Rival Offline (Anya Forger x Damian Desmond)

Chapter Twenty Eight: Blank

Damian glanced around his now-bare dorm room, the walls once filled with moments from the past few years, now stark and empty. All of his belongings were packed neatly into boxes, ready to be sent back to the Desmond estate.

"I can't believe you're actually leaving," Emile said quietly as he entered the room, attempting to mask the sadness in his voice. He crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe, trying to look unfazed, but his eyes betrayed him.

"Yeah, neither can I," Damian muttered, barely meeting his friend's gaze.

"It's not like you're leaving the country, right?" Emile continued, trying to inject some lightness into the moment. "We'll still see you at school."

"Not the same though, is it?" Damian replied, his voice flat. He looked at the boxes, his life at the dorm reduced to these few containers. A life he'd started to feel was his own, now slipping through his fingers.

Emile sighed, the weight of it all hitting him. "I guess not." He hesitated, then added, "You gonna be okay, Damian?"

Damian's throat tightened, but he forced a shrug. "I'll be fine"

"Damian-sama, are you ready?" Jeeves, the family butler, asked as he stepped into the room, his voice calm and professional as always.

Damian didn't turn around at first, his eyes lingering on the boxes stacked neatly by the door. He took in a slow breath, suppressing the emotion that threatened to rise.

"Yes..." he finally answered, his voice quieter than usual. He turned to face Jeeves, the reality of his departure sinking in deeper with each passing second.

Jeeves nodded, his expression unreadable as he looked between Damian and the room. "The car is waiting."

Damian glanced one last time around the dorm, memories flooding back of late-night study sessions, whispered conversations, and the fleeting sense of freedom he'd started to taste. It all felt distant now, like a life he wasn't allowed to have.

Without another word, he stepped forward, leaving the room behind.

As Damian made his way toward the door, he felt Emile and Ewen's arms wrap around him in a tight embrace. For a moment, he hesitated, unsure how to react, but then he let himself return the hug, gripping them both tightly. The familiar weight of friendship anchored him, even as the emotions threatened to spill out.

This was it. No more walking back to the dorms together after a long day, no more late-night study sessions, no more spontaneous conversations over nothing and everything. From now on, they would only see each other at school, where his father's watchful eyes would surely be upon him. His heart felt heavy.

But at least, he thought, a small, bittersweet smile tugging at his lips, he'd managed to see that movie with Anya before everything changed. That one slice of freedom—he held onto it like a lifeline as he pulled away from his friends, his chest tight with the unsaid things.

"Take care, Damian," Emile said, his voice thick with emotion.

"Yeah, don't forget us," Ewen added, trying to keep his tone light, but the sadness was there, too.

"Never," Damian replied quietly. "I'll see you guys at school."

With one last glance back, Damian nodded at Jeeves, his heart sinking as he took a step toward the life he had no choice but to return to.

Damian couldn't wrap his head around it. Why now, of all times, when he had finally decided to stop trying so hard to impress his father, had Donovan Desmond suddenly decided to show interest? It felt like some cruel joke.