Chapter 4 – Let's Get Together

Opal

Damian stopped the car in a parking lot that faced a large ten story apartment building. This was one of the newer construction projects finished just as she was graduating from Eden Academy. The building was painted a light brown color, accented with dark red bricks. The parking lot was landscaped with shrubs that were clearly in the early phases of maturity, separated with medians filled with grass and trees that were just exiting the sapling phase. There were bike racks lining the front entrance, which was brightly lit and decorated with autumn flowers.

Damian stepped out of the car and opened the door for Opal. He took her hand and walked up to the building and into the lobby. The lobby had a large wooden desk manned by an older gentleman reading a newspaper, presumably the concierge. The older man smiled at the two, as they walked towards the elevator, passing a wall adorned with mailboxes.

Opal and Damian entered the elevator, and he pressed the button for the tenth floor. The button illuminated and they stood there, hand-in-hand in an awkward silence while they were transported up to the top floor of the building. Once there, the elevator dinged, and the doors opened to a hallway with buff-colored walls and copper-colored carpets. Damian led them out of the elevator and down the hallway that was adorned with abstract art and chestnut doors with gold numbers on them, and various tall plants in large pots.

1007, that was the door they stopped in front. Opal gave Damia a curious look. As far as she knew, he only lived in the dormitories at Berlint University and would occasionally visit home. Although he seemed to not notice this look, he was too occupied with digging into the plant that was by his door with his hand. He sighed once he picked up a grey stone, turning it over to reveal a key taped to the bottom. Removing the key and unlocking the door he opened it, gesturing for Opal to enter.

Opal entered the dark apartment. Footsteps followed behind her and she heard a click. She squinted as the lights in the entryway to the apartment turned on. She faced a mahogany wood paneled wall, centered with a large monstera plant. To the left of her was a kitchen with dark cabinets, new appliances, and a floor tiled with brown and tan, which ended where the breakfast bar met with the open floor concept living and dining room. The dining room and living room had mahogany wood paneled walls, affixed with various forms of botany.

Damian closed the door behind her, placing his coat on the rack next to it, and walked up behind her, placing his hands 0n her hips and kissing her neck. She felt the blood rush to her face as this moment of intimacy between the two began. She let a small moan escape her lips as he let go of her and grabbed her hand, leading her to the right. They entered his bedroom, and immediately Damian turned to face her. He cupped her face with his hands, there was a look in his eyes, one she had never seen before, it looked, almost, wanting?

"Opal," Damian began, "I have feelings for you that I cannot even explain."

Damian

Damian took a moment to drown in Opal's eyes, except he found complications with doing so. While her eyes were green, they weren't green like the emerald that he would relish in when he was in grade school. He was not totally engulfed in her eyes. But he wanted to be. Damian wanted to be enamored with Opal, he wanted to experience the feelings she gave him; only she was not Opal. Opal was not her.

However, he knew he had to push these feelings for Anya away. So, he smiled at her and took in her eyes. They were plainly green, not emerald mines for him to get lost in.

Opal cleared her throat, "Well, Damian, I find myself feeling strongly about you as well."

They shared a smile. He wanted to be with Opal, he might as well make this official. The passion they shared was one that was unbridled.

Damian planted a sweet kiss on her lips, "Opal, I think we should elevate our relationship."

"Oh?" She gave him a kiss and had a wry smile. "Is that right?"

"Yes, it is."

Opal

"I would not be opposed to this development in our relationship," Opal responded.

That was true. Opal was hoping that she and Damian would officially become an exclusive couple. Her parents would be pleased to know that the Desmond-Harrington union would be closer to becoming a reality. She was pleased to know she was getting closer to what she wanted. Her goals went beyond just Damian and what he could do for her.

"I'm glad to hear." Damian smiled.

Damian led her to the bed, both sitting on the king-sized mattress. They began to kiss each other, passion and lust filling their bodies. Damian lifts Opal up to sit her in his lap. She wraps her legs around him, straddling him. They are like magnets, attracted to each other and not wanting to let go. Only separating to allow him to strip off his shirt. It was like they were divers, coming up to the surface for a gulp of air.

In this moment of pause, Opal cleared her throat, "So this is the special place you wanted to bring me to?" She sat up straight to begin undoing her zipper for her dress.

