Pete.

It might have been better if I didn't like boys, and my life wouldn't be what it is now if I liked girls like the way I liked other boys.

The idea kept tossing around in my head, why don't I like girls. Why do I like boys? Why!

"God!" I sighed deeply as I walked along the boulevards of the campus, even though several International College buses had already passed through the parking lot, and none of them had turned down the kindness of those who had asked me if I wanted to get on.

I, for one, love walking because it makes me think, and most of all it makes me slow down to get to the parking lot so I can slow my time to get home, slow to get home means I can slow to get home, and slow to get home so I don't have to feel self-blame and guilt every time I face my mom.

How disappointed Mom would have to be in me if she knew I was a Gay!

"Ugh......."

All of a sudden!

"Fxxkin' hell!!! It's a school main street, not a track, are you rushing to the stadium, eh?"

A powerful force dragged me backward, making me fall backward, I quickly pulled myself out of my funky thoughts, after brief confusion in my mind, not knowing what was going on, the moment I looked up I saw a man's back like a pillar pinned in front of me, accompanied by the said man cursing at the car whizzing past, I came back to my senses... just now I was almost killed by the car.

I crossed the street without looking at the road when I was imagining things in my head, huh?

I asked myself this in my heart, after the accident, my heart was also beating wildly and I was so scared that my eyes were wide open and my legs were as floppy as a noodle, and I didn't even have the strength to stand up.

"You too, want to die or what? Why don't you look at the cars when you cross the street?"

I admit to being stunned by his roar and could only look at the other person's face with a fixed look, even my hands were trembling and all I could say at that moment was, "Yeah... sorry." Even though I didn't know why I was apologizing, the look on the other party's face as if they were about to eat me apart was enough to make me feel so guilty that I couldn't help myself, and if I wasn't mistaken, the other party froze briefly as I was exiting to apologize, and then shook me hard.

"Well, forget it, you... hey, your lips are too pale, are you hurt? I went too hard just now, but it's better than getting you hit by that damn car." The man in front of me gave a long sigh of relief and then pointed at my knee, I lowered my head to see that the pants of the knee area had torn when I fell down just now, and even the knee inside had torn the skin.

When I didn't notice it, the tingling sensation immediately hit me.

"It hurts..." How can it not hurt, it's all bloody.

"What are we going to do?" Hearing him mutter to himself, I could only brace myself to stand, suppressing the groan that was about to come out of my mouth.

"No...It’s okay, just a minor injury."

"You're on the verge of tears and you're pretending it's a minor injury." I don't know what kind of expression I had at this moment, but it really hurt, and the more I saw the blood-curdling wound, the more intense the pain became.

"It's okay, thank you for saving me," I whispered my thanks, and in any case he did so out of the goodness of his heart, though seemingly menacing and with a bit of a harsh voice. He shrugged his shoulders and walked to the other side. I was puzzled when I saw him pick up the bicycle that had fallen to the ground. I wondered how hard he had to try to save me to make it fall into such a sorry state.

I admit my heart sank when I saw him pick up his bike and sit on it looking like he was going to leave, but I could only console myself that it was okay, the school bus was coming later, just get me to the parking lot, this little injury and I could still keep driving.

"What are you looking at, get on the bike, I'll drive you to the infirmary." Hearing this, I froze for a moment, and the fierce-looking man looked back at me again, his tone still as fierce as before. All I could say was, "Oh, I'm okay!"

"No need to be brave, you can still walk?" I immediately dared not speak, I certainly did not dare to say that I could walk, so I braced myself to move towards his bike, judging from the height of the bike he was sitting on, only to find that the boy seemed to be a bit shorter than me, but this is not a problem, my problem lies elsewhere.

"Come on up here, don't tell me you've never been in the back seat of a bike."

"Never," I admitted outright that I had never been in the back seat of anyone's bike in my life, which made the other person stifle a giggle.

"What a silly Khun-chai of the landlord's family... it's the same reasoning as riding in the back of a motorcycle, not to mention you haven't even ridden a motorcycle!"

"No...” Seeing the other party's expression of wanting to kill and dislike, my voice was unconsciously lowered, I really have never ridden a motorcycle ah, in my life, I've only been in a car, in school there is a school bus. Not wanting to get into trouble, I got into the back seat of the bike that wobbled as if it could fall apart at any moment.

"Just sit up like that."

"Well, are you okay with that?"

"Hmph, my friend is bigger than you, I can even carry him." He replied with a slightly annoyed look, and I'll just take it that he doesn't like people saying he can't.

"What's your name?" I was trying to support myself in the back seat of my first bicycle, I raised my head.

“Ai’Pete, my name is Pete."

"That name is really in line with Khun-chai's temperament, my name is Ae, hold on, I'm going to speed up or your blood is going to run out." After saying that the person's ass slightly left the cushion in front of me and then vigorously pedaled forward, I hurriedly grabbed the corner of the other person's clothes to prevent myself from falling, thinking how this person can ride so fast ah, there is a person sitting behind it.

It wasn't long before I was taken to the school nurse's office and I followed the nurse in to treat my wounds, who was also startled to see my wounds and before entering the treatment room, I looked over at the man who was showing me a smiling face. Aside from the fierce and impatient expression, this was the first time I saw a smile on his face, and I froze a bit, only to look back and realize - my face was burning.

"Sister Nurse, where is the person who sent me just now?" Dealing with the wound coming out I asked the nurse outside, who thought about it and then suddenly laughed. "Oh, just the little boy with the slightly darker skin, huh? He asked me to relay that he was going first because he had to go to training, and he said to tell you to go home and be safe and not get hit by cars when you cross the street." I thanked my nurse sister and limped out of the school nurse's office, not knowing how I was going to get to the parking lot, and just couldn't help but giggle... laughing like a silly dog.

You have no intention of going through the motions, but you are arrogant.

Ae, thank you.

...**************...

Ae

"Dude, I wanna borrow your notes."

"You school scum, you don't know how to take notes yourself, don't have any hands yourself?" I was so sick of Pond, the bastrd slept like a pig, and woke up at the end of class, asking for my notes, a pale white bastrd, and this mixed Italian white bastrd who wandered around in front of me all day, I wanted to kick him back to Italy with my feet up.

"Come on, man, lend me a hand. Can't you have pity on me?" I even wanted to say that you deserved it, but still took out the notebook and threw it to the other party with disdain, and at the same time, I heard the other party saying "I wouldn't have bothered to coax you if Dear was here, Dear is much better than you......."

BOOM!!!

I didn't wait for the other party to finish, I resolutely lifted my foot and kicked the other party out from behind, Pond cried out in pain and looked back at me in disbelief, I didn't care about that, picked up the school bag and strode past him.

"Where are you going? There's a practice at 6:00 p.m."

"Go to soccer practice, if you have a watch, you should know it's three hours before practice, why don't you use those three hours to study properly and don't just flirt with girls." After saying that, he left the college, ignoring Pond's sophistry that "the use of time is to flirt with girls with your own handsomeness".

I went straight to the bicycle parking lot when I left the college, so you can say that the college is basically one bike per person, but not too long ago someone else reminded me of that, and there are still people who have never ridden a bike.

I don't know how he's doing...

I shrugged helplessly, a week had passed since I'd saved the man from under the wheel, and it was a bit annoying to think, was the guy stupid to cross the street and not look at the car! But it's not so bad at all, you're so dumb and dumb, you're so confused, you answer honestly, you're so harmless, you're so good-looking... 10,000 times better than Pond!

