Damien walked to where she was, “I apologize if something I have told has misled you but we only met under the peach tree once which was to give you a letter that was to be passed to your brother,” and as he was reciting his lines, Penny who was on the floor read what was there in the playbook making sure she was getting the lines right.
The next line in the script of playbook read ‘Annabeth snaps her head, looking at Mr.Scrutioner with tear-filled eyes’. The plays were always dramatic, thought Penny to herself. She snapped her head, her eyes meeting Damien’s, “It does not justify the flowers and the touch on my hand. Forget it.”
Damien was impressed that Penny had the ability to bring tears in her eyes but the moment it met his eyes, the tears started to evaporate, letting only her jade green eyes sparkle under the light of the room. Bending down, he then said, “Forget what?” Penny looked up at him at the change of his voice. Looking at the playbook to see that wasn’t the next line.
The next line was supposed to be ‘Mr.Scrutioner decides to leave miss Annabeth on stage so that he can go meet his fiance’.
“Umm, that-” Penny wanted to tell him that he was saying it all wrong and also wondered if he skipped to the next parts not that she could remember any of it.
Damien sat down on his heels, looking at her, “Don’t say forget it when you have only now confessed your feelings for me.”
“Master Damien, that’s not in the play,” he must have confused it with another play, thought Penny to herself for him to sigh, “Do you know how long I have waited for you to tell me these words,” his voice dropped to a whisper. He placed his hand on her face and Penny turned to a block of ice, her eyes not moving away from his eyes even for a second.
Seeing that he was making up his own lines without admitting that the great Master Damien had forgotten the lines, she decided to play along, “What do you mean?” she asked to play safe.
“What do you think it has been you, foolish girl,”in another instance, Penny would have narrowed her eyes for calling her that but in their current scene, it seemed to have filled somewhere with unexpressed love which Penny had believed to be nonexistent and an incapable feeling this man could conjure, “You took my attention since the first time I saw you. Your beautiful smile and your eyes, the words you have spoken. I remember everyone one of them. Like a personal diary that I have been saving in my mind.”
Though Damien had been mean to her most of the time, his words struck into her which was often possible while playing the characters and immersing in their stories on stage. He was a good actor! thought Penny to herself at the same time his features and expressions that were breaking free from his usual demeanor made her chest feel queasy. His red eyes looked at her lazily, his pale lips uttering the made-up lines one after another. His black hair was disheveled, some of them coming to fall on his forehead.
Testing the waters while interested what this part of the story had, she asked, “What do you remember? How can I believe a man who said a few minutes ago of not claiming to have made the unspoken promise?” she asked him, gulping in the end when his hand picked the piece of hair to feel it from the top till the end before letting it go.
“Think what you may but that doesn’t change the fact that you have taken my interest,” the answer felt more like how Damien himself would answer by evading and choosing to ignore the questions asked.
“Tell me!” said Penny still playing Annabeth, sitting up more properly so that she wouldn’t get a possible backache with the odd position she had been sitting in right now.
“Why do you need to know? For someone who doesn’t believe in the person, they have feelings for,” he harrumphed, turning to look away from her as if in disappointment. She didn’t know how to go around it anymore as they were way past away from the track of the actual play. She stared at him as if they had paused or the characters were taking time to hear him look back at her but this time there was something in his eyes. Something unspeakable which made her shiver by the look of it which was more than daunting to Penny.
Damien leaned forward, “Look at my actions more closely. I have always chosen you over others,” he leaned further close to her.Penny felt her eyes widen at the close proximity they shared with each other. His honey-coated words making her sway, “Have I ever hurt you?” he asked her, his face coming closer than ever which made her heart thunder.
“Master Damien!” Penny spoke hurriedly.
“What is it?” asked Damien, his breath falling on hers. His eyes had lowered down, his head still leaning.
Not knowing what to say, Penny’s voice came out awkwardly, “W-we are not following the playbook.”
“That story is quite lousy, little mouse. A man with no backbone to refuse nor accept,” Penny was feeling slightly dizzy. Thankfully Damien did pull away from her where she could again breathe as she had stopped breathing, “I have to say you are a decent actress.”
“You aren’t bad yourself, Master Damien” she complimented him back, standing up after he stood up, making her dress proper.
“What do you mean bad enough? I am excellent. No doubt there,” he took the compliment generously. Damien went to sit on the edge of the bed as he placed both his hands behind him, leaning back to stare at her. Penny stared back at him before moving her eyes not so subtly to look at the fireplace which had burned ashes in them.
