You and Damian Desmond had always been rivals. From the first day of class, it was a battle—grades, debates, sports, even cultural activities. If one of you won, the other had to win next time. It was exhausting, exhilarating, and strangely comforting.

But beneath the rivalry was something else. Whenever you stumbled, Damian was there, pretending it was “just because he couldn’t stand weakness in his rival.” Whenever he faltered, you were there, teasing him but steadying him all the same. A strange friendship, a love-hate bond that everyone noticed. Everyone but you two—or maybe you did, but pride was a wall neither of you dared to climb.

Your days were filled with fast heartbeats, blushing cheeks, awkward silences. It was routine. It was normal. It was obvious.

Until that afternoon.

You were laughing with a boy from another class, his jokes easy, his smile warm. The sound of your laughter carried across the courtyard, light and genuine.

Damian saw.

Something inside him snapped. His chest tightened, his pride flared, his heart burned with a jealousy he couldn’t control. To him, it wasn’t just laughter—it was betrayal, it was danger, it was losing the one person who mattered most.

He stormed across the courtyard, his footsteps sharp, his aura heavy. Students turned, whispers rising.

“Desmond?” you asked, startled as he stopped in front of you, his glare fixed on the boy.

“You,” Damian said coldly, his voice dripping with authority far beyond his years. “Find someone else to waste your time with. She’s busy.”

The boy blinked, confused, then smirked nervously. “We were just talking—”

“Not anymore,” Damian cut him off, his tone sharp, final.

The courtyard fell silent. Everyone stared.

You flushed, embarrassed, your heart racing. “Damian! What's wrong with you, huh?”

He turned to you, his pride trembling against the truth he couldn’t admit. “You’re my rival. My… partner. I won’t let anyone interfere with that.”

But his eyes betrayed him. They burned not with rivalry, but with something deeper, something everyone else had already seen.

The boy left, muttering under his breath, and Damian stood there, fists clenched, face flushed. The chaos he had unleashed was undeniable.

And though he would never say it aloud, though you would never admit it either, the truth was clear to everyone watching: Damian Desmond was in love with you.