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"I'm sorry I left you alone for so long." I hear Pete say as he approaches me with a chocolate, which I guess, is his peace offering.

"Nothing happened." I answer as I take the chocolate and open it.

I really thought he was not going to find me here in the cabin since he didn't spent much time in it and neither have I, although at this moment, it is a good place to stay away from everyone.

"I did not see you at the assembly today." He says, his tone sounding kind of strange because even for me, it is rare to be absent.

"I was tired,"

"Are you god now? You've been acting strange lately." He responds, stressing the word "strange".

The audacity...he is the one who has been disappearing almost every night to go to who knows where, although it is certain that he does not do it alone, surely he is going with that engineering boy.

"It's this place, so many useless people around me affects me."

"Is that why you've been bothering Ai'Can?"

Bothering?

"Did he tell you that? That silly boy is the meaning of nuisance in person!" I say almost shouting but I controlled myself when I see his reaction.

Somehow, it bothers me that Can considers me a nuisance in his life, after all I've done for him and with everything I've endured for that fool, he should be at my feet!

"Well, he did not say exactly that you were bothering him, but that you took something from him and that you, well...you are not like that."

Hell, I really am not like that and if Pete noticed my change then that's not a good sign, not at all.

"It's nothing, you really shouldn't be listening to that child, you know that when he speaks, there are no coherence that comes out of his mouth."

"Hmm...you really like Can." He says nervously.

What? I stared at him and he almost seemed to hide his face. How did this guy come to that ridiculous conclusion?

"Getting together with all those fools is affecting you too much." I answered harshly and sharply.

His words are etched in my head and I can't push them away, they bother me too much and even when I get up, his voice still reverberates in my head.

"You sent his clothes to be washed." He says from behind me before he walks through the door.

"That does not mean anything."

"No, but the way you talk about him and the way you treat him, it doesn't seem like he really bothers you." I hear him say and those last words are enough for me to leave the room and also the cabin.

I try to make a list of all his flaws, a list that should be endless if I have to refer to Can.

However, I can only see his smile in my head, his voice echoing in every wall of my mind and I even remember the way he he plays with his hands when he doesn't understand something.

Really, I should focus on its thousands of flaws and not these kind of details.

"Hey! Are we going to watch the game today? It's the finals!" I hear some girls passing by me talk too loud as I walk through the forest.

It's frustrating that I can't find the peace I want, even here.

"Today is the final? Who will play?" One of them asks.

"The faculty of engineering VS the faculty of architecture!" Another one answered.

Immediately in my head, I hear Can's name even if it's really not specifically mentioned.

"Wow that's going to be amazing! We have to go!"

I watch as they walk away and head to the field of activities.

"Tin, turn around and go back the way you came" I order myself.

Do not go...

No...

Fuck this...

***

He runs very fast with the ball at his mercy. They all follow him from behind but hardly catch up. Their rivals are furious and I can see them arguing among themselves and looking murderously at each of the players. They are losing by two points and because of the time left and how tired they look it is clear that they are going to lose.

There are only five minutes left but the match is already defined, despite that, it is as if nothing can stop Can, he plays as if he had just started and runs approaching the goal at full speed.

He's going to do it, he's going to score another goal for their team's favor.

Then I see how the defender rushes against him abruptly and his whole body falls to the ground.

I feel how my face turns pale and an inordinate fury emerges within me. I hear the referee stop the game and voices in the distance scream in fury.

None of that matters to me, because my eyes are only focused on Can and my legs immediately run towards him.

I do not know how much I have run or how it is that I have come faster than any of his teammates or coaches, I only know that when I have him close enough, I immediately help him get up little by little until the stiffness of his body when he sees me makes weight between the two of us heavier.

"Tin..."

"Can, are you okay?" Asks one of his trainers, who arrived with a first aid kit in his hands.

"Yes, it's just the knee." He answers, not taking his eyes off me.

"Just the knee? Your leg is bleeding, how is it that your injury worries me more than you?"

