Ryan wandered around the fair for a while before deciding to look for Ethan. He eventually spotted him at a booth that was not the art club, fully absorbed in whatever activity they had set up. Ryan had no idea whether Ethan had signed up or not, and he did not bother asking.
He approached quietly, watching his friend focus with intensity. And from the way Ethan was absorbed, Ryan could tell he wasn't about to bring up anything from earlier.
He didn't.
Even as they left that booth, wandering through a few more displays before finally heading back to the hostel, Ethan remained quiet, letting the moment pass without question.
Later, back in his room, Ryan lay flat on his bed, staring at the ceiling with his mind oddly blank, like everything had been temporarily muted. After a while, he reached for his phone, scrolling through his messages and stopping at a text. It was from an unknown number.
Hi, it's Liam.
A small smile pulled at his lips as he stared at the screen
It's been a week since the hospital, since that cozy, unexpected moment he had shared with Liam, and now there was a message from him.
He had completely forgotten to save Liam's number that day. Though he had meant to save it on the bus ride back, it still slipped his mind.
Later, when he got home from tutoring, he had wanted to text Liam to see if he had found the lollipop and the note he left on the rooftop, but when he checked his phone, he realized the number wasn't even saved. He had been disappointed and could only hope Liam would eventually reach out.
And now he had.
Another message followed.
"Sorry for not texting earlier, it's been hectic over here. I just got some free time now. How're you doing?"
Ryan did not hesitate. His fingers moved across the screen almost on instinct.
"I've been fine. Sorry, I couldn't text you since. Don't ask why (a crying emoji). Did you find the lollipop on the rooftop? I hope you did, though."
He paused for a second before hitting the send button. He watched the message go through, a wave of relief hitting him. After a week of staring at his contact list and silently hoping Liam's number would miraculously be there, and blaming himself for his forgetfulness, seeing that message really felt like a prayer answered.
A few seconds later, another message appeared.
Liam: Yeah, I did find it. And to be honest, I was kinda surprised. I didn't think you'd actually go back up there just to leave something for me.
Liam: It was strawberry, my favourite. So thanks, Ryan. It actually made a pretty bad day much better.
A small, genuine smile crossed Ryan's lips as he typed back.
Ryan: I'm glad you got it. I wasn't sure you had even gone back to the rooftop.
Ryan: I just wanted to say thanks for… you know, that day at the hospital. The headphones and the rooftop. It really meant a lot to me.
Liam: It's fine. I go there whenever I need to disappear for a bit. It's kind of a habit now. So how's your week been? How's Westhills treating you?
Ryan: It's been busy. Mostly studies and trying to keep up with everything. What about you? You done with the hospital stuff?
Liam: Not really. I'm still stuck finishing some reports, but I should be back in a few days.
Liam: And don't worry about the "don't ask why" part. I won't. Though I was starting to think you decided to ghost the guy from the hospital.
Liam: Also, don't overwork yourself. Westhills can be annoying, but you shouldn't let it get to you.
Ryan: Yeah, it's been a lot. But I've saved your number now. I'm definitely not losing it again.
Liam: Alright then. I should get back to the report before I pass out at my desk. I'll talk to you later, Ryan?
Ryan: Yeah. Good night.
He set the phone on his chest, staring up at the ceiling and biting his lower lip as warmth spread through him. After a moment, tapped the contact info and typed in the name.
Liam.
_____________________
The next tutoring session made it Ryan's fourth with Adrian, and ever since the first day, things had gone fairly smoothly between them. The only problem was Adrian, who had developed a habit of not arriving on time, but Ryan felt like he had no right to complain. So he bottled it up and waited, like he always did.
He sat in the study room, the same one he had been using since the beginning. There were only a few parts of the house he had ever seen. Adrian's bedroom, the lounge, and this study room. Everywhere else remained a mystery to him.
Mr. Reginald, the butler whose name Ryan had learned later on, had mentioned that Adrian was at the gym in the lounge. So with nothing else to do, Ryan wandered over to the bookshelves, sliding his fingers along the edges.
Fortunately, after that incident when he had dropped a book on his first day, Adrian never restricted him from touching the collection again. So Ryan allowed himself to browse through it while time passed.
Several minutes passed before the bedroom door finally creaked open, with Adrian walking in, sweat clinging to him, and dressed in workout clothes. Ryan lifted a hand to wave a greeting, but Adrian did not acknowledge him. He walked straight past the study room and into the bathroom.
Ryan shrugged it off, returning to the book on the table. It was something about the law of something he could not even remember. Boring, but it gave him something to focus on.
A short while later, Adrian stepped out of the bathroom with only a thick white towel wrapped around his waist.
The study room had no door, and for the first time, Ryan felt very aware of that fact.
His eyes trailed Adrian without permission, tracking the way he moved as he dried his hair.
How his skin glowed under the light and defined muscle at each corner of it, an evidence of years of workout. Ryan didn't even realize he was staring until Adrian suddenly glanced his way, causing him to flinch and snap his attention back to the book on the table.
His heart began to beat faster, and no matter how hard he tried to focus on the page, but the image wouldn't just leave his mind. He found himself comparing his smaller frame to Adrian's build, wondering how much effort it would take to look like that if he worked out more.
His heartbeat picked up even more, and he started questioning his reaction. Why was he reacting like this to just seeing Adrian's body? Was it jealousy? Nothing more than envy over a physique he did not have?
Then his thoughts drifted somewhere else without warning.
Then, without warning, his mind drifted to the first time he had been in close proximity with that body, his hands pressed to his hard chest, the heat beneath his palms.... and the kiss.
The kiss!
Ryan's hands flew up to his mouth, eyes wide, heat rushing to his face as realization hit him all at once.
That had been his first kiss.
The thought stunned him with a strange sort of disbelief at himself, at how long it took him to register such important detail. Though it wasn't that he had forgotten the kiss happened, he'd practically suppressed the significance of it while his brain had been filled with how desperate he was in convincing Adrian to accept the tutoring proposal.
And somehow, in the process, he had overlooked something that should have mattered far more, right?
Deciding to distract himself from any thoughts of Adrian's chest or the kiss, Ryan figured the book in front of him clearly wasn't helping at all.
He picked up his phone to scroll, but immediately stopped at the growl of his stomach. He wasn't hungry. He had overeaten earlier during his afternoon shift at the café. Mrs. Chen had basically forced her homemade meal down his throat.
It growled again. He clenched his stomach, appreciating the fact that it was only a soft growl. The last thing he needed was to embarrass himself here.
"You good to start?" Adrian asked as he walked over to the desk. He was now in a plain black T-shirt, his hair messy and damp, with little drops falling into the fabric.
He took the seat beside Ryan. The scent of his soap hit Ryan's senses, and only the growling worsened.
A message popped up on Ryan's phone on the table. It was from Ethan.
Adrian caught the name before the screen went dark. "Ethan?" he asked, recognizing it instantly.
"Uhh, he's my roommate," Ryan replied, his voice strained against the churning in his gut.
But before he could stop it, he gagged.
And then he puked.
On the book.
On himself.
And on Adrian.
Ryan froze, startled and mortified at what had just happened. Adrian looked… annoyed, with a slight mix of disgust and disbelief written across his face.
"I'm really sorry about that," Ryan muttered, his eyes darting over every surface he'd made a mess on. "I must have eaten too much, and the tea I had earlier must have irritated my stomach."
He quickly reached for a handkerchief from his back pocket to clean Adrian off, but Adrian stopped him. "Nah, it's fine," he said, slowly standing to avoid the mess from touching anything else. He went back into the bathroom he had just come from a few minutes ago.
Ryan cursed under his breath, a storm of thoughts running through his head. He berated himself for not holding it together, for being so careless right after the session started, and for letting his body betray him at the worst possible moment. He was grateful Adrian hadn't reacted harshly, though he wouldn't have blamed him if he did.
He felt a pang of frustration at himself, remembering how cautious he had been ever since the tutoring sessions began, only to slip up now. He bent down to pick up the handkerchief that had fallen to the floor when Adrian stopped him, gently taking it and beginning to scrub the mess himself.
The bedroom door creaked open, and Mr. Reginald stepped in. Adrian had called for him earlier before stepping into the bathtub.
"Just stay put while I clean this up and fetch something for digestion," Mr. Reginald instructed as he proceeded to clean the table, left the room, and returned a moment later with a cup of water and some pills.
"Thank you," Ryan muttered, still flushed in the face as he slowly took the medicine.
Mr. Reginald nodded, standing patiently by the side, waiting for Ryan to finish.
"You can wash up once you've taken the pills," Adrian said, now wearing a completely new shirt.
And Ryan hadn't even noticed him step out of the bathroom or change.
He muttered another thank you, carefully handing the cup back to the butler before dashing toward the bathroom.
"You can wear this when you're done. Your shirt is ruined," Adrian said, holding out another shirt.
Ryan muttered yet another thank you, head bowed as he tried to avoid Adrian's gaze. He dashed into the bathroom, silently grateful for how Adrian had handled the whole mess.
While somewhere deep inside, Ryan couldn't help but prefer that Adrian had gotten angry or rebuffed him over what happened. At least that would fit the Adrian he knew, cause this… new side of him was confusing.