Damian let out a small chuckle, "Yes, it is, do you like it?" He helped her slide out of her dress, unclasping her bra.

"I like it better than your dorm, that's for sure." She moaned as he began suckling one of her nipples.

Before Opal knew it, they were engaging in coitus. Moans of ecstasy echoing through the walls and hallway of this mystery apartment.

Damian

Songbirds could be heard chirping. Rays of sunshine bled through the sheer curtains that were facing north of Damian's head. He looked to his left, and saw that naked back of Opal, laying in his king-sized bed. She was completely still, only her breathing causing her upper back to move slightly. It was slightly muscular, he could see definition of her deltoids, trapezius, and latissimus muscles. The sun made her skin glow.

Slowly, Damian got up from bed, so as not to wake his sleeping bedmate. He walked towards the door of the bedroom, slipping his feet into house loafers, and proceeded to turn around and enter the ensuite bathroom. Squinted his eyes as he adjusted to the artificial light, he looked at himself in the mirror. Hazel eyes staring at him. While he had grown into a fine man, he sometimes still see himself as the young boy who wanted nothing more than a loving family and had no idea how to regulate or understand his emotions. Hell, even now as a 21-year-old, he still barely grasped his emotions, how to process them, or what to do about them.

He turned the faucet on to wash his face, he removed his eye boogers and patted his face dry. He looked at himself once again, he knew he was a handsome man, that was the reason why it was so easy for him to have a new hookup partner basically every month since starting university (aside from his family name). He stared at his naked body in the mirror. His chest and arms were well defined and strong, not as strong as his legs, which he attributed to football during his grade school days. He kept his physique thanks to him going to the gym with Emile and Ewen. It was one of the few ways nowadays they were able to spend time together that was not school related.

Walking back into the bedroom, he glanced at Opal, whose eyes were still closed, and breathing was still slowed. He walked around the bed to the other side of the room where a closet was. He grabbed a pair of loose-fitting pajama pants and put them on, finally exiting the bedroom to enter the kitchen,

Once in the kitchen, he let out a heavy sigh, as if he had been holding a large breath since last night. A lot happened the previous night. Okay, maybe not a lot, but to him it felt like he was hit with a boulder. Damian nearly kissed Anya. The same person that he had been in love with since they were children. He almost kissed Anya Forger. He wished he could have kissed her. He wished he had kissed Anya.

He knew what stopped him from doing so. Aside from Anya and Arnold, who are seemingly a couple, one that he was not a fan of. He was also at that party with Opal, his commitment for the time being was to Opal. No matter how many women he had been with, he was never with more than one at a time. He was not like that. He was not like his father.

Damian, who knows very little about his father, even now, knows one thing. His father is a cheater. He was a history buff, and one thing he regretted learning was his father's history. Donovan had an affinity for women, multiple other women that were not Melinda. He remembered the few times he would be home from Eden, when his mother could be heard through the thick walls of the Capital house (what they called their primary residence in Berlint), crying at his father's infidelity, while his father had hardly a care in the world. This ultimately led to their (unofficial) separation. At this point in time, they just lived separately from each other, not being divorced officially as it would tarnish the little good that is left of the Desmond family name.

He shook his head. While he was not officially dating Opal, at the time during the kiss that is, he knew that it would have been wrong to give into his lust for Anya and kiss her. Lust, that is what he would call how he felt about Anya. His crush on her had gone on its way and wavered, he only had lust for her. She was a great friend, but even if they were to kiss there was nothing more than a few hookups that could happen between them. He told himself that.

He wanted to believe what he told himself, Damian had to force himself to believe this mindset. They were literally from two different worlds; he even called her a peasant once (they were only six). The one person he should be focused on right now is Opal. At least romantically. He would be lying if he were to say that she was not a beautiful woman. Through their two months of ecstasy, he found her to be enjoyable company. That's why after the party he decided to make their relationship an official one.

He picked up the landline that was on the wall in the kitchen. They needed breakfast, and Damian, well, was not the best cook, or a cook at all. Having others do the cooking for him for a majority of his life, outside of any assignments at Eden, left him desolate in the kitchen. He could scramble eggs, but he figured Opal would want something a bit more fulfilling. He opened one of the kitchen drawers and flipped through various take-out menus. Finally finding one for an upscale breakfast restaurant that offered delivery, he dialed the number and placed an order for him and his girlfriend.

