By the time they entered campus, the noise had fully returned.
Students filled the pathways.
Groups formed naturally.
Laughter echoed between buildings.
Everything looked exactly the same as every other day.
Except—
for Jarnell, it didn't feel the same.
He walked ahead.
Not fast enough to look like he was running away.
But not slow enough to allow Jayden to easily catch up either.
Still—
Jayden caught up.
Of course he did.
"You walk faster when you're annoyed," Jayden said casually, stepping beside him again.
Jarnell didn't look at him.
"I always walk like this."
Jayden smiled slightly.
"No… you don't."
That small correction—
so confident, so sure—
made Jarnell glance at him briefly.
"You don't know me," Jarnell said.
Jayden met his eyes.
Calm.
Steady.
"I'm starting to."
That sentence stayed longer than it should have.
Jarnell looked away again.
But this time—
it wasn't as easy as before.
They hadn't even reached the main building when Brian spotted them.
He froze mid-step.
Then grabbed Alvin's arm.
"Wait—wait—LOOK."
Alvin followed his gaze.
Then blinked once.
Then twice.
"No way," he muttered.
Because what they were seeing didn't match what they knew.
Jayden.
Walking beside someone else other than his friends and so_
Calm.
Focused.
Not distracted.
Not joking.
Actually… present.
"That's the quiet guy," Brian whispered.
"And they're walking together," Alvin added.
Brian smirked slowly.
"Oh… this is not normal." I think this guy might have a chance to hook up with him.
As Jarnell and Jayden approached the building entrance, someone suddenly stepped into their path.
A girl.
Confident.
Familiar with Jayden.
"Jayden!" she called, smiling brightly.
He stopped automatically.
Jarnell stopped too—but only because he had to.
"You disappeared yesterday," she continued lightly. "You didn't reply to my message."
Jayden glanced at her.
Then nodded slightly. "I was busy."
She pouted slightly. "Too busy for me?"
Jarnell didn't look at them.
But he heard everything.
Every word.
Every tone.
And again—
that same tight feeling returned in his chest.
Stronger this time.
"You'll survive," Jayden said calmly.
She laughed. "You're so cold."
Then her eyes shifted—
to Jarnell.
"And who's this?"
A pause.
Jayden didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at Jarnell.
Like he was deciding something.
Then—
"My partner."
Simple.
Clear.
Possessive in a way that didn't sound loud—but felt it.
Jarnell's fingers tightened slightly around his bag strap.
The girl raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Since when do you do partnerships this seriously?"
Jayden didn't smile this time.
"Since now."
Silence.
The girl looked between them once more.
Then shrugged.
"Interesting," she said before walking away.
Jarnell started walking again immediately.
But this time—
his steps were faster and sharper than he was walking
Jayden followed without hesitation.
"You're doing it again," he said.
Jarnell didn't respond.
"You get quiet when something bothers you."
Jarnell stopped.
Turned.
"What exactly do you want?" he asked.
The question wasn't loud.
But it carried weight.
Real weight.
Jayden held his gaze.
For a moment longer than usual.
Then said—
"You."
Silence.
Not dramatic.
Not explosive.
But heavy enough to shift everything.
Jarnell blinked once, he blushed a little but
his expression didn't change much—
but something inside him did.
"That doesn't make sense," he said.
Jayden shrugged slightly.
"It doesn't have to."
"That's not how things work."
Jayden stepped closer.
Again.
Closing the distance just enough to make it impossible to ignore.
"Maybe not for you," he said quietly.
"But I don't mind doing things differently."
Jarnell turned away again.
Because staying there—
felt dangerous.
This wasn't normal.
Nothing about this was normal.
People didn't just walk into his space like this.
Didn't insist.
Didn't stay.
And yet—
Jayden wasn't leaving.
"You should stop," Jarnell said as he started walking again.
"Why?"
"Because this won't go anywhere."
Jayden walked beside him.
Unbothered.
"That's fine."
Jarnell frowned slightly.
"What?"
Jayden looked ahead, hands in his pockets.
"It doesn't have to go anywhere right now."
Another pause.
Then—
"I just don't want to stop."
That honesty again.
Unfiltered.
Unplanned.
And somehow—
that made it harder to push him away.
They reached the lecture building again.
Students moving around them.
Voices blending into noise.
Jarnell stopped at the entrance.
Jayden stopped too.
For a moment—
neither of them moved.
Then Jarnell said quietly—
"You're going to regret this."
Jayden tilted his head slightly.
"Why?"
Jarnell looked at him directly this time.
Fully.
"Because I don't let people stay."
Silence.
Then Jayden smiled.
Not teasing.
Not playful.
Something softer.
More certain.
"Then I'll just stay longer than you expect."
And walked inside.
Jarnell remained there for a second.
Alone again—
but not the same as before.
Because now—
someone had already stepped into his world.
And wasn't asking for permission to leave.
He was still thinking about it when his friends also reached the door and asked him why he wasn't entering.
Before he could say anything, Alvin asked him if he had seen Jayden.
Jarnell's head which was still looking down was shifted by Brian hurriedly expecting an answer from him.
"Mm....." Jarnell nodded in acceptance
So are you going to give him a chance!??
Alvin asked again.
Why are you asking me that?
Jarnell replied as he looked away to enter the lecture room.
Alvin and Brian looked and smiled at each other "guess he likes the boy"
Well it was a nice thing for them coz they always shipped them.