: JEALOUSY
The sky was a bit cloudy, and a chill hung in the air. Ruan and his friends sat on the bleachers by the court, trying to kill time before their afternoon session. Ruan was glued to his phone, smiling now and then as he exchanged sweet messages with Akari.
Meanwhile, Kev, Est, and West kept stealing glances at him, arms folded, clearly trying to figure out what caused Ruan's sudden shift in mood.
Ruan finally switched off his phone and looked at them.
"Alright, can someone tell me why you're all staring at me like that?" he asked.
"You seem…" Est began squinting.
"Different," West finished squinting too.
Ruan raised a brow, scoffing. "Different? How?"
Kev scratched his brow, eyes lowering as he thought about how to phrase it. After a beat, he looked up and said, "Well, for the past few days you've been kinda off—quiet, moody. But today..."
Ruan chuckled and clicked his tongue dismissively, choosing to sip his juice instead of answering.
Est leaned forward, grinning. "Are you in love?!"
The question hit so hard that Ruan nearly choked, spilling some juice in his mouth. Thankfully, no one was sitting in front of him.
Coughing through the awkwardness, he finally muttered, "No, it's not that. It's because of last night's scandal you bastards."
A clear lie.
"I see," Kev said, nodding slowly. "So that explains the bruised cheek."
Ruan nodded, trying to keep calm. He couldn't be noticed, not now.
As they continued chatting, Ruan's eyes caught something in the distance. Akari was walking down the hallway toward the staff room—but he wasn't alone. Laughing beside him was someone new.
"Who's that?" Ruan asked, narrowing his eyes at the pair.
The others turned to look.
"That's the new math teacher," Est replied. "Mr. Thomas."
Ruan squinted harder, watching the way Akari laughed so easily with the man. His grip on the juice box tightened.
"Mr. Thomas," Ruan muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing.
He watched closely as Akari walked alongside the stranger, both laughing and chatting like old friends. There was an ease between them that didn't sit well with Ruan.
"He's new, but he already seems to get along well with Mr. Akari," West commented. "Hope they end up being good friends."
Ruan said nothing. His grip tightened around the empty juice box until it crumpled in his hand. The others barely noticed. His jaw clenched, knuckles turning white as he stood up abruptly.
His friends looked up at him, surprised by his sudden shift.
"Hey..." West called out. "What's wrong with you?"
Ruan looked down at them with a quick smile. "Nothing. Something just came up—I need to handle it before it gets worse. Catch you guys later."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked off, leaving the three of them exchanging puzzled glances.
"Weird," they all muttered in unison as they watched him disappear down the corridor.
Meanwhile, on the other side of campus, Akari was walking with the new math teacher.
"Thanks for the tour. That was really kind of you," Mr. Thomas said with a warm smile.
Akari returned it. "You're welcome. I'm happy to help."
"You must be tired," Thomas noted, watching him closely.
Akari shook his head quickly, waving a hand. "No, not at all."
Thomas chuckled at Akari's innocent response. "Then how about I return the favour?"
Akari blinked, confused.
Thomas smiled wider. "Are you free this evening? Let me treat you to a meal." He said resting shis hand on Akari's shoulder.
Akari was caught by surprise with the offer. He didn't know what to say. "Oh... you mean that. Uh..."
"He won't be free," a voice cut in sharply.
They all turned. It was Ruan.
He stood there with his hands casually tucked in his pockets, a polite smile curving his lips—one that didn't quite reach his eyes. His gaze was fixed on Mr. Thomas, but the warmth in his expression was nowhere to be found. His eyes were cold, almost sharp.
"Ruan," Akari said, caught off guard. "Wha...I mean, do you need something?"
Still keeping his eyes on Thomas, Ruan replied calmly, "Mr. Akari is supposed to tutor me and my friends today. So, unfortunately, he won't be free. Right, Mr. Akari?"
He finally looked at Akari. Their eyes locked. There was something intense in Ruan's gaze, an unspoken challenge, and beneath it, jealousy simmering quietly.
