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Three months ago...

Dylan's POV

**

The alarm ringing woke me up. When my eyes opened, it was already 8 o'clock in the morning.

"SHIT!"

I immediately jumped out of bed and rushed into the bathroom. I had an exam at the university today, and it was scheduled for half-past eight. Of course, I was almost late.

"Dylan Leonardo Smith! What are you doing?! Get up quickly!"

I raised my face from inside the bathroom and saw Jennifer Hyerin White, a.k.a my mother, standing with her arms crossed in front of my bedroom door.

"Yes! I'm up, Mom!" I shouted, my face covered in soap.

"Rinse your foolish face and have breakfast right away!"

I gave her a thumbs-up and watched my mom walk out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Ten minutes later, I was ready, wearing a white T-shirt and black jeans. I didn't forget my favorite hair gel to impress anyone who saw me.

My phone rang, and Theressa's name appeared on the caller ID. She's my girlfriend, by the way. I ignored her call, knowing she would probably yell at me and keep asking why I hadn't arrived at the campus yet, especially when there was an exam today.

I put my phone in my bag and headed out.

A piece of bread and a glass of milk were already on the dining table. I quickly gulped down the milk. Then, I grabbed the bread and shouted, "I'm leaving, Mom!"

There was no response from my beloved mother; it seemed like she was in the backyard. I didn't waste any time and immediately took the car keys hanging in the cabinet near the front door.

A small note saying, 'snack in here,' was stuck on the car's dashboard. When I opened the glove compartment, I saw an abundance of snacks and chocolates.

Yeah, this is my life, Dylan Leonardo Smith, the son of Jacob Orlando Smith and Jennifer Hyerin White. I have one older sister, Lolita Stephanie Smith, who lives in Amsterdam. By the way, I'm 20 years old, but my parents, especially my mom, still treat me like a teenager who just hit puberty. I don't know why, but they often fill my car with snacks.

However, despite that, I didn't grow up as a spoiled child. At the university, I was quite well-known for my good looks (some people said that, lol), and I was also one of the star players in the baseball club. You could say I was a popular guy.

A faint tune of a John Mayer song played on the radio as I turned up the volume and began my journey to the campus.

***

Exactly five minutes before the exam was scheduled to start, I arrived at the campus. I ran along the corridor, but unfortunately, in my haste, I collided with someone standing near the storage lockers.

"Ouch!"

I cried out in pain, and amidst the fluttering papers, I saw a white-skinned, brown-haired man looking at me coldly. But one thing was for sure, this guy was very handsome.

"Are you blind?"

He appeared angry, and his voice was flat. I despised people like this; it was an accident, after all. He could've acted more normal.

"DYLAN!"

Theressa interrupted our exchange with her sarcastic glances. She ran towards me. I immediately stood up and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to, I was in a hurry."

"What are you doin' right here, Dylan! Hurry to class! Prof. Lucas will be here soon!" Theressa shouted while she put her arm around mine.

The two of us left the green-eyed man behind. I thought it was over, but the guy seemed to mock me as I passed by.

"Use your eyes next time; you're a nuisance!"

I immediately turned towards him; he was still picking up the scattered papers on the floor. If Theressa hadn't been with me, I might have punched him. I regretted thinking he was handsome earlier.

"What's that guy's name?! Is he new here?!" I asked Theressa.

"I don't know; it's not important. Let's get in quickly!" Theressa replied as she pushed me into the classroom.

***

"Damn! Why did Prof. Lucas give such a difficult exam?! Shit! I really hate him! I had all my cheat notes on my phone, and he collected all the phones!" Jeremy exclaimed. The rest of us burst into laughter listening to Jeremy's complaints.

"It's your own fault; you should have known that Prof. Lucas always collects phones during exams!" Ashley retorted.

The seven of us were sitting in the cafeteria. As I mentioned earlier, we were the popular kids on campus. There was me, Theressa, Ashley, Jeremy, Nania, Sam, and Cathrine. We were all paired off with each other, except for Ashley. My days were always spent with them, like a typical 20-year-old guy, with drinking, partying, and sex being the activities we engaged in.

They were still debating about the past exam. I chose to remain silent and observed everyone coming into the cafeteria. Actually, for some reason, my mind was still haunted by the green-eyed young man I had bumped into in the corridor earlier.

Even throughout the exam, that face seemed to be glued to my answer sheet. It's weird.

"Damn, he's so cool and handsome!"

Ashley's voice made me turn to look at her; she was gazing at a corner of the room with sparkling eyes. When I followed her gaze, I saw the young man from earlier sitting there, eating a sandwich.

I missed him! I didn't even notice when he entered the cafeteria, even though I had been watching the cafeteria door all this time.

"Are you talking about Brian?" Sam asked. I immediately shifted my gaze to Sam, who mentioned the guy's name.

"Brian? Is his name Brian? Do you know him? Give me his Line ID!" Ashley replied aggressively.

"Yeah, of course! His name is Brian Johannes Adams. He moved here just a week ago from London, and he's in the same major as me. He's good-looking, but he's quite cold. I don't think he even has any friends," Sam responded.

I listened carefully to the information Sam provided. I looked at Brian again. For some reason, my heart felt different when I saw him again, as if all the annoyance I had felt due to his brusque attitude had vanished.

This, of course, reminded me of my sexual orientation, which had been bothering me for the past two years.

"Dylan! What are you looking at?!"

Theressa nudged my arm. I immediately averted my gaze and shook my head, saying, "No, nothing."

"Are you afraid that your reputation as the handsomest guy on campus will be taken by Brian? Don't worry, dude! I'm sure you'll remain a women's idol!" Jeremy exclaimed loudly, followed by laughter from the others.

I just chuckled, my mind and eyes still wanting to gaze at Brian. I turned my head back in his direction, but unfortunately, this time, Brian noticed and turned to look back at me.

'Shit!' I exclaimed in my mind.