GEMINI.
After my lunch with Percy, I made my way through the bustling campus, feeling that light, easy kind of tired that settles in after good food and good company. My stomach still tingled with the memory of our conversation, but I knew I had to catch up with Ohio before our last class of the day. I quickened my pace, weaving through groups of students chatting and laughing, until I finally spotted her leaning against the lockers, scrolling through her phone.
"Hey! Ohio!" I called out, waving as I approached.
She looked up, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "I see someone is using his new phone," she teased, bumping her shoulder playfully against mine.
I rolled my eyes but couldn't help but smile. "Like you said, it's a perfectly good phone," I replied, holding up the shiny new device Percy had gotten for me. "There's no reason why I shouldn't use it since my old phone has given up the ghost."
"Good for you! So...what did your sugar daddy do after holding your hand in front of everyone like that?" Ohio's eyebrows waggled suggestively, a cheeky grin playing on her lips.
"Ohio! Don't call him that!" I exclaimed, lightly hitting her arm in protest. Her laughter was infectious, making it hard for me to stay annoyed.
"I can't think of a more perfect name for him, so yeah, I'm going to call him that!" she said, delighting in my discomfort.
"Please don't call him that." I pleaded, but her giggles only grew louder. "Aren't sugar daddies supposed to be like...old and want some sugar?" I added and she smirked.
"Who told you he doesn't want some sugar?" she asked cheekily making me glare at her.
"Fine! I'll stop, but only if you tell me what you guys talked about," she bargained, still grinning.
I sighed, knowing I was beaten. "I should have known you were just looking for gossip," I muttered under my breath.
"Duh, now spill!" She urged.
"He didn't do anything," I began, shrugging. "I texted you that we were having lunch, remember? We just ate and… he promised me that no one would mess with me again."
I hesitated, debating whether to share more. Then I decided, for now, to keep some parts to myself. "That's pretty much it!" I added casually, avoiding the part where he'd said I belonged to him.
Ohio's laughter faded into a thoughtful nod. "Anyone would be crazy to mess with you after Percy practically claimed you in front of the whole school," she remarked, her tone slightly teasing and I hummed in agreement. But then her words hit me.
"He didn't claim me!" I protested stubbornly.
"Oh, you cute bunny. You've never dated anyone before, have you?" Ohio shot back, amusement sparkling in her eyes as she walked ahead, perfectly unfazed by my flustered denial.
"What does that have to do with this?" I caught up with her, confusion knitted into my brow.
She shrugged nonchalantly, like explaining something obvious. "Nothing. Just... you're so innocent about these things." Without another word, she merely smirked, shaking her head as if I were a child and kept walking.
I chased after her, desperate for answers. "Wait! You didn't answer my question. What does that have to do with this?"
"Come on, Ohio. Just tell me!" I was almost pleading as we weaved through students in the bustling hallway.
"Nope! Figure it out yourself," she called over her shoulder, moving with a determined stride.
"Hey, guys!!" Mark's voice suddenly cut through the chatter of the students surrounding us, and I paused in my pursuit of Ohio.
"Hey, Mark! Bye, Mark!" Ohio called back and kept walking, clearly not interested in stopping to chat.
"Hey, Mark! How's it going?" I threw over my shoulder while glancing back at my friend, torn between the casual conversation and chasing after Ohio.
"Um… I wanted to say it wasn't me that told everyone Percy came to your dorm that morning," Mark said, shifting uncomfortably as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
"It's okay, I know it wasn't you," I assured him, watching as his tense posture seemed to relax somewhat.
"Yeah, I just… I didn't want you to think I'd do something like that," he mumbled.
"I get it," I said, giving him a reassuring smile. "Look, I gotta go. Catch up later, okay?" I waved goodbye and hurried after Ohio.
"Ohio! Can you wait up?" I called, picking up the pace.
"You need to go to the gym, bunny!" she shouted back, amusement evident in her voice. By the time I caught up to her, I was hunched over, breathing heavily as I wiped droplets of sweat from my forehead.
"Easy for you to say," I panted, trying to catch my breath. "Between school and my part-time job, I have no time for the gym!"
"You forgot to add sleeping with Percy," Ohio whispered mischievously, my eyes widened, and I shot her a playful glare.
"Ohio!..."
Before I could say more, our professor strode into the lecture hall, laptop in hand. Perfect timing—they always seemed to know when to arrive to save us from awkward conversations.
"Stay cool, don't let Ohio's words get to you." I told myself. But in the back of my mind, the reality of our arrangement loomed. Tonight, our deal would continue now that Percy was back. I agreed because I wanted to help him, but will I be able to handle it? I have never had male friends before so I don't know what to compare this to. Does Percy even consider me his friend?
As the professor began her lecture, my thoughts drifted between the topics at hand and the tangled mess of my emotions regarding this arrangement with Percy. There was something about the way he looked at me, the way he did things for me without coming off as overbearing, that drew me in. It's different from what I have with Ohio.
Ohio's voice broke into my thoughts as she leaned toward me mischievously and whispered, "Are you daydreaming about him already?"
I shot her an exaggerated glare, my focus momentarily pulled away from the lecture. "You're impossible, you know that?" I murmured, but the smile creeping onto my face betrayed me.
"Hey, if you're thinking about him in class, it means you think I'm right—admit it!" she teased quietly, and I couldn't help but chuckle, shaking my head.
Ohio is going to be the death of me. Ever since I told her about agreeing to help Percy sleep without his sleeping pills, she'd been teasing me relentlessly, joking that we'd be technically sleeping together. It's good to know that in a world of chaos, she will always find a way to bring a bit of light into my life.