005

Nathan woke up tired.

Not the kind of tired sleep could fix. The kind that settled deep in his chest and refused to loosen its grip. He showered, dressed, grabbed his keys, and drove to school on autopilot, his mind moving slower than his body.

He had a test that morning.

No matter how rebellious he appeared, grades were never something he treated lightly. He showed up. He passed. He stayed at the top. That much had always been simple.

The test went well.

Matthew groaned the moment they stepped out of the lecture hall, dragging a hand down his face like he’d just survived a war.

“I failed.”

Nathan glanced at him. “I gave you notes.”

Matthew sighed dramatically. “I studied all night. I’m just not built like you.”

“Excuses,” Nathan muttered.

He tried not to think about Shaun.

Tried.

“Eli! Pass the ball!”

The voice cut cleanly through his thoughts.

Nathan stopped walking.

The basketball court lay just ahead. Shaun was there laughing, loose, alive in a way that felt unfair. Eli tossed the ball toward him, and Shaun caught it with ease, grinning as if the world had never once disappointed him.

Something sharp twisted in Nathan’s chest.

The anger came fast. Too fast. It startled even him.

He didn’t think. He moved.

“Shaun.”

Shaun turned at the sound of his name, and whatever smile he’d been wearing vanished instantly. Nathan’s expression alone was enough.

Nathan walked straight past Eli without so much as a glance. He picked Shaun’s bag off the ground, took Shaun’s hand, and started pulling him along.

For a moment, Shaun didn’t react at all. Shock held him frozen as Nathan dragged him toward the parking lot like a child who didn’t know better.

Behind them, Eli watched, a cold sensation sliding down his spine.

“What’s his problem?” he asked quietly.

Matthew exhaled. “You should keep your distance from that guy.”

He hesitated before adding, “Nathan’s… fixated.”

From a bench in the far corner, Greg heard everything. He leaned back, lips curling into a slow smile.

“I can’t,” Eli said after a moment. “He’s my only friend.”

“I can be your friend,” Matthew offered lightly.

Eli laughed. “I heard you’re trouble.”

Then he walked away.

Shaun finally yanked his hand free.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he snapped, his voice sharp with anger and disbelief.

Nathan stopped walking.

For a second, he didn’t look at him.

“Don’t get close to anyone else,” Nathan said quietly.

The words that followed came softer, almost like they weren’t meant to be heard.

“I can’t stand it. It hurts.”

Shaun stared at him, stunned.

Then he scoffed. “Then look away.”

He stepped back, creating space between them. “I’m not ready for your games. And I’m not dropping Eli because of you.”

With that, he turned and walked off.

Nathan didn’t stop him.

At home later that night, Shaun couldn’t stop replaying Nathan’s face in his mind the anger, the restraint, the way his voice had cracked just slightly.

“What’s his deal?” Shaun muttered to himself.

After a moment of hesitation, he reached for his phone.

Hey. You okay? Did something happen?

Nathan stared at the message for a long time.

“You,” he whispered into the empty room.

When he finally replied, he typed slowly.

Nothing. I just don’t like that you have friends now. I’m jealous.

Shaun sat up in bed.

Jealous? Of Eli?

He typed back quickly.

See? I told you. You’re obsessed with me

The reply came late.

Maybe.

No teasing. No humor.

Then another message followed.

See you tomorrow.

Shaun frowned at the screen.

Hey. I’m not done yet. Don’t disappear.

No reply came.

“Whatever,” Shaun muttered, tossing the phone aside.

He fell asleep annoyed.

Nathan still couldn’t help but wonder why Shaun’s face had appeared in his mind when the question was asked.

Were his feelings real, or was his mind simply playing tricks on him? He stared at the ceiling, groaning softly as if the answer might be written there.

With a heavy sigh, he reached for his phone.

“This is stupid,” he muttered right before opening his browser.

He searched: How to know if you’re in love.

He scoffed. “Wow. I’ve officially lost it.”

Links flooded his screen. Articles. Forums. Questionnaires that looked like they’d been made for teenagers with too much time.

He clicked anyway.

One headline made him pause.

A one minute hug theory.

Nathan blinked. “…A hug?” he repeated.

He read it once. Then again.

“That’s actually not terrible,” he admitted reluctantly. “I could try that.”

The realization hit him a second later.

“I can’t believe I’m planning to hug him for research purposes,” he said aloud, shaking his head.

Still, he kept scrolling.

He found a quiz next and answered without overthinking because apparently that was the scientific method now. When the result loaded, his brows knitted together.

“…Sixty percent?” he echoed.

He frowned harder. “So what now? Am I in love or just mildly confused ?”

The screen offered no explanation.

He sighed, locking his phone. “Whatever. I’ll just try the hug thing tomorrow.”

If it worked, great.

If not, he’d pretend none of this ever happened.

Nathan tossed his phone aside, turned onto his side, and finally went to sleep still mentally preparing excuses for why he might suddenly hug Shaun for exactly one minute.

He exhaled, imagining Shaun freezing mid hug just to ask, “Are you okay?”

“Good luck, Nathan. You’re on your own,” he mumbled to himself before finally drifting off to sleep.