"Never mind, he'll probably not bleed to death." I shrugged and pedaled my bike towards the football field on the other side of the school, but then again, I hadn't seen the good guys in a month, especially Dear, who was so honest. Would someone bully him? But he was in the same place as that Sun guy, and no one should dare to bully him.

"Give me the money, do you want that video to be exposed to your dear mother?"

Shit, is this a gangster game for kindergarteners? You're extorting money from the parking lot!

I stopped while cursing in my heart and looked over to the parking lot that was almost filled with cars of International College students and saw a tall man who didn't look like a student in the school was holding a man by the collar and the two were standing by a luxury car.

Where are the guards?

"Not a dime."

"What do you mean?"

"I said no!" The voice that said "no" was so familiar, I was going to go up to help anyway, so I walked towards the source of the voice, by chance!

It's Pete!

This person who was saved by me now looks like he is about to cry out, his eyes are trembling and his mouth is trembling, but he resolutely refuses to give the money to the person in front of him who is much taller than himself, I see this Khun-chai can't beat anyone.

"Okay, then I'll send this video to your mom to watch, huh! Will your old mother be happy for you, your only son?"

"You can send it all you want, but I'm not going to pay you, I'm not going to pay you again!!!" Pete uttered the words almost with a roar, his voice resounding throughout the parking lot, closing his eyes tightly as the bastard raised his fist as if he was resigning himself to his fate.

PAP!!!

It's crazy!!!

BOOM!!!

The first punch the opponent hit Pete in the face was really exhausting, I cursed in my heart and rushed forward to stop it, but it was still a step late, but I didn't give the opponent the chance to throw a second punch, I flew up and kicked him off before he landed the second punch.

"You!!!!" The other party cried out in pain, covered his hips and twisted his heads to stare at me angrily, and I laughed and counted in response, although I was not tall, I sure was strong as an ox.

“Ai’Ae!!!!" When I heard Pete call my name, I glanced over to him, only to see a shocked look on his face, at which point some guy who didn't know what was going on got up off the ground and had an "I get it" look on his face.

Huh? Husband?

"And you, you dwarf melon looking for a beating, aren't you?"

"Come here if you dare!" I couldn't think of anything else when my opponent came at me, I dodged the attack and then raised my knee to my opponent's stomach, and then a flying kick on the counter leg.

"It's more than enough for a dwarf winter melon like me to beat you up!" I said coldly, and the look in my eyes at the moment was probably what Pond and Dear had said they were, the look in my eyes when I was angry... no one dared to look straight into my eyes.

"Bah! Tell you what I'm ugly about upfront, and you, Pete, the video will be delivered to your mother tonight!" The other side said in a vicious tone, being kicked in this way still did not know how to restrain, until I was ready to go up again to make up for the kick when the other side ran away as well.

"Let me have at him, what the hell is going on here?" I sighed and looked back at Pete, only to see him sit down on the floor in a dislocated fashion, then bury his head between his knees.

"Eh, don't you cry!"

Oh, boy! I'm ready for a fight with someone but didn't learn how to comfort someone who's crying. I could only stand frozen in place, then leaned down and sat down against the door of the Mercedes Benz of who knows which rich second generation and couldn't help but sigh again.

"Thank you..." Pete didn't stop crying and choked out a thank you that made me stifle another sigh.

"Well, every time I meet you, it's all kinds of things." I said the words without even thinking about it, and Pete shook even more at my words, and the words came out as "I'm sorry."

"If you want to say thank you or apologize, then please stop crying, I won't comfort you," I said so, in fact, I was trying to comfort him, but I really wasn't, whether it was a girl or a boy, I wasn't going to comfort him. The reply from the other person was, “Ai’Ae, you go, I'm fine... really fine, just let me cry for a while, I'll stop when I've cried enough."

He said so. How dare I leave?

Finally, I took out my phone and called my senior to tell him he couldn't go to soccer practice.

"But I'm a Gay!"

"......."

I choked on his words, I had guessed when that bastard said something about his husband's wife, but I didn't think it was any of my business, I didn't have to worry if he was Gay, I just had to save him. However, he confessed to me that he was Gay and buried his head in fear of my disgust with him.

Gays are humans, so what do I have to fear?

"Well, it's not like homosexuality is contagious, I'm just sitting right next to you!" I leaned my head against the door, and, if I'm not mistaken, the Mercedes was expensive, and watched Pete sit there with his head down and repeat the words, "Thank you!"

"Okay, okay, don't thank me anymore, I'm not a Buddha, so what's the conflict between you and that jerk?" I was a little impatient at the mention of the man, and Pete froze for a moment, then slowly told me about what was going on between the two of them as I listened quietly from the sidelines.

Pete.

I'm a Gay, at the age where I can fantasize about the opposite sex I'm already aware of my own sexuality, I like looking at guys, at first I thought it was purely an appreciation, the feeling wouldn't last until the end, however, wait until I'm old enough to realize that there's no way in hell I'm going to like girls in this life.

At first, I hid my aptitudes and told no one, then tried to make myself look like a guy with a normal personality, however that wasn't really me. Later, I met a senior through my high school classmates, he always liked to talk to me, like to teach me homework, like to be close to me, at that time I thought I probably liked him, until one day he asked me to go out with him, I immediately agreed to him, I thought that day was my happiest moment, but I never thought it was my most painful moment.

We kissed, a crazy kiss that at one point made me think something crazier was going to happen next, but after the kiss, he pushed me away, when he looked at me like I was an earthworm crawling out of the sludge, and at the same time my high school classmate came out of the corner with a cell phone that took a video of us kissing.

They told me to trade money if I didn't want my mother to know her only son was gay, and the other day I asked the senior in disbelief if he hadn't had a crush on me from the start.

"Are you stupid? You really think I'm in love with you? Just holding you makes me sick!"

That day, I stood there like a silly dog watching the man I thought liked me and the man who thought he was a good friend laughing freely, he said at first he suspected I didn't like girls and just wanted to verify, not expecting to end up extorting money from me, how long did I give them money continuously? It's been three months.

I also often wonder why I don't like girls. Why should I like boys?

That day, crossing the road ready to go home I almost got hit by a car, it was he called me again and said to come to me for money, I don't know what madness I had to say back to him, I said I would never give them money again. Maybe it was the face of the man who saved my life that popped into my head, and I finally managed to muster up the courage to come out with my mom, telling her I was gay.

I thought my mother would be angry and would stink and scold me for being her only son, that I let her down, however, she just cuddled with me and cried with a headache and then apologized to me, "You're right, my son is not at fault, to say who is at fault, it's my fault, I didn't find out in time, I'm sorry...sorry!"

My mom held me and cried like the day she decided to divorce my dad when she said she felt guilty for leaving me without a father. But I know that it was my dad who cheated and that mom's decision was not wrong. In the same way, Mom said I was not wrong and would always be her son no matter what I became.

From that point on, I decided that no matter what happened, I would never let myself be threatened with being Gay, and I also decided not to tell my mother about being blackmailed, I didn't want to upset her anymore, I was happy enough that she accepted my sexuality.

I don't know why I told Ae all of this, but I told him all of it anyway, and I confided in him like a brain in desperate need of an outlet. And Ae just listened quietly, not interrupting, not interjecting, not speaking, and for a moment I thought he might be as disgusted with me as the others.

After I finished my story, I didn't dare to turn my head to see how Ae looked, and by this time people were already picking up their cars in the parking lot, but I didn't bother to care how others would look at me.

