I'm Fine

Chapter 2

"You two know each other?" Harly asks, a little bit dissapointed. Annette grabs Harly by the arm and drags her out of the cafe. I can see Harly squaking at Annette and trying to walk back in, but as much as Harly would hate to admit it, Annette is much much stronger than her.

"Imogen. Hi," says Damian, walking closer.

I take a step back and look up at him again. All I can see is his face. My heart is plummeting deeper into my stomach and I stay silent, watching Damian scan my face.

"It's been a while," I say, nervously laughing.

"Sure has," he replies.

"How...how's the family?" I say, trying to make small talk. He shakes his head.

"Good. But quit the small talk. Imogen, it's been three years."

I laugh nervously again.

"Um. Can you give me a minute?" I say. He looks confused but nods and I sprint to the bathroom. I lock myself in the stall and stare at myself in the mirror. I splash water on my face, and breathe. I smooth back my hair and walk out of the stall again. Damian is sitting on a chair at the table and mindlessly tapping his fingers and bouncing his leg.

I sit down on a chair opposite to him, and rub my fingers, before Damian starts talking.

"So, a blind date?" says Damian, smirking.

"Yeah," I replied with a smile. I looked Damian in the eyes again, searching and scanning for any hints of emotion, but Damian holds himself well. His walls are harder than, brick, concrete or any other unbreakable substance. Unlike mine, pools of deep feelings and memories.

"I'm just curious," said Damian, still looking directly into my eyes. Twinkling, mischevious but nothing that I understand. Damian is an impossible person, even when I knew him, I didn't know him. "Have you told anyone?" he says. He doesn't smile, or frown. He looks at me in solemn silence and I feel a pounding in my head.

Although those words were technically innocent, nothing more than a simplistic question, they stung in my mind and scorched my heart.

I choked on air and started spluttering. Damian was taken aback and patted me on the back. I took a deep breath and stopped coughing. "I'd rather not talk about it," I replied, monotonous. My words felt like ice as they slipped off my tongue, but Damian took no notice to my change of tone.

"Of course."

At that moment, Annette walked in with Harly by her side. Harly looked grumpy and Annette looked a bit frustrated. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she glimpsed occasionaly at Damian as she made her way towards us.

"Something just came up Imogen. We need to go," says Annette. She doesn't look Damian in the eye, but I can tell she's noticed his foul expression. But then it melts into a casual grin.

"Hello, Annette," says Damian, standing up.

"Damian," replies Annette with a small nod.

I hop to my feet and stand next to Annette. I don't know how to say bye to Damian, it's been forever since I've seen him, and he's certainly changed. Not little pre-teens like we were back then.

But Damian interupts my thoughts.

"Bye, Imogen, Annette, I hope we see each other soon, lot's to catch up on, isn't there?"

I nod solemnly.

"Well, bye Damian," says Harly flatly, and we all walk out of the cafe together. Annette tells me to get in the car, I obey. Harly drives home by herself and I don't say more than a simple bye before watching her pull out of the carpark and drive down the open roads.

Annette doesn't talk, I didn't even ask her where we were going. Maybe she just made up an excuse to get me out of there, I don't think she ever liked Damian all that much, but I know she feels sorry for him. I do too. But I also feel sorry for myself.

"He's changed," says Annette suddenly.

I glance at her. "What do you mean?"

"Damian. He's changed," she says, her eyes still glued to the road.

I lean my elbow on the ledge under the window, "Yeah, I guess he has."