LOGINAutumn drew his legs back, trying to press them down in one spot as they finally got to Vegas's car, away from his nosy classmates. He snatched his hands out of Vegas's firm grip, almost stumbling a bit.“What was that all about?” he huffed, his face a mixture of confusion and annoyance.“Oh, is that so? Shouldn't you be thanking me right now?” Vegas replied sharply, but his face was anything but angry.“Thank you? You started this in the first place! If it weren't for you…,” he paused, his expression shifting into something more solemn now, hands wound around his bag loosely.“If it weren't for me what?!” Vegas questioned, shoving him gently against his car.“Oh, I know! If it weren't for me, those people would have eaten you alive. If it weren't for me, your life would've turned to shit by now. And if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have to be speaking to each other right now!”Vegas ran a hand through his hair swiftly, backing away from him a little. He tried breathing deeply, hopi
Chapter 22 It had rained heavily that morning. The campus grounds were wet, with leaves littering the pathways due to the strong wind. Autumn stood outside his dorm, contemplating whether or not to brave the storm or miss his first class. For a moment, he thought of how nice it would be just to go back to his bed and actually lie on it, given the loads of studying he'd done the night before, dozing in between at his study table. Sadly, he was never one to miss a class, and even worse, neither was Professor Sheila. She'd show up even if an earthquake happened. “Why do I always forget that darn umbrella?” he breathed out, remembering he'd left it at his mom's for the hundredth time. He shook his head a bit as he saw a couple of people walk by with umbrellas, some in pairs, the water pattering against their shoes. Soon, even more people walked by, a couple of cars driving through now. He checked his watch once again. 7:44 a.m., it read. “Why didn't I just put the books away?”
Vegas stayed up all night, staring at the ceiling in his huge bedroom. He counted the little square designs in the recessed lighting, trying to push the image out of his head. The king-sized bed felt too big and empty. The silk sheets were cool but did nothing to calm him down.He had tried everything: flipping sides, punching the pillow, counting backward from a hundred, yet nothing seemed to work.The image of Autumn from earlier that day kept coming back. He even paced the bedroom floor for almost an hour, bare feet quiet on the expensive rug, before giving up and booting up his laptop to play a game.The bright screen lit up the dark room, but he couldn’t focus. Every few minutes, he caught himself staring at nothing, replaying the moment in the lecture hall when Autumn walked in wearing that yellow sweater, holding the rose, plush bear, and gift bag like a nervous kid with a crush.“Why am I so bothered?” he whispered, clutching his pillow tighter. The words felt stupid even as h
Autumn was panting by the time he reached his next class, having sprinted all the way from Vegas’s block. Sweat plastered his shirt to his back, and the sun had only made things worse—his face flushed, dripping.“Come on, Cedric, the professor’s already inside,” someone called. Autumn wiped his forehead quickly and slipped into the building with the last of his classmates.For the rest of the shortened lecture, his mind kept drifting back to Vegas’s strange stunt. He stared into space more than once, replaying the moment.“I’ve got a meeting to attend. That’ll be all for today,” the professor announced, barely thirty minutes in. He was already heading for the door.The hall erupted into chatter. A few students openly sighed in relief.“Hey, scholarship kid,” a voice came from behind him. Tom. “Wanna join our group for the next project? We’re short a member.”Since the drink incident, Autumn had been getting more attention in class—like his social position had suddenly been reestablish
The lecture hall was buzzing with the usual end-of-class energy as Professor Harlan wrapped up his slides. The third-year Real Estate Development course was one of the few classes Vegas actually attended regularly, mostly because his father expected him to maintain a strong academic record in the family-approved major.“Before you all rush out,” Professor Harlan said, raising his voice to cut through the growing chatter, “I have your next major assignment.”A collective groan rippled through the room. The professor smiled dryly and clicked to the final slide.“You’ll work in pairs on a comprehensive development proposal. Choose a site on or near campus: an abandoned warehouse, an underutilized lot, anything with real potential. Your proposal must include market analysis, architectural concept sketches, budget breakdown, sustainability features, and a full presentation deck. Due in three weeks. This counts for 40% of your grade.”Students began murmuring, already discussing potential p
“My driver’s going to drop you off,” Vegas announced as he rose from his seat. They had gone on for two more hours, poring over the design plans, Vegas asking sharp questions and Autumn answering as professionally as he could manage. The tension in the room had never really eased.Autumn got up quickly, slinging his bag over his chest as he eagerly walked toward the entrance, too glad to be done with this. His shoulders felt lighter the second he moved away from the table.“That’s enough for one day,” he muttered under his breath as he walked past Vegas, who was sitting close to a huge plant.“Well… goodbye,” Autumn murmured too quickly, already reaching for the handle. “Yeah, sure,” Vegas replied nonchalantly, not looking up from his phone. He had been checking his feeds when a new message popped up. It was from his dad.‘Vegas, your mother and I expect you at the family dinner next weekend. No excuses this time. We need to discuss your future role in the company. Don’t make me sen
Autumn’s phone was still warm in his hand as he ended the call with his mother. He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the blank wall, the lie he had just told hanging heavy in the air like smoke. “Darling, that’s wonderful, but how did you…?” “It’s a special bonus, Mom,” he had rushed, for
Autumn had fallen asleep, having jammed his head into a migraine. He was startled awake by the buzzing phone on the side of the bed. He didn't even check to see who it was before picking it up.“Hello, who is this?” he asked, yawning softly, his hands coming over his mouth to silence it.“Your new
Mila stood there in a striking red dress that clung to every curve, her long dark hair cascading over one shoulder like silk. The warm resort lighting caught the subtle shimmer on her skin and the confident curve of her smile. “Hey Vegas,” she purred, stepping forward without waiting for an invita
Autumn stared at his own signature on the contract, the ink still slightly wet. The pen slipped from his fingers and rolled across the desk. For a moment, everything felt distant, like he was watching someone else’s life collapse.“Six months,” he muttered, still trying to make sense of things thou







