ICYM Ch 46

Episode 46

Rustle.

Rustle, rustle.

After rummaging for a while, I finally pulled my hand out of the bag awkwardly.

“Looks like they forgot to pack the candles…”

“I’m really fine.”

“…Do you want me to show you how to eat a cupcake without getting it on your nose?”

Out of embarrassment, I blurted out whatever came to mind, and Kendrick nodded eagerly as if he liked the idea.

“You cut the bottom half of the cupcake, then put it on top of the cream.”

I explained while demonstrating. Normally, it worked perfectly, but today of all days, it wasn’t going smoothly.

“…For some reason, it’s not working today.”

To succeed, the bottom half needed to be cut evenly and flat, but one side ended up too thick while the other came out too thin.

I placed the flimsy, thin piece on top of the frosting and handed the cupcake to Kendrick.

“It’s kind of a fail, but at least it won’t smear on your nose.”

“What about you?”

“It’s your gift. Take one to your room and eat it.”

“Can’t we eat together?”

“…Should we?”

For some reason, luck wasn’t on my side today. Since I was going to eat one too, I just split another one roughly in half—

“Huh…?”

It ended up splitting exactly the way I had imagined earlier when I was showing off.

I placed the perfectly cut piece on top of the frosting and awkwardly stretched out my arm toward Kendrick.

“…Do you want this one?”

“No, you already gave me mine.”

Kendrick refused, but maybe worried I’d insist again, he quickly took a bite.

“It’s good.”

Even though eating inside the dorm would have been warmer and more comfortable, strangely, eating outside in the cold and dark didn’t feel so bad.

8:57 PM.

We barely made it back without breaking curfew.

“You two must have met at the entrance.”

That was the excuse we had prepared, but the dorm supervisor preempted us before we could say it, glancing back and forth between us.

“Yes. By chance.”

“Huff… Huff…”

We had run together, but while Kendrick looked perfectly fine as if he had just walked, I was so out of breath I couldn’t even answer properly.

“Coming back right on the dot at curfew is a skill in itself. Still, since you’re not late, so go on up.”

“Yes.”

“…Hayden, drink some water first.”

“Huff… Huff… Yes…”

Kendrick looked at me worriedly, but I waved him off, one arm braced on my knee and the other gesturing in the air to tell him to go on.

Catching my signal, Kendrick opened the inner door and went inside, while I leaned against the wall to catch my breath.

“Here, water.”

“Tha—huff—thank you.”

I naturally accepted the water offered from behind, but then, realizing it wasn’t Kendrick, I whipped around in surprise. Sunbae was leaning with arms crossed against the wall.

“Why are you reacting like you saw a ghost?”

“You startled me, showing up behind me like that.”

“I made my presence known.”

When I clutched my chest in shock, Sunbae spoke as if feeling wronged. After barely calming down, I wet my throat with the water he had handed me.

Sunbae didn’t see us coming in together, did he?

Without thinking, I glanced toward the inner door Kendrick had gone through.

“When did you get here?”

“I went to the lounge to get some water and just came out.”

I let out a sigh of relief inside. Knowing that Sunbae hadn’t seen Kendrick and me return together because of just a few minutes’ difference made me feel more at ease.

“Really?”

“What were you doing that left you breathing so hard?”

“I just stepped outside for a bit, but since curfew was almost up, I ran back.”

“You weren’t at the library this morning.”

The sharp question made me flinch. Thankfully, I had already thought about how I’d answer if asked something like this. Otherwise, I might have shown how flustered I was.

“…I overslept. And lately, I’ve been able to study pretty well alone in my room.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh, by the way, when do we have to decide about going to the Halloween party?”

“By next Monday. Why? You said you weren’t going.”

At his pressing tone, I absentmindedly tapped the floor with the tip of my sneaker.

“…Just. I thought I’d at least consider it.”

I had been invited with a gift, after all. The least I could do was think about it.

Now that I thought about it, Kendrick still had that cat headband Laura had bought, and I had completely forgotten to take it.

“Really? Even after you said you wouldn’t go? That’s strange.”

“Strange?”

I wanted to laugh it off, but unlike usual, Sunbae didn’t laugh along and just looked at me as if trying to size me up. Feeling awkward, I straightened my back from the wall I’d been leaning against.

