than he had expected.

Adrian looked down at the competition results sheet in his hand.

Then back toward the two figures disappearing into the distance.

So that’s the game.

A faint smile touched his face.

Fine.

He wasn’t going to chase Emily.

He wasn’t going to pressure her.

But he wasn’t stepping aside either.

The next time their paths crossed, Adrian intended to make sure Damian knew exactly who he was competing against.