I
heard rustling from the other side of the bed.
I opened my eyes and heard the door open.
and close. Jason had gone out? Was it
because he didn’t want to be in the same
room as me? I bit my lip, wondering if I’d
been too harsh. But he’d started it! I was
wallowing in self–pity when a knock startled
- me. Had Jason forgotten his key? I stumbled
out of bed. I opened the door to find Chloe
standing there. “Ethan, are you feeling any
better? I saw you had a lot to drink at dinner,
so I brought you some hangover medicine.”
“Thanks, Chloe.” “Next time, just say
something if you can’t handle it. You seemed
to be enjoying the game so much, I thought
you were a pro.” I scratched my head
sheepishly. “Get some rest. We’ll head back
tomorrow when you’re feeling better.” “Okay.”
As Chloe turned to leave, she bumped into
Jason. He gave us a curt nod before heading
into the room. I closed the door and took the
medicine, deciding to just go to sleep since
he was clearly still avoiding me.
The next morning, I woke up at 10 a.m. Jason
was gone, his things packed. He hadn’t even
bothered to say goodbye. He really couldn’t
stand being around me. I sighed, rubbing my
eyes. Thankfully, the hangover medicine had
worked. As I packed my own things, I noticed
a small box in the trash can, similar to the
one Chloe had given me. I was in a hurry, so I
didn’t think much of it. Chloe and the others
were waiting for me downstairs. On the drive
back to campus, I thought about the
awkwardness between Jason and me and
L
made up my mind. If we were destined to
never get along, it was better to just cut ties.
Back in the dorm, Liam and Mike were
discussing anime. Jason was nowhere to be
seen. I barely saw him for the rest of the
week. Either he was actively avoiding me, or
he truly loathed me. After fall break, I asked
my RA to switch rooms. I couldn’t stand
Jason’s constant hostility and sarcasm any
longer. On the weekend, I was packing my
things, planning to move to my new room and
then have dinner with Liam and Mike to thank
them for everything. Suddenly, the door burst
open. Jason froze when he saw my suitcase.
“Where are you going?” “Moving downstairs.”
I continued packing my books. He grabbed
my arm. “You’re switching rooms? Why?”
“Don’t you hate seeing me? I won’t be an
eyesore anymore.” I tried to pull my suitcase
away, but he blocked the door, his face dark.
く
“Who said you could leave? When did I ever
say I didn’t want to see you?” “Then why are
you always so sarcastic and mean to me?
Isn’t it because I lied to you? You hate me!”
“I…” He hesitated, then tightened his grip on
my suitcase. “I don’t hate you. You’re not
going anywhere.” “Let go! I already got
approval!” I didn’t want to keep fighting. His
cold stare made my chest ache. Since he
didn’t like me anyway, it was better to end
things. “I said you’re not leaving, so you’re
not leaving!” He was being stubborn, his
fingers digging into my arm. We struggled,
and my things spilled onto the floor. I
snapped. My head throbbed, all rationality
gone. “Jason, what do you want from me?”
“Didn’t you tell me not to get any ideas about
you? Well, I got ideas, lots of them!” “If you
don’t want to be disgusted by me, a gay guy,
then just let me go!” Jason froze, his grip
loosening. I pushed him away and started
picking up my things.
As I reached for the door, warm arms
wrapped around me from behind. “You can
get ideas!” Jason’s voice trembled. “I don’t
hate you. I just… I don’t want to see you with
anyone else, guy or girl. It drives me crazy.”
My eyes widened. His words echoed in my
ears. My back pressed against his chest, I
could feel his heart pounding. “Don’t go,
Ethan. You tricked me. You still owe me.”
“Owe you what?” I stammered, my mind
reeling. “Well…” he said, taking a deep
breath, “you made me go through a year of
heartbreak. You have to make it up to me.”
“By… dating me.” I froze, dropping my
suitcase. It landed on his foot. He winced but
kept his eyes locked on mine. “You’ll agree
whether you like it or not. If you don’t date
<
me, I’ll post about how you catfished me on
the forum. The whole school will know what
you did.” I blinked, trying to process his
words. “Are… are you sure? You want to date
me?” “Yes.” “Like, a real date? This isn’t
some kind of revenge plot, right?” “I’m not
that petty!” he snapped, his ears turning red.
It finally clicked. My chest felt light and airy,
like it was filled with cotton candy. I turned to
look at him, my voice barely a whisper. “So…
you like me?” “Stop with the questions! Just
unpack your stuff!” he grumbled, opening my
suitcase and shoving my clothes back into the
closet. He didn’t even seem to notice his own
blushing face.
