He covered his entire body with the blanket to protect himself from the soft morning sunlight that trickled through the curtains.
He was just about to slip into a deeper sleep when his eyes flew open in panic.
Just as he was processing what to do, he heard faint laughter and chit-chat coming from the entrance of his house.
"I'm screwed," he muttered, bolting out of bed.
He grabbed Kiaan's hoodie from the floor and tossed it into the bedroom, followed by his phone, and even his keys. Then, he shook Kiaan awake in a frenzy.
"Kiaan, wake up! Get into the bedroom!" he said in a low tone.
Kiaan, still half-asleep, looked up at him with a confused, adorably rumpled expression.
"Huh? Why?"
"No time! Just go!" Kavi hissed, pushing him toward the bedroom and slamming the door shut behind him. He clicked the lock in place.
Right then, the front door unlocked.
"It's high time I change the door pin," Kavi thought.
He quickly smoothed his hair, wiped at his face, and forced on the most casual expression he could muster just as the door swung open.
His three best friends stood there, armed with takeout bags and suspicious expressions.
"Morning," Kavi greeted, his voice just a little too high.
They walked in without waiting for an invitation, eyes scanning the room like detectives.
Pinky narrowed her eyes. "Why do you look guilty?"
"I don't," Kavi lied instantly.
Roy sniffed the air dramatically. "Smells like Dior J'Adore … you don't use Dior perfume, is there a stranger in here," he teased, waggling his eyebrows.
Alina, sharper than both of them combined, tilted her head. "And why is there an extra pair of slides by the door?"
Kavi froze. He thought he'd hidden everything, but he forgot Kiaan's shoes.
He coughed awkwardly, snatched the slides , and tossed them into his art studio. "Must be my cousin's."
Pinky crossed her arms. "You don't have cousins who visit."
Kavi fumbled with the takeout bags. "Let's just eat! I'm starving!"
Meanwhile, inside the bedroom, Kiaan stood barefoot behind the door, trying hard not to sneeze from the dust Kavi had stirred up.
Outside, Kavi's friends settled onto the couch, tossing him looks every few minutes as he fidgeted and tried not to panic.
"You're acting super weird," Pinky noted, chewing her food. "What are you hiding? Got a girlfriend finally?"
Roy grinned. "Or maybe… a boyfriend?"
Kavi choked on his food.
"Why would you say that Roy, I love boobs?!" he yelped, his voice jumping an octave.
Roy and Pinky exchanged a confused look.
Alina stood, wandering toward the hallway. "I think I'll go check your room for phone charger, I didn't bring mine neither did Pinky and Roy"
"NO!" Kavi yelped, jumping to his feet so fast he nearly tipped over his chair.
He sprinted across the living room and threw himself in front of his bedroom door, arms out like a human barricade.
Everyone stared at him.
Kavi laughed nervously. "I, uh… my room is a mess! You know, dirty socks, gym clothes… total disaster zone. It's, uh, toxic. Hazardous. Could cause death. You should stay alive."
Pinky raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You've never cared about anyone seeing your mess before."
Alina smirked. "Unless…" she said, stepping closer, her eyes narrowing.
"There's someone in there."
Kavi flushed bright red, desperately wracking his brain for an excuse, any excuse.
"It's—it's—it's a cat!" he blurted.
"Yeah! I, um, rescued a stray cat last night! And he's scared of strangers!"
There was a long pause.
Pinky blinked. "You… got a cat?"
Kavi nodded furiously.
"Yes! Very skittish. Very angry. Might bite your face off. Better not risk it."
Inside the bedroom, Kiaan bit down hard on his fist to keep from him laughing out loud.
Roy scratched his head.
"Since when are you a cat person?"
Alina crossed her arms.
"I wanna see it."
"No!" Kavi said quickly.
"I mean, it's sleeping! Let it rest! Poor thing's traumatized!"
"This sounds so fake." Pinky snorted.
Kavi, sweating buckets, just smiled desperately and started shoving more food into their hands.
"Eat! Eat more! Please! Don't investigate the poor cat's emotional trauma!"
Reluctantly, his friends returned to the couch, still eyeing him like they knew he was hiding a body.
Which… technically wasn't wrong.
Kavi leaned against the door, heart pounding, praying Kiaan would stay silent a little longer.
Inside, Kiaan pressed his forehead against the door, shaking with silent laughter, utterly charmed by how bad Kavi was at lying and how hard he was trying to protect him
Just as Kavi finally managed to calm everyone down and stuff their mouths with food, thinking he was safe.
it happened.
From inside the bedroom, a muffled, unmistakable sound:
"Achoo!"
Loud.
Clear.
Male.
The entire living room froze.
Pinky dropped her sandwich.
Roy dropped his drink.
Alina slowly, dramatically turned her head toward Kavi, her mouth slightly open in shock.
Kavi's soul practically left his body.