CHAPTER 7

Gabriella buried her faced in her pillow because of how frustrated she felt. She was super rude to Keith, and although she felt right, she also felt bad.

She wondered why of all days she had to be given an English project.

Furthermore, she felt like she had stepped out of a romance novel or a romantic comedy. The protagonist always gets partnered with her crush, the teacher unknowingly playing the wingman role. Why couldn't there be a plot twist, it was the same old and boring storyline, though it usually worked because the Protagonist and her crush always ended being together.

She didn't feel too much of a protagonist, though, because of everything that had been happening lately. Probably, she was just a side character going through her own emotional turmoil.

Keith and Renee. She remembered when they used to date, but Renee being Renee, her b*tchy attitude led to their break-up. Seeing the both of them together the last time, Gabriella wondered if they back together or Keith was simply with her because she needed emotional support, she seriously hoped it was the latter.

She was so lost in thought that she nearly forgot she was supposed to be at Keith's house for the project. A part of her didn't want to go because of obvious reasons, but regardless of what the reason was, her grades were more important.

'Eww, I'm starting to sound like Iris,' She muttered, listening to her thoughts.

She freshened up and wore something casual, which she rocked. She knew for a fact that she looked good in anything.

She wore her converse and took her bag before heading to his place. She decided to drive rather than wasting a penny on transportation.

She finally arrived, and it seemed like Keith had been waiting for her since she found him at the entrance of his house.

To Gabriella, he looked like an Arab prince standing outside his castle, whatever that signified.

She got out of the car and walked up to him, once again trying not to forget how to breathe.

"Hey,"

"Hi,"

They both remained silent, staring at everything they could stare at for a brief second until it registered to Keith that he hadn't welcomed her in.

"Come in," He led her inside and Gabriella tried to take in the beauty of the house interior one more time, just like she did last time.

He led her to her room since he didn't want them to be disturbed by anyone or anything, and Gabriella followed him without any objections. What's the worst that could happen?

They didn't come across his mom, sadly. Gabriella was longingly expecting to see her because she had no intention of staying for dinner.

They finally got to his room, which was big as expected and had things a boy would normally have in his room. There was a study desk close to his bed, so she made her way there and sat down. Keith sat close to her and not minding the little space, she started working.

She did most of the work since all Keith did was sit and stare it her, he wasn't even trying to make his staring less obvious. This made Gabriella nervous, and she was finding it hard to concentrate on what she was doing. If only he had let her do it at home and send it to him, she would have been done by that time, and she didn't mind doing all the work. Keith noticed this, mistaking her nervousness for being uncomfortable, and he felt awful.

"Be right back," He said and stood walking towards his bathroom. As soon as he was out of sight, Gabriella breathed a sigh of relief and slapped her face, which was already flushed, so she could concentrate.

After a while, Keith still hadn't come out of the bathroom, and there was a knock on the door. The knock was light, and she assumed it was his mother who knew Gabriella was at the house. She went towards the door and just as she was about to open it, the door opened itself, and she unexpectedly saw…

"Damian?"

★ ★ ★

The dining room was awkwardly silent as everyone had things on their mind except Keith's Dad, who was the only whose mind was on the food and nothing else.

Gabriella could feel Damian staring at her and it made her uncomfortable. He barely ate anything because he was so busy staring at her.

Damian, on the other hand, had so many questions, why was she there? Was Astrid wrong? Was she actually stalking him? He would rather not consider it to be a coincidence, since it was neither the first nor the second time they were in the same place.

"Will you stop by again tomorrow?" Joey asked Gabriella.

"Probably, want to get the project done as quickly as possible," She responded and Keith looked sad.

Damian smirked watching the both of them. It seemed Keith and his girlfriend had a little argument.

As soon as Dinner was over, Gabriella stood to leave.

"You're leaving already?"

"Yes, my Nana doesn't like my being back late," She replied.

"Let Keith drive you," Joey offered.

"No, thanks, I drove here," she said and immediately stood to leave. Both Keith's parents looked at Keith, who looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him.

"Did you and Gabby have an argument?" Joey asked and Keith shook his head.

"It's normal for young adults in a relationship to have arguments occasionally…"

"Gabriella and I aren't a couple," he muttered and stood up to leave, while Damian watched it all in amusement.

The following morning, Damian woke up as early as possible, not wanting to stay for long. He entered Keith's room, which was opened to return the cloths he used the day before. Keith was in the bathroom at that point, so he just left the cloth on the top of the bed and just was he was about to leave, he noticed a note peaking from underneath the bed. His curiosity got the better of him, so he bent over to pick it up. It was a journal but wasn't Keith's because it didn't look like something he'd own. He opened it to the front page and saw a name scribbled neatly on it.

Gabriella, his brother's little girlfriend.

Just then, Keith stepped out and saw his brother. They both stared at each other for a while before Damian spoke, coldly.

"Your cloths are on the bed," He left the room, taking the journal with him. At first, it was an unconscious act, but then after noticing he hadn't returned it, he felt the urge to see what was inside, so he left the house with it.