"Jack?" Mr. Bunny called out, his voice gentle but insistent. "It's time to wake up."
"No, Mr. Bunny. I'm busy," I groaned, my mind still shrouded in the warmth of the fluffy cloud bed.
"Jack!" he urged again.
I let my eyes flutter open, and as the world came into focus, I was greeted by the sight of Damien smirking at me from beside the bench where I lay in the greenhouse rose garden. The bright colors of blooming flowers surrounded us, the soft scent of their petals wafting through the air. Oh, what a nice sight. "Are you awake?" he asked, amusement dancing in his eyes.
Just like that, I snapped out of my fog and sprang upright, hastily wiping the drool from my face. Motherfucker caught me off guard! "D-Damien? What are you doing here?" I attempted to sound dignified, but I failed miserably. "How long have you been here?"
"I haven't been here long," he replied, a teasing glint in his eyes.
"How'd you know I was here?"
"Your butler, Erwin, led me here." Dammit! He should've woken me up before bringing Damien here! "You must've been exhausted to fall asleep here."
Yeah, I was. Dodging Eli and my sister while my dad piled responsibility after responsibility onto me was tiring. The past week had only added to my stress. "No, I'm okay. I was just up late familiarizing myself with everything I need to know in advance," I admitted, grateful that my sister hadn't made any big moves while she was too focused on Eli. "Let's get to a table for some tea. By the way, why are you here? We didn't have plans to meet this weekend."
"I was in a hurry over here because I wanted to see you. Your sister doesn't seem to approve of our union," Damien smirked, the mischief in his tone evident.
What? "Don't tell me she called you over here?"
"If she did, I wouldn't have shown up. It's just something I've heard around school," Damien explained. For the past week, if he wasn't around, one of his silent friends was. It wasn't weird that Debbie noticed this change. "I'm taking care of anyone who has a problem at school, so don't worry about it."
Damien took a seat next to me, and it was then I noticed he was holding my hand, our fingers intertwined. Oh shit! He's holding my hand!
"Thanks," I said, feeling a warmth spread through me. This was the first time in my life and the last that I felt like I could relax a bit. Who knew that I was worth having that assurance? "So why did you feel it necessary to pop up here? We aren't at school."
"I've got some things I want to do around here. See the flowers," Damien said, glancing away.
Oh? What's that? "What's your favorite kind of flower?"
"I don't know," Damien shrugged. What do you mean you don't know? You said you came over here specifically to see them! "I just want to look and appreciate. I don't know much about flowers myself, but I see a beautiful flower right in front of me."
Ugh, barf! "I just puked a little in my mouth."
"You're such a tight ass."
"What are you really here for, Damien?" I shook my head.
"There's a business party for young heirs to make connections nationwide. A lot of them are from down south as well. It's being thrown by Aston Jacobs. As my boyfriend, you should be there too," Damien mumbled.
In the last life, Aston Jacobs was one of the old money men connected to royalty. If you caught his eye, he'd definitely invest in things and help you make lucrative connections. But right now he was just a 20 year old brat. I should get in his good graces early.
"Should I?"
"Will you be my date?"
Is this what I think it is? A date? Is it bad that this was the most romantic way I've ever been asked out in this life and the last? Come to think of it, I'd never been on a date with Eli at all while Debbie had gone on tons of dates with him. Every time I had planned a date, he'd rush to take care of Debbie or just not show up. So, I stopped planning them.
This would be my first-ever date! "You can't ditch me or flake out last minute or forget about it."
"Why the fuck would I do that? I invited you! Do you want to go on this date or not?" Damien asked, his tone teasing yet serious.
"I'd love to!" I couldn't hold back my excitement. A first date! How could I possibly say no? "So where should we—"
"Oh my goodness, Jack!" someone called out, interrupting me. That fucking voice! I'd managed to avoid her all week, and here she came now. It was, Debbie, and her close maid. "What a pleasant surprise! I've been planning to see you since you've been too busy to talk all week. Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah, a little," I said, irritation creeping in. Stupid bitch! What are you planning now?
