Hidden and Silent (SpyxFamily)

Ch. 16: Part Two

        Being friends with Forger.

Damian had wondered if it would actually ever happen.

As Ewen and Emile had a philosophical discussion with Becky over lunch about wether or not people should have to apologize for the perfectly natural bodily function of passing gas (most of which was Becky declaring them uncivilized barbarians), Damian absent-mindedly picked at his food, his attention on Forger across from him.

She was in her own world, distractedly poking holes in her omelette rice and remembering to take a couple bites every now and then, and he wondered what she was thinking about.

Their conversation from yesterday was still so fresh and Damian was amazed they had reached this point. She was uncomfortable around him and he saw the glances she sent his way, her hands that clenched uneasily, but she was here and she wanted to be. She wanted to be friends, they were friends, and though she was still figuring out how to do that, this just felt. . .right. Like something was finally settling into place, deciphering how to fit just so, and every time he thought about it, a tension left his body and he could think with some ease and breathe with overwhelming, chest shuddering, lung filling relief.

This was just right.

"Oh my gosh!" Blackbell grumbled, taking both Anya's and Damian's attention as Blackbell held her forehead. She snapped her head back up. "How can you two be so dense!? Obviously, Annabelle is in love with Damon!

"Heck, no!" Ewen rose on his knees and planted his hands on the table. Blackbell followed suit. "Annabelle is in love with Killian. What are you talking about?!"

"Are you stupid!? Why would she love Killian!?" Becky rebuffed.

"Because he's a gentleman?" Emile's voice pitched high in indignant defence.

Blackbell's jaw dropped in disgusted horror. Her tone went high and soft. "He kidnapped her!" A hand went to her chest.

"Because. He. Loved. Her." Ewen emphasized each word with clear enunciation, aggressively moving his hands from one side to the other in up and down motions.

"Uggh!" Blackbell threw her head back and made a very un-Blackbell like sound. "No, you neanderthals! He was only a gentleman and got close to Annabelle so he could steal the cure for Mononucleic peridcardial staphococcus infection from her and save his failing career! But Annabelle knew all along he was trying to steal it and hid her work! So when he couldn't find it, he kidnapped her to make her redo it! They never loved each other, where did you get that idea?!

Ewen and Emile paused and thought about that for a moment.

"Ohhhhh." They said in unison.

"Thaaat's why he kidnapped Annabelle. . ." Ewen breathed.

Blackbell shook her head at them, deadpan. "How could you possibly think they were in love after that?"

Emile shrugged. "Love makes you do crazy things?"

"Annabelle and Damon literally kissed right after she was rescued!" Blackbell sighed hopelessly into her hands. "Why are boys so dumb?" She groaned.

"You guys have been watching Blackbell's show?" Damian blinked at his friends in surprise.

They both turned to him. "We're hooked." Emile said simply.

Blackbell returned to a normal seating position. "I had to talk to someone about it." She said. "But these bozos don't know the first thing about love!" She cried dramatically and pushed her plate away to rest her head in her folded arms.

"I liked that scene where Annabelle's mother stabbed that guy." Ewen smiled at the memory and jabbed a make-believe knife at his food.

"You mean Killian?! Who you just thought Annabelle was in love with?!" Blackbell's head lifted just enough to look at him.

"Oh." Ewen paused again to think. "Yeah, I guess so." He shrugged.

"Uggghh." Blackbell moaned into the finely manicured wood.

". . . I think I'm going to go to class now." Damian said and got down from the table. The bell would ring soon anyway, and he couldn't care less about this particular topic of conversation. Besides. At the moment, Ewen and Emile seemed too engrossed with pretending to stab each other to hear anything he might say.

"You coming?" He directed to Forger and she startled.

Oh.

Well.

Damian was wrong.

That seemed to grab his friends' attention. And of course Blackbell was attentive to anything involving Forger.

The girl in question glanced at Blackbell who raised her eyebrows, failing to hide her smile when she bit her lip.

What was Blackbell's deal? They were just going to class? Was Damian missing something?

Forger also bit her lip, but her's was a result of uneasy nerves, rather than whatever nonsense was going on with Blackbell.

Forger got down from the table and though she walked with him out of the cafeteria, it didn't feel like enough. As if they weren't close enough. As if being with her wasn't enough. As if he should be. . .holding her hand or something and never let go. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .Because she kept getting kidnapped and he was afraid she might vanish the moment he took his eyes off her.

Yeah.

That was why.

As the two continued down the halls, Damian stuck his hands in his pockets and Forger hugged her arms to her stomach. She seemed a little. . .different than yesterday and he worried. Was she okay? What was she thinking about? How long would it be before she could forget about the director? Would she ever be able to? Should Damian be worried about that too? Could he do anything to help? How did he make things easier for her? What did. . .he do?

Damian had promised he'd be there for her, and he would, but surely he should be doing something more, though he had no idea what.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

But she was here. They were friends. Despite his concerns that yesterday was a fluke, that Forger would change her mind, she was still here and everything was finally setting right again.

She was here.

'Yeah'. Damian thought.

'This is just right'.