The School Idol's Roommate [BL]

Lunch Break Rush (1)

Aki yawned as he thumbed through his index cards. It was Liam who suggested Aki made them for easier reviewing.

"You're very diligent," Jun said over his hamburger.

The corner of his lips rose. With an effective teacher like Liam, who would not enjoy studying? But of course, he did not say that. Jun would tease and question him relentlessly. He had not told his friend about their afternoon review sessions for that matter.

There was a buzz of people coming inside the cafeteria during lunchtime as if just about every student poured in the place at the same time that it was crazy hard to catch a vacant table. Aki and Jun had free time before lunch so they got there earlier. Now, there's barely enough seats for the students. Some were even going outside to eat. Many held their trays walking around looking for an open chair.

One of them was Liam who stood in the middle, eyes scanning the entire room. Aki's first instinct was to avert his eyes. But he was seconds too late as Liam spotted him and Jun as the other walked along the aisle, coming towards their direction. Liam quickly looked somewhere else and pretended not to notice Aki.

Aki pressed his lips firmly together. Somewhere in his heart, the action stung him. He thought they were over it. They were even nodding or smiling at each other when they passed by in the corridor. So why?

"Too many people," Jun said, absent-mindedly.

Aki stared back at his friend. 'Too many people.' It struck him that they never really talked or hang out openly. That somehow he was still too conscious of these people. Like how he was conscious of Liam's friends from the other table. Liam being Liam would consider Aki first, if he really was okay to be seen in public. Because he was like that he would not do something as long as Aki did not permit it.

Aki was hyperaware that Liam's friends already pulled up an extra chair from somewhere and started to cram in to give space for Liam. Aki should just let it go. They were his friends. Although he was friends with Liam too. Really, it was not a big deal if Liam dined with them.

Then why did Aki pulled out his bag which was resting on the chair beside him? A voice that sounded a lot like him, even though he never remembered saying, said, "T-this seat's free."

Both Liam and Jun were stunned. Aki could feel their eyes on him. The entire cafeteria seemed to have all of their eyes on Aki.

He gulped and turned his head down, pretending to have a staring contest with his food. Of course, Liam had other friends. He would prefer to eat with them than to eat with him. They saw each other every day. They were living together. So why would Liam want to hang out with him outside of the apartment too?

Aki had already turned a deaf ear in the outside world. He just wanted to finish eating and get out of here, hopefully never to come back in the next few days. He would need to convince Jun to eat in other places. Maybe in the popular cafe near their university? Anywhere but here.