I may have.
That was Sky’s response when Chris asked if he’d seen him at the cafeteria.
Chris raised an eyebrow. What kind of answer was that? "Are you kidding right now?"
Sky sighed heavily, not even sparing him a glance. "Chris, I’d love to stay and chat, but I’m busy."
That hit Chris like a punch to the gut. Busy? He’d thought reactions like that were reserved for other people, not him.
Wow!
"Busy?" Chris echoed, his voice tinged with disbelief. "Is that a new word for saying you are avoiding ?"
Sky finally stopped what he was doing (or not doing) and turned to face him, his expression drained, like the weight of the world had settled on his shoulders. "I’m not avoiding you. I’m just... under a lot of pressure right now."
"Pressure from what?" Chris demanded, unable to mask his annoyance.
Sky’s frustration was as clear as day as he ran a hand through his ssy hair. "Chris, it’s a lot right now. School, work, the band, the business, the student council—take your pick," he said, his voice tight. "I’ve got too much on my plate, and I’ve never handled pressure well. Just... cut so slack, alright?"
Chris felt a surge of conflicting emotions. Was he just so guy Sky used and discarded? But before his anger could fully surface, he noticed the fatigue on Sky’s face, the burden of everything he’d ntioned. This wasn’t so casual rejection—it was real. Sky was genuinely struggling, and Chris could see it.
But that still didn’t stop the nagging question in his mind—where the hell did i co into this? Had he t her after they...
Or was it before?
"Take it easy," Chris muttered, trying to calm himself. "You know you can always ask for help. I’m the best roommate you’ll ever have." He tried lighten the mood but failed. Woefully.
Sky scoffed, shaking his head. "What? You’re going to help with school or the band, or the business, or the council?" His tone was sarcastic, but Chris could tell there was more beneath it.
"Hey, chill!" Chris snapped, irritation bubbling up again.
Sothing was definitely wrong with him. "Is this about the guy who just left here? You seem so... tense."
Sky’s jaw hardened. It seed Chris had guessed correctly. That aside from all the stress Sky was facing, Michael had brought a new significant one.
"He is crazy." Sky remarked.
"Crazy about you, apparently."
Sky’s eyes snapped to Chris, and for the first ti, there was a flicker of sothing sharp—suspicion, maybe. "How much of our conversation did you hear?"
Chris’s voice was low, controlled, but the jealousy was unmistakable. "What? Are you more bothered by the fact that I heard his confession, or the fact that there’s a picture of you and i?"
Sky let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temple. "We’ll talk about that later."
Chris’s eyes darkened. "We will." His tone left no room for argunt. The conversation wasn’t over, not by a long shot.
"Can you leave now?" Sky asked, his voice tinged with annoyance.
Chris blinked, taken aback by the request.
What the hell?
Sky looked a bit guilty when he saw Chris’s expression change. "I need to finish here, and I don’t want people talking—"
"Well, fuck you!" Chris spat, turning to leave, his anger boiling over.
Before he could move away, Sky grabbed his arm, quickly letting go when Chris stopped dead in his tracks and gave him a dark glare. "For fuck’s sake, Chris..." Sky’s voice was quiet, almost pleading. "I’m exhausted. I’m juggling so much every day, and the last thing I need is to add drama to it. And there would be drama if unregistered mbers keep coming and leaving here under my water." He explained in a rapid tone.
"I told you if you want to be here, you have to be a mber. And that ans you need a sports. You need to be part of sothing!"
"I don’t want to do shit," Chris shot back, his voice low but intense. "I wouldn’t be here if you at least made yourself available. You don’t ever show up where I can find you easily. Or you want to find you to your class? Do you think I can’t?" Chris challenged.
Sky hesitated, a deep sigh escaping him. He picked up the plug Chris had yanked out earlier, plugged it back in, and the blender roared to life.
Chris clenched his fists, frustration and anger building within him.
God, this guy was annoying! And it made Chris angry how soft he was to him because he actually felt sad seeing him like that. He didn’t look okay.
He didn’t want to care, didn’t want to feel this way, but seeing Sky so... broken... it made sothing inside him crack.
Just why couldn’t he read what was running through his head?
Please...
But as much as he wanted to reach out, to fix whatever was broken, he knew he couldn’t push Sky any further today.
Without a word, Chris turned and left, his heart heavy with frustration.
Well, today was a pretty spectacular failure.
Chris stord out of the room, his mind whirling with frustration. Every word Sky had said felt like a slap, and yet there was that unmistakable exhaustion in his eyes that made Chris pause.
But no, he couldn’t let that soften him. He couldn’t let Sky off the hook.
He had to know.
What the hell was this guy playing at? One minute, he was the charming, magnetic person Chris couldn’t stay away from, and the next, he was shutting him down like so stranger. How was he supposed to feel about that? Used?
Chris’s thoughts boiled over as he stomped down the hallway, ignoring the few students who glanced his way.
Why the hell was he shutting out?
Sky wasn’t just busy. He was avoiding him. No one had the right to do that to him. He wanted answers—about i, about the picture, about that damn confession Chris had overheard. But it was more than that. It was the way Sky was pulling away that stung.
Chris wanted to turn around. He wanted to march right back into that room, grab Sky by the shoulders, and make him explain everything. To demand he stop playing gas and tell him what the hell was going on between them.
But the mont he turned to go back, he stopped himself.
The exhaustion on Sky’s face flickered back in his mind. Was he really just... that overwheld? Had he been so caught up in everything that he didn’t have room for Chris in his life?
The thought gnawed at him, filling him with a mix of anger and sothing deeper.
Nah.
He already got the greenlight.
He would rather die than let him get away. He didn’t even care if he had to sacrifice his ego.
He had thought this was the craziest the day would get, but in fact, it was just the beginning.
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