LOGINKillian's question hung in the air between them, sharp and direct."Asher. What's actually going on with you?"Asher's mind raced, panic climbing higher in his chest with every passing second. Students were walking past them in every direction, some slowing down when they noticed Killian Cross standing so close to someone, talking in that low, intense voice of his. A few phones had already come out, held low, pretending not to record."Nothing," Asher said, though his voice shook slightly. "I already told you. I'm just tired.""You keep saying that." Killian's eyes moved slowly over his face, taking in the pale skin, the shadows under his eyes, and the way his hands trembled faintly. "But you don't look tired, Asher. You look sick. You look like something is actually wrong with you.""Maybe something is," Ethan said sharply, stepping closer to Asher. "Maybe you should just leave him alone. Haven't you done enough already?"Killian's gaze flicked to Ethan for a moment, then back to Ash
Asher's mind raced, searching for anything, any excuse that would make Ethan look away from him with those worried, searching eyes."I think I ate something bad," Asher said quickly, forcing a small, weak laugh. "That's probably it. Something from the dining hall yesterday. You know how that food can be sometimes."Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly, not quite convinced. "Bad food doesn't make you throw up three separate times in one week, Ash.""Maybe it's a stomach bug, then." Asher wiped his mouth again, trying to look more put together than he felt. "It's probably contagious. You should stay away from me, actually, before you catch it too.""Nice try," Ethan said, though the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, some of the tension easing just a little. "You're really going with a stomach bug?""It's a very serious stomach bug," Asher said, forcing his voice to stay light. "Very dangerous. Doctors are baffled."Ethan studied him for a long moment, clearly still unsure, clearly still
Asher opened his mouth. No words came out.Ethan was still crouched beside him, one hand resting lightly on his back, his eyes steady and searching. He wasn't moving. He wasn't going anywhere until he got some kind of answer."Ash," Ethan said again, softer this time. "Talk to me.""It's nothing," Asher managed finally, his voice weak even to his own ears. "I told you already. I'm just tired."Ethan didn't move. He studied Asher's face for a long moment, like he was trying to read something written in a language he almost understood but not quite."Okay," Ethan said slowly. "Let's just go through this together, then. Because 'tired' doesn't really explain everything I've been seeing lately."Asher's stomach turned again, though this time it wasn't nausea. It was fear."What do you mean?" he asked, trying to keep his voice light.Ethan sat back slightly, still close, but giving him a little space now that the dizziness seemed to have passed. He held up one finger. "You've stopped eatin
The phone kept buzzing in Asher's hand.He wiped his face one more time, took a slow breath, and finally pressed the screen to answer. He forced his voice to sound normal before he even said a word."Hey," Asher said, trying to keep it light."Hey, finally." Ethan's voice came through warm and a little worried. "How did it go? You've been gone forever. I was starting to think you got lost or something."Asher closed his eyes for a second. "It's fine. Just took longer than I thought. Waiting rooms, you know how it is.""So what did the doctor say? Are you okay?"Asher's throat tightened. He looked down at his own hands, still slightly shaking from the cold and everything else. "Yeah," he said finally. "Just some stress. Not sleeping enough. Nothing serious."It was the first real lie he had ever told Ethan. It came out easier than he expected, and that scared him a little."See, I told you," Ethan said, relief clear in his voice. "You need to actually sleep, Ash. Not just tell people y
Asher walked out of the hospital with the paper still in his hand. He didn't remember putting his jacket on. He didn't remember walking past the front desk. His feet just moved, one step after another, out into the cold evening air.The street outside was empty. Only a few cars passed by, their headlights cutting through the dark. Asher stood there for a moment, not knowing which way to go. His apartment felt too far. His mind felt too loud.He started walking anyway.The word kept playing in his head, over and over, like a song stuck on repeat. He tried to push it away, but it just came back louder each time.This can't be real, he thought. This has to be some kind of mistake.But he had seen the paper. He had read the words with his own eyes. There was no mistake. The doctor had shown him the scan too, small and blurry, but real. Something was growing inside him. A baby. Killian's baby.His legs felt weak. He stopped walking and leaned against a cold brick wall, pressing his hand fl
Asher could barely manage to stand without his vision swimming, his body growing thinner and more fragile..He knew he couldn't risk going to any clinic or hospital near the university, where a familiar face might spot him. Instead, he forced himself to travel across the city to a quiet, anonymous hospital —a place where no one would look twice at a pale, trembling student pulling his coat tightly around his waist.The diagnostic waiting room smelled sharply of antiseptic and cold steel, humming with the low murmur of distant voices.Asher sat hunched on a hard plastic chair in the corner, his fingers tightly laced together in his lap, his knuckles stark white. Every tick of the wall clock felt like a heavy hammer blow against his frayed nerves. When a nurse finally called his name in a flat, routine voice, his heart leaped violently into his throat, nearly choking him.He stood up on unsteady legs and slipped into the examination room. A quiet, middle-aged physician reviewed his char







