Making Her Flustered

Elies hadn’t even reached her locker that morning before she noticed Damien leaning casually against it, as if he owned the space. His presence was magnetic, drawing curious stares from students passing by. She braced herself, knowing his teasing was likely about to reach a new level.

“Good morning, my girl,” Damien greeted with a smirk as she approached, his voice loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

Elies’ face reddened instantly. She glanced around, aware of the surprised glances from her classmates. “Your… what?” she managed, trying to keep her tone steady.

He leaned in close, his smirk deepening. “Did I stutter? My girl,” he repeated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Got a problem with that, Elies?”

Taking a steadying breath, Elies ignored the flutter in her chest and rolled her eyes. “I’m not ‘yours,’ Damien. I think you have me confused with someone else.”

“Oh, you’re definitely mine,” he said smoothly, crossing his arms over his chest, making it impossible for her to reach her locker. “And I’m just making sure everyone knows it.”

“Damien, can you move? Some of us actually have classes to get to,” Elies snapped, trying to stay calm even though his possessive words were stirring something in her she didn’t quite understand.

He laughed, amused. “Now, now, don’t get all riled up. I’m just here to make sure no one gets any wrong ideas. I wouldn’t want anyone thinking they could ask you out or something ridiculous like that.”

Elies stared at him in disbelief. “Who would even think that? And why would you care?”

He raised a brow, clearly enjoying the fact that he had her flustered. “Because, Elies, if someone thought they could take you out, I’d have to deal with them. And that sounds like a lot of unnecessary work, don’t you think?”

Elies rolled her eyes again, deciding not to engage. “Fine, believe whatever you want. But you’re in my way.”

Instead of moving, he leaned even closer, his voice dropping to a murmur only she could hear. “Oh, am I? I had no idea.”

She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks and scolded herself inwardly for reacting. Why did he have to be so insufferably confident? “Damien, I’m not playing this game with you,” she said firmly, though her voice wavered slightly.

But her response only seemed to fuel his amusement. “Oh, sweetheart, it’s not a game. I’m just showing everyone what’s already obvious.” He winked before finally stepping back, allowing her access to her locker. “I’ll see you around… my girl.”

With one last infuriating smirk, he walked away, leaving her standing there, bewildered and more than a little annoyed.

---

Throughout the day, Damien seemed to pop up wherever Elies went, always hovering just close enough to make her uncomfortable but never doing anything that outright crossed the line. He was just… there. In her classes, during her breaks, and even outside her friends’ circle at lunch.

At one point, Jenna leaned over and whispered, “What is up with Damien? He’s been all over you today.”

Elies sighed, glancing at where Damien sat a few tables away, his eyes fixed on her as he smirked. “He’s… I don’t know. He’s acting like we’re some sort of couple or something.”

Jenna raised her eyebrows, clearly intrigued. “So… you’re not, though? Right?”

“Of course not!” Elies said, more forcefully than she intended. “He’s just… doing this for fun, I think. Trying to get under my skin.”

“Well, he’s definitely making an impression,” Jenna remarked, looking over at Damien, who gave a mock salute as he caught her eye.

Elies groaned. “He’s impossible.”

---

Later that day, as Elies made her way to her next class, she felt someone fall into step beside her. She didn’t need to look to know who it was.

“Hey there, beautiful,” Damien greeted, his voice full of mischief.

“Don’t you have something better to do than follow me around?” she replied, keeping her gaze straight ahead, determined not to let him see how flustered she felt.

He chuckled. “Why would I do anything else when I have the privilege of spending time with my girl?”

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t keep the small smile from tugging at her lips. “Damien, this whole ‘claiming me’ thing is ridiculous. You don’t actually think this is going to work, do you?”

He shrugged, grinning. “I think it’s working just fine. Everyone already knows you’re mine.”

Before she could respond, they reached her classroom, and Damien grabbed her hand, stopping her. His touch was gentle, but the gesture felt so public that it caught her off guard.

“See you later, sweetheart,” he said, his voice soft enough that only she could hear.

Elies quickly pulled her hand free, her face flushed. “Don’t call me that!”

But he just laughed and walked away, leaving her standing in the doorway, flustered and irritated. She tried to brush it off as she walked into class, but it was hard to ignore the curious glances from her classmates.

---

As the day continued, Damien’s presence only became more insistent. He showed up outside her classes, appeared at her locker between every period, and even lingered near her during her extracurriculars.

By the end of the day, Elies felt exhausted. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had been so relentless. Even Jake, who usually found Damien’s antics amusing, seemed surprised by his persistence.

“What’s with you today, man?” Jake asked as they passed Elies in the hallway, watching Damien make yet another comment about how he’d “catch up with his girl later.”

Damien just shrugged. “What? I’m making sure everyone knows she’s off-limits.”

Jake raised an eyebrow. “Since when do you care about other guys noticing her?”

Damien’s smirk faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered. “Since now. Besides, she’s fun to mess with.”

Jake chuckled, clearly unconvinced. “Sure, man. Just don’t be surprised if she ends up punching you in the face.”

---

The next morning, Elies hoped that Damien’s obsession with “marking his territory” would have faded overnight. But as soon as she entered the school, she spotted him by her locker, waiting as if he’d been there all morning.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he greeted her with a mischievous smile, making no effort to lower his voice.

Elies sighed. “Can you give it a rest, Damien? I’m pretty sure everyone knows your ‘message’ by now.”

He grinned. “I’m just making sure they don’t forget. Besides, I like seeing you flustered.”

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop the warmth that crept up her cheeks. “I’m not flustered.”

“Oh, really?” he replied, stepping closer until they were almost nose-to-nose. “Then why is your face red?”

She quickly turned away, trying to hide her reaction. “It’s not.”

But he just laughed, clearly pleased with himself. “Whatever you say, my girl. I’ll be around if you need me.”

Before she could respond, he walked off, leaving her standing there, speechless once again. This whole “relationship” stunt was ridiculous. But as much as she wanted to deny it, she couldn’t ignore the way her heart skipped a beat every time he called her “his.”

---

Throughout the day, Damien’s behavior only intensified. He interrupted her conversations with other guys, claiming her attention with little remarks that made it clear to anyone watching that he considered her off-limits. It was infuriating, but a part of her couldn’t help but feel… flattered.

As she left the cafeteria with Jenna that afternoon, Damien appeared out of nowhere, throwing an arm around her shoulders as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Hey, my girl,” he said, ignoring Jenna’s raised eyebrows. “Walk you to class?”

Elies wriggled out of his hold, trying to maintain her composure. “I can walk myself, thank you very much.”

But Damien just shrugged, unbothered. “Doesn’t matter. I want to make sure no one gets any ideas.”

Jenna nudged her, barely holding back a laugh. “Well, Elies, it looks like you’ve got a bodyguard now.”

Elies shot her friend a look. “Don’t encourage him.”

Damien chuckled, clearly pleased with Jenna’s support. “See? Even your best friend knows what’s up.”

Elies groaned, realizing there was no escaping him. She had no idea how long this “relationship” charade would last, but one thing was certain: Damien was going to keep things interesting, whether she liked it or not.

---

And so, for the rest of the week, Damien continued his relentless campaign, showing up at Elies’ side whenever he pleased, claiming her as “his” with a confidence that left her both annoyed and secretly flattered. She didn’t know what game

he was playing, but she was determined to keep her composure. And maybe, just maybe, she’d find a way to turn the tables on him.