Semua Bab Built with a Dare, broken by the Truth: Bab 31 - Bab 40

The week after Brian finally said yes felt like stepping into another life.They still met in the same spots,the courtyard, the library steps, the art room,but everything was different now. A glance meant more. A touch lasted longer.Barry had promised to keep it quiet, and he mostly did,mostly.When he walked across campus, he caught himself smiling for no reason, and that was dangerous. Carlson had noticed first.“Dude, you’re glowing,” he said one morning, shoving Barry’s shoulder. “Either you got a new skincare routine or someone is taking special care of you.”Barry only smirked. “A gentleman doesn’t talk.”Carlson laughed. “Right. You’re so known for being a gentleman.”That afternoon, Barry found Brian in the art room, bent over a half-finished sketch. Sunlight poured through the wide windows, touching his hair with gold. Barry leaned against the doorframe.“You keep staring,” Brian said without looking up.“I’m admiring the masterpiece.”“The drawing or me?”“Both,” Barry repl

The air in the room was still, holding the quiet weight of something about to change. The rain had stopped, but its scent lingered….damp earth, cold air, a trace of thunder that had already passed. The curtains shifted softly with the night breeze, drawing long shadows across the floor where Carlson and Randy stood, neither of them speaking yet.They didn’t need to. Words had been circling between them for weeks, unspoken things caught in their glances, in the way Carlson’s hand would pause a little too long on Randy’s shoulder, or how Randy’s laughter softened whenever he looked at him. Now, all that silence had led them here.Carlson reached out first, brushing his thumb along the edge of Randy’s jaw. The touch was small, almost hesitant, but it made Randy draw in a sharp breath. Carlson’s hand lingered there, steady, grounding.“You’re trembling,” Carlson said quietly.“I know,” Randy breathed. “You make me nervous.”Carlson smiled, not teasingly, but as if he understood. His hand

Carlson’s POVThe night air was humid, thick with bass and perfume, the kind that clings to your skin even before you step into the club. Lights pulsed against the windows like a heartbeat, and I could already see Randy’s reflection in the glass ,smiling, soft, oblivious to the noise that roared inside my chest.He looked good tonight,Too good Black shirt, sleeves rolled up, a quiet glow that had nothing to do with the strobe lights. His hand brushed mine as we walked in, and just like that, my whole world narrowed to that small, electric point of contact.I told myself to relax. It was supposed to be fun.Barry had planned it another weekend hangout before midterms swallowed everyone whole. Brian was beside him, laughing at something he said, their shoulders pressed together like they didn’t even notice anymore. Troy was already at the bar, tossing back a drink. Jayden and Sandy waved from the dance floor.Everything was normal. Or it should’ve been.“Come on,” Randy said, tugging m

The week passed with a deceptive kind of peaceful laughter where there should’ve been suspicion, kisses that tried to cover silence, and eyes that lingered too long on what wasn’t being said.Randy told himself he was overthinking. But every time Carlson smiled, some small part of him watched for cracks.He’d stopped checking his phone at night. Stopped rereading messages.Instead, he watched Carlson.The small delays before he answered a question. The too-casual “Just tired” when Randy knew something was wrong.Brian had told him to wait. “We’ll corner the truth when it comes out,” he’d said, voice calm, sure. “Just play along for now.”So Randy played along.He smiled. He laughed. He acted like nothing was wrong.But every touch felt heavier now.On Thursday evening, Barry texted in the group chat:Barry: Rooftop hangout tonight. Bring whoever.Troy: No drama this time.Brian: You wish.Carlson: We’ll be there.Randy hesitated before replying.Then he typed:Randy: Sure.The city st

The days that followed were thick with silence.Randy stopped showing up at the spots where Carlson used to wait for him.The bench by the library, the café across the quad are empty now. Even the messages on his phone, once constant, had vanished without a trace.The number was blocked. The thread was gone.And Carlson had never felt so hollow.He tried to focus in class, tried to laugh with his friends, but the world felt like a movie playing on mute.Every time he looked up, he expected to see Randy, that small, careful smile, that soft glance over his shoulder.Instead, there was only absence.Barry watched him one afternoon, slumped against the bleachers after training, his eyes distant.“You should stop torturing yourself,” Barry said quietly.Carlson didn’t look up. “Have you talked to Brian yet?”Barry sighed. “He won’t answer. I found him twice and he just walked away.”Carlson nodded faintly. “Guess we both broke something we can’t fix.”Barry kicked at the gravel beneath hi