This time the sky began to change color, the sun was not so toxic, the sun at three in the afternoon became soft, at this moment I was silent, I was also silent, I buried my head and stared at the tip of my shoes to see, perhaps, to lose a friend again.

Suddenly.

"You're not going to cry anymore, are you trying to drown someone with your tears?" I was startled when Ae pressed hard on my head, feeling the other person stand up and the sight involuntarily lookup.

"If he comes after you again, you tell me, I'm in Engineering College but heading to the football field." Ae finished and looked back at me with a dumbfounded look on his face, his laughter sounded loudly in the parking lot. The laugh made me think that even though he wasn't as handsome as the schoolboy, as soon as he smiled, it easily made my heart skip a beat.

"Crying like a flowery cat, don't look at me with such eyes, I'm not disgusted with you, isn't being gay just like other humans? You can get up now, I have to go to training later." Ae smiled and held out his hand to me, and I hesitated, finally mustering up the courage to put it in his palm, and just as he said, I felt his great strength and pulled me up in just a moment.

"Can you go home alone?"

"Yes, my car...this is it." I pointed to the Mercedes he was leaning on and said, Ae looked at me with amazed eyes, then muttered to himself about the Khun-chai or something, I didn't feel angry after hearing it because Ae's tone didn't mean to look down on people, it just had a kind of self-loathing meaning in itself.

"Well, then be safe when you get home and talk to your mom properly, or that bastard will make your life in trouble if he sends her a video before you confess to your mom, and this face of yours with the corners of your mouth bruised like that." He reminded me of what was waiting for me at home, which made me suddenly hesitate, but turned back and said, "Want me to take you to Engineering College?" Ae looked back at me as well, then shrugged, "No, I came by bike." He pointed to the bicycle in the distance, a boy a few centimeters shorter than me was ready to walk towards his bike, but I felt that he was much stronger than me. I sat dumbfounded with my school bag.

"Eh......."

"You hurry up too, don't anything happen to you here alone again, hurry up or I'll be late for training." The tone sounded unconcerned, but Ae stood still and didn't leave, having to watch me get into the car, wanting to say something, but not knowing what to say, all he could do was start the car and leave the parking lot, only to see him walk to his bike and ride off in the opposite direction.

As bad as today's experience made me feel, I covered my hand over my chest and felt it beating powerfully as if it was going to jump out of my chest the next second.

I tried to restrain myself from liking boys, but I... still... fell in love with a boy again, and this time it felt completely different than the last time.

I think I'm in love with Ae.

The boy who was thin and small, but broad-minded.

Would he hate me if I told him I liked him?

"Might as well try to make an effort."

And my story with him... from that day on, began...

...****************...

In the evening, Pete is driving his car on campus, normally he would drive directly to the parking lot because he is afraid that the parking space is full and there is no place to park, but today, he drove the car to the ... football field.

"Hey, why am I here?" He drove to the soccer field and found it-empty, muttering to himself that only a few students were waiting for the school tram on the side of the road not far from the soccer field and that he was bored with the jasmine garland hanging from the front mirror, looking down listlessly at the hands he had placed on his knees.

The hand placed on the knee gradually became hot, and even the whole face began to flush.

“Ai’Pete, ah Ai'Pete, are chance encounters really that easy?" With that said, he lifted his head and headed out towards the green football field, wanting to wait a little longer to make sure he'd be here after 7:00 to run or do something else. After just thinking about it, he eased the limo seat down and lay down.

Pete himself knows very well that he deserves to wait for him like this, even though the other party has already said to go to him if anything happens, but for someone who he has only met twice and only knows the other party's name, how can he be so brave as to go to someone else? Just because they said they could go to him?

The mere thought of it is already a shame.

This shy person thought about the endless questions and waited for the person he wanted to see. On the way to the parking lot, the little boy drove almost halfway around the school before showing a look of disappointment, just so he could run into him in passing at the Engineering College.

"The Faculty of Engineering has three buildings in total, how can this be a chance encounter? Why am I so childish as a child?" The little boy sighed in disappointment and it was almost eight o'clock before he pulled into the parking lot.

Although more than half an hour had been wasted, Pete didn't regret it at all, as long as it was worth it to meet the man who had helped him, even if it was just one side.

Unbeknownst to the little boy, however, there were less than five minutes between them.

“Ai’Ae, you'd better pedal faster, we're late, see!" A half new and half old bicycle flew by the front of the building at high speed, a fiery look that drew the attention of many people.

The guy in the backseat who kept yelling was pretty tall, the cyclist was a little shorter than him, presumably, no one would have thought that someone as short as him could ride so fast with someone taller than himself sitting at the back and that the cyclist looked so soft. Not at all! He waited for the bicycle with both feet darting, and now and then, he showed a disdainful expression towards the back.

"Step on it! The last time I went to class, I got a good punishment from that four-eyed katoey, and if I'm late again, I'll be dead for sure!" Ae rolled her eyes viciously at the back, hating enough to want to kick him off. He got up at 4:30 a.m. to go for a run in the playground and came back to the dormitory to see this bitch still sleeping on all fours like a dead pig, unable to wake up from her screams, and now he knew he was rushing me.

"You just shut up! Also, don't call your teacher a four-eyed chicken! Take care of yourself... "

"You might as well shut up and hurry up and ride your bike before you drop a dog and eat shit!" Pond yelled, screaming like a madman, and behaved in a way that was almost identical to his handsome appearance.

Skr......

"Hey!!!" Pond screamed loudly as his short friend dragged the bike to a stop with both feet, i.e. bullish and handsome, until the bike came to a complete stop.

"You get out of the bike and run there yourself, I'll go park the car first," the football player with a magnetic voice turned around impatiently and said, that murderous tone made the teenager who had brought nothing but a pen to school immediately jump out of the bike.

"Thank you, ah, you should be in a hurry too, especially since your legs are so short... hey!"

The man who was joking about his friend momentarily screamed again, and it turned out to be Ae who slammed the backpack in his face, and Pond narrowly missed the catch.

"Get my bag up there too, hurry up or you'll be late!" Just after the reminder, Pond ran off into the building in a huff, Ae locking his bike with his head down, indicating a headache.

"I think I was wrong, how could I have chosen him to be my roommate!" Ae mumbled sullenly, in fact, he would prefer to live in a dormitory alone, or with other new friends, Pond was his high school friend but did not expect to go to college and still have that evil mannered self, but then again he actually cried and called him three times, demanding to live with him in a dormitory.

"Oh no, we all know our background, and it's convenient to live together, you should be happy to live in a dormitory with me.”

I really want a dorm room with you oh!!!!

Thinking about it, he got up and immediately ran towards the building, unaware that just ten minutes ago, there was a man here who wanted to meet him by chance.

Pete gasped and walked into the classroom, one hand rubbing his chest as he just wandered around the inside of the campus so much so that the parking spaces were filled, and finally found a spot near the football field, but there was no International College shuttle in that area, and taxis wouldn't pass through a place like this, plus the neighborhood was full of students who were in as much of a hurry as he was, waiting to hit the mo.

Finally, it took nearly half a run to see the campus bus.

Pete walked into the classroom in stride, not caring at all how people looked at him, just bowed his head and walked towards the door, then sat down quietly, everyone looking at him probably thinking he was late, but he wasn't.

“Ai’Pete's pretty handsome today."

