THE NEXT DAY
School continued as usual.
As always, Leo and Micah shared the same classroom, while Liam attended his lessons in a different one.
Despite the three of them having been childhood friends, their school schedules meant they didn't spend every moment together. They usually met during lunch break and after school, when they could finally sit together and talk without worrying about lessons.
For Liam, however, things were going to be a little different.
After his little moment of realization the previous night, he had decided that he wasn't going to give up on Micah just yet.
Well, it wasn't as if he had anything to give up on in the first place.
He hadn't confessed his feelings, and Micah hadn't rejected him. There was no relationship between them beyond their existing friendship, and Liam had no intention of rushing into anything.
Instead, he would take a step back.
He would stop trying so hard to be around Micah every chance he got. He would give himself some breathing room and allow his feelings to settle naturally.
He would also try to stop overthinking every little thing Micah did.
That sounded reasonable enough.
Of course, there was one small detail he wasn't willing to compromise on.
He wasn't going to let any romantic rival get too close to Micah without his knowledge.
Absolutely not.
He might have decided to take a step back, but that didn't mean he was going to sit idly by while someone else stole his attention.
Not that Micah belonged to him.
Liam paused at that thought.
Well, obviously. I know that.
He wasn't claiming ownership of his best friend. He simply wanted to keep an eye on things.
There was nothing wrong with that, was there?
Besides, Leo was an exception.
His twin brother was the last person Liam would ever suspect of developing romantic feelings for Micah. He knew Leo well enough to be certain that his brother had no such intentions.
They were best friends, yes, but their relationship had always been different from the one Liam shared with Micah.
Leo was naturally attractive, effortlessly confident, and the sort of person who drew attention without even trying. He was used to people looking his way, yet he rarely seemed interested in anyone's attention.
Romance, as far as Liam could tell, wasn't something Leo cared much about.
So there was no reason to worry about him.
Although…
Liam frowned slightly.
He couldn't completely rule out the possibility that Micah might like Leo instead.
After all, they were best friends, and they spent plenty of time together.
The thought made Liam's mood dip for a moment.
He quickly shook his head.
No. I'm not doing this again.
He had promised himself that he would stop overthinking things, and he intended to keep that promise.
He might not be particularly good at understanding his own feelings, but he was allowed to explore them at his own pace.
He liked Micah.
He wanted to understand those feelings, even if it took time.
And if he eventually discovered that there was something more between them, then he would figure out what to do about it.
Until then, he would simply remain himself.
With that decision settled, Liam made his way through the rest of the school day, waiting for lunch break.
The moment lunch period began, Liam gathered his things and headed toward the cafeteria.
He had spent the last few minutes preparing himself for what he considered a perfectly ordinary encounter.
He would meet Leo and Micah, sit with them, eat his lunch, and have a normal conversation.
Nothing complicated.
Nothing to worry about.
He could do that.
After all, he had known Micah for years. It wasn't as though he had suddenly become a stranger.
Liam pushed open the cafeteria doors and scanned the room for their usual table.
He spotted Leo almost immediately and headed toward him.
However, as he drew closer, he noticed something.
Micah wasn't there.
Liam's steps slowed.
Huh? Where is he?
He glanced around the cafeteria, checking the surrounding tables, but Micah was nowhere to be seen.
Why isn't he with Leo?
His expression fell before he could stop himself.
Is he that disgusted with me that he doesn't even want to see my face anymore?
Liam immediately scolded himself.
Oh, for goodness' sake!
He had barely made it through half a day without overthinking something, and now he was doing it again.
He forced himself to continue walking.
It didn't matter.
Micah could be anywhere. Perhaps he had gone to get something, or maybe someone had stopped him on his way to the cafeteria.
There were plenty of reasonable explanations.
Liam wasn't going to jump to conclusions.
Leo noticed his arrival and looked up, his expression brightening slightly.
"Hey, my lovely bro. You're late."
Liam pulled out the chair beside him and sat down.
Yeah, because I had to spend half the morning convincing myself that I could face Micah normally, only to find out that he's not even here.
He resisted the urge to sigh.
"Yeah, I needed to use the bathroom," he replied casually.
Leo hummed and said nothing more.
Liam reached for the tray of food his brother had already gotten for him, offering him a small, grateful smile.
It was one of those little things Leo never forgot.
Whenever his brother arrived at the cafeteria first, he always made sure to get Liam something to eat. And because Leo knew his preferences so well, he rarely got anything Liam disliked.
It was a small habit, but one Liam appreciated more than he could express.
Perhaps that was one of the advantages of being twins.
They had spent their entire lives together, after all.
Liam picked up his fork and began eating, doing his best to appear indifferent to Micah's absence.
