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After 15 years of being a telepath, one would think that Anya Forger would have a good sense of people’s emotions. Unfortunately, she still couldn't understand the intent of many people’s actions, such as Damien Desmond’s. She really only understands people if they openly admit their feelings in their thoughts.
For example, Fiona Frost has said multiple times that she is in love with Loid Forger, so Anya knows why Fiona has an obsession with beating Yor. But Damien Desmond has continuously denied in his mind that he is NOT in love with Anya. Yet sometimes, Damien manages to also think about Anya in a rather..loving way?
Damien’s words never matched his actions. He would always tease her, but if Emilie or Ewen were to tease her, he would stand up for her in a not so subtle way. Like when Anya’s cookie fell in the floor in the cafeteria. Ewen just started eating his cookie in front of Anya to piss her off, but later Damien slid his cookie to her, blushing.
Damien’s thoughts were also confusing. He would think- Anya looks really cute today..WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME. She looks cute when she’s sleeping..NO SHE DOESN’T. SHE IS ABSOLUTELY STUPID. NO SANE PERSON WOULD BE SLEEPING IN CLASS IF THEY KNEW THEY WERE FAILING HISTORY! Mind you, Anya heard all of this going on in his head.
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Damien Desmond, after about 9 years of crushing on Anya Forger, had now accustomed to his feelings. He wouldn’t constantly blush when she was around.
Ok, fine. If Anya was in a 2 feet radius from him, he would start blushing furiously, or if she happened to smile at him, or if…well, the point is, Damien could at least handle his feelings a little bit more than he could when he was in middle school.
Until two weeks ago, when he woke up in the middle of the night-having a dream about Anya Forger. Damien had really never admitted he had a crush on Anya. But in the shower, he put his hands on his face and groaned into his palms. I like Anya Forger…No I don’t. Yes I do. No..yes..
That very morning in class, Damien Desmond thought, I can’t believe I like Anya Forger. No, it’s easy to believe. It’s easy to believe that I have a crush on her.
And Anya Forger heard him say that. She slowly turned around, gaping at him, mouth open. Damien looked at her oddly. Anya whipped around and raised her hand.
“Sir! I need to go to the bathroom. Like, now.” Without waiting for a response, she rushed out of the classroom.
Anya rushed into a stall and covered her mouth with her hands. What? I mean, I just thought Damien was weird. Maybe mentally ill, or unstable- but never this! Has he liked me for this long? Why wouldn’t he tell me?
Anya spent the next two weeks keeping her thoughts to herself, not telling a single soul. Of course, Anya couldn’t help herself. She had to ask Damien. There was no way- she couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t ask him.
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“Ok, can someone clear up the table so I can put the breaker down?” Damien fussed as he held a hot beaker filled with liquid inside.
“Yeah! Let me help you!” Anya said. She grabbed the beaker from him, ignoring everyone else at the table who had told her not to grab the beaker.
Anya suddenly dropped the beaker, yelping. “Ouch!” she whined. “That’s hot!”
“Of course it is, you idiot!” shouted Damien. “And now your hands are burned too! Shit! We have to do redo a bunch of steps now, so thanks a LOT.”
Anya, who was used to him yelling, just grabbed a bunch of paper towels and bent down near Damien- near his crotch, and began to wipe the floor.
Flustered by the suggestive pose (no one noticed except Damien), he backed away and stumbled into his chair, falling down. Anya hovered over him, smiling guiltily.
“Sorry” she murmured, trying not to laugh, as were his other lab mates. Damien just laid on the floor, face burning, groaning and covering his eyes with his hands. Man..she’s too pretty, even when causing trouble.
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As a result of the science incident, Anya and Damien were given a punishment to clean up the classroom after school.
The two of them were nearly done, putting away the lab equipment and wiping up the blackboard. Anya and Damien both worked together to clean the board, him wiping the top and her wiping the bottom.
Suddenly exhausted, Anya put down the eraser and laid down on a desk, her wavy pink hair spread out underneath her. Damien looked over at her. “We’re almost done,” he said.
”I know, so I just need a break right now, so that I get a final burst of energy to finish this up!” she exclaimed.
Damien walked over, frowning. “You can’t possibly be this tired. I want to get this over with.” He couldn’t help but look at Anya lying down on the desk, his eyes wandering where maybe they shouldn’t have been.
Anya suddenly sat up, surprising Damien. Their faces were too close, and Damien blushed immediately (remember the 2 feet radius rule?). Anya took the empty classroom and Damien being vulnerable as a chance to speak. “Damien, I just don’t understand how you like me.”
“Wait- what?” No thoughts were exactly running through Damien’s head, just panic.
“I mean, you’ve been weird to me for sure, but you’ve always been either rude or nice. I just can’t wrap my head around it.” she continued.
Damien took a step back. “You’re saying I like you as in..as in what way?”
”As in a crush way! As in you like me a lot! As in you love me-“ she was cut off as Damien put his hand over Anya’s mouth.