"Well, even the sweaty look is handsome," the two girls inside the classroom whispered as they exchanged a soft ear, the corners of their eyes peeking out towards the teenager who was gently arranging his school uniform, but his eyes were focused on the top of the textbook on his desk.

"I want to go over and talk to him!"

"Go on then, Pete. He's very nice for a man. I've spoken to him before, very gentlemanly as if it were like a prince walking out of a fairy tale, and I haven't heard him say any dirty words in over a month since school started!" After saying that several of her female friends looked towards him.

"I've talked to him too, I love the way he smiles when he's shy, it's adorable,"

"But I don't dare to go up there and hit on him, what to do, I've never seen him being special to anyone!" Another girl said softly.

"Well, that's right, I agree with you, I feel like he is not in a fight with the world, he doesn't bother anyone, he doesn't treat anyone in particular, I feel like he is as cool as a lot of other handsome guys in the department, but..." the other man continued after a pause, "He just attracts a lot of attention from the girls, doesn't he?" The moment the words were spoken, they caused the group to burst into laughter, and the person in question listened from a distance and unconsciously squeezed his hand on the table.

I really want to see you... I really do!

In the end, although Pete told himself to wait until the afternoon to try his luck, after school in the morning, those who liked to eat in the school canteen or those who liked to go out to eat, invited him to come along, and finally came to a small cafeteria near the school dormitory, sitting with a tired face.

Why is it so hard to want to meet someone?

Ding

"Hello, I'd like strong cocoa, extra strong, no sugar added... people who drink this have a lot of things to do" Pete was sitting in his seat just about to drink his own mocha milk cap when he saw a man coming in front of him, ordering a drink in a loud voice...

And the drink he ordered sounded so interesting that Pete couldn't help but look up......

Walking in was a tall, melon-faced teenager, wearing a school uniform with his tie loosely tied low and a sweet smile at the waiter.

"And then ask for a strawberry smoothie, something a little sweeter oh hello beauty." Pete immediately bowed his head and hid his almost laughing look, the shopkeeper was about four years older than him and still being molested like that, but the shopkeeper immediately replied.

"The first one is not sweet, is it? Little brother."

"Yes, no milk, no sugar, nothing, because the person who drinks this is crazy."

"Are you kidding me?"

The teenager who ordered the coffee giggled, thinking about how to fix him, and then gently said to the shopkeeper, "A little bit sweet would be nice but make it a little bitter, it's perfect!

"Then why don't you just order an espresso?"

"Oops, how about that, it's already noon, my friend doesn't drink caffeine," finished and made a forked gesture.

Pete couldn't help but want to meet the tasty man, to see how he reacted after drinking the drink?

But... it doesn't seem to be any of my business...

The teenager with his head bowed and sipping matcha was about to go to lunch before taking his chances over the football field and finally heading back to the department.

Ding

“Ai’Pond, what took you so long to buy a drink? I even went to the dorm to get the books and you didn't even buy them!"

Fxxk!

This familiar voice came along with the sound of the shop opening, Pete's entire body stiffened instantly, his heart was beating abnormally fast in his chest, his hand holding the mocha was even a little shaky...

"!!!!" When he looked up, his eyes suddenly brightened, and the person who appeared in front of him was... Ai’Ae!

A lean man walked in with a textbook in his hand, a slight look of impatience on his face, this boy without anything special, was so ordinary, especially when standing with his tall friend, more like a green leaf that sets off others, easily forgotten...

But not for Pete... at the moment, the only thing in his eyes was the ordinary man in front of him.

Ae looked a little impatient, her hair was a little messy, her school uniform was particularly tight on her broad chest, and the corners of her clothes were exposed on the outside of her trousers, wearing a pair of "vintage" shoes that were half new and half old.

It's only a few short seconds to be able to see something still very one-sided, but it's enough to make an impression on anyone watching him...

I wonder if it was because Pete's eyes were all about him at the moment, so he didn't have time to avoid his gaze when Ae turned around and saw him, and the two's eyes just collided, Ae was first shocked, then smiled.

That smile made the person who was sitting there intoxicated as if in a big dream, his cheeks actually flushed.

That same smile as yesterday.

Jesus!

"Hey, Pete, what are you doing here?" Ae walked into his desk as he spoke, Pete at a loss for words, his mind still on the things he had confessed to him yesterday!

He confessed to him that he was a gay man, but today one could sense from the look in Ae's eyes that he hadn't changed much from yesterday.

"Well... "

"He didn't bully you again yesterday, did he?" Ae suddenly changed the subject, the impatient look that had just been there instantly turning to worry, and he shook his head to indicate no.

"It's gone silent, er... thank you."

"Thank you for what, why do you have to say thank you every time you see me?" Ae shook his head and smiled as he looked at the handsome Khun-chai in front of him, in fact, at the moment he was also thinking about him, planning to go to the parking lot this afternoon to try his luck and see if he could meet him, I did not expect to meet in this small cafe by chance.

"Thank you... for helping me yesterday," his heart was beating violently, and he tried to smooth out his tone of voice so that the other party wouldn't notice, and the other party just picked at his eyebrows.

"You've thanked me enough... what did your mother say?"

Pop!

"Who is this, Ae?" The short man was about to continue asking when someone tapped him on the back, and the flatulent Pond suddenly ran over and stared at Pete with a nosy look on his face, and Pete had to smile at him.

"Hello."

Hmmm, actually so polite and well-dressed, and also so handsome, I didn't expect this shorty to actually know someone so gentlemanly.

"Um, hello hello, are you a friend of Ae? Hey, why haven't I seen you before, is it the football team?"

"Hello, gossip!" Before Pond could continue to ask some strange questions, Ae turned to him and cursed.

"Have you ever disgraced me like that!"

Ae smiled shallowly as if to say, how long are you going to gossip about me, Ae reached out and tried to punch at Pond, who ducked backward.

Who would have thought that a person so small in front of his eyes could have such explosive power!

"Well, it occurs to me that I haven't paid yet, so you guys talk first!" After saying that and ran towards the counter, no need to think to know, Pond still had his ears perked up listening to what they were saying, he was too eager to know who this Khun-chai was, as a friend of many years Ae already knew that Pond had not given up gossip, Ae turned around and looked, then changed the subject.

"You haven't told me what you're doing running around here. Doesn't the International Academy have a canteen too?"

"Oh ooh, he is still a student at the International Academy."

"Miss, how much is the total?" Ae turned to look again, and Pond immediately looked back at the waiter as if to say: I didn't eavesdrop on you!

"Well... just in time I..." want to see you.

Pete immediately swallowed the latter words back, he did not dare to say so rashly, although he liked the person in front of him, his experience told him that the other party could not like himself, he was just kind enough to come over and help, and there was nothing he did not want, he could only laugh and forcefully make up an excuse.

"I couldn't find a parking spot this morning, so I parked across the football field."

"That's pretty far!"

"Well... yes." Pete laughed dryly, bowing his head and sipping his drink to relieve the awkwardness, he was already short on words, he didn't know what to say at the moment, and the light from the corner of his eye saw that Pond had already bought a drink and walked over, which showed that... there was probably no way to go on talking.

"Well, here's yours!" Pond walked over with 2 drinks and placed the bitter cocoa on the table, Pete was just about to ask for a reminder when Pond gestured with a finger over his mouth, gesturing for him not to say anything, Ae turned to look at Pond, who was pretending as if he was drinking his own strawberry smoothie, sneaking off to look elsewhere.

This kid must have done something.