“Yeah. Anyway, Senior, you should go study. I’ve been holding you up too long.”

“What about you?”

“I was about to head up too.”

After saying goodbye to Sunbae, I went up to my room. As soon as I opened the door, I caught sight of myself in the mirror. My nose was red, probably from sitting outside in the cold for so long.

* * *

Owen must have heard from Laura that the two of us had met up and hung out over the weekend, but she’d skipped all the details about who else was there.

“…Is it true you hung out over the weekend?”

“Uh… Yeah.”

“Even if you met by chance, if you’d called me, I would’ve come running.”

He seemed upset both about the fact that we had met over the weekend and that he only found out several days later. Owen tried to act like it didn’t bother him, but his disappointment showed clearly.

“…I…”

“You didn’t even think of me, did you?”

“I did think of you, but we split up quickly.”

“Still, it must have been fun…”

“……”

It was exhausting spending the whole morning trying to soothe Owen, who was sulking, and that’s probably why I only noticed something strange close to the end of lunchtime.

Why is he staring at me like that?

Kendrick, who usually pretended not to know me more thoroughly than I did, was now staring at me with an intense gaze.

Once I noticed it, I couldn’t feel anything except Kendrick’s stare.

As it was nearly time for the afternoon attendance check, students started returning to their classrooms, and we went back as well.

I sat in my seat and talked with Owen, but all of my attention was on Kendrick.

“Did you hear what I said?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you’re really coming with me, right?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with it?”

“…Yeah.”

“Wow, I should’ve asked you to go with me earlier! This is great.”

And just like that, I had unknowingly agreed to something. Watching Owen clap his hands in excitement filled me with unease, but since I still hadn’t figured out why Kendrick was staring at me like that, I wanted to resolve that first.

Owen, noticing my mind was elsewhere, waved his hand in front of my face.

“What are you looking at so intently?”

“Nothing. Looked like there was a fruit fly.”

To keep him from catching on, I casually waved my hand in the air as if swatting at a bug and tore my gaze away, but my heart was already pounding.

The weekend had gone fine, and Monday and Tuesday had passed without a hitch. We had even done homework together in my room just yesterday.

What’s going on?

It bothered me more because he wasn’t the type to act like that for no reason.

Kevin must have noticed Kendrick acting differently, too, because he slung an arm over Kendrick’s shoulder and asked, “What are you staring at?”

“My phone.”

“You’re not even holding your phone.”

“…I’m about to check it.”

“Are you sick or something!?”

“No.”

Kevin didn’t notice, but I realized that was his signal to me. Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t checked my phone all day.

“Ahem.”

I gave a little cough to show I’d received the signal and casually pulled out my phone.

Sure enough, at the very top was a message from Ken.

[Ken: I have your homework for this afternoon’s class. I think it got mixed up when we worked on it yesterday.] 10:47 AM

[Ken: I was going to leave it in the classroom at lunch, but there were people around.] 12:37 PM

…Homework!

It was for the class where I’d been praised for keeping up well, so I had poured a lot of effort into the homework too. The teacher was known for praising hard work, but also for remembering your face if you didn’t turn it in on the day it was due.  

Kendrick must have been trying to return it to me on his own, but couldn’t, which explained why he’d been looking at me like an anxious puppy.

“Pfft.”

“…Did something go down the wrong pipe?”

“No, the cough came out wrong.”

I barely suppressed my laughter and quickly typed back.

[Me: Can you give it to me at the back door? :'( Sorry for the trouble.] 12:53 PM

[Ken: I’ll bring it now.] 12:53 PM

There wasn’t much time.

“I need to run to the bathroom real quick.”

“The teacher’s about to come by for the afternoon attendance check.”

“If I’m late, just say I’ll be right back.”

“…Okay!”

Normally, it would have been better to just sit through attendance first, but since I was so insistent about going now, Owen must have thought it was really urgent, because he nodded vigorously.

“Where are you going?”

“……”

Maybe Kendrick had been about to use the same excuse, but when Kevin asked, he couldn’t say a word. I held back my laughter and slipped out first, and before the door closed, I heard Kevin loudly ask, “Is it poop?”

If you’re going to ask, at least whisper it. Why shout it like that and embarrass him?

Clicking my tongue inwardly, I hurried toward the back door.