Even though it was obvious that Damien was caught, he put his hand down and spoke. “What could possibly make you think that?”
Anya hesitated. “I mean..I..it’s been obvious? And today, I mean, even though you were yelling at me, you were also concerned for me. I notice things, Syon-boy. I’m not that stupid.”
Of course Anya wouldn’t reveal her secret..but she suddenly felt vulnerable as well. The empty classroom, her being so close to Damien. The class was cold, but air around them was becoming hot. Damien’s eyes were looking at her so intensely, then he was looking at her lips, then back at her eyes.
Damien then spoke. “I didn’t think I could ever say it in front of anyone, especially not you. Never in a million years. But damn it, you literally have me right here. You caught me Anya.”
Then he said it, first in his head, about ten times. I like you. I like you. I like you. A lot. I like you so much. For a really embarrassingly long time. It feels impossible to say but just say it! I like her! I like Anya, I like her, I like you. I like you.
”I like you.” His tousled dark brown hair, his flushed skin, his golden eyes shining with embarrassment but also pride. Anya knew he was handsome, but now he looked really good. Too good.
When Anya had planned to confront Damien, she didn’t really think what would happen after. She didn’t even think about how she really felt about it. She was definitely surprised, but in a good way or a bad way? Now, her heart was thumping. Really loud.
Before, she had thought she would just coldly reject any man who asked her out. Sorry. My only purpose is Operation Strix. But now, Damien had confessed, and now Anya was also left flustered. She didn’t plan what to do next.
“But I guess it's been really obvious, huh?” asked Damien softly. Even though he was more nervous than Anya, he wanted to know what she thought of his confession.
Anya looked at him and read his thoughts. I’m so nervous. I probably messed up and now we probably won’t ever talk again because I messed up! I should leave. No, then she would have to clean up the classroom herself!
“Damien.” Anya said. Now or never. “I lied when I said you were obvious about your crush on me. I figured out two weeks ago. When you said something in class.”
Damien looked her, shocked. Did I confess my crush out loud in class? Or maybe when I was sleeping and Emilie or Ewen told her? But why would no one say anything?
”You didn’t say it out loud, Damian,” whispered Anya. “I heard it in your thoughts.”
This made Damien freak out a bit. Did I BREAK her? She’s talking nonsense! No one can read minds. It’s impossible.
“Think of something random in your head. Something really random,” insisted Anya.
Purple zebras like to eat yellow and green chimpanzees.
”Purple zebras like to eat yellow and green chimpanzees,” repeated Anya.
This type of conversation kept going on, Damien making random things up in his head, and Anya repeating it. Forget the romantic mood that was happening before, now Anya was determined to convince Damien she could read minds.
”You’re telling me you’ve read my mind before, and that’s how you figured out I like you?” This is the worst possible luck. The girl I like has been hearing everything? Just about everything? Maybe I should just leave now.
”Don’t leave.” Anya said. She grabbed his hand. Damien blushed (when is he not blushing?). “I’m not lying. It really wasn’t obvious to me for such a long time,” explained Anya. She didn’t want to make Damien feel that embarrassed.
“I’ve been a jerk to you. I’m sorry. It just makes confessing to you all the worse,” said Damien.
“Yeah you have been a jerk, and I’ve been wanting to punch you a lot more times since I punched you in first grade,” muttered Anya. Damien winced. “But,” she continued, “I don’t want to punch you right now.”
“Oh yeah? How do you feel?”
Even though Anya loved to talk, she didn’t feel like talking now. She wasn’t really even thinking.
Then she grabbed Damien by the collar of his shirt and kissed him. But there wasn't a point in that, because Damien was already leaning in. Their lips interlocked like magnets, hot and messy. Their hands grabbed at each other passionately, her hands in his hair, his hands on her waist.
His tongue begged to be let into Anya’s, and she let him. Pleasure ran through both their bodies. She’s so soft. Her hair, her lips. I want more. Damien pulled away. Both of their shirts were wrinkled, hair messy, cheeks flushed. “If we had kept going, I don’t think I could have stopped,” breathed Damien. Anya looked at him, eyes shining like stars.
“Y-yeah,” she agreed. She slid off the desk she was sitting on, and smoothed her clothes.
"I'll clean up the rest of the classroom," offered Damien. "Ok.." murmured Anya, trying to sound reluctant, but she wasn't going to refuse his offer.
"Uh..bye!" exclaimed Anya awkwardly. She gave a shy wave and slipped out of the classroom. She rushed down the hall and then leaned against the wall breathlessly. No way..I just kissed him?!
Meanwhile, Damien was going insane. I JUST...wow. I kissed Anya Forger. He had sat in a chair, trying to process what had just happened. His face was so flushed that his cheeks hurt. His hands were sort of trembling from excitement, and he decided to give himself a 5 minute break to calm down.
Its just my luck that I had to fall in love with a girl who could read my mind.