"It's your fault! You crossed!" I hear suddenly, the defender who threw Can approaches us haughtily and without any guilt in his face or voice.

"It was a violation! You must apologize!" His coach says but that only makes the player look at us contemptuously.

"It's not my fault if your student is an idiot who doesn't know how to run!"

"Idiot"...this man called him an idiot.

It's only funny if I say it is.

Only I can laugh at him.

I leave Can in the care of his trainer and went over to the stupid one near me.

"Listen to me idiot, you better apologize and erase that smile of yours from your pathetic face before I decide to disfigure it." I tell him close enough to make my words come true if he decided not to listen to what I said.

"It's Tin Medthanan..." I hear murmurings around us and I know that he has also heard it by how the color of his face changes as his features harden.

Quite a normal reaction from every person who hears my last name.

"I...I'm sorry." He says almost shaking.

"You don't have to tell me."

He walks away and turns to Can, saying an "I'm sorry." and then bowed.

The referee asks that the court be cleared to continue the game, but not before expelling the defender and requesting a substitution for Can who reluctantly leaves with the help of his coach.

"Can, let me help you." Says a girl who approaches him as she lays him down on the floor, a girl who has certain features similar to him, perhaps a relative.

"Auch! That hurts too!" Can growls when he feels the alcohol bandage on his knee.

"Don't complain and just accept the care." I say when I get close enough to him.

Our gazes meet again and I don't know why he looks at me in such a vulnerable way that only makes my desire to protect him increase even more.

"Thank you..." He murmurs and although I can hear it, it is not enough.

"What did you say?"

"Thank you." He says a little louder.

"I couldn't hear it."

"I SAID THANK YOU! DAMN EGOCENTRIC!" He screamed and I laugh inside, he's really so predictable.

"Can! Be more polite! He already saved you many times!" Says the girl.

"Hmph!"

"Excuse my brother please, he can be very, VERY special sometimes." The girl says, turning to me.

"Don't worry, I'm used to it." I answer and somehow, she is amazed at my answer, because then she starts talking to another girl in a low voice.

"He is definitely Seme"

"And Can?"

"My brother yells Uke from here to China."

What the hell are they talking about?

"Lemon! Enough is enough, you and your friend can go! You make too much noise." Can tells them, getting up with his leg already bandaged.

"No! We will take you to the engineering cabin."

"I'll do it." I answer and the smile is painted again on the woman's face.

I can already see that being kind of unique is something that is born in Can's family.

"It is not necessary, I can go alone, I also want to see how the game ends."

"No, there are just a few minutes left and you better rest, you know the result already, why stay?" I answer and Can does something that I did not expect him to do, he listened to me.

"Okay."

"Come on, I'll help you." I put his arms on my shoulder, encircling him, and helped him walk.

I heard a sound of what appears to be a camera and Can abruptly turns around.

"Lemon! Stop or I'll tell mom!"

Did his sister just take a picture of us? And I thought Can was weird...

"Come on..." He says, his cheeks somewhat blushing.

On the way, we don't talk at all, only when some misstep makes his leg hurt and then he groans in discomfort.

Even so, he does not seem to have any major injuries, although everything is dirty...and as always, every time I meet him, I too ended up in a mess.

"This does not change anything about what happened this morning..." He says while leaning on the door frame that. "But thanks..."

"Are you still thinking about that? Or is it that you are looking for a way to reward me with something?"

"What...?" His gaze is focused away, trying to avoid eye contact, I even see his hands as he begins to play with them.

Too cute.

"Because if you want to, reward me with another kiss then."

"No!" He yells and enters, closing the door behind him.

So special...

I lean my head against the door and closed my eyes. I can still feel his heat and I can still see him even when my eyelids are closed.

I touched my chest and feel my heart beats fast, as if I had run for hours without stopping for a second, unstoppable.

And now that I see it, I finally understand.

Pete was wrong, I don't like Can...I like him.

I like him too much.

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