After some time, I started moving to different devices to train with. It was liberating, and it made the hellish day visiting classes worth it, even though deep inside, I already dreaded tomorrow. I didn’t want it to come. But wishes never came true, so after an undefined period, I saw the sun starting to set already. There was no one else here but me and the teacher from before.

The moment I looked up, I saw him strolling towards me. “Kid, it’s getting late. You better get back to your room and rest after working out for so long. Don’t overdo yourself.” He was speaking radically different to me compared to before, and I felt oddly comfortable with that.

I gave him a curt nod and made my way to the locker room to get my clothes. I could shower in my room, so I made my way out of the gym. The workout session and the cold evening air were unbelievingly refreshing, and I enjoyed every second of it. I quickly grabbed something to eat from a place in front of the school grounds, sat on a bench and ate in silence. I felt better than I had in a long time, so when I returned to my room, for the first time, I wasn’t annoyed by the other presence in the room.

Noticing the time, I wondered how it could fly by so fast. It was already 9 pm. I took a shower, got into fresh clothes, and lay down in my bed staring alternately at the ceiling and at Angel who was again (or still?) working on something school-related. I took in his delicate features and noticed that he made a habit out of creasing his brows. Creasing. No creasing. Creasing. It was quite a funny sight to take in, so I snorted.

Angel turned his head towards me, bewildered as always. Our eyes met, and we just stared at each other. He seemed too afraid to say anything, and I thoroughly enjoyed making him uneasy. A grin spread on my lips. “What? Like what you see?”

It was the most cliché thing to say in this moment, but it fulfilled its purpose as Angel’s face became beet red. He quickly averted his gaze and began stuttering “N-no, I mean, yes, I don’t not like it b-but I don’t l-like it of course, like not in that way like.” His eyebrows were creasing several times in the process.

He sounded utterly defeated, and I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. It felt like years ago that I genuinely laughed, but this guy’s reactions were just too funny. The smile stayed on my lips, and I closed my eyes, face towards the ceiling.

“Krane?” His voice reached my ears yet again. I was too lazy to open my eyes and only hummed for him to go on. “I wanted to thank you.”

That made me gaze towards him in a second. This time, my eyebrows were furrowed. “For what?”

“For that time, when I was sleeping in the hallway. You brought me back to my bed, right?”

That’s what he means. “Well, if someone else found you there, they would put one and one together, and I would probably be thrown out of here in a second. So, it was only for my benefit really.” I couldn’t believe he was thanking me even though I was the reason, he was sleeping there in the first place.

“Oh, right. Still, thank you.” His voice was a bit quieter than before, it sounded almost disappointed for some reason.

“Don’t thank me.” I closed my eyes again. He didn’t answer anymore. Instead, I could hear him getting into bed as well.

I didn’t sleep well that night, so when my phone woke me up the next morning, I contemplated just turning it off and returning to my well-deserved rest. The thought of how the gym let me feel yesterday made me get out of my bed, though. 

My muscles were quite sore, but even that felt nice. I splashed cold water on my face and then got ready. Angel was waiting in front of the door, already dressed. All the while, he was sometimes glancing in my direction then back to the floor.

“What are you waiting for?” I wanted to interrupt the uncomfortable silence.

“Uh, I saw your schedule yesterday, so I know that today all of our classes are the same. I thought I could wait for you,” he sheepishly said, his hand scratching the back of his neck.

“You’re stalking me now? Didn’t get enough of me yet?” Again, cliché but also again it did wonders, making the blush on his face spread to his ears. I smirked at his reaction.

“S-stop teasing me,” he quietly demanded.

I hummed in response and soon after we were on our way to the first class of the day. The eyes on us haven’t subsided, they felt even more intense today. It was annoying, and I had to contain myself to not lash out on them.