Akari caught it immediately. His heart skipped. But with a gentle, practiced smile, he tried to smooth things over. "Ah... yes. I almost forgot we had a remedial session today."
"Oh, I see. Maybe next time, then," Thomas said, a bit awkwardly.
Akari nodded politely.
But before they could part ways, Ruan spoke again, this time with a touch more edge. "There won't be a next time, Mr. Thomas. Apparently, our tutoring sessions are... every day now."
Thomas blinked, clearly taken back by Ruan's tone. He let out a light chuckle, trying to ease the tension. "Well, looks like you've got your hands full, Mr. Akari. Maybe some other time then."
Akari gave a strained smile. "Yeah, maybe."
Thomas gave them both a polite nod and walked off, but not before casting a brief, curious glance at Ruan.
"Will look for you incase of any maths problem!" Ruan said highly as Mr. Thomas walked away.
Thomas didn't put Ruan's behaviour into attention. He had dealt with stubborn students than Ruan. Though at some point, this one was a bit weird.
As soon as he was out of sight, Akari turned to Ruan sharply. "What was that?"
Ruan shrugged, still watching Thomas disappear around the corner. "What? I was just saving you from an awkward dinner."
Akari grabbed his arm and quickly pulled him into a quiet hallway corner with no people. "You can't do that again," he said in a hushed voice. "You almost made a scene."
Ruan raised a brow. "Seriously? He was clearly hitting on you."
Akari sighed, exasperated. "Even so, you don't get to interfere like that in public. People might start getting the wrong idea about us."
Ruan stepped closer, his voice low. "And what if it's not the wrong idea?"
Akari looked around nervously. "Ruan..."
But Ruan just stared at him, waiting. "Tell me you didn't feel anything when he got close to you."
Akari paused. His silence said enough.
Ruan leaned his head forward, up to Akari's ear, his breath clearly brushing on Akari's skin, "I don't like sharing," he muttered under his breath then offered him a quick ear bite.
"Ruan!" Akari cried giving Ruan a slight push.
Ruan smiled teasingly.
Akari stood frozen for a second, his heart pounding like a drum. He glanced around—no one in sight. Then, impulsively, he jogged a few steps to catch up with Ruan and tugged at his sleeve.
Before Ruan could react, Akari rose on his toes and planted a quick kiss on his lips.
Ruan blinked, caught off guard, and then broke into a warm smile, his annoyance melting instantly.
"Get a grip, big boy," Akari said with a teasing smirk, brushing imaginary dust off Ruan's chest. "I'm an adult. I can tell when someone's flirting with me. And I can also choose to reject them...because I already have someone."
Ruan's smile deepened, his eyes locked on Akari with an intense, unreadable gaze. He looked at him like he was something rare—something worth protecting, worth fighting for.
"Stop looking at me like that," Akari said, glancing away, flustered. "Class is about to start. Go."
But before he could turn to leave, Ruan caught his wrist in one swift move and pulled him gently—but firmly—toward a nearby wall.
Akari's back hit the cool surface as Ruan leaned in, one hand planted beside his head, the other still holding his wrist.
"R-Ruan...what are you...let go," Akari stammered, cheeks flushed, his heart thudding so loudly he swore Ruan could hear it.
"People might see us!"
Ruan just smiled, his voice soft, daring. "Then let them."
He reached up, brushing a few strands of hair from Akari's forehead, fingers lingering longer than necessary. Their eyes locked—tension thick in the air, their breaths shallow and close.
Ruan slowly leaned in, closing the space between them, lips just inches away.
Akari stood frozen, eyelids fluttering shut instinctively.
But then—
Akari's eyes flew open and, with a sharp breath, he placed a hand on Ruan's chest and gave him a firm push.
"I...I have to go," he mumbled, blushing furiously as he grabbed his books and turned away.
Ruan watched him hurry down the hallway, biting his lower lip with a grin.
"We're not done, coat check!" he called out after him.
Akari didn't look back, but Ruan saw the shy smile forming at the corner of his lips.
And that was enough