MasukIt was Friday, and Shaun was bored. Eli wasn't around to keep him company, and for once, campus felt unusually dull. With nothing better to do, Shaun wandered around aimlessly until he found himself heading toward the school forest. It wasn't a real forest, just a large wooded area the university had preserved for students who wanted a quiet place to relax. He had only been there twice before, and it had been a while. As he explored, he noticed a few new benches scattered beneath the tall trees. "Huh... they've added benches." He walked over and dropped onto one with a tired sigh. He felt awfully drained. He had no classes to attend, no one at home waiting for him... ...and Nathan was giving him space. Never in his life had he imagined he'd feel this exhausted simply because the guy who stole not one, but two, of his girlfriends had suddenly stopped bothering him. With nothing else to do, he called Eli. The call connected almost immediately. "Hey," Eli answered. "How
The next morning wasn't any better for Shaun because Nathan had changed. He was no longer the teasing, cheerful pain in the ass Shaun had gotten used to. He didn't even stay for breakfast. "I've got an important class," Nathan said as he grabbed his keys. "I don't want to be late, and I need to go home to freshen up first." "Mm," Shaun hummed quietly, watching Nathan's retreating figure until the front door closed behind him. "What's wrong with him?" He let out a long sigh. For some reason, all his energy felt drained. Even the thought of going to school exhausted him. As expected, school was boring for Shaun. During lunch, he kept sighing every few minutes until Eli finally noticed. "Hey, what's wrong?" Eli asked. "Haa..." Shaun sighed dramatically before his eyes suddenly lit up. "Can I ask you something?" Eli raised an eyebrow, amused by how quickly Shaun could switch moods. "I'm all ears." "Well..." Shaun scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Have you eve
Shaun hurried into the living room, nearly slipping on the rug in the process. Weren’t they supposed to come tomorrow? “Hey, Mom,” Shaun greeted with a smile that looked painfully forced. Which made sense, considering he had almost been caught kissing a boy. “Shaun?” His mother stood by the couch with her handbag still hanging from her shoulder. She blinked suspiciously. “You never rush to welcome me.” He froze but somehow maintained his painful smile. Then her expression brightened. “Why are your cheeks so red? Did you bring a girl over?” she asked, beaming. Shaun facepalmed. “A normal mother would be angry, you know.” “You’re nineteen,” she replied with a shrug. “It’s normal.” “Mom.” He shook his head in defeat before glancing around. “Why are you back? Where’s Dad?” “Oh.” She waved her hand casually. “Your father forgot his medication, so I came back for it. You know it’s not sold in regular pharmacies.” Before Shaun could fully process the infor
As he stepped outside, Nathan exhaled deeply. He hurried toward his car, but when he saw Shaun waiting for him, he slowed his pace. “Hey,” Nathan said. “Hi.” Shaun raised his head. “So, are you going to explain how he managed to lock you in?” Shaun bit his lip. “Erm… I was at the basketball court watching movie when he showed up.” shaun cleared his throat. “He told me you got into a fight and hurt yourself.” Nathan frowned slightly. “I’d been texting you and got no reply, so naturally I got worried. I rushed to the practice room, and when I realized you weren’t there, I tried to leave. But he pushed me inside and bombarded me with questions about our relationship whether we were seeing each other, who was the top, and how it feels to be with a guy.” Shaun grimaced. “The questions got annoying, so I tried to leave. Then he grabbed me. I struggled to break free, but he was clearly stronger than me so I bit him. Unfortunately, he slapped me and shoved me aside. Before I coul
Shaun woke with a jolt. The light in his room was already too bright for comfort. He reached for his phone, and the moment his eyes focused on the time, his heart sank. Late. “Why do I always wake up late?” he groaned. And today, of all days. The lecturer had a reputation one Shaun had no interest in testing. He shot out of bed in seconds, moving on instinct rather than thought. A rushed shower, clothes pulled on haphazardly, bag slung over his shoulder. He had booked a cab before even dressing, and now, outside, it was already waiting. Relief barely had time to settle before his foot struck something solid. Pain shot up his leg. “Ah!” he hissed, but didn’t bother to look back. Whatever it was could wait. He limped into the cab and shut the door, breath coming fast. “Good morning, sir,” he said, forcing calm as the car pulled away. The driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “You seem in a hurry.” “I’m already late,” Shaun replied. “Can we get there in fifteen minut
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 th
Monday arrived, and Shaun strutted into lectures with his head held high. He resolved that if he went straight home after class, he could avoid running into Nathan entirely. During the break, Shaun hid in a corner, quietly eating his lunch, hoping no one would disturb him. His hope was quickly das
After his shower, Shaun reluctantly pulled his clothes back on. They still smelled faintly of alcohol and sweat, but he preferred that discomfort to the thought of borrowing Nathan’s clothes and having yet another reason to come back here. He checked the bathroom and bedroom carefully, making sure
Shaun sat at the far end of the crowded living room, his body angled away from the noise even though his attention was fixed firmly on one place. Across the room, Nathan stood with Cassie tucked comfortably against his chest, his arms wrapped around her in a way that was far too intimate to be acci
Shaun rushed to class, heart racing. He didn’t notice the blonde guy until he bumped right into him. “Oh! I’m so sorry,” Shaun blurted, pushing off quickly. “I—uh—” He nodded and hurried toward the lecture hall. After the lecture, Shaun walked out, drained. “Who’s worse… Nathan or this lecturer







