It'd had been a couple of weeks since Riley had last seen Eran. Eran's prediction was right: his professor picked the most difficult project for them. The first week or so, Riley dutifully made Eran two meals almost every day. On the weekend, he again spent the night. It was getting easier to sleep in the same bed. After a while, Riley could see Eran's lethargy, and though he was happy to once have his crush's sleeping head on his shoulder, he was concerned for Eran's health. Eran started to get so busy that he slept in the lab some nights.

Riley had completed his midterms, taking a few opportunities to call Eran for unneeded help when studying. Final exams were coming next month, so his teachers were piling up the homework. Riley was at the point where he was too focused on being without Eran that he didn't bother to make anything less than near perfect scores. His teachers would expect more from him now, he thought with a sigh.

The weather had gotten too cold for Riley and his friends to eat lunch outside and the cafeteria was too crowded. Their current spot was a staircase at the back of the gym.

Jay nervously shook his foot from nicotine withdrawal. "You've been weird lately." He tapped Riley's shoulder with the pen he'd been chewing. "Oooh, don't tell me it's a girl."

Riley smiled and let out a small chuckle. It's a guy, but same idea.

"Oooh. You got a girlfriend?" Tony asked confidently.

"Uh-un." Riley shook his head 'no.' Nor a boyfriend.

Jay nodded. "Ahh. So you're just sleeping together."

"Nope." Riley frowned and sighed. Not even.

"Oh... no..." Jay suddenly frowned. "Unrequited love, huh?"

Riley felt a pang in his chest. Hearing it aloud for the first time gave it a sense of reality. He lamented aloud via cursing, closed his eyes, and hung his head.

Jay patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Forget it, man. When the guy falls first, it never works out."

Riley snorted then chuckled, holding his head in his hand.

Riley's response confused Tony. "What?"

He smiled wryly. "Nothing..."

Jay pumped his fist into the air. "Let's go pick up girls this weekend. We'll be serious and go to upper Midtown area. Plenty of girlfriend material there."

Tony bit the side of his tongue, looking concerned. "What if we see some girls from school? Or worse some teachers? This is technically 'lower' Uptown."

Riley thought about how Eran lived in upper Midtown. But Eran's place was closer to the centre of Midtown.

Was it far away enough, he wondered.

Jay assured Tony saying, "We'll be behaving, since we want to pick up decent quality girls."

Tony scoffed. "Jay, you can only attract the trashiest girls with those looks."

Jay poked the pen at one of his cartilage piercings, currently earring-free to abide by the dress code. "Trashy girls there are like saints compared to lower Midtown/upper Downtown trashy girls."

"You're coming, right?" Tony peered at Riley who had been listening quietly.

Riley glanced at his two friends who looked at him expectantly. "Yeah," he replied, then mumbled, "Why wouldn't I?" Because you love Eran. But hanging with friends is better than sitting at home missing him.

Riley and Jay were softly laughing.

"It's not funny," Tony complained. "Her boobs were way too big for a seventh grader."

"D-sturbing," Riley smirked.

"But hilarious." Jay stuck out his tongue. "Let's give up before something seriously depressing happens." He patted Tony's back once.

Are any of us really serious about this? Ugh, am I so obsessed with Eran that I'm reminded of him just by seeing someone of the same height? W-Wait a sec...

Jay turned to Riley. "What do you think?"

Yes, it is Eran! Oh crap, it's Eran.

Jay looked at Riley strangely. He was picking at the letters on the back of a tall sign at a store front. "What are you doing?"

Wait, why am I hiding? I'm not doing anything shady right now. He stepped out, but stayed behind Jay.

Glancing over, he found Eran looking at him. Riley smiled. He was worried about how Eran would react, but even more so feeling happy to see the man. Riley watched another man walk out of the shop and come to Eran's side. Impulsively, Riley walked over.

Eran squinted (or was it a frown? could it have been a glare?) momentarily. "Huh? What are you doing here?"

Jay and Tony had reached where they all stood. Riley gave his friends an introduction: "This is Mr. Business Card, my tutor." Riley stood behind Eran and held his wrist, forcing him to wave, like a puppet.

Jay took a step and leaned a little closer to Eran. "Wow... Do you have a girlfriend?"

Riley stopped waving and his grip reflexively tightened.

Tony's expression blanked out. "Whoa Jay, since when—"

"No, idiot. It's just..." He looked even closer at Eran. "You're exactly my sister's type."

Riley's grip got even tighter. Of course, there was nothing wrong with Jay's little sister, but Riley didn't need any rivals. "No way, Eran! You can't date a high school girl!" Riley purposely said exaggeratedly, to cover up his real concern. Still holding Eran's wrist, he turned Eran away, essentially putting his arms around Eran in close to a hug.

Tony added, "Yeah, are you trying to get Mr. K University arrested?"

Facing the opposite way now, Riley finally acknowledged the previously silent companion of Eran. "Who is this?"

Eran sighed. "Riley."

"Hm?"

Eran maneuvered to bring Riley around and twisted his hand. He held it, making Riley incapable of moving.

"Oowww," Riley whined, frowning.

"You're not getting into any trouble, right?"