Opal was now officially his girlfriend. This was thankfully not something that was new to him. Having had two other romantic relationships before her, not including his lay of the month, he knew a thing or two about being a boyfriend. He still remembered his first girlfriend, they were seventh years at Eden Academy, her name was Michelle Michaelson.

Damian, Then

Damian and Michelle first became friendly when she was invited to sit with Anya and Becky at lunch one day. It began with her sitting with the girls, and eventually the boys, as Emile and Anya were dating now. Damian could not help but to notice Michelle's constant attention on him. The second son to the Desmond family was not a stranger to girls having crushes on him. Heck, he enjoyed the attention and watching them try to win his favor. However, he had not been interested in dating anyone until now. It seemed to be the thing that everyone in their year was beginning to do, including Emile and Anya.

He would be wrong to say that he was realizing his feelings towards Anya had changed from disdain to something more. He could not really describe it, he just knew that he blushed around her, way more than he did initially at least. He originally thought that this was just due to him getting angered by Anya, but after talking to Demetrius, who was now a first-year student at Berlint University, Damian was informed that he too had been bitten by the lovebug, like many of his peers.

"I just can't be around her. I always feel my skin get hot, and sometimes I don't even know what to say to her. She makes me so flustered sometimes. Ugh! I cannot stand her." Damian spoke into the phone. This was when the weekly phone calls began.

Demetrius had decided to move into the dormitories of Berlint University and not stay home. He began to open up to Damian more and freeze out their father. The boys' parents weren't on the best terms at this moment either. Melinda and Donovan hardly saw each other, as he was busy traveling now that there was no chance that war could start again. Damian had heard her crying when he came home for a day to see his dog Max.

Demetrius chuckled on the other line. This frustrated Damian and caused him to lash out on his brother. "What are you laughing for?!" He demanded.

"Relax, you just have a crush on this girl." Demetrius responded.

Damian's face reddened, if it had anymore steam might have started blowing out of his ears. "I-I do not! I could never have a crush on the likes of a commoner!" He stammered.

He heard shuffling on the other side of the phone, and a long moment of silence. The mood had obviously shifted. "Damian, you say that now, but clearly you like this girl. You should ask her out."

Damian let out a loud huff. He was still trying to get used to his brother being a brother to him. It's like Demetrius graduating shifted all their familial dynamics. "I... I can't."

"Why not? Is it because she's a commoner?" Demetrius asked, venom accompanying the last word of his sentence.

"No... it's because she's dating someone else already." Damian's voice dropped.

"Aw damn. That's hard. Well maybe you'll get a crush on another girl soon" Demtrius tried to provide words of encouragement to the dispirited middle schooler.

"Maybe..."

They finished their conversation and went on with their day-to-day activities.

Damian would silently seethe to himself as he saw Emile and Anya hold hands while they walked to class, while Emile carried her books and backpack for her. This mainly left him with Ewen and Becky trailing behind the happy couple, much to his dismay as Ewen and Becky were constantly at each other's throats.

That was until Michelle came along. Her being invited to lunch by Becky and Anya is what got him acquainted with this classmate. He was not one to really make new friends, even getting to know Bazooka Bill and George Glooman was something that could be contributed to others. Michelle became more than a friend to him.

While he still was coming to terms with his crush on Anya, he knew it was futile anyway. Not only was she dating someone else, but she was also dating one of his best friends, making a move on her was not in his cards. He could never be the type to betray a friend. So, when Becky pointed out that Michelle did in fact like Damian, he decided to try reciprocating those feelings. It would happen one day when they were leaving lunch. Becky, Emile, and Anya were walking towards class. Ewen was in his room feeling under the weather. He stayed back and Michelle stayed with him.

She stood there barely making eye contact with him, looking down at her shoes with her hands behind her back, "Uh... Damian, there's something I have been wanting to tell you for a while now."

"Really?" Damian asked with a raised brow, even though he knew where this was going.

Michelle nodded her head, "I, like like you, Damian." She barely whispered this statement. Her bashfulness was a bit cute to him.

He gave her a small smile, maybe Michelle would be able to help squash this crush on Anya. "You do? I kind of like you too."

Michelle's eyes lit up at his statement, "You do?!"

n

"Yeah, let's get together." He replied.

