We arrived at Khai's house, and she was still laughing her head off at me. I couldn't believe what was happening—the whole me, being laughed at by someone I least expected. We made our way to the living room where everyone was seated. When we walked in, they all turned and looked at us like we'd just interrupted a conversation we weren't supposed to hear.
Well, I wasn't in the mood—thanks to a certain someone—so I didn't care about their gossip. I sat down next to Xiao Zhi and rested my head on his shoulder, hoping no one would ask what had gotten me so down. But I guess we can't always get what we want in life.
"Zhao Xing! What happened? Are you hungry? Tired? What's wrong with you?" Khai asked, concerned.
"That satan over there laughed at me because I daydreamed during the meeting. I mean, what kind of fangirl would I be if I didn't start fantasizing when surrounded by hot, single guys in the same room?" I said, pouting with glassy eyes, hoping someone would pity me. But instead, they all laughed their heads off too. Traitors.
This reminds me of a perfect story, I thought to myself, replacing my sad face with a mischievous smirk.
"Us chatting like this kind of reminds me of the time a certain someone had a crush on someone…" I said, glancing at Khai. Instantly, everyone turned to him.
"What the hell are you looking at?" he snapped in a cheeky tone, pretending to look for his phone just to escape attention. But luck wasn't on his side—his phone was already in his hand, and that sold him out instantly. We all burst into laughter—everyone except Xiao Zhi, who was just confused. So, I filled him in.
<<< Two Years Ago >>>
Two years ago, back when we were still students, Can's brother—Bas, who was also the DHOR—had a crush on Top. But Top didn't know.
One day we were playing Dare to Answer with Top, and we asked him how he would react if a boy confessed his love to him. He replied that he'd reject him because he was only into girls. What we didn't know was that Bas had been standing outside and overheard the whole thing.
I thought I heard someone crying near the classroom, so I went to check—and found Bas sobbing. I rushed over and asked what was wrong. His answer broke my heart.
"It doesn't matter. It's not like he'd date someone like me," he said before turning and running off.
At first, I was confused about who he meant—but then I remembered the way he used to look at Top. It all made sense.
Later during lunch, Khai ditched us to play video games with his soccer friends. So I took the opportunity to ask Top directly about his true feelings.
"Ai Top, are you really not into boys, or were you just trying to protect your pride as a guy?" I asked, looking him straight in the eyes, making sure he couldn't dodge the question.
"You really know me too well," he said, lowering his voice. "I thought if I just said I liked girls, you'd drop it… but I guess I couldn't fool you."
I stood up and gave him a hug, just so he'd know he wasn't alone.
"I know you're trying to protect your pride as a man," I whispered, "but are you really willing to lose your chance to be loved?"
"What do you mean?" he asked, visibly confused.
"When we played that game, I heard someone crying. I found Bas crying. I asked him what was wrong, and he said, 'It doesn't matter because you wouldn't date someone like me.' I was going to comfort him, but he ran away before I could. Your words hurt him, and now he thinks he never had a chance. But you can still fix this."
Top stood up and ran out to look for Bas. He searched everywhere and finally found him—but just as Bas was hugging Can. Top assumed they were dating. He thought Bas had moved on and felt like he lost his chance before he even had one. So he gave up too.
As for Khai, he'd had a crush on Team—Bas's friend—since middle school, but never confessed because of his pride. He teased him all the time but secretly helped him financially, as his strange way of making up for the bullying.
<<<< Back to Present >>>>
"Wow, I can't believe behind those handsome faces there are such cowards," Xiao Zhi said, shaking his head. "I think I should teach you how to confess, because I'm a pro at—"
Before he could finish bragging, Xiao Zha slapped the nonsense out of him.
The following day was Bas's birthday, and Top didn't want to attend, but I forced him. I told him to go make peace with himself and move on. He couldn't keep looking back, wishing he'd done things differently. My friend was too handsome to throw away his future over a stupid moment from the past.
Unlike Top, Khai was actually excited about the party—because it meant he'd get to see Team again after so many years.