Damien is going crazy.

That Saturday morning, we finally shot a new video for our YouTube channel, everything seemed fine at first. Damien baked a Milo Maltesers cheesecake, he smiled at the camera and looked cheerful, but after the shoot when I asked him why he chose to make that dessert, everything changed.

I'm an idiot. It was all my fault that his mood changed. I shouldn't have asked him that.

"Teo loves them. Milo, Maltesers, and cheesecake. I hope he sees the video, that way, he would know how much I miss him." That was Damien's answer. He sounded so sad. After that, I think he got depressed.

That night, Damien was in no disposition to cook dinner at all. We don't usually eat out, because Damien opts to cook instead. He said that it's much cost-efficient that way, but I think he just wants an excuse to experiment on his recipes.

I'm not complaining. Sure, he comes up with weird and ridiculous recipes on paper, but once executed properly, they're actually pretty tasty.

I was waiting for Damien and James to get dressed when the doorbell rang. I opened the door and Elisse stood outside with a smile. "Hey, Clark. Is Damien in?"

Well, we're about to go out for dinner, and Damien is getting dressed. "No, he went out. I think he's going to his Dad's restaurant." I lied. I'm pretty sure if Elisse heard that we were about to go out for dinner, she would do anything she could to make herself invited.

Damien was already acting very depressed, and I was in no condition to handle another emotionally, or mentally, inept person.

"Why, do you need something?" I asked her.

"Ummm, no, I'll just come back..." She said, but I clearly saw the manila envelope she was holding.

"Is that the list he was asking? I'll hand it to him." I told her with a smile. She was just going to use that as an excuse to meet him anyway. "He's been waiting for it, I'll hand it to him." I insisted.

"Well... ummm.... sure..." She reluctantly handed me the envelope.

"See you around." Not too much, I hope. I closed the door with a smile.

"Who was that?" James asked when I walked back into the living room.

"Elisse." I told James as I showed him the envelope.

"Is that the list?"

"Yup."

"Ohhh... Damien would be happy to get that, although, I don't think that list is necessary anymore." James said with a suspicious smile.

"What does that mean?" My curiosity reached its peak.

"Damien doesn't need that list to find Teo." James replied with a knowing smile.

"Why is that?"

James chuckled and smiled, but he didn't give me an answer. That asshole.

"Damien, are you done yet?! I'm starving!" I called.

"I'm done. Let's go." He said as he walked out of his room. God, he sounded really depressed.

"Elisse brought your list." I told Damien as I showed him the envelope.

"Really?! Give me." He excitedly snatched the envelope away from my hand. There was a childlike excitement in his expression. He must be really looking forward to seeing Teo again.

"Can you look at that later, let's go get something to eat." I told them as I walked towards the door.

When I opened the door, I saw Axel and Matt closing theirs. "Come on, you're the one who says that it needs to happen before Sunday night. Just knock on their door and get it over with."

"I don't think I can do it with an empty stomach." Matt replied. "I might pass out in hunger and nervousness." He added.

I wonder what they're talking about. Axel looked insistent and confident, like a lion stalking its prey. On the other hand, Matt looked like a lost puppy.

"Are you two going out for dinner too?!" James asked as he appeared behind me. His voice was so loud it almost deafened me.

"Stop shouting in my ear." I complained as I cocked my head away.

"Ohh, a golden opportunity!" Axel exclaimed as he saw us. Exactly what is the golden opportunity? "Yeah, we are." Axel replied as he pulled Matt over.

"You should come with us, we'll treat you." James added.

"Really? That sounds great!" Axel said.

"Hey, don't go deciding things yourself." I complained.

"I owe... Matt for saving the permission slip." What's with the pause? Did he forget Matt's name? "And you owe Axel for doing the banner you're supposed to do." I hate how he emphasized how I owe Axel. It's not like I begged Axel to make the banner for me.

"Fine, but you're telling Damien." With his toxic mood, I'm not risking anything.

"Just bring him to the car, don't say anything, we'll go on ahead." James said as he walked towards the elevator with the two freshmen.

When we got to the car, James was already in the driver's seat. Matt was sitting in the passenger's seat while Axel was sitting at the back of Matt's seat.

"What are they doing here?" Damien asked, he doesn't necessarily sound annoyed.

"They're having dinner with us." James replied.

"Oh, okay." Damien replied. I can't read his mood at all. He was like a ticking time bomb.

I sat in the middle of Axel and Damien and I couldn't explain the atmosphere at all. One thing is for sure, though, Axel is staring at the envelope Damien was holding. Do he really have to bring that with him?

"What's that envelope? Why bring it when we're going out to eat?" Axel asked without batting an eye.

"It's none of your concern. It's personal." Damien replied.

"You could've made an obscure excuse, but your response made me even more curious." Axel continued.

"Is it really alright if we come with?" Matt asked as he leaned towards James.

"What do you say, Damien? Is it alright with you?" James asked Damien.

"I already said its fine, didn't I?" Damien replied.

He wasn't as mean to Matt as he was yesterday, but it was weird. It felt like he was keeping an eye on Matt, observing him, like some kind of predator looking for a chance to attack its prey.