"Like boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Sure."

They awkwardly held hands and walked out of the dining hall together. Damian and Michelle would continue to date for the next two and a half months of that semester. Conveniently going their separate ways three weeks after Anya and Emile broke up.

Damian

Michelle was Damian's first girlfriend, along with his first kiss. However, she was not the only one. There was also Rachel, Damara, Scarlett; of course, the many women that he would invite to bed with him. Opal would be a girlfriend he wanted to take seriously. Was he looking for marriage with Opal? No, he could not imagine that. But a more long-term partnership was something he was looking forward to. Yearning for someone who did not want him was a fruitless venture he was officially giving up on.

Opal

Opal was awakened to the sweet and savory smells that were wafting to her nose. The sun was illuminating the door and the wall in front of her. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up, taking a moment to remember where she was.

"Oh, that's right. I'm at Damian's apartment." she thought to herself. She would still have to inquire about this place.

Tossing the covers to the other side of the bed that was notably empty, she stood up. She realized that she was starkly naked, and all she had to wear was the dress she had worn to the party the previous night. She scanned the entirety of the room. The door in front of her was not the one she entered last night, she assumed it to be the bathroom. Turning, she saw a closet next to a wall-mounted mirror with dark brown accents.

She walked over to the closet, grabbing an oxford blue robe. She felt the shag carpet between her toes that was cut off at the door leading out the bedroom. She followed the smell of food to the kitchen, where she saw a paper bag, take-out containers, and Damian, who was shirtless, placing food onto the plates and bringing them out to the dining table. He set the plates across from each other at the table. Turning around and smiling at her.

He pulled the chair in front of him out for Opal to take a seat, sitting across from her. She smiled at him and picked up a fork, investigating her food. There were crepes, drizzled with a dark red syrup next to an assortment of fruits on her plate. Next to it was a glass of orange juice. The breakfast made her mouth water, and she felt a hunger pang in her stomach.

"Damina, thank you so much for this breakfast," she had a radiant smile on her face as she took a bite of her crepe.

"It really is no issue. You would not have wanted me to cook anyway." He replied with a laugh.

She giggled at his quip. They ate mostly in silence. Once finished Damian picked up her empty plate and utensils, along with his, and placed them in the sink. She heard the faucet turn on and then the sound of porcelain hitting metal. He came and sat back across from her, taking her hand into his.

"So, you never really explained to me why you have this apartment. I mean, you live on campus, and you've never mentioned it to me," she asked.

"Well, I've had this apartment since graduating high school. It was a graduation gift from my older brother. He says, 'you never know when you'll just want to get away and forget everything.' I just haven't ever had the want or need to come here." Damian explained.

She nodded as she took a sip of her now half empty glass of orange juice. "So, you wanted to get away with me after the party?'

"Hmmm, yeah, I did". He smiled as his thumb began slowly caressing the back of her hand. "I wanted to get some true along time with you, share this with you." He gestured to the room they were in.

She raised a brow, "you probably do this for all your girlfriends."

She really was his girlfriend now. This was perfect.

Damian's kissed her hand, "I haven't brought anyone here, aside from Emile and Ewen, but you're the only woman I've brought here."

"I must be really special to you then," she looked at him with wide eyes.

"You truly are Opal."

"You know, you're special to me too. You've caught my eye since I first saw you at Eden Academy. I feel so silly telling you this, but I had a massive crush on you for most of high school. It felt superficial at first, because I mean, you are very handsome. But these past two months have shown me that I want to be with you, for as long as possible."

Damian's face held shock. He looked surprised at Opal's statement. It was true that she had had her eye on Damian since Eden Academy. Back then it was more of a schoolgirl crush.

"Wow..." he replied. It was like he was letting the words marinate in his mind.

"Yeah. I'm happy to be your girlfriend."

Damian stood up, motioning for Opal to stand up too. He pulled her towards him and leaned down to kiss her lips. This kiss was different from their usual kisses. Their kisses were normally euphoric and lustful. This kiss was sweet, soft, and amorous. This was a kiss that held more feelings than just love, just what Opal needed and wanted from him.

She took a step back from Damian, looking at the boy turned man that was now her boyfriend. She used to just see him as the child of one of her father's National Unity Party associates. Now she saw him as a pawn in her game of chess.