I had one rule.
Don’t talk to Damian Cole.
Unfortunately, Damian had other plans.
He leaned back in his chair like he owned the entire lecture hall, one arm resting casually on the desk.
I stared straight ahead.
Ignore him.
That was easy.
Or at least, it should have been.
“Princess.”
I closed my eyes.
Ignore him.
“Amara.”
I slowly turned my head.
“What?”
He smiled.
“I said your name twice.”
“I heard you.”
“And you ignored me.”
“Yes.”
His smile widened.
“You’re rude.”
“And you’re annoying.”
“Good to know we’re already getting along.”
I turned back toward the lecturer.
“We are not getting along.”
He chuckled quietly.
I hated that sound.
Actually, I hated everything about him.
His stupid confidence.
His stupid smile.
His stupidly handsome face.
Especially his face.
“Amara?”
I looked up.
The lecturer was staring at me.
“Yes, sir?”
“Since you seem to be having such an interesting conversation, perhaps you’d like to answer the question?”
The entire class turned toward me.
My face burned.
I glanced at Damian.
He was trying not to laugh.
“I—”
He leaned closer.
“The answer is B.”
I whispered, “I didn’t ask you.”
“You’re welcome.”
I raised my hand.
“B, sir.”
The lecturer nodded.
“Correct.”
A few students murmured.
Damian leaned back with a satisfied smile.
I whispered, “Don’t ever help me again.”
“You’re welcome again.”
I glared at him.
He winked.
I wanted to scream.
When the lecture finally ended, I packed my books as quickly as possible.
Zara appeared beside my desk.
“You two are interesting.”
I frowned.
“Who?”
She pointed at Damian.
I immediately shook my head.
“No.”
She laughed.
“I didn’t even say anything.”
“You were about to.”
“Okay, okay.”
She grabbed her bag.
“But he’s definitely looking at you.”
I froze.
“What?”
Zara nodded toward him.
I slowly turned.
Damian was already looking at me.
Our eyes met.
For a second, neither of us moved.
Then he smiled.
I quickly looked away.
“He’s probably looking at the clock.”
Zara laughed.
“Girl, that man was looking directly at you.”
“He hates me.”
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
She smiled suspiciously.
I narrowed my eyes.
“Stop that.”
“Stop what?”
“That face.”
“What face?”
“The face you’re making.”
She burst out laughing.
Before I could say anything else, someone called Damian from across the room.
He stood.
And for some reason, I found myself watching him.
He walked toward the door with his friends.
Then he stopped.
Turned around.
And looked directly at me.
Again.
This time, he didn’t smile.
He just stared.
Like he was trying to figure me out.
Then he walked away.
I frowned.
Why was he looking at me like that?
After class, Zara dragged me to the cafeteria.
“I need food,” she announced.
“You just ate.”
“That was breakfast.”
“It was eleven thirty.”
“Exactly. I’m starving.”
I laughed.
We joined the long line.
I was reaching for my phone when someone bumped into my shoulder.
My phone slipped from my hand.
I gasped.
Before it hit the floor, another hand caught it.
I looked up.
Of course.
Damian.
He held my phone between two fingers.
“You really need to stop dropping things around me.”
I reached for it.
“Give me my phone.”
He didn’t.
“Say please.”
I stared at him.
“Give. Me. My. Phone.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“That’s not please.”
“Damian.”
“Amara.”
“Please.”
He smiled and handed it to me.
“There. That wasn’t so hard.”
I snatched it.
“You’re impossible.”
“You’re welcome.”
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Very much.”
I rolled my eyes and turned away.
Then I heard him say,
“By the way…”
I looked back.
“What?”
His expression suddenly became serious.
“I’m sorry about earlier.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“The coffee.”
For the first time since I met him, Damian Cole looked genuinely sincere.
“I shouldn’t have been rude to you.”
I didn’t know what to say.
“Oh.”
He nodded.
“That’s all?”
I smiled.
“I’m not going to make it easy for you.”
He laughed.
“Fair enough.”
Then he walked away.
I watched him disappear into the crowd.
Zara appeared beside me.
“You’re smiling.”
I immediately stopped.
“I am not.”
“You are.”
“I’m literally not.”
“You like him.”
I nearly choked.
“I hate him.”
“Sure.”
“I do!”
“Okay, Amara.”
She walked away laughing.
I followed her.
But one thought wouldn’t leave my mind.
Maybe Damian wasn’t as terrible as I thought.
And that scared me more than anything.
That evening, I was sitting on my bed, scrolling through my phone when a notification appeared.
NEW FOLLOW REQUEST
I tapped it.
My heart stopped.
Damian Cole wants to follow you.
I stared at the screen.
“No way.”
I didn’t accept.
Five minutes passed.
Another notification.
Damian Cole sent you a message.
I opened it.
Damian: You really ignored my follow request?
I frowned.
I typed back.
Me: Yes.
His reply came almost immediately.
Damian: Why?
Me: Because I don’t like you.
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Finally:
Damian: That’s okay.
I smiled slightly.
Then another message came.
Damian: You will.
My smile disappeared.
I stared at the screen.
Me: You are so full of yourself.
His reply came instantly.
Damian: And yet you’re still smiling.
I froze.
How did he—
I looked toward my bedroom window.
There was no way he could see me.
Another message appeared.
Damian: Goodnight, princess.
I stared at the screen.
Then I threw my phone onto the bed.
“No.”
I buried my face in my pillow.
“No, no, no.”
Because for the first time…
I wasn’t thinking about how much I hated Damian Cole.
I was wondering what it would feel like…
**if I stopped hating him.**
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