Chapter 29: The line between us

The university was unusually loud on Wednesday.

Posters for the upcoming student business showcase covered the walls around the main hall, and several clubs had set up tables outside. Students moved between them in groups, carrying laptops, flyers, and cups of coffee.

Damian had only planned to stop by for a few minutes.

Then Ethan spotted the crowd.

"Oh, we’re definitely going inside."

Damian glanced at him.

"Why?"

"Because something interesting is happening."

"You don’t even know what’s happening."

"Exactly. That’s what makes it interesting."

Damian sighed.

"You’re impossible."

"And yet you keep hanging out with me."

"Unfortunately."

They entered the hall.

The showcase was bigger than Damian expected. Several student teams were presenting ideas to a panel of lecturers, local business owners, and alumni.

Ethan looked around.

"Wait."

"What?"

"Isn’t that Adrian?"

Damian followed his gaze.

Adrian stood near the front of the hall with his team.

He was speaking to one of the event organizers, dressed neatly as usual, but there was something different about him today.

He looked focused.

Not relaxed.

Not casual.

Focused.

Adrian noticed Damian almost immediately.

Their eyes met.

He gave a small nod.

Damian returned it.

Ethan looked between them.

"Why does that feel like two people in a movie silently declaring war?"

"Because you watch too many movies."

"I’m serious."

"So am I."

They moved toward the back.

A few minutes later, one of the organizers announced that the judges would be taking questions from students before the final presentations.

A lecturer asked for volunteers.

Nobody moved.

Then Adrian raised his hand.

He walked toward the microphone.

"Since we’re discussing small-business technology, I’d like to ask something."

The room quieted.

"If a company has limited resources and several areas of its business are underperforming, how should it decide what to fix first?"

The lecturer smiled.

"Good question. Anyone want to answer?"

Several students avoided eye contact.

Then the lecturer looked toward Damian.

"You’ve been involved with one of the university’s recent business projects, haven’t you?"

Damian blinked.

"A little."

"Your thoughts?"

Ethan quietly whispered,

"Here we go."

Damian ignored him.

He walked toward the microphone.

"I’d start with the area that’s causing the biggest problem."

Adrian’s expression didn’t change.

The lecturer nodded.

"Which would be?"

"Depends on the company."

A few students laughed.

Damian continued.

"You can’t decide what to fix first without knowing what’s actually hurting the business. If sales are dropping because customers are leaving, throwing money into advertising might not solve anything."

Adrian stepped closer to the microphone.

"But what if the company doesn’t have enough data to know what’s causing the problem?"

Damian looked at him.

"Then that’s the first problem."

A few people laughed again.

Adrian smiled faintly.

"You’d spend time gathering information while the business is already losing money?"

"I’d spend enough time to avoid making an expensive guess."

"What if you don’t have that time?"

"Then you make the best decision you can with what you have."

Damian paused.

"But you should know it’s a risk."

The room became quieter.

Adrian nodded.

"And if your decision turns out to be wrong?"

"It probably will eventually."

That earned a few surprised looks.

Damian shrugged.

"Everyone’s wrong sometimes."

Adrian smiled.

The lecturer stepped back in.

"Good discussion. That’s enough."

Damian returned to his seat.

Ethan immediately leaned toward him.

"Bro."

"What?"

"You two were arguing like CEOs at a board meeting."

"We weren’t arguing."

"You absolutely were."

Damian laughed.

"It’s called discussion."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Across the room, Adrian watched Damian return to his seat.

He had expected confidence.

What he hadn’t expected was how comfortable Damian had become under pressure.

There was no attempt to dominate the room.

No need to prove himself.

He simply answered.

Adrian looked down at his notes.

He’s starting to get annoying.

Not because Damian had done anything wrong.

Because Adrian couldn’t figure out where the confidence came from.

After the discussion, the event continued.

Damian stayed longer than he intended.

Partly because Ethan had disappeared toward the refreshments.

Partly because Emily had messaged him.

Emily:Are you at the showcase?

Damian:Yeah.

Emily:Wait for me.

Damian looked at the message.

Damian:Okay.

He didn’t think much of it.

At least, he tried not to.

Twenty minutes later, Emily appeared beside him.

"You actually waited."

"Yeahh."

"You really need new material."

"I’ll work on it."

She smiled.

They walked toward the quieter side of the building.

"You did well earlier."

Damian looked at her.

"You saw that?"

"Most of it."

"I thought you were helping Claire."

"I was."

"And?"

"And I came back."

Damian nodded.

Emily glanced at him.

"You were different."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Different how?"

"More confident."

" I’ve always been confident."

"No."

The answer came so quickly that Damian laughed.

"Okay."

Emily smiled.

"I mean it. You’re not as hesitant anymore."

