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Damian Desmond and Anya Forger's almost-daily banters are one of the reasons why Cecil Hall stood out from the rest of the other classes. They seem to get along like oil and water, co-existing yet never one.
Despite that, their bickering are anything but hostile. It's banter between two people that can't, for the love of all things holy, have the guts to confess their undying love for each other.
Usually, the things they fight about are the most mediocre of things and Damian usually lets the latter win. It also didn't last that long for there was usually a new topic for them to talk about.
Moving on, the day went on as usual. People talking, class starting, bell ringing. Except there was no bantering from their Desmond-Forger duo. People didn't think too much of it at first, since they sometimes didn't argue on some days. They'd probably be arguing over something again tomorrow.
Except they didn't.
This drawned on for a week. A week without any bickering from both of them. A week of awkward and uncomfortable silence that lingered like cobwebs in Cecil Hall.
It was absolutely unbearable for everyone.
By Friday, nearly everyone in class tried to pry by asking Becky, Emile and Ewen yet none of them seemed to budge. It's either they looked away or they just didn't say anything to anyone.
'It's their issues. We shouldn't have to force them to talk it out'
At this point, everyone was getting worried. It never went up to this point. They always made up and it was never this serious. Both of them seemed to be distracted as well. Damian would sometimes space out in class and Anya's mood wasn't stable.
Eventually, the class figured out that they really couldn't do anything about it. The two of them refused to budge in saying anything and their closest friends aren't even interfering. What can they do?
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Damian didn't know how it happened but they somehow got to be alone in a room together. It wasn't intentional, of course. That's why he didn't know how it happened. It's not like he thought that he was being too much and maybe he was being too proud to admit his mistakes or anything. It was not like that in the slightest. She was being the unreasonable one.
Nevertheless, he found himself sitting across Anya Forger when they were supposed to be not facing each other right now. He wasn't even ready! Was he supposed to say something??
A sigh snaps Damian out of his stupor and he looks up from his book to see Anya lazily tracing the letters on her book. “You saw how worried the others in class are, right?”, she says.
A few seconds of silence. He shifts in his seat. “Yes. What of it? It's not like it's any of their business.”, Damian huffs. It was true. They didn't need to worry about what they were doing or what happened to them. It really wasn't any of their business.
“You're right. It's not really any of their business at all.”, he hears her reply before closing her book with a thump. He stares at her as she turns her attention to him, how her hair seems to sway like there's this weird dramatic wind inside the goddamn library and how the afternoon light seems to make her green doe eyes look even brighter.
Damian scoffs softly. How unfair, he's supposed to be mad at her.
“Itʼs between us, after all.”, she says, softly. He might've missed it if he wasn't paying so much attention to her. “Then why are we still doing this? Do you really want to draw this out til we graduate?”
He stares at her— he does that alot— knowing all-too well what she's saying.
'Why aren't you saying anything? Why aren't you apologizing?'
Damian sighs and makes his way over to her, sitting beside the empty space beside her. He can feel her lean her weight against him, he leans back to her. A sigh escapes his lips. “Sorry I didn't say anything. When I told you that I'd tell you.”, he quietly says.
“I didn't really know how to explain it to you.” Damian feels her head on his shoulder and ignores the way his heart skips a beat or how his cheeks warmed up.
Anya didn't say anything but her actions were enough of a reply to him.
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It was nearing the end of lunch period and the start of another class period but Damian and Anya are nowhere to be found. It wasn't until just as the bell rang that they both walked in, much closer and their hands intertwined.
Cecil Hall was brighter that afternoon.