Was I Ever There?
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpSc8jMitx
The rain poured steadily, wrapping the surroundings in a rhythmic hum as droplets splashed against the pavement. Yuen stood outside the university, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket, eyes scanning the street for any available ride. He had forgotten his umbrella—again. It wasn’t the first time, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfT65bcnu8
"You don’t have an umbrella, do you?"
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDerkFWvJjy
Chase’s voice cut through the sound of the rain. He stood beside Yuen, holding a black umbrella with a slightly worn-out handle, proof of years of use.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3HA976wPF
Yuen glanced at him and gave a small shrug. "I forgot."
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbH5w4lUyLr
Chase sighed, shaking his head slightly before stepping closer, extending the umbrella over Yuen. The rain had grown heavier, and if he didn’t do this, Yuen would be soaked within minutes. Without a word, Chase lifted a hand and placed it gently on Yuen’s shoulder, pulling him slightly closer to keep him dry under the canopy.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGDlv4ilpu
A simple gesture, a small act of care.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVKjXPQ0zk
But to Yuen, it was nothing. He barely reacted—he didn’t flinch, didn’t stiffen under the touch. Instead, all he offered was a neutral, almost dismissive, "Thanks."
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSl3HbiYWns
Chase let out a soft chuckle, though it was more for himself than anything else. "You’re always like this, Yuen," he murmured, half teasing, half resigned.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoU6eKvEKf
Yuen raised a brow. "What?"
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Fzm67i99z
Chase hesitated. He wanted to say it—to voice out the emotions he had been suppressing for years. But, as always, he bit back the words. Instead, he simply shook his head and let the silence settle between them as they walked side by side, the rain falling around them like a quiet reminder of things left unsaid.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAcr7mn71m
For years, Chase had been doing this—offering small pieces of himself in ways Yuen never noticed, never acknowledged beyond a simple, indifferent, "Thanks."
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFPNamFkbz
But how much longer could he endure being unnoticed?
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZMtNwZfa3
The class began soon after. Most students listened attentively—except for Yuen. It was obvious he wasn’t paying attention, though his eyes idly followed the teacher’s movements at the front of the room. The lesson continued, but he remained slouched over his desk, one hand holding a pen while the other rested near his cheek. At a glance, he looked like he was listening, but if one observed closely, a faint smile played on his lips as he quietly hummed along to the music in his earphones.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbZDWvPr2P
When the break came, the students hurried out of the classroom. As always, Yuen stayed behind, scrolling through his playlist, searching for a song to match his mood.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPWaibOw9a
Before leaving, Chase glanced at him for a moment. But he didn’t say anything—he simply walked away.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWpeuPl31k
At the cafeteria, Chase’s friends were teasing him about his love life.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNUHk0KSRp
"Dude, why don’t you have a girlfriend yet? Almost every girl here likes you!" one of them laughed.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJZtcv8E43
"Yeah! You should just say yes to one of them. You never run out of admirers, bro!"
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqDpy97Qn8
Chase smiled but shook his head. "I’m not interested right now, man."
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXL8wSmOso
Just then, Vivian arrived—effortlessly stunning as always. She confidently walked up to Chase and took the seat beside him, her long hair cascading over her shoulder.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44Q5MhGafx
"Chase, why were you ignoring me earlier? You knew I was waiting for you outside your classroom, right?" she pouted, playfully resting her chin on her palm while looking up at him.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4aYWJknwZ
Chase let out a small chuckle. "Sorry, Vivian. I really didn’t notice."
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJiK3LhrZZS
Vivian leaned in closer, tracing small circles on Chase’s arm. "And now? Do you notice me now?" she asked, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRSBAOcZ1sA
Their friends whistled and cheered teasingly, making Vivian giggle. "You know, Chase, you’re so unfair. You make every girl here fall for you, yet you don’t even give anyone a chance."
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsz5qekqCP
"It’s not like that," Chase replied, smiling but not really answering her statement.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEQfXXkmfr
But Vivian wasn’t about to give up. She moved even closer, almost whispering against his ear. "You know, a lot of people are curious about you, especially... your size." She laughed softly, making Chase raise an eyebrow.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIedCFMOoS9
"Cut it out, Vivian," he chuckled, clearly unaffected. "You’re thinking too much about the wrong things."
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCj5EiykL3Z
"Oh? So is there something I should be thinking about, Chase?" Vivian teased, biting her lower lip.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESPkQ9Uus8
Their friends erupted into laughter.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGU2vqUVFzU
"Damn, bro. Think you can handle it if Vivian takes the lead? You might not survive!" one of them joked.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5C5x5ry8oA
Chase smirked. "You underestimate me too much."
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRh7ycfO7ts
On the other side of the campus, Esreld spotted Yuen sitting alone under a tree, flipping through a book with his earphones still in.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9UTYfzn3L
He approached and tapped Yuen on the shoulder. "Hey, Yuen. What’s that?"
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwXlL1mTG1
Yuen looked up and immediately turned off his music. "Ah, nothing. Just passing time."
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkB7qayYbg
"Can we take a picture?" Esreld suddenly asked.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZFZXU8WnH
Yuen frowned. "Why?"
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xMZijQ5XB
"So we can put it up on our class door frame. You’re probably the only one left without a picture there," Esreld teased.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ldBsCrinR
Yuen sighed but eventually smiled. "Fine, fine. Let's get this over with."
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Vpu0OT2IX
They walked over to the display of student photos. As Yuen scanned the pictures, his gaze landed on one particular image—Chase, smiling while surrounded by girls, clearly enjoying their attention.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyHFRnbBHe
He rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he mumbled under his breath before turning back to Esreld.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0sqI1aFVf
Esreld took out a polaroid camera, positioning himself beside Yuen. "Let’s go," he said.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnNloRHj1A
The first shot was a casual pose. The second one, Esreld playfully made bunny ears behind Yuen’s head.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlPR1KdGqQ
And for the third, Esreld suddenly pulled Yuen closer—close enough that it almost looked like they were about to kiss.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJ6lShzyqy
Yuen’s eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t pull away. The camera clicked, capturing the moment perfectly. When Yuen saw the result, he let out a soft laugh.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbnqbRXi4z
"That’s enough, or people might start thinking there’s something between us," he joked, though he didn’t seem to mind too much.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZEaf4t1nLv
Esreld smirked. "And what if I actually want there to be something between us?"
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OrXCFGmfk
Yuen rolled his eyes playfully. "Don’t go looking for trouble, Esreld."
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzsXsIKKTh
After getting the prints, Yuen carefully placed them on the class display.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ4FUiViCL8
"There. Now I'm officially part of this wall. Happy?"
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypEo3vhmXH
Esreld grinned. "Very. Now, let’s eat!"
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsU7nJwhOAM
The two walked off toward the cafeteria.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHrFTpPyUQ
Later, when the students returned from their break—including Chase and Vivian—the classroom buzzed with excitement.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWWkmn436r
"Is that Yuen?? Sheesh! He’s not even wearing glasses!" one of their classmates gasped.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhTunCTfUo
Chase turned toward the class display, his eyes landing on the pictures of Yuen and Esreld together. His gaze froze on the last one—the almost-kiss pose.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaevSj4mUKR
His grip on his bag strap tightened.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuqf7g6E8i
Something inside him stirred. A feeling he hadn’t quite acknowledged before.
177Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrN7cxjlN32
Jealousy.
ns216.73.216.197da2
