Chapter 7

The midnight dream dragged me back to childhood.

A beautiful boy moved into the neighborhood.

He always sat quietly alone in the yard.

That day I took the neighbor's big dog to find him.

I wanted to see him get scared.

But the dog suddenly went wild.

I was too small and it bit my butt.

Ethan had already run far away.

When he saw me bitten, he immediately turned back.

He picked up a thick branch and beat the dog's head desperately.

My butt was finally freed from the dog's mouth.

I scrambled up a tree.

But his leg got bitten, blood streaming down.

Later he got over a dozen stitches at the hospital.

My parents took me to thank him.

Crying, I grabbed his hand.

"If you don't like me, I'll never come play with you again."

"Please don't die."

Pale with pain, he still smiled at me.

"I won't die."

"I like when you visit me."

"Don't be afraid. I'll protect you from now on."

He remembered that promise for over a decade.

But the things I promised him, I always failed to keep.

In the early morning, I woke up sweating.

My forehead was drenched.

Ethan's arm held me tightly.

I carefully tried to move his hand away.

But he woke up instantly.

"Where are you going?" He sat up without even opening his eyes.

"To the bathroom."

"I'll come too."

"Stop joking, I really can't hold it."

Ethan flipped out of bed and carried me without another word.

He walked straight to the bathroom.

This was beyond embarrassing.

Did that soda bottle this morning knock some sense out of him?

"Can't you just sleep properly?" I was about to lose it.

"Can't sleep. Afraid you'll run away."

"Then what are your hands doing?"

"This makes me feel secure."

"A grown man almost 6'3" needs security?"

"The first year we lost contact, I didn't sleep well once."

"I worried your parents might move you to another city."

"Back then I was just a high schooler, afraid I'd never find you."

"Luckily you stayed."

Suddenly I remembered what my roommate said.

That Ethan liked me.

The atmosphere turned slightly awkward.

I joked on purpose: "You're not secretly in love with me, are you?"

Ethan didn't deny it.

He just stared straight at me.

His gaze made me nervous, so I inched toward the edge.

He snatched away the teddy bear between us.

"Why did you block me?"

"Weren't you the one who turned cold first?"

"You said you didn't want to be brothers anymore."

"Because I wanted to be your man!"

Ethan slowly moved closer.

When I wasn't paying attention, he kissed me.

I didn't react at all.

By the time I came to, he'd already pulled back.

Is this how it feels to kiss your best friend?

My whole body tingled.

"Julian, you're such a blockhead."

"That was me confessing, couldn't you tell?"

"How could anyone tell?"

"Why couldn't you just say it directly?"

"Fine, I'll say it directly then."

"I like you."

"What about you? Do you like me?"

"No!"

"No rush. Sleep on it before answering."

No matter how I cursed, Ethan wouldn't stop.

Frustrated, I touched the wound on his forehead.

"You want to ruin your face?"

"My whole self is yours."

"Stop changing the subject, snap out of it!"

"Can't snap out."

"Julian, feel your heartbeat."

"Don't you want me?"

Seeing his dazed eyes, I suddenly softened.

I kissed his lips first.

"Ethan, listen carefully."

"This is my first time."

"I'm definitely not being the bottom."

"Whatever you say."

When I woke up the next day, my back was killing me.

Ethan was such a liar.

He took all the advantages.

And still complained about my stamina.

One day I'll make him cry.

To recover, I skipped two days of classes.

On the third day I went to campus.

Ran into my roommate at the cafeteria.

He slapped my back hard.

"Where've you been these two days?"

I almost fell over from his pat.

Turned to kick him.

But saw Zachary standing behind him.

Zachary gave me a sunny smile.