Damian thought about that.

She wasn’t wrong.

A few months ago, he probably would’ve overthought every answer.

Now?

He still thought before speaking.

He just trusted himself more.

"I guess I’ve gotten used to things."

Emily nodded.

"Maybe."

They continued walking.

For a while, neither said anything.

Then Emily spoke.

"You’ve also been acting a little strange with me."

Damian glanced at her.

"Have I?"

"Yes."

"How?"

She thought about it.

"I don’t know."

"That not really specific "

"Shut up."

He laughed.

Emily smiled before looking ahead again.

"It’s just..."

She hesitated.

"I feel you’re more free around others of late."

"And with you?"

"You’re still normal."

"That sounds contradictory."

"I know."

She laughed softly.

"But you just seem off."

Damian didn’t respond.

He suddenly became very aware of the fact that he was standing beside her.

Of how close they were.

Of how easily he could get used to moments like this.

Emily looked at him.

"Do you actually see me as just a friend?"

The question caught him completely off guard.

Damian stared at her.

She immediately looked slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry. That sounded weird."

"No."

"What?"

"You’re fine."

He thought about answering honestly.

No.

That was the truth.

But he wasn’t ready to say it.

Not yet.

Instead, he smiled.

"Why are you asking?"

Emily shrugged.

"Because I’ve been wondering."

"About me?"

"Don’t get too excited."

"Too late."

She rolled her eyes.

"See? This is why I asked."

Damian laughed.

The tension eased.

But the question remained.

And they both knew it.

Across campus, Adrian sat with his teammates reviewing their showcase results.

His team had done well.

Very well.

They had received positive feedback from two judges and had already been invited to discuss their proposal with one of the alumni after the event.

His teammates were celebrating.

Adrian wasn’t.

His phone buzzed.

A message from Emily.

He looked at it.

Nothing romantic.

Just a short response to something they’d discussed earlier.

Adrian stared at the screen for a moment before putting the phone away.

His teammate noticed.

"You’re still thinking about her?"

Adrian looked at him.

"Not really "

"You know she said no."

"I know."

"So?"

Adrian leaned back.

"So I’m respecting her answer."

His teammate nodded.

"Then what’s the problem?"

Adrian was quiet.

He didn’t have a good answer.

He liked Emily.

That much was simple.

What wasn’t simple was Damian.

At first, Adrian had assumed Damian was just another student Emily happened to be friends with.

Then he’d noticed the confidence.

The business knowledge.

The way Damian handled pressure.

The Westbridge connection.

The fact that Emily kept choosing to spend time with him.

And yet in his eyes Damian didn’t seem interested in her the way he was.

That was the part Adrian couldn’t understand.

Most people changed around him.

They became more careful.

More eager to impress.

Damian didn’t.

He doesn’t care who I am.

Adrian smiled faintly.

Maybe that was exactly why he found the rivalry interesting.

Later that evening, Damian was walking back to his apartment when his phone buzzed.

Emily.

Emily:You got home?

Damian:Not yet.

Emily:Okay. Text me when you do.

He stared at the message.

Then smiled.

He put the phone away and kept walking.

The question from earlier returned.

Do you actually see me as just a friend?

Damian had spent weeks avoiding that question.

Now he knew the answer.

No.

He didn’t.

And he wasn’t going to pretend otherwise anymore.

But there was no need to rush.

He didn’t need some dramatic confession.

He didn’t need to make things complicated.

He simply needed to do one thing.

Ask her out.

Damian stopped walking.

The thought felt strangely simple.

He pulled out his phone.

Opened Emily’s chat.

His thumb hovered over the keyboard.

Then he stopped.

Tomorrow.

He locked the phone.

Tomorrow he’d ask.

For once, Damian wasn’t going to overthink it.

The next morning, Adrian arrived on campus early.

He had barely reached the main building when he saw Damian.

They stopped a few feet apart.

"Morning," Adrian said.

"Morning."

Adrian glanced toward the entrepreneurship building.

"You coming to the meeting later?"

"Probably."

"Good."

A brief silence followed.

Then Adrian smiled.

"You’ve become a problem."

Damian raised an eyebrow.

"I thought we were getting along."

"We are."

"Then that’s a weird thing to say."

Adrian laughed.

"I mean it as a compliment."

"I’ll take it."

Adrian started walking.

Then stopped.

"One day, I’d like to beat you at something."

Damian smiled.

"I’m sure you’ll get your chance."

Adrian looked at him for a second.

"I intend to."

He walked away.

Damian watched him go.

Then shook his head.

"Competitive bastard."

A voice came from behind him.

"You’re one to talk."

Damian turned.

Emily stood there, smiling.

He smiled back.

And suddenly, tomorrow didn’t feel far away at all.