"He said it's fine." James said with a soft chuckle. For some reason, I couldn't help but think that James is fond of Matt.

"Wow, it's really cool..." Axel said as he looked out the window.

"What is?" I asked him.

"Those jeepneys, some looks like moving murals."

What's with him? "You're acting like you've never seen one before."

"I had, but not often. There's none in New York." He commented as he kept on looking outside.

"New York? You two are from New York, as in New York?" Damien suddenly asked, sounding very interested. Ahh that's right, his friend Teo is also from New York.

"Yeah." Axel answered in passing.

Something I noticed as we drove; Axel smells really good. I mean, I don't want to sound creepy and all, but I can't stop smelling him. There's something about his smell that's so alluring to me.

"What's the problem?" Damien asked as he looked back at Matt. "You don't like this place, prince? Not your taste?"

"This place is fine..." Matt replied meekly as he walked closer to Axel.

"Stop picking on him, Damien. Don't be mean, I swear, you might regret it later." James said.

"I was not picking on him." Damien insisted. "Sorry, if that sounded mean." He told Matt and sighed.

"It's alright." Matt, the good boy that he was, said with a small smile.

"He gets moody when his anxious." I told the Matt and Axel. "Don't mind him too much, he's just really frustrated these days."

"Frustrated? About what?" Axel asked me.

"Are you coming or not?" Damien called us even before I got the chance to answer Axel's question.

I almost slipped up. I almost told those two that Damien's foul mood was because he's missing his Teo.

Just where the hell is that Teo anyway? I know it must hurt him to be blamed for Peter's death and Damien's accident, but he could've at least replied to even just one email of Damien.

Just one would be enough to bring Damien out of that moody hell.

We chose an Asian restaurant that night, and Matt seemed happy about our choice. Axel, Matt, and James were sitting on the other side of the table, with Matt in the middle of Axel and James. Meanwhile, I was sitting across the table with Damien.

The restaurant was full, so it took a while for a waiter to attend to us. As we wait, Damien opened the envelope and started reading the list, skipping some pages to find Teo's name quickly.

"It's here. He's enrolled." Damien suddenly said. He sounded excited. For once in weeks, I could hear some positivity in his voice.

"Really? That's great news." I told him. Finally, I can see the light. I wouldn't have to suffer in his mood swings anymore!

"Wait, is that a list of enrollees?" Axel said as Damien placed the list on the table. "Why do have that? Are you trying to find someone?" Axel asked rapidly.

"Ehh?" Matt's eyes widened. He sounded really surprised. "What?"

"It's none of your business, don't be nosy." Damien sounded annoyed.

"Come on, Damien, they're engineering freshmen, if anyone could help, it's them." James said with a smile.

"So you are looking for someone." Axel said with a smile as he looked at Damien and then glanced at Matt. "Who is it? We could help. Right, Matt?"

Matt had his head down, his cheeks were flushing.

"I can find him myself." Damien insisted.

"Stop being stubborn. If you can do it yourself, none of us would be suffering from your foul mood." I finally told him. I want him to find Teo as soon as possible, so he could go back to his nice and sunny persona. That whole moody and always annoyed Damien was getting on my nerves.

Damien sighed. "Fine." He sighed again. "Matteo Lopez, do you know him?" He asked Axel.

Axel had a big satisfied smile on his face, while Matt kept his head down, but I could see his ear turning red.

"Let's say that I know him, why are you looking for him?" Axel asked. He had that smug look on his face.

"I'm his friend." Damien replied.

"If you're his friend, why don't you just contact him? Why do you even have to look for him, if he really is your friend, by now you two should have met already?" Axel continued asking. He was starting to sound apprehensive.

"Do you know him or not? Just tell me that. I don't see any reason why I should be interrogated." Damien replied, well he did have a point. Why is Axel asking too many questions?

"If you're really his friend, you would have already know that..."

Matt suddenly held Axel's arm. "Don't blame him, he has his reasons." What's this? Why is Matt defending Damien? "It's hard to find someone who doesn't want to be found." Damien had been nothing but rude to him, so why is he taking his side?

"Sorry for the wait, are you guys ready to order?" A waiter finally approached our table, breaking the tension.

We ordered our food, but when it was time to order a dessert, Axel and Matt entered into a serious discussion. And I thought Damien was the only person I would ever encounter who takes ordering food that seriously. We told the waiter we'll order dessert later.

"You should try their best seller then; brownie a la mode it's really great." James told Matt and Axel as he pointed at the picture of the bestselling dessert on the menu.

"He can't eat that." Axel replied.

"Why?" I asked them. "Do you have anything against chocolate fudge or vanilla ice cream?" I asked Matt teasingly.

"Ahhh, that..." Axel looked at Matt, he seemed hesitant to answer.

"It has a lot of walnuts..." Matt replied in a meek voice.

"What about them?" James asked.

"What about the walnuts? So what if it has walnuts, why can't you eat it then?" Why does he sound like that? Damien asked Matt carefully in a curious voice.

"I can't eat nuts." Matt answered while looking at Damien.

"Why?" Damien asked, he was clearly focused on Matt.

