"Yawn…" Rai let out a big yawn, stretching his arms as he walked into the kitchen the next morning.
And then he saw it.
"Bastard." Rai muttered, grabbing the paper Zade had left last night. His eyes immediately landed on the middle finger and the words scrawled underneath.
"What the hell?" Rai squinted, trying to make sense of the messy handwriting.
"Oran…ges…fr- fri?...fried?... fol- y-…you?" Rai stared at it again. Trying to see if he'd read it right.
Because, seriously, what the hell?
He studied the note a few more times, convinced he had misread Zade's handwriting.
"Does he think I work at a pharmacy? How am I supposed to read this? Even my students with the worst handwriting are better than this." Rai complained, finally making out a few words.
"Oranges."
He looked around. There were obviously no oranges or at least, that's what he thought, until he opened the fridge and found five freaking bags of them.
"Is this bastard insane?! Does he think I'm his maid? Does he want me to juice all these for him or what?" Rai counted the bags again and did the math...twenty-five. And they weren't small.
Then it hit him: maybe "fried" meant the fridge.
"Yeah, yeah… it's a d-" Rai sighed, glancing back at the rest of the note.
"Maybe… did he mean for me?" Rai paused.
"For me?"
Well, what was he supposed to do with so many oranges anyway? He wouldn't have them just because Zade bought them.
But… why did he buy them? Also for him?
Suspicious.
Rai hadn't yet noticed Zade's little habit of bringing things home for him under the excuse of being cheap or accidentally buying extras. It had seemed reasonable before. Zade hated wasting money, and sometimes he buy two by accident because… well, he was an idiot.
But…
'For me?' That made Rai pause. Suspicious, definitely suspicious.
Whatever. He didn't have time to overthink it now. He'd see after cooking, maybe after dinner. He would juice half of them.
Rai focused on cooking, though his eyes kept flicking back to the note sitting on the counter.
He didn't know why it felt weird. Sure, Zade had written it, obvious from the handwriting, but still.
'Sigh… let's see if he wakes up early today. Then I can ask him.'
Rai kept cooking and had already packed lunch and breakfast for Zade too. Maybe he'd do this every day from now on.
But that day, Zade didn't wake early. Rai guessed he had come home late last night. Because... Rai had waited until 9:30, past his own bedtime, for the bastard to show up, and he hadn't. Rai didn't know why he waited, he obviously didn't have to, but he did.
In the end, he only got irritated that Zade was late, and that he himself had sat there like an idiot waiting.
'I'm already way too used to his company. Not even a week, and still…'
Rai convinced himself that what he loved about living with Zade was their constant bickering. He loved seeing Zade thrilled, trying to mess with him. He honestly didn't know if it was the thrill on Zade's face he loved, or the act of bickering itself.
He hated Zade.
But he loved what he got to do with Zade.
The bastard was just… fun.
Rai remembered how he hadn't been bored going to school back when he and Zade first started tangling. Maybe that feeling was coming back.
It wasn't boring anymore. Not with Zade around.
As much as the guy disgusted him sometimes, Rai wanted to keep Zade close.
Rai knew his thoughts were weird. Maybe he was crazy for thinking Zade was fun when he had literally wished the guy would disappear once. But… he couldn't help it. This was just him. Weird…
'Sigh…' Rai finally put on his shoes to leave, but paused when his phone vibrated. He barely had anyone to talk to outside work, so he pulled it out to check.
'Principal sir?' Rai frowned and answered after a few seconds.
"Sir?"
"Ah, sorry to bother you this early. I couldn't reach Zade. Could you do me a favor?"
Rai wouldn't want to, he knew this was the start of a habit. But… the principal had helped him, so…
"What is it, sir?"
"Just tell Zade to check his phone if he can. It's urgent."
"Okay, sir."
"Mm...Can you do it now? You haven't left yet, have you?"
"No, sir."
Rai hung up after and went to knock on Zade's door, feeling slightly guilty. No matter how much of a bastard Zade could be, he was a doctor who worked hard, and sleep was important. Rai wasn't doing this for fun. He usually didn't push people like this.
After all, Zade was a person society actually needed.
'Can't believe I am feeling bad for the bas-'
The door swung open violently just then. Shirtless, messy-haired Zade stood there, frowning, hair sticking in every direction, chest exposed, shoulders relaxed but radiating dangerous casual confidence.
Rai's stomach flipped as he froze on spot, eyes glued on Zade's chest.
He gulped.
He swore he could hear his own heartbeat.
He definetely wasn't scared from the way the bastard was looking grumpy. But...then, what is it? Jealousy?
Rai's chest tightened at the sight of Zade's broad shoulders, the faint curve of muscles under smooth skin, the casual ease of someone who could take over a room without even trying.
He tried to shake it off. Focus. But the tension in the air made him falter.
This was ridiculous.
Fucking ridiculous!
Zade tilted his head slightly, a smirk taped on his lips.
"Check your phone. Principal said it's urgent."
Rai quickly slipped out of there, irritated with Zade. Zade, a little confused by the sleepiness still, just stared at the guy clearly running away.
'I guess he is late...Urgent he said. Better be.'
Zade groaned and checked his phone, almost dropping it when he saw his father's messages sent three hours ago.
"I'm coming to visit you. I will be there around 9 a.m. You better stay home and look presentable because there are guests with me."
Zade gritted his teeth, his day already ruined, guessing who those so-called guests would be.
"I'm pretty sure it's a girl again. Tsk!" Zade kicked his bed and walked out to wash his face, but everything went downhill from there.
He dropped his toothbrush, toothpaste fell onto his chest, and the cleanser bottle squirted way too much because he squeezed it in anger and got some in his eyes too.
Maybe it's not entirely his father. Could be blessings from Rai too.
Well,Raidefinetelydidn'twishthecleanserwouldsquirtintoZade'seyes...
He wouldn't wish so-
'Ugh! Father!'
Sigh...Zade's dad was always so good at ruining his days.
Zade now stood in the living room, eyes darting to every corner of Rai's existence, suddenly realising this was bad.
"Will dad recognize him? I am pretty sure they'll meet today."
When both Rai and Zade got suspended for a week after a fight, their parents were called to the school and Zade remembered his dad insulting Rai so badly in front of Rai's mom. Rai surely hated his father too. But… Rai wouldn't do anything bad. However, his father would.
This was going to be a mess if his father recognized Rai.
Hopefully, he had forgotten Rai's face considering their history definetely wouldn't be forgotten.
Zade rubbed the scar in his jawline as he thought more about what he could do.
'It's not like I can ask him to stay somewhere till father leaves. But father wouldn't leave without seeing my roommate. If I act suspicious, he'll be suspicious even if he'd forgotten Rai…'
Zade groaned again, sending a message to his friends saying he wouldn't make it today.
He'd go to the hospital at night; his father wouldn't stay long anyway.
'Ugh… stress!!!!'