"I certainly didn't expect to find Damien Anderson here as well," Debbie turned on her fake charm as she looked at him.
"What's up?" Damien seemed unfazed by her, which caught my attention immediately. Usually, a look like that was all it took for guys to trip over their feet for her. It sure worked on Eli. Why was it different for Damien?
"Are you on your way out?" Debbie asked, her tone laced with feigned innocence.
"I'm here to hang out with Jack. We still have shit to discuss," Damien replied, casually putting his arm around my shoulders.
"Sir, this isn't a place for ruffians. Regardless of whatever family you're from, you can't use such foul language in front of a lady or touch the Spencer children casually," Debbie's maid spoke up. "This behavior is something only the low class do. Young master, this is an embarrassment to the Spencer name."
That little bitch! Who did she think she was getting her maid to scold my guest as if she had the authority? Well, I wouldn't just lay down and take it.
"What gives you the qualifications to scold my guest? Aren't you just a maid? And I told him he could speak freely, so I advise you to watch your words," I snapped. "Unless you're questioning my judgment? Who gave you the authority to do all that?"
Debbie's change was subtle, but it was clear she wasn't expecting any pushback from me at all. But she stayed quiet, her maid on the other hand started to look nervous the longer Debbie's silence persisted.
"P-pardon me. I didn't mean any offense!" The maid finally said shakily. Shed'd better hope I don't run into her doing something weird like that again!
"Watch your tongue, Gisselle. I think you've offended our guest," Debbie stepped forward with a smile toward Damien. "Allow me to apologize for her hasty actions. How about some freshly brewed tea? Why don't we—"
"No. Your maid owes Jack an apology, doesn't she? Or is all the help at the Spencer home this arrogant?" Damien smirked, his confidence unwavering.
Debbie was visibly faltering from the pushback. "R-right. Jack, can you pardon Gisselle? She meant well."
"It's whatever. Damien and I understand." I waved her off, but she didn't leave us.
"Damien and I? You two sure have gotten close. I'm glad you've moved on from Eli. I've been so worried about you, all alone without a friend." Debbie said excitedly. This bitch is trying to make me out to be some kind of loser in front of Damien! What sucks is that she wasn't that far off from the truth. "I'm glad you're getting along with someone since it means you're adjusting to things nicely. So I'd be pleased if your guest joined me for tea."
Her persistence was infuriating. "You weren't planning on leaving me out, are you?" I asked.
"No need. I'm not staying long," Damien said.
"Oh my, well if the garden isn't to your liking, then we can use the drawing room—"
"Jack, can you walk me out? I can't stay seeing as I'm short on time." Damien ignored Debbie and turned his attention back to me.
"D-don't let me keep you if you're busy; we can have tea another time," Debbie stuttered, desperation creeping into her voice.
Crazy bitch. "Bye, Deb. I'll talk to you later." I smirked.
I walked triumphantly past her, feeling her glare burning into my back as we made our way to the front door.
"Well played. You must really be in a hurry," I chuckled, glancing sideways at Damien.
"We can slow down," he replied, his tone teasing.
"I thought you had shit to do."
"I've got all the time in the world to spend with you," Damien winked.
"Oh, ew," I laughed. "That's really gross. Why are you doing this?"
"To get you to stop playing hard to get and fall for me. You wanted faithful Damien, so here he is."
"You're more like comic relief, Damien." I rolled my eyes. "Cheesy pickup lines just make me more suspicious."
"Why?"
Because you and Eli seem to have read the same handbook on flirting, and I know from experience that trusting the feelings of a flirt can only lead to my own ruin. "It's manipulative. You've got my attention already and a chance. Don't waste it doing unnecessary things. The party is going to be my first date, so you can save the compliments for there."
"I like a challenge. I'll see you at the party then," Damien winked, and dammit, he was kind of cute.