He wasn't going to ask about him.
He wasn't going to look around for him again.
And he certainly wasn't going to let Leo notice that he had been looking forward to seeing him.
Unfortunately, Leo knew his twin far too well.
"He was called away by someone on our way to the cafeteria," Leo said casually, continuing with his food. "That's why he isn't here."
Liam's fork paused.
For a moment, he simply stared at his food, processing the information.
Then he realized Leo was talking about Micah.
"Oh…"
He quickly resumed eating, hoping the brief pause had gone unnoticed.
It hadn't.
Leo glanced at him from the corner of his eye but chose not to comment.
Instead, he shook his head slightly.
"That guy is a walking heartthrob."
Liam looked up.
Leo continued, his tone carrying a hint of irritation.
"He's always attracting bees. Honestly, I can understand why you like him, but sometimes I wonder how he manages to do it without even trying."
Liam nearly choked.
He turned toward his brother, his cheeks warming immediately.
Leo had said it so casually that Liam almost wondered whether he had heard him correctly.
He knows I like Micah?
Of course, Leo already knows how he brother likes Micah and always curious about him, more like very protective. something he has known since they were kids of course. Liam had hardly been subtle about his strange behavior the previous day.
Still, hearing his brother talk about his feelings so openly was embarrassing.
Liam lowered his eyes.
"Well… he's pretty," he admitted shyly.
For a moment, Leo said nothing.
Then he slowly turned to stare at his brother.
"…What?"
Liam's face grew even hotter.
"What?" he asked defensively, refusing to meet Leo's gaze.
Leo stared at him in disbelief, as though he had just discovered something truly concerning about his twin.
Then he let out a quiet, exasperated breath.
"Liam, you are naive as fuck."
"Leo!"
"No, seriously!" Leo continued, ignoring his brother's protest. "No wonder that nigga likes teasing you so much."
Liam blinked.
"Huh? Who?"
"Micah, obviously!"
Leo shook his head, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
"You're so naively blind that you only see that asshole's face and completely ignore his personality."
Liam frowned.
"Language, Leo."
"Sorry," Leo replied flatly.
He didn't look particularly sorry.
Then, after a brief pause, he added, "You're so defensive whenever it comes to him."
Liam immediately looked away.
"…"
He had no response.
What was he supposed to say?
That Leo was wrong?
That he wasn't defensive?
That his heart hadn't started behaving strangely the moment Micah's name came up?
No.
He would rather keep quiet.
Leo seemed to understand that his brother had nothing to say, so he returned his attention to his food.
For a while, the two ate in silence.
Liam slowly began to relax, hoping the conversation had finally ended.
Then Leo spoke again.
"I bet that guy is going to heartlessly reject this beautiful girl."
Liam froze.
His head snapped up.
"…Who?"
Leo glanced at him.
"Micah, of course."
Liam stared at his brother, his appetite disappearing almost immediately.
Leo, apparently unconcerned by the effect of his words, finished the last of his food before continuing.
"The person who called him away, obviously. I'm pretty sure it was a love confession."
Liam went still.
A love confession?
Someone had called Micah away to confess their feelings to him?
His fingers tightened around his fork.
For a moment, he couldn't think of anything to say.
He had spent the entire morning telling himself that he needed to take a step back. He had decided that he wouldn't let his feelings control him, and he had promised himself that he would stop overthinking every little thing Micah did.
Yet here he was, sitting across from his twin brother, feeling as though someone had just pulled the ground from beneath his feet.
Someone liked Micah enough to confess to him.
Someone had actually taken the initiative to tell Micah how they felt.
And Liam?
Liam couldn't even look the guy in the eye without getting embarrassed.
He swallowed, forcing himself to remain calm.
It's fine.
He didn't know who the girl was.
He didn't know whether Micah liked her.
And he certainly didn't know whether Micah would accept her confession.
There was no reason to panic.
Still, he couldn't stop himself from wondering what would happen if Micah said yes.
Would he start dating her?
Would they spend more time together?
Would Micah even pay any less attention to him?
Liam's chest tightened.
Stop it.
He lowered his gaze to his food, trying to ignore the unpleasant feeling spreading through him.
He had only just decided to stop making things complicated.
Why did it seem as though the universe had other plans?
And why, of all people, did it have to be Micah?
Liam took a slow breath, trying to regain his composure.
He wasn't going to let this ruin his day.
He wasn't going to make assumptions.
And he wasn't going to let his feelings turn him into someone he didn't recognize.
At least, that was what he told himself.
Because despite everything he had decided the previous night, one thing was becoming painfully clear.
Taking a step back from Micah was going to be much harder than he had imagined.