Jay interjected to save his friend. "We're just strolling." Jay, I knew I could count on you.

"We're trying to find girlfriends." Tony, you freaking...

"Respectfully," Jay added.

Eran looked at Riley and loosened his grip. "You too?"

Before Riley could respond, the man with Eran spoke up: "Um... Eran, you can meet me at 300Z."

Riley asked with hidden urgency, "Where are you going?" at the same time that Jay observed, "That's a club."

A club? Eran is going to a club?

Eran released Riley's hand.

The man replied to Jay, "It also has a separate bar," then answered Riley, "Party."

"Party?"

Jay and Tony looked excited as they said in unison. "College party?!"

"The research department," Eran clarified.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Are there cute girls in the research department?

Eran and his colleague answered at the same time, "No."

Riley was getting impatient. He wanted to say 'Don't go' and leave with Eran right then.

Eran seemed to notice Riley's expression.

"Eran, are you coming?" His colleague turned away.

Riley and Eran silently looked at each other for a moment before Eran began to walk away with his colleague.

Riley heard the colleague tell Eran, "Don't bail and leave me there alone." And he doesn't even want to go...

Jay turned to Riley. "Your tutor's cool."

"What?" First he calls him good looking then he says he's cool, he isn't—

"I mean, it looks like he pretends to be more strict than he really is. Plus, he did that cool move."

"He's not really strict at all. With me. Just serious and sadistic. And yeah, he knows aikido."

"Did it actually hurt?" Tony asked.

"Yes." Riley glared and pouted. But I'm a masochist so I just love the fact that he touched me.

Who was that guy? How close are they? He didn't say anything, so did he already know about me? He's even more expressionless than Eran; I couldn't tell what he was thinking at all. What if he gets Eran drunk and tries to...! Would they go to Eran's apartment? Could I somehow get to him—catch him before he leaves the city?

Riley desperately tried to think of a way to make sure Eran wasn't going to go home with anyone that night.

He took out his cellphone and began to send a message: 'Can I come over tonight?' That should be enough. It's not too clingy and it shouldn't draw suspicion. Riley continued to hold his phone, wanting to know immediately when Eran replied. In less than a minute, Riley's phone vibrated with Eran's response: 'I guess it's better than you travelling all the way home this late at night.'

Riley tried to suppress his happiness, lest his friends become overly curious. This means he wasn't planning on hooking up with anyone! And if he doesn't meet me then I'll know some sneaky bitchjerk took him.

With something to look forward to, Riley relaxed and had fun with his friends the rest of the night doing everything but looking for girlfriends. After about one and a half hours, he received a message from Eran: 'Starbucks in 10.'

Riley almost felt like he was trying to have a rendezvous. Now I have to think of a way to leave unsuspiciously.

"Are we still looking for girlfriends?" Riley asked, already knowing the answer.

Jay yawned. "We were looking for you. And you were never even interested from the beginning. Are you still thinking about that girl?"

"What girl?" The hypothetical bitchjerk?

"The girl you like! I told you to give up!"

Oh, Eran... "Maybe I'll give up but... just not right now."

Tony yawned as well. "Let's go home then. We had fun anyway. We should just wait until university."

Riley pouted. "Can't we just fall in love like normal people?"

Tony leaned away. "When did you become a romantic?"

Jay leaned towards. "When he fell in love." He grinned.

"Gross." A phone rang and Riley almost thought it was his. "Aw shit, it's my mom."

"You should go home." Riley grabbed at the chance. "Before you get in trouble," he added so as to not seem pushy.

"Let's all head out. I'm dead tired suddenly." Jay yawned again.

Yes, let's leave, leave. What should I say? I know! "I want some hot chocolate."

Tony stopped. "Huh?"

Riley pointed to the Starbucks ahead. "Hot chocolate."

"You're so weird."

"You can go on ahead."

"Let's leave together," Jay said, walking towards the store.

"But I want—"

"Yeah, so let's go in."

All of us? Riley tried to think of plans for What-if situations while ordering. He ordered a 20oz.; they could just split it at Eran's place. As they waited for the drink to be prepared, Eran walked in. He approached Riley looking slightly surprised.

"Ah! Hey..." Riley faked his surprise. "We bumped into you twice in one night."

"Where's your friend?" Jay asked.

"My... colleague went home."

Riley tried to add to the casual conversation. "How was the party?"

Eran glared. "Irritating."

Tony and Jay nervously backed up a little. Someone called for Riley's order and he went to receive it.

"You can keep talking to Riley," Jay offered. "We're going to go ahead."

"It was nice meeting you," Tony said.

"Hm... You too."

"We leave him to you," Jay said. The two hurriedly left.

"Well, that played out strangely, but it worked," Riley remarked as he came back to Eran.

Eran took the drink. "What's this? Hot chocolate?"

"For you."

"This big?"

"And me."

Eran looked at Riley curiously.

"Let's drink it at home, hm?" Riley pulled Eran out of the store by his forearm, but let go once outside. Riley walked in front, then stopped and looked back. "What's wrong?"

A/N: I don't know why I like this chapter. Maybe because Riley acts like an obsessed dork?