Ae thought in his mind, but didn't say it, looking at the two people across from him, Pete could only dryly smile, but that alone had given the footballer a lot of information.

"I've changed my mind, I'm not drinking cocoa, I'm switching with you!"

"Don't, don't you just hate drinking sweet? My cup is very sweet, so sweet that I can kill you. You order your own cocoa and drink it yourself, but they made it for you with their hearts. Pond yelled, shaking his head repeatedly and refusing to change it, but felt that the sentence was so sweet that it seemed to attract the shopkeeper's displeasure.

"But I just wanted something sweet today, I spent so much energy pedaling my bike early in the morning and needed a little more sugar."

"How about a lollipop, then?" Pond said, still not giving up.

"No, it's what you say is good to drink ha, then you drink it," Ae finished and shoved the drink into Pond's hand, he was just about to say no when Ae continued, "Did you order some weird drink for me to drink?"

"No way!!!! Would I fxxk do it for you? Not at all!" Pond replied while raising the volume and taking a big gulp of bitter cocoa.

"Well, it's all said and done, it's especially good!" Pond said to him through gritted teeth, pretending to be calm, and Ae took the cocoa and gulped it down.

It's not bitter to see you this time, after seeing Ae take a big gulp, and then...

"Well, it's pretty good!"

Fxxk! How can you say it's good when it's so bitter? What's your throat made of?

Since the whole thing hadn't worked out, Pond was so angry that he wanted to blow his head off, and Ae turned around just in time to lock eyes with Pete, the Khun-chai at the end of his seat, who smiled softly at him.

This smile seemed to be mocking the friend behind him, but in his eyes, this smile felt as if there was a feeling of not being able to say. It feels like it's making the good Ae a little "bad bad".

"Oh, eh! I'm going to dinner. Are you going? Or are you going to have a chat with your friend here?"

Pete was stunned, secretly relieved even though he already knew the other man's answer.

"Go on, it just so happens I'm hungry too!"

"Uh, see you next time then."

Hearing this, the polite teenager smiled softly at him and gestured that there was no problem, a light flashed in his eyes as Ae got up, then looked down at the sandwich he had only eaten a little bit, Ae got up and turned around again and asked.

"Have you had your lunch yet?"

"Well, uh... " Pete pointed to the sandwich for the person in front of him but shook his head feeling like he didn't see it.

"This is a snack at best for me, it's probably digested in 10 minutes, how can it serve as a lunch? Come on, I'll show you what it means to have a real lunch!" Ae admitted that he saw the same kind of eyes he felt, just didn't want him to go, and it must have been boring eating alone, so he invited him along, to put it bluntly, he was worried about him.

Not to mention the cyclists, it's the cyclists who think they can't starve to death if they eat this much!

The person who was worried about his friend didn't know how happy the Khun-chai was at this moment, but he was more or less embarrassed.

"Ugh, won't you be embarrassed?"

"Embarrassed about what? Oh, you mean Pond? You'll know him when you talk to him later." Ae said simply, this is how it is between men, there are not too many complicated expressions, after a few words of chatting, it will naturally become familiar.

Who knows? Maybe he's afraid he'll run into something again when he's here alone!

Both sides looked at each other as if one was waiting for an answer and the other was hesitating...

Ding thump.

"I said are you guys going or not? I'm so hungry I could eat a whole deer right now!" Pond walked in again as if gesturing for the footballer to ask him if he was going or not.

Although Pete was a little embarrassed, it felt as if a force was pushing behind him.

"Go for it."

It shouldn't be wrong for him to sneer.

Ae looked at him again, feeling that he really was an unapologetic Khun-chai, as he said that he had never come to the school cafeteria for a meal, even though it was the second semester, and when he brought him to buy a meal, he was also cringing, constantly being crowded by other students, and never making it to the hitting aunt.

Standing and looking at the empty plate in his hand for a long time, he couldn't help but sigh.

"What do you want to eat?" The footballer asked as he took the plate from him, while the other side just looked at him in a daze.

"Uh, whatever."

"I really am infinitely sick of your random words!" Although his mouth said so, but still squeezed into the crowd to help him buy rice, less than 20 seconds to buy a bowl of curry rice back to stand in front of him, Pete opened his eyes wide and looked at him and asked.

"Oh ooh, how did you do that?"

"One should ask why you can't do that, right? Can't you buy food for a man so big?" Pete had a bit of a sullen look on his face, feeling as if he had embarrassed him, and Ae sighed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders for him to keep up.

"I don't mean to blame you, I'm just a little worried about you," Ae said simply, then led the way towards the table, a smile finally appearing on the sullen Khun-chai's face.

The cafeteria is full of people, the dishes are simple, and Pond's lively voice makes this young man who has never left the International Academy feel more relaxed than ever before, perhaps because... Maybe it's because... there are people around who want to meet!

By this time Pete was already on the campus tram, and sitting next to his window was the football player.

"Why don't you ride my bike to class, Pond, you're farther away than me this afternoon."

"Ow, so how are you going to get there? Run over there? Ai'Shorty!"

"Believe it or not I kicked you to death, its the afternoon run your sister! I'll take the tram with Pete later."

Just thinking about it like that, there was a warm flow into the heart, an unspeakable feeling. Maybe he was overthinking himself, maybe he was too narcissistic, maybe he just wasn't comfortable with himself.

"Are you okay? It's a little hot oh?" asked Ae as she turned around. See, the voice was somewhat fierce but caring, and Pete smiled at him and said.

"Okay, not particularly hot."

"I really believe you when you're all sweaty and say you're not hot!" After saying that, Ae's voice trailed off, probably because the car was about to turn, and the breeze was cool on his cheeks.

"Eh... " the car was turning, and the person next to it was bending over because of inertia, and our knees touched together, and the person sitting inside instantly blushed.

This time of year was particularly hot, crowded, and the sun was poisonous, not a hint of romance, but the Khun-chai's eyes were on the knees where the pair touched together.

An inexplicable feeling of shyness instantly filled his whole body... ...

"... ... " he didn't speak.

"......" Ae didn't speak either.

But this silence was not at all awkward, only the heart was heard beating enthusiastically...

"I wanted to see you."

"Huh? What did you say?"

He turned to look at me, but the sound of the wind overwhelmed those words.

"No, nothing!"

Ae shrugged, and it wasn't long after, almost to the time of the International Academy, that Ae stood up with one hand reaching over to ring the bell, the other gripping his shoulder tightly...

"Hey, are you down here too?" Pete asked with a dumbfounded look on his face as Ae pulled him along and got out of the car, Ae didn't say anything, knowing that after the school bus left, only the two of them were left standing on the curb.

"When you get in the car in the future, remember to look at the signs, see which car goes through which places, get up and ring the bell when you want to get out like I just did, and next time you park far away, you'll know how to ride."

"!!!!"

Pete froze as he listened to his fierce tone, and Ae ended without forgetting to ask.

"Got it?"

"Uh, well, then?"

"Because you can't ride a tram!"

This is what the Khun-chai was speechless to say, shyly lowered his head to admit, secretly glad that he had parked his car so far away.

"Will take the tram now... hey! I'll talk to you next time, I'll be late in a while," Ae said as he looked down at his watch and hurriedly opened his eyes wide. Then he makes a goodbye gesture to say he's leaving... and then he runs off towards the tram.

Leaving Pete alone to stand in front of the International Academy building.

Just now... Ai’Ae was accompanying me... right?

The thought made him feel a tinge of happiness in his heart and made him feel... he was taking care of him.

