Chapter 14
824 Words
Shadows Between Us Part 1
The morning after the midnight chaos felt… unbearable.
Ethan shuffled into class with heavy eyes, praying no one would bring up the insanity from last night. Unfortunately, prayers in college had a success rate of zero.
“Morning, sunshine.”
Leo slid into the seat beside him with his trademark grin. He plopped a neatly packed lunchbox onto Ethan’s desk. “Special delivery. Made it myself.”
Ethan blinked. “You… cooked?”
“Of course,” Leo said proudly. “Love makes you do crazy things.”
Ethan choked on air. “L-love—?!”
A shadow fell over them.
Adrian stood at the end of the desk, arms crossed, looking unimpressed. “We share a dorm. He doesn’t need your half-burnt experiments. He already ate.”
“Half-burnt?!” Leo clutched his chest dramatically. “You wound me, man. Ethan, tell him you’ll try it.”
Ethan panicked, looking between them like a referee who wanted to quit mid-game. “Uh—I—I—”
Before he could dig his grave further, a smooth voice interrupted.
“Well, isn’t this cozy.”
Kai leaned against the classroom door, hair slightly mussed like he’d just rolled out of bed, but still managing to look infuriatingly confident. He sauntered over, hands in his pockets.
“Three guys, one Ethan. You’re a whole drama series waiting to happen, you know that?”
Ethan groaned into his hands. “Please stop saying things like that.”
Kai ignored him, leaning across the desk. “So what’s for me? You’re giving Leo your heart-shaped bento and Adrian your precious time. What about me, huh?”
Ethan sputtered. “I didn’t give anyone—!”
But the class was already buzzing. Whispers and laughter rippled through the rows of students.
“Are they fighting over him again?”
“Seriously, Ethan’s like… the chosen one.”
“I’d pay to watch this.”
“But isn't Adrain in 2nd year, what's he doing here always?”
Ethan wanted the ground to swallow him whole.
---
It didn’t help that Jamie and Mark had the same class that morning.
Jamie leaned over from the next row, grinning like the devil. “Yo, Ethan, I didn’t know you were running a reverse harem.”
“Shut up!” Ethan hissed, face burning.
Mark yawned, stretching his arms lazily. “Honestly, I don’t care who wins. Just keep it down at night. I need sleep.”
Leo glared. “Obviously I’ll win.”
Adrian scoffed. “Delusional.”
Kai smirked. “Don’t worry, Ethan. I’ll rescue you from these two control freaks.”
Ethan nearly banged his head on the desk.
---
Later that day, Ethan tried to hide in the library. Big mistake.
He’d barely pulled out his notes when Leo appeared, sliding into the seat across from him with two cans of soda.
“Thought you might need a drink. Studying’s thirsty work.”
“Leo—” Ethan began, but then Adrian showed up, setting a neat stack of reference books on the table.
“Don’t get distracted,” Adrian said firmly. “Focus.”
“Distracted?” Kai’s voice floated in as he dropped into the chair beside Ethan. “Of course he’s distracted. He’s got two watchdogs breathing down his neck.”
“Three,” Leo corrected smugly, pointing to himself.
“Not helping,” Ethan muttered.
Around them, students tried and failed not to stare. The tension was thick enough to choke on, but also ridiculous enough that muffled giggles broke out at every turn.
“Are they… seriously competing in a library?” someone whispered.
Kai leaned close to Ethan’s ear, voice low. “Admit it, this is kinda fun.”
Ethan’s heart stuttered. He shot back, whispering fiercely, “No! It’s humiliating!”
Kai chuckled, leaning back, unbothered.
Adrian’s eyes flicked toward Ethan, sharp, calculating, almost as if he noticed the way Ethan’s shoulders stiffened at Kai’s closeness.
---
By evening, Ethan was exhausted. The constant tug-of-war left his nerves frayed.
But underneath the comedy and chaos, the note from last night still haunted him.
Every creak in the hallway made him twitch. Every shadow stretched a little too long.
When he walked back to the dorm with Adrian, Jamie, and Mark, he couldn’t shake the feeling—someone was watching.
Jamie nudged him, smirking. “So, who’s it gonna be, huh? You gotta pick eventually.”
Ethan flushed. “There’s nothing to pick!”
Mark rolled his eyes. “Right. Tell that to the three musketeers trailing after you.”
Adrian didn’t say a word. But when Ethan stumbled slightly, distracted by his own thoughts, Adrian’s hand shot out, steadying him with quiet ease.
“Careful.”
The simple word made Ethan’s heart stutter.
And somewhere across the courtyard, hidden in the thickening dusk, a figure lingered… watching them return to their room.
- Writer