"Damien?" Elisse suddenly appeared out of nowhere. How does she keep on finding us? "Are you here for dinner, what a coincidence?" She said with a smile.

Oh yeah, what a great coincidence? Elisse was really getting on my nerves, I was so tired of seeing her and dealing with her. All she does was try to cling and flirt with Damien.

"Coincidence? I don't think so." To all of our surprised, Matt said those words as he rolled his eyes at her. He sounded very sarcasm and yet when I looked at him he was like a small angry puppy. Angry, but still adorable.

Way to go, Matt!

Axel looked at Matt, at first he looked surprised, but then he looked proud and then left out a soft chuckle.

"Excuse me?" Elisse asked, sounding surprised and annoyed.

"Are you sure that you didn't follow him here?" Matt asked. God, finally someone said it!

"Well, this is quite a surprise, Elisse. Here for dinner too? Who are you with?" James asked awkwardly as he tried to break the growing tension.

"I'm with Wilma, we were in the mood for some Asian fusion, so we came here." She explained with a smile. She was looking at Damien as she spoke, but Damien was still focused on Matt. "Do you think we can...?"

"Our table is full." Matt suddenly replied as he raised an eyebrow at Elisse. "There's no more seat available for you or your friend." He said as he took his bespoke backpack from under the table, stood up, and placed it over to the empty chair between Damien and I. "Go somewhere else to sit. You're not welcome here." He said in a sarcastically nice tone and then gave a fake smile that was instantaneously replaced with a poker face.

A soft chuckle escaped out of Axel but he immediately acted serious. I was having a hard time hiding how amused I am at that scene.

"Did I do anything wrong to you?" Elisse asked, acting like a total victim. "When I offered you cookies the first day we met, you snubbed me, then yesterday you rejected the coffee I was giving you, and now this. What did I ever do to you?" She asked, sounding hurt.

Matt scoffed. "Save it. That won't work on me. I know someone who is way better in acting innocent than you are. So, don't even think about playing the victim. We both know how fake you are."

"What's your problem?!" Elisse was losing her patience. "I won't just take insults from someone..."

"Well, well, calm down, you two..." James said as he tried to dissolve the tension.

"What's wrong with you? Don't be so rude. There are things you shouldn't say out loud." Damien told Matt in a stern voice. "No one is forcing you to like anyone, but can't you at least civilized. Don't be such a brat. I don't know how things went for you back home, but this isn't your castle, you can't do or say just whatever you want." Damien said those words in a very rough manner. "If you don't like her, if you don't want to eat with her, then just leave, no one is forcing you to stay here. I don't like eating with a spoiled prince either." Damien added meanly.

I wanted to smack him, he didn't have to be that mean to Matt. He might have his reasons for acting that way towards Elisse.

Matt looked like he was already at his limits. Even when he was lashing out at Elisse, he looked like he was about to cry. One look at him and you could tell that he was forcing himself to be mean to Elisse; I don't know why, though.

"Fine, take her side. I don't expect you to believe me either." Matt said. "I'm just a spoiled prince to you anyway." This is not good, he's about to cry. "Anything is better than being treated by you like this."

"What is he saying now...?" Elisse said, sounding very disdainful. "Now, who is playing the victim?"

"Let's order that brownie." Matt suddenly told Axel. His face was really red.

"Hey, what are you saying?" Axel sounded very alarmed.

"Eating those walnuts is nothing." Matt scoffed, but he sounded hurt. "It would still feel better than what I'm feeling right now."

"So, you're going to eat those walnuts and kill yourself?" Axel sounded angry. Things were really going out of hand. "You hate joking about death, but you're talking about it so lightly just because he took her side? What's wrong with you?!"

Damien's eyes suddenly widened. "Eat those walnuts and kill yourself?" Damien repeated as he looked at Axel.

"Axel!" Matt stood up, looking very scared. "Let's go. Let's eat somewhere else." Matt then walked away.

"I supported my friend because I wanted him to be happy, but this can't go on. If you're just going to hurt him, then it's better if he stays away from you. If you're just going to make him cry, don't even think about getting close to him." Axel told Damien, he sounded really angry. Things are really getting out of hand. "You have no idea how hard it is for him to even be near you after everything that happened, after everything your cousin told him." What did James tell Matt? Axel flared up. "Your cousin got it wrong." Axel told Damien. What did James get wrong? "You're the one who's bad for him, not the other way around." Then Axel left.

Damien's eyes widened after hearing everything that Axel said. "Shit. I screwed up." Damien looked like he had seen a ghost, no it was worst, like the world was ending right before his very eyes.

"That you did." James said as he sighed. "What are you still doing here? Hurry up and follow them."

Damien didn't need another prompting, he stood up and walked out in a hurry.

"Damien, where are you going?" Elisse protested as Damien ignored her.

"What was that about?" I asked James.

"Damien just made his Teo cry and walk away. Now, he's running after him to make things right." James explained with a smile.

"Wait. Did you say Teo, his Teo?" James nodded. "Don't tell me... that was Teo?"

"Matt... Teo."

"Matteo." I sighed at my own stupidity.