Pete

It's past 10pm, but I've just finished my homework and showered. I was wiping my hair with a towel in one hand, but my gaze stayed on my knees.

The scene that took place at noon and the thumping sensation reverberated in my mind again. The warmth of the sun, the sour smell of sweat, the hot breath, and the lingering warmth of the knees leaning against each other.

Suddenly!

"You're so upset, Pete! Just shy of that little thing?" I hurried to block my face with the end of the towel while burying my face in my lap as I felt my face burning with heat. I really can't figure it out, I just ended a bad relationship and been cheated on and hurt by the person I love. But why, as soon as I met Ae, I would trust that he would not hurt me, trust that he would not treat me like that senior.

But Ae just thinks of me as a friend.

Then this answer burst into my heart so quickly that my shyness instantly disappeared, leaving only a light breath, and then a smile, a smile that came from the heart, broke out on my face.

"I don't expect Ae to like me, I just want Ae to think of me as a good friend and that's all I want."

It's no big deal! I think it was a mistake to have a "more than a friend" feeling for my benefactor, but I kept it secret in my heart, and Ae was so nice, he wouldn't have blamed me.

Giggle

“Ai’Pete, are you asleep?" Before I could say a word my room door had been opened and then Mom came in rightfully.

"Not yet, what's wrong Mom?" I immediately piled on a smile and said to my mom.

My mom is a very pretty woman with smooth, beautiful black hair, but usually, she likes to tie her hair in a ponytail and hang it down her back. She was a gentle and understanding mother when she was with me, but when she was at work she was the look of a competent strong woman. My mom owns a very prestigious mid-sized hotel in town that is ranked among the best in the industry. My mom is beautiful, capable, and excellent, but she is also my favourite mom and I love her more than anyone else in the world.

"Seeing that you can smile puts me at ease."

Well...

I was momentarily stunned by my mother's words, who at this point gently stroked my still damp hair with her hand, then grabbed a towel and helped me wipe it up.

"It's easy to see that you've been preoccupied for a few days, and it makes me happy to see that you can smile now."

"I'm sorry mom." All I knew was to keep my head down and my voice so small that I could barely hear my guilt, after all, I had suddenly come out to my mother. Then this move of mine caused Mom to stop and she sat down on the edge of my bed.

"You haven't done anything wrong! Why are you saying sorry to Mom?"

"I did wrong, I'm not a normal person," is all I can do, keeping my head down and not daring to look my mom in the eyes while I think about what my ex-boyfriend did to her.

My sexual orientation is disgusting!

Suddenly.

"Look at Mama, boy... " my mother lifted my chin in her hand to make eye contact, and then she unfolded a smile, her eyes blazing without being gentle, her other hand caressing my face.

"You didn't do anything wrong, you didn't do it on purpose at all. Mom told you that no matter what your choices are, Mom will support you unconditionally and give you confidence, and Mom will never hurt you." I felt like I was about to cry out and my eyes were quickly heating up, especially when I made eye contact with my mom, and the more guilt I felt, the more love I felt for my mom at the same time.

Mom gave me a gentle hug immediately after she saw it.

"My Pete is a good boy, you know, Hm, and every time Mom thinks about you choosing to live with Mom instead of Dad, I'm so thankful. You are my heart's muscles, priceless, and cannot be exchanged for anything. Don't think of yourself as the odd man out, don't think of yourself as different from others, because it's hard for mommy whenever she sees you unhappy."

I burst into tears again and clasped my hands around my mother.

It was because I knew that in my mother's eyes I was the most important, that the day I was threatened, I was afraid that my mother would be sad and willingly blackmailed for three months.

Similarly, if mom was in pain, I would be in even more pain.

"I love you Mom!" I gently let that out, and Mom released me a little, then took a towel and helped me wipe the tears from my face.

"You're eighteen oh, and you're crying like a three-year-old!" Mom joked, and I smiled embarrassedly, then wiped the rest of the tears away with the back of my hand and gave Mom back a sunken smile.

"How was your day at school?" As soon as Mom asked about it, I remembered... Ai’Ae.

"I've met a new friend today, ah, I haven't told you about it yet! The last time I almost got hit by a car, he was the one who saved my life. He was really nice, that time he took me to the school doctor's office on his bicycle and stayed with me. I met him today and he asked me to go to dinner with him, which I'm still embarrassed about. Mom, I haven't even been in the school cafeteria before, and I still had to ask him to buy me food, and he even taught me how to ride the school tram... ah, I'm so ashamed that I hadn't ridden the school tram after more than a semester in this school... "

As soon as Ae was mentioned, I was talking out of my mind, I had only met him three times, but felt like I had a lot to say about him. Mom listened attentively, laughing while listening, and made a comment in between.

"He seems like such a good boy and a good friend."

"Yes! He's very good, really very good... ah... " I suddenly had a feeling that I had been set up by my mother, so I hurriedly shut my mouth, and when my mother saw it, she smiled and said.

"Go on! Mom would love to hear about this person... it's Ae right?" After Mom finished, I went on, but by the time I realized again that Mom was still setting me up, my trump card was all lit up in front of her.

No, it won't! Just good friends! Mom wouldn't know... would she?

Many days have passed since I last saw Ae, and until it's been almost a week we haven't even seen him. But I've gotten used to parking my car next to the football field and staring at it alone and giggling. Because here are some of the little details that I know about him.

However, since I arrived a little earlier than usual today, the football field was sparsely populated and the school tram was full of people, so there was still plenty of time. That's for sure, my morning class doesn't start until 10:00 and it's just over 6:00. So I had to get out of the car and walk along the football field, tapping my hand against the fence that separates the field from the school path as I walked.

The morning air in the university was so refreshing that I couldn't help but take a deep breath. Just as I was enjoying the rare silence, I turned my head and happened to see the school security brother standing next to a car. If that car wasn't mine, I wouldn't have been blushing in an instant...

"Where's the yellow-haired kid that parked his car here again! You think I wouldn't dare to kick you out if you drive a Mercedes? Are you blind? Can't you see there's no parking here? This place is for college employees!" I was instantly scared out of my mind by the words of my security guard brother, especially his fierce eyes, which made me lose my mind. I didn't feel right about turning around and leaving, and didn't dare to admit it by walking straight up, because I really didn't know there was no parking there!

In the end, I decided to run up to Brother Security.

"Uh... brother... "

"What the hell!" The brother suddenly turned around and yelled with an impatient face, I was startled.

"This is my car... I'll drive it now and park it somewhere else." I saw the Security Brother pause, his pupils dilated momentarily, he must not have expected the owner of the car to be right in front of him. But he immediately adjusted his stance, cleared his throat, and then raised his head to stare at me.

"Nong, don't you know, there's no parking here! Don't think I won't kick you out just because you drive a Mercedes! It doesn't matter what brand of car it is, breaking school rules is breaking school rules ah, I'm treating everyone all the same." As if he was unforgivable, the security guard gradually raised his voice quite a bit, intending to make me feel embarrassed, I immediately made a salute to him and kept shouting my apologies.

"Sorry ah big brother, I'll stop somewhere else right away."

"Well, school rules are school rules! Nowadays, children like to show their superiority, show off their wealth and do whatever they want, without even thinking about the feelings of others..." I immediately lowered my head, and in my heart I wanted to argue with him, to tell him that I did not want to show my superiority or show off my wealth or anything. But I knew I was at fault first, and I had to stand there without a word and listen to his admonition. Slowly I felt my face start to burn as the crowd of students on the sidelines grew larger and larger, whispering and pointing fingers at me.

