Damien
The sound of the water slapping against the edges somehow made the atmosphere feel more alive.
The reality of this moment was very much contradictory to the chaos happening inside my head.
"If you have something to say, Damien, you know you can say it." Serena's head surfaced again.
The water had dampened her hair and plastered a few strands on her face.
"What exactly makes you think that I always have something to say? Can't a man simply observe these days?"
"Oh, by all means, do observe. What I'd like to know, Damien, is if you like what you see." Oh, she was getting very bold.
"What happens if I decide not to give you an answer to that question?"
Her eyebrows shot upward, and she looked like she was about to laugh.
"You make it sound like I have a chance when it comes to defeating you."
A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips.
"I'm glad that you're catching up quite well."
She dipped herself into the water again and came back to the surface.
"Why don't you act like normal people, Damien?"
The question took me by surprise. I almost couldn't find my words.
"Maybe because normal is boring, Serena. I do not find it interesting to be a normal person, and I wouldn't have such a feared reputation if I was normal."
"But there's nothing wrong with being normal." I was slowly becoming annoyed by her constant need to want to know about things.
It wasn't that she was asking the wrong questions. It's just that I knew somewhere in my mind that if she tugged hard enough, she might succeed, and that realization was very unsettling.
"For you, Serena, there's nothing wrong with being normal, but for me, it's not the same," I said in an annoyed breath.
"Why? Is it because I am a woman?"
"Well, when you put it like that, then yes."
Fuck! I should have thought well before saying that, but it was already too late to take it back.
Her eyes turned red, and she looked like I had just thrown a baby diaper full of shit at her face.
"So, in conclusion, because I am a woman, then I should be basic—or more like I am basic in your sense of reasoning."
I could see where this was going, and I wasn't sure if it was something I wanted to continue with.
"It's not what I meant, and you know it," I said, getting defensive.
"Oh, I know exactly what you meant, Damien Romano. I know exactly what you meant. Can you blame me? You've been acting like an uptight loser since the beginning of this stupid arrangement."
"What the fuck are you talking about now?"
"Oh, please spare me the insult of pretense. Every time I'm around you, it feels like I am standing close to a rock. Trying to get a reaction from you, trying to talk to you, even dumbing myself down to try and understand what your deal is, and you have the balls to sit there and insult me by saying that I am basic."
"Fucking hell, Serena, what's your deal with trying to get a reaction out of me? Is it some type of fetish or what?"
A sarcastic laugh escaped her lips, and she turned her gaze back to me with a defiant expression.
"I'm not at all surprised. It is only you that would think trying to form basic human interaction is considered a fetish. You know what? I actually do wonder how everyone fears you so much. I don't see what's special about you that even women lose themselves trying to get your attention."
"Are you jealous of the imaginary women in my life?"
"Yeah, sure, imaginary women indeed. Don't pretend to be some value-pumped person. Everyone knows the type of man that you are, Damien."
I was genuinely starting to get pissed this time.
"And what type of man am I, Serena?" My voice was laced with burning annoyance.
"A man who is incapable of showing emotion because he thinks that if he somehow involves himself in human interactions, it would take away his aura and make him look like a weakling."
She said, her face full of emotion. If it had been anyone else, I would have assumed they were about to cry, but Serena doesn't come off as someone who'd cry, much less in my presence.
I hated how we've been arguing all of today, but I couldn't help it either. She makes me want to go mad.
"If you think so little of me, why not just end this arrangement so the two of us will never have to see each other's faces again?"
A twisted smile appeared around her lips.
"We both know that I do not have that type of choice."
"Good, then. Since you've established that, it would be in your best interest to stop trying to get a reaction out of me. Stop trying to involve me in small talks and just continue the way we were before all of this.
For fuck's sake, Serena, I'm sacrificing as much as you, if not more, because of this. I would appreciate it if you stopped seeing me like some arts project where the first person who gets a reaction out of Damien would be rewarded excellent marks or something. I've had enough of it."
She didn't say anything else.
For a moment, the only sound was the soft ripple of water between us. Serena's expression hardened, but her silence conveyed all that was needed.
Then, without another word, she turned and dove beneath the surface.
I watched her glide through the water, her movements sharp, angry—like she was trying to burn off every word I'd just said. A few seconds passed. Then more. The water stilled, smooth as glass.
I waited for her to resurface, half expecting her to burst out, hair slicked back, a glare ready to fire at me. But nothing.
My chest tightened.
"Serena?" I called out, my voice echoing across the still water. No response.
"Serena!" Louder this time. The silence that followed twisted my gut into a knot. Oh God, no.