Early in the morning,
Ethan quietly woke up.
The rain had stopped during the night, and sunlight slipped through the curtains of Ryan's room.
Ryan was still sleeping.
Ethan stretched a little and
carefully got out of bed.
I should leave before he wakes up…
He grabbed a small piece of paper from Ryan's desk and quickly wrote:
Ryan, I left early for college. Take care and don't skip medicine.
After placing the note on the table, Ethan slipped out of the house quietly.
After returning to his condo,
Ethan quickly got ready and
rushed to college.
When he reached the campus, he saw Ryan already waiting near their classroom.
Ryan crossed his arms immediately.
"Why did you leave without telling me?"
Ethan scratched his head awkwardly
"I was in a hurry."
"That's not an excuse," Ryan complained.
Ethan laughed nervously.
"Sorry, okay?"
Ryan sighed but let it go.
Then curiosity filled his face.
"So… who's my mentor?"
Ethan was about to say....
Before he could answer—
Two seniors walked toward them.
One of them was Victor Hale.
The other was Adrian Parker.
As adrian came back from football practice he was sweating a lot.
Victor waved casually.
"Ryan Parker, right? I'm your mentor."
Ryan blinked.
"Really?"
Victor grinned.
"Lucky you."
Then he leaned closer slightly and joked, "I promise I'm a very good mentor."
Ryan laughed awkwardly.
Adrian sighed from beside him.
"Victor."
Victor looked at him.
Adrian spoke calmly, "That's my brother."
Victor raised his hands in surrender.
"Relax, I'm joking."
A group of seniors soon
gathered nearby.
"Everyone come here!" someone shouted.
"There's a mentor–mentee event!"
Apparently the department had arranged a small team game to help mentors and mentees bond.
Students gathered on the sports field.
"Looks like some kind of relay game,"
Ryan said excitedly.
Victor stretched his arms.
"Easy win."
Adrian glanced at Ethan.
"Stay close," he said simply.
During the game, partners had to pass items to each other while running through obstacles.
At one point, Ethan slipped slightly while jumping over a low barrier.
Adrian caught his arm instantly.
For a moment they stood
very close again.
Too close.
Ethan could feel Adrian's
grip on his wrist.
His heartbeat sped up.
And strangely—
Adrian felt the same thing.
He quickly let go.
"Be careful," Adrian said quietly.
Ethan nodded quickly, unable to meet his eyes.
Ryan, watching from the side, whispered to Victor,
"Why do those two look so awkward?"
Victor chuckled.
"Good question."
After the event ended,
Ryan stretched happily.
"I'm starving."
Then suddenly he clapped his hands.
"Let's go shopping!"
Ethan blinked.
"Now?"
"Yeah! I need new clothes."
Ethan hesitated.
Adrian also didn't seem interested.
Victor sighed dramatically.
"Fine. I'll go with you."
Ryan immediately dragged him away.
"Best mentor ever!"
Victor looked back at Adrian and Ethan.
"See you later."
Once they left, the campus suddenly felt quiet.
Adrian looked at Ethan.
"I can drop you home."
Ethan hesitated.
"You don't have to."
"I'm going that way," Adrian replied calmly.
After a moment, Ethan agreed.
A short drive later, Adrian stopped outside Ethan's condo building.
Ethan unbuckled his seatbelt.
"Thanks for the ride."
He hesitated before adding politely,
"Do you want to come in?"
Honestly, Ethan didn't expect
Adrian to accept.
But Adrian simply said,
"Sure."
Ethan blinked.
Wait… really?
Ethan's condo was small but neat.
A simple living room with a sofa, a small table, and books stacked near the wall.
The kitchen was connected to the living space, and a narrow hallway led to his bedroom.
Adrian looked around.
"It's comfortable."
Ethan smiled slightly.
"Yeah… it's simple."
After football practice earlier, Adrian still looked a little tired.
"I should take a shower," Adrian said.
Ethan hesitated but nodded.
"Bathroom is there."
A few minutes later, Adrian's voice came from inside.
"Ethan."
"Yeah?"
"Towel?"
Ethan grabbed one quickly and handed it through the door.
A moment later, the door opened.
Adrian stepped out wearing only the towel around his waist.
Ethan instantly looked away.
"I—uh—do you need clothes?"
"Yes."
Ethan walked to his wardrobe and started searching nervously.
"Maybe this will—"
Before he finished, Adrian stepped closer behind him.
Ethan turned suddenly in surprise.
His foot slipped slightly.
"Ah—!"
Both of them lost balance and fell backward onto the bed.
For a second, everything froze.
Ethan was leaning over adrian.
Ethan's hands on his chest he could feel his heartbeat.
Their faces were very close.
Their breath collided....
Just an inch away from kissing...
Ethan's heart started racing uncontrollably.
Adrian felt it too.
They both understood how
awkward it was
Then Ethan quickly sat up.
"S-sorry!"
Adrian stood up calmly, though his own heartbeat felt faster than usual.
After the awkward silence, Ethan handed him some clothes.
Adrian changed and prepared to leave.
At the door he paused.
"You should come to my house tomorrow."
Ethan blinked.
"For tutoring."
Ethan shook his head politely.
"We can just do that in college."
Adrian crossed his arms.
"If you don't come…"
He looked straight at Ethan.
"…I'll come here."
Ethan immediately surrendered.
"Okay! I'll come."
Adrian nodded slightly and finally left.
After the door closed, Ethan leaned against it.
His heart was still racing.
What is happening to me…
And somewhere in the hallway outside, Adrian paused for a moment before walking away and he was thinking about the earlier incident,
He was blushing....
He smiled to himself...
For some reason—
He couldn't stop thinking about Ethan either.