"Brother, I don't know... "

"Don't know or don't care!!!!"

"I don't know if he has the money to do whatever he wants or if you're trying to have your behavior justified."

"!!!!"

I immediately turned my head to look back, only to see the man my heart desires stumbling over with two shoes in one hand. Only to see his expression is serious and fierce, viciously staring at Security Brother, Security Brother also has a tone high, a big fight is about to be triggered.

"He's apologized, he's said he didn't know, what more do you want from him? Do you want him to kneel down and prostrate himself in front of you? All you have to do is get out of the way and let him take the car away, and that's it? And you, don't park your car here in the future. got it?"

"Um, got it." I just whispered a low reply and then looked at Ae, who at the moment was tit-for-tat with the security brother as if to argue.

"What's it to you?"

"None of my business, but I couldn't resist standing by. You see him as a bully, you have to be unforgiving. Yes, you're here to represent the school rules, but he didn't even know that before, what more do you want from him!" Ae asked the other party back in a nonchalant manner, and with a seriousness that refused to admit defeat, which made the man who had been so angry just now a bit restless, and finally, Ae suddenly twisted his head and turned in the other direction.

"Big brother, you have so much time, why don't you go look over there. There's a parking violation there, too!" Brother Security immediately looked in that direction and muttered with a displeased face.

"What's up with the little kids these days!!!!" He said that without forgetting to turn around and say it to me in a serious way.

"Don't park here next time!" After saying that, he walked in that direction, towards the dark car that had stopped to prepare to pick up his friend.

After his big brother left, Ae looked at me with a sullen look on his face, making me feel uncomfortable.

"It's a lot of trouble every time I see you, Pete!"

"Right or not... "

"If you're going to apologize, why don't you hurry up and move your car! Security will be back in a minute!" Ae immediately interrupted me and said with a playful face. I don't know if he saw my shoulders droop, but he showed a fascinating smile at once. He looked at me like a child and patted me vigorously on the shoulder.

"Hurry up and there's no parking here again... oh, just wait for me in the parking lot of the IC building and I'll ride to pick you up later."

"!!!!" I only knew that my pupils were wide open, wondering why he was picking me up, this expression was seen by him, and he then couldn't help but lookup.

"You must be going to the school cafeteria for breakfast this early in the morning, I'll go with you later, I'm so hungry my belly is against my spine... uh, I'll go ride first then." Ae looked at me, waiting for my answer. Then do I have any other choice but... can't wait to nod my head in agreement, he saw this scene and long ago threw the fierce look just now to the nine clouds, and replaced it with a sunny smile.

"Ow, so you're going along."

"Well, yeah yeah." After saying that, I immediately ran to open the car door and burrowed into the driver's seat in a huff. I sat back down and turned back to Ae, who, it turned out, was already running toward the dorm area in small, broken steps. I hurriedly pulled into the parking lot with a peachy face and parked my car.

Every encounter was a bunch of trouble, but every time there was trouble... Ai’Ae would show up by chance to relieve me.

Ae

Do you believe that? I'm snickering now, laughing and sympathizing with this sweet little master.

I left my sneakers at the soccer field today, so I was going to come down and get them back to my dorm after I showered and go to the cafeteria for something to eat. On the way back to the dormitory after finding the shoes, I happened to see Pete bowing his head in apology to his security brother, with several other gourd-eating crowds next to him. The image of the Khun-chai chanting "yes, yes, yes" immediately came to my mind, and his face must have been terrified by this scene.

I'm so sorry, I decided to give a shout out when I saw it coming.

Honestly, if I hadn't seen Pete in this predicament before, maybe I would have been pointing fingers at him like the rest of the melon eating crowd. The handsome Khun-chai, well-dressed and polite, with a soft voice and a smile on his face, should still be the kind of person you can't approach.

What did that stinking Pond say about me? "Commoner Kid"? That's probably what it means.

People like me and Pete can't get along. But ever since I met him, I felt that he, a student of the International Academy who drives a Mercedes Benz, was more down-to-earth and protective than I thought.

But it's certainly not the kind of protection you rotten girls think it is.

In my eyes, Pete is a child, the kind of harmless little titty dog who is not confident and is easily frightened, making you feel an overwhelming desire to protect. So, this protective desire of mine is supposed to be the kind that big brothers want to protect and take care of their little brothers, not between friends.

Every time I see this cautious, nerdy, and naturally harmless expression that belongs exclusively to him, I secretly decide in my heart... I can't just leave him alone and let him do what he wants like I do with my other friends.

Between my high school douchebag nemesis, Dear, and this polite young man, I dare to give out my precious shoes, Pete is making me more protective of him than that Dear.

Thinking about it, I decided to shout at Pond, who was sleeping like a dead pig, up and told him to get himself to class. . He just mumbled something out of his mouth, then turned around and hugged the pillow with the picture of Knotty Knotty in it and went on dreaming of spring and autumn, oh no "autumn". Want to know which picture it is? You guys might as well not know about it and just keep this as one of the few secrets left to Pond. After saying that, I hurried downstairs to get my car, and then I rode against the cool morning breeze towards the parking lot where the "Hero Saves Moe" was once performed.

It wasn't long before I saw him standing by the limousine with a look of disbelief, guessing he thought I looked like an ambassador for peace - would stand him up.

As soon as he saw me, he immediately smiled, and this happy smile instantly disintegrated my entire person, making me more protective of him than ever.

It's a smile like a nerdy little posh getting his favorite toy.

"Get on." I "ordered" him and he seemed to be familiar with my bike. Without saying a word, he got in the back seat of my bike, not scowling like last time. But his hands only dared to gently tug at the corners of my shirt, with a very unconfident look.

I shook my head slightly, thinking about how he'd said he was gay earlier, maybe he thought I'd resent him.

This guy is overthinking it too.

Silence...

"I'm not ticklish, scratch if you want, I'm afraid I won't be able to account for your mother if you go headfirst and break your face for a while." I grabbed his hands and sent them towards my own waist, letting him hold me tight, I didn't know what his expression was at that moment, so I hurriedly and vigorously kicked my feet and set off. Again, human, so why is he so much lighter than that Pond? I barely had to pedal hard enough, and I hurriedly slowed my pedalling to look back at him.

"You're too light, too, Pete, how tall are you?"

"174."

"Weight?"

"Uh... I should be 48... right?"

Zizi...

"Oops!" I opened my eyes wide and squeezed the brakes with a look of surprise, followed by a scream from the rear. Since the back seat of the bike is a little shorter in height than the saddle, his face slammed into the back of my head. His hands around my waist held me tighter, presumably startled by my sharp brakes, but I was taken aback by his reply earlier.

"You're too skinny!"

It's crazy! I'm only 167, and I'm a lot heavier than him.

I calmed down slightly and looked back for him again to find that he was stroking his forehead with both hands, which seemed to be hurting a lot. Yeah, people with brains harder than coconut shells like me feel a little sore, not to mention the fact that he slammed headlong into it.

"Get your hands off me."

I braced the handlebars of the bike with one hand, braced the ground with both feet, and then freed the other to remove his hand, frowning at the same time. Sometimes I really hate this kind of haircut for Korean drama heroes, with his forehead, eyes and eyebrows covered tightly, and when I try to lift up his bangs, I immediately see... redness!

"Oops, I'm sorry! Does it hurt? You're so soft! Just a touch and it's all red." I grumbled subconsciously. Let's be honest, I've never had physical contact with a male friend so gently as I am now rubbing his forehead. Maybe it's because my friends are rough and crazy, even if I have some cute friends, I treat them roughly, but I can't get my hands on Pete.

There are certain traits in him that cause me to be afraid to make casual banter.

"No... it doesn't hurt that much."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure... sure. Aren't you hungry? Let's go, I'll be fine!" He deliberately avoids my gaze, and I don't even know if he hurts or not. His forehead is starting to heat up a bit, and I'm afraid he'll accidentally get heatstroke, but it's not even seven in the morning yet. Since he conclusively said it was fine, I had to turn around.

"I'm hungry, but it's you, not me, who's going to eat more. You really are so skinny, I'm really afraid you'll fall in half if you fall to the ground." I kept nagging him, and maybe like I said before, I was just treating him like a little kid. A person like me, who loves health so much, would never allow someone to get sick in front of me.

However, I also have trouble suppressing certain thoughts in my mind.

Where's Pete? He's got such great skin, he's a blast, so... what was I thinking?

I just thought about the haves and have-nots and continued to pedal the bike, while at the same time, I felt Pete's hands increase to hold me tighter.

Pete

"Go ahead and eat it all!"

I blinked and looked at him, actually I didn't come here specifically for breakfast, I just came for him. My daily breakfast is a glass of milk, a few slices of toast, or something light instead of... like the one Ae was eating, was a plate of chilli fish sauce piled as high as a mountain with a three-course, one-soup topped rice.

And I looked down at my "breakfast" again... a big bowl of thick soup kuey-teow rice noodles sprinkled with fresh vegetables.

He asked me what I wanted to eat, so I struggled to think of something light and told him I wanted some kuey teow. So he disappeared into the wave of foot sounds and left me waiting for him at the table. In the end, he served his rice and my kuey teow rice triumphantly like a general who had won the battle. I wonder if he's close to the old lady who cooks the rice; my bowl of kuey-teow is piled high with bean sprouts, basil leaves and hollow cabbage.

When I was about to give Ae the money for the meal, he flatly refused and said...

"Give me my money back when you've eaten it all, but if you haven't, I don't want it."

He must know, I can't eat all of it.

I shovelled the noodles into my mouth while thinking about it, and at the same time stole a glance at the guy across from me, guessing by the look of him that he was super hungry because he was eating at a rate that was nothing short of windblown. I was about to have a chat with him when I couldn't help but think about the morning again.

"Are you running on the playground?"

"Well, I usually go there at 4:30 a.m. for a run. Any day I'd finish my run I'd go to the Shai Monk and then go back to the dorm to shower before coming down for dinner. That said, you're pretty early, too." I figured it out right away, no wonder I couldn't see him, guessing he'd arrived at the school after running back to the dorm after me.

"Well, because there was a parking grab battle in the morning." I know I'm not telling the whole truth, but the part about the "Great War" is true. My answer amused Ae, and after laughing, he threw me another question.

"By the way, which one of you IC's doesn't have a car ah, you always hog the parking space there, my friends from the School of Science often complain that you take the parking space every time they come late."

"There is, everyone in IC is as rich as everyone thinks."

"Most of them are rich." Well, I knew I couldn't compete with him, so I hurriedly bowed my head and took a sip of the noodle soup.

"By the way, if you come early in the future, you can come and have breakfast with me." I jerked my head up, inwardly bouncing like a fawn, and I didn't expect him to ask for my invitation. But the next thing he knew, he was muttering...

"I'm going to fatten you up."

Ah, it looks like I'm really bone-thin, and rightly so, I can't see when I'm dressed, but if I take my clothes off... it's really just a piece of ribs.

But there was a doubt in my heart that hadn't been answered for a long time and I wanted to know, but I was afraid to ask. Now that the two of us were sitting face to face, I wanted to look into his eyes for a moment, only to find that his eyes had locked on to me and I had to make up my mind to ask him.

"I want to know... don't you think I'm abnormal?"

Alas, I started to get scared again, and he immediately changed to a very fierce expression, quickly reaching his hand over, and I subconsciously squeezed my eyes shut.

... and after a while...

After a while...

It turned out that he just reached over and vigorously pressed my head, putting on a very disdainful expression, then quickly retracted his hand and gently shook his head, speaking to me in a serious and serious tone.

“Ai’Pete, I guess, people around you must be judging the normal and the non-normal by a distant mind. But that's not my standard." Ae's expression was a bit indignant, but he still looked at me with a bit of fierceness, as if I had just belittled him with a very nasty thing.

"Do you think I'm short?"

"Uh... "No, OK, he may not be as tall as me, but he's not very short either. There were more people shorter than him. Every time I see him, many of his qualities make me directly ignore his height.

"For me, I never felt short. All my close friends were taller than me, and sometimes they called me a 'dwarf melon', but to me, I didn't feel short. I'm sure there are a lot of people shorter than me, at least I'm not holding back the height of Thai men... " I didn't know what he was going to say to me, but I listened with a serious face.

"Even though I'm only this small, every time something is in trouble, my friends think of me first, because they never think of me as a short person who can't do what they can do. Since I don't even think I'm short, I have no reason to get mad at people who call me a dwarf. That's what I think about some of my own problems, and what about you Pete, do you think you're normal or abnormal?"

All I could do was look into his eyes quietly, and my eyes must have been trembling at the time, because Ae reached over and touched my head again, his voice much softer than it had just been.

"If you think you're normal, even if the whole world is saying you're an anomaly, then you're still normal, so how would I ever say you were abnormal?"

I've never felt like such a crybaby, but when I felt my eyes start to get a little hot, I hurriedly lowered my head, and Ae reached over and gently touched my head, and immediately lowered it to continue feasting.

He didn't notice that I was constantly blinking my eyes about crying.

"Maybe I'm not the one who knows you best, I don't know how much you can understand what I'm saying, and I'm not very good at talking. Anyway, I've never treated you as an anomaly, and if anyone dares to look at you like that, you hurry up and tell me, and I'll go fix him for you right away!" His words were simple and concise, but once again they warmed my heart and even made me feel a little scared, just keeping my head down and concentrating on the bowl of rice noodles.

I honestly don't know how to judge whether it's good or not, but I think it's just good, very good. By the time I had brought my attention back to the present moment again, I realized that Ae's hand had come up again.

"Huh?"

"The money for your bowl of kowtow!" He raised an eyebrow at me, and that's when I realized I hadn't had this much breakfast in years... but I immediately smiled and reached for my wallet, but where was the money in my wallet...

"Uh... is there anything to find, Ae?"

I wasn't at all surprised when he folded my bowl on his plate with a look of helplessness.

"Forget it, Khun-chai!"

He scolded me, but I had a happy smile on my face and quietly followed him out of the cafeteria.

Then Ae was kind enough to let me take his ride and drive me to the entrance of the college... As soon as his feet propped up on the ground, his phone rang and he hurriedly took it out, looking at the caller ID with a look of disdain.

[BAD BOY!!!!! Laughs]

Even when I was standing so far away, I could hear the soul-chasing curses coming from the other end of the phone, no wonder Ae was so annoyed that he didn't have the good grace to cuss back.

"Don't you come and blame me, I've already called you, you have so much time to scold me, why don't you get up and take a shower and go to class! You stupid buffalo!"

[You've abandoned me! Damn you, Ae! You abandoned me! Ha! You traitor!]

"You retard! See you in