The School Idol's Roommate [BL]

Phone (1)

Aki woke up alone in bed, the coldness beside hit him straight away. Most days, Liam wakes up first because he cooks their breakfast. But some days like this one, Aki would be left alone in the apartment. How Aki knew without setting foot outside the room was beyond him. The air just seemed different without his roommate around.

He stared at the ceiling for a while, trying to chase away his sleepiness.

'Well, can't be helped,' he thought. Liam had something to do in their department and other social activities at the university required his presence as well.

Aki dragged himself off the bed. Today was a busy day for him too. He had to check in with their department about his grades and then apply for the scholarship. Hopefully, he would get the full scholarship this time.

But no matter how many times he reassured himself, he could not shake off the what-ifs about his scholarship, something that had been plaguing him for weeks now. He computed his grades a couple of times last night and was pretty sure that he reached the required grade yet he could not stop himself from thinking that things might go awry. What if one of his professors encoded his grade wrong? What if there was a mistake, any mistake? 'What if what if what if.'

He passed by the kitchen counter and paused in his steps when he saw Liam's notes. His face broke into a grin.

'I've made a sunny-side-up and fried rice. You can reheat the rice if you want. Just don't skip breakfast!'

Aki reheated the rice as he was told, the smile still on his face.

When he was done, he went to university. His steps were slow and heavy, delaying his arrival at the department. He knew that he had no reason to be nervous but his nervousness intensified with every step. It felt as if today would be a judgment day. Which was weird because technically, he would just be passing papers. After that, he would have to wait until his grades were evaluated. It could happen today, tomorrow or next week.

The wait was going to kill him.

He gave a tentative knock on the door to the faculty room before he opened. On the other side, he was greeted by the Dean, still poised to hold the knob, maybe on the way to her class or a meeting. Her face lit up when she saw Aki, completely oblivious to the groan he let out inside.

"Aki!" She took his arm and led him away from the entrance. "Just the person I was looking for!"

"Ma'am?" Aki gave her a polite smile but he could feel the tense muscles around his mouth.

The Dean replied with a warm and bright smile. "I'm so happy with your grades! There would be no doubt that you would get the full scholarship this time. Good job."

"That's-- that's what I'm hoping for. I'm here to apply."

"Alright, take your papers to the secretary. Next week, we'll post the list of students who qualified as academic scholars. Wait for your name there." She smiled at him and patted his shoulder as she left the room.

Aki could only breathe properly once he was out of the room and done with the whole process. The Dean was kind and motherly but he still could not help but feel nervous under her scrutinizing eyes. That, and the secret part of him who was embarrassed for himself and at her for letting them both down.

But if the Dean said that he had a chance, then maybe it would not be too much for him to hope?

Wanting to share the good news, Aki fished out his phone from his pocket as his finger hovered on the on-screen keyboard but he thought otherwise. He would rather hear Liam's voice. He preferred texting by a long shot but if it was Liam, it would be fine. Feeling excited, he called Liam's number -- only to get a busy tone.