Semua Bab My Enemy [BL]: Bab 401 - Bab 410

ELLISI approached the pile cautiously, slowly, with deep suspicion. Every shirt. Every pair of jeans. Every hoodie. Clean and folded and smelling faintly of detergent and the specific, quiet judgment of someone who had their life together.I picked up one of my shirts and examined it. It looked cleaner than when I bought it. Almost structurally improved, like the fabric had been given a second chance."What the hell?"I stood there holding it, turning it over like it might explain itself, when Julian walked through the front door an hour later. The moment I spotted him, I marched across the apartment, holding the shirt like it was evidence in a criminal investigation—because, really, it was."What is this?"Julian glanced at the shirt, then looked at me, then back to the shirt with the kind of patience you’d expect from someone who’s used to being grilled."You appear to be holding a shirt.""I know it’s a shirt," I shot back."Good.""My laundry," I said, dramatically pointing. "My

ELLIS For what I was pretty sure was the first time since I’d met him, Julian genuinely looked confused. Not the usual controlled confusion, actually confused, the mask slipping a little. "...What?" I pointed at him with a teasing grin. "You heard me." His eyebrows drew together. "What girl?" I stared at him. He stared back. We both held that moment, two people definitely not communicating clearly but fully aware of it. Perhaps this would serve as a little revenge for him doing all he could to tease me and make me blush like a sixteen year old girl seeing her celebrity crush for the first time. I’d take the girl he was interested in, show him just who’s boss. I grinned, slowly to the point I probably looked like a psychotic troll, the kind of grin that says I’ve just discovered some unexpected leverage and plan to use it, which is to say irresponsibly. "Guess you’re not as hot as you think you are if she chose." The expression on his face suggested he was genuinely weighing the

ELLISThe sound of her laugh was bright and unrestrained, coming out of her without hesitation, and it made me smile before I could even think about it, a genuine smile, the kind that arrives before your brain jumps in to weigh the situation.See? This was nice. It was exactly what I’d told myself I wanted. Normal, warm, and simple, without any subtext lurking beneath every exchange waiting to trip me up.Exactly what I should’ve wanted.The movie turned out to be surprisingly good. In fact, it was funny, better written than the trailer had suggested, with a lead couple that had the kind of chemistry making the jokes hit just right instead of falling flat.Pamela leaned over to whisper little comments during the funniest scenes, perfectly timed observations, and nudged my arm whenever something particularly ridiculous happened on screen.I found myself laughing more than I expected. Relaxing more than I anticipated.For about forty minutes, everything felt genuinely easy.Then my brai

ELLISBy the time I got to Pinnacle Hall, my mind felt like it had been tossed in a blender on high speed.The late night walk back from Kingston Hall should’ve helped me clear my head out. Fresh air, peaceful campus paths, and the soft sound of my footsteps on the pavement, all the right ingredients for some calm reflection.But it didn’t work. If anything, the quiet just gave my thoughts more space to spread out and settle in, taking over like they owned the place, rearranging furniture and propping their feet up.Now I had two kisses running around in my head, both occupying space without paying rent. One from three weeks ago, in a closet, uninvited, unresolved, and apparently immortal. The other happened less than an hour ago outside Pamela’s dorm, soft, warm, and everything a first kiss should be.And for some reason, my brain thought it was a good idea to compare the two.In detail. With the kind of critical focus that felt less productive, considering I really did have things t

ELLISThe realization settled quietly, as if it had been there long enough to stop announcing itself. Not the dramatic, possessive kind but something quieter than that, a person alone in a dark room with cold coffee, waiting.I gaped at him. Damn maybe I wasn’t a genius after all...he’d been jealous the entire time, he was just good at hiding it.Anyone would be jealous if their roommate was busy boasting of kissing their crush after all. I snorted, guess I got a reaction out of him after all!Whoooo!"Sure." I drawled."Not at all.""Completely normal behavior, sitting in the dark. Timing my return, making strange sounds at me. Very chill, just admit you’re jealous I took your girl.""Would you stop—""I’m just stating the facts, you hate that Pamela likes me—""Who says I like Pamela?" he interjected, and there was a hint of control slipping through, just a touch...like a facade changing with a glance. "She’s not the one I want, so quit whatever it is yore trying to do. The person I