As nice as it was for Damian to offer to walk her home, Anya also wondered why he hadn't said anything for the entire walk.

She could feel his thoughts buzzing around in his head, although she tried hard not to listen in to his thoughts. She had been doing really well at blocking out other's thoughts lately, only tuning in to people when she wanted to, or when their thoughts were loud enough for her to hear anyway. It confused her that he was so quiet, especially since he had appeared so confident when took her book bag from her earlier.

Curious, she tried tuning in, only to find that Damian was thinking the same.

Dammit, Desmond! What was that earlier? I should have known better than to act suddenly confident, now I feel so nervous with her, what do I even say?

Anya was perplexed. He was with her at school all day, and they've had no trouble talking to each other before. Why was Damian so anxious all of a sudden?

It's like every time I'm alone with her my brain switches off!

Anya pursed her lips in confusion. So he finds it difficult to be alone with her?

That could put a wrench into Plan B. If she wanted to befriend Damian, she had to make sure that he felt comfortable around her, even when it was just the two of them. Especially then. She wondered if she should wait for Damian to say something, or if she should take the leap and break the silence first - at least then he would stop agonising about it and his thoughts might quieten down!

Anya readied herself to speak but just as she opened her mouth to say something, he turned to her and blurted:

"Why don't you want to come to my house anymore?"

She couldn't help it - she burst out laughing. "Oh man! I forgot I was so obsessed with coming to your house!" Of course, she couldn't tell him why, but she indulged him just a little to join in with the memory. He probably thought that she was insane, single-mindedly asking for one thing and one thing only.

Damian flushed completely and Anya heard his thoughts spark: Why did I do that? Why did I say that? What on God's green earth is wrong with me?

Out loud, he coughed, willing the blush in his cheeks to die down. "It-it's just… you were so persistent, it stressed me out!"

"I know," Anya laughed again and revelled in the warmth building in her chest, then panicked slightly as she realised what she had just said. "I - I mean, I bet! But chasing you got tiring, especially since you pushed me away and ignored me for years! A girl can take a hint." Anya crossed her arms and mock-pouted.

Immediately, Anya noticed that Damian's eyes desperately wandered around, looking at anything else but her. She glanced down and instantly reddened, seeing that she had inadvertently pushed up her own breasts so that her cleavage was clearly visible.

Anya dropped her hands to her sides, suddenly unsure of what to do with them. "But, uh," she started, desperate to salvage the awkwardness. "If you like, you can… You can come to my house."

"Huh?" At that, Damian whipped round instantly, his cheeks still slightly flushed. Me, come to her house? What is this? What is she planning? Is she… is she suggesting something?

"I-I mean," Anya stuttered. "As… as a friend! They go to each other's houses, r-right?" She didn't know what Damian had meant about 'suggesting' something, but she definitely did not want him to find out about Plan B!

(Yes, he was part of a plan, but she was determined that he would never find out about it…)

"As a… friend…" Damian said softly, as if lost in thought. "You know, I don't think I've ever been to a friend's house. We're just… always in the same dorm."

Anya was taken aback. She regarded him quietly. "I guess you haven't needed to…"

She had forgotten that most of the students in Eden College were boarders. What would it be like, she wondered, to have your own friends so close by? To be able to talk to someone whenever you wanted, to never get lonely?

He still hadn't answered her question, but Anya didn't want to push it. She had seen his quiet look, and she could recognise his moods even if she couldn't put words to them. He was so confusing, and at that moment she could sense a strange mix of sorrow, frustration, and a quiet, aching pain.

She frowned. She thought that if Damian was near his two friends at school, then he would at least be a little bit happier. Where did all of this come from?

"It must be nice, having your friends near you and being able to talk to them."

"Y-yeah, I mean, it beats living at home, it feels so empty over there." Crap, I revealed too much!

Surprisingly, Anya could take a hint when she heard one. "So what do you do when you hang out outside of class?"

"Outside of… class?" said Damian, utterly perplexed.

Anya's heart warmed as she looked at him. He looked completely dumbstruck, like the idea of hanging out with his friends outside of class had never actually occurred to him in his entire life. What did he do, just study all day and all night?

Knowing Damian, that's probably exactly what he did.

Then an idea formed in her head, and she brightened up as she turned to him. (Damian was not used to her smiling so brightly at him, so he took a tentative step back). "If you live together, that means you can hang out whenever you want! You can invite the whole class!"

"What, like a party?"

"Yeah!"

Damian looked so surprised, Anya wondered if she had crossed a line somewhere. Maybe another social faux-pas that she had forgotten about?

But thankfully, he started to smile. A warm, gentle smile that Anya had never seen before. As she looked up at him, something fluttered in her chest.

He looks so handsome when he smiles.

She shook her head, immediately banishing the thought before her blushing face betrayed her.

"This is your house, right?" said Damian.

Anya looked up with a gasp. They were back already?

"So, uh," Damian looked down at his feet, and stuck his hands in his pockets. What next? Did she want me to see her house today? What if her father hates me? Or her mother? I don't want to make a bad impression on my future in-laws…

Anya gasped - loudly, like she had just been electrocuted - and in her surprise, her foot slipped off the edge of the curb.

For a fraction of a second, she hung helplessly in the air as she fell backwards, until she felt someone grab her arm and pull her in, and before she knew it, she was right up against his chest.

Anya let out a shaky breath and looked up into the eyes of Damian Desmond.

Were his eyes always that gold?

Anya suddenly became very aware of how close they were, with her hands pressed up against his chest, while he held her elbow gently, with his other hand resting on her lower back. Their faces were so close she could almost feel his breath mingling with hers.

His gaze slid down to her lips, and Anya felt her heart speed up. She felt like Princess Honey at the end of the film, in the arms of Bondman.

For some reason that she couldn't fathom, the thought terrified her.

With a yelp, Anya leapt backwards, feeling a flush rise up her neck. "Thanks for walking me back, Sy-on boy! See you at school!"

Damian watched her run up the stairs into her building, his feet rooted to the ground.

Did that.. Did that just happen?

Absent-mindedly, he brought his fingers to his lips. It was so close. They were so close. He could almost still feel her, on his hands, on his lips, on his lips… He let out a long, slow breath, trying to calm his thundering heart.

He ran the memory through his head again, seeing how gorgeous Anya looked when he had spun her into him (accidentally!) and he had, for only a few long seconds, held her close to him.

She really is…

She fit perfectly against him. Her warm body, pressed against his. And her eyes… They shone like emeralds. If she looked at him like that again, Damian was certain that he would fall to his knees for her.

so beautiful.

The back of his neck prickled, and Damian had the sudden sense that someone was watching him. He glanced behind him, only to see a flash of pink hair disappear behind a curtain.

Anya pressed herself against her bedroom door, trying to catch her breath from just having run up the stairs. Her heartbeat roared in her ears.

Did that.. Did that just happen?

She crept up to the window and looked down, aching to see…

Damian stood stock-still below her, his eyes wide. Anya sucked in a breath when he brought his fingers to his lips, still in shock, and Anya wondered what his lips would feel like against hers, wondered why his touch was so gentle, wondered if he had felt what she had in that moment.

Well, only one way to find out.

When she reached into his mind, she gasped.

She saw herself, as Damian saw her, with shining wide eyes, surrounded by sparkles and shimmer and a warm glow that made her heart flutter once more. She looked so…

so beautiful.

Anya started, and hid behind her curtain just as he looked up, but not before she had heard his thoughts, and the words reverberated in her mind.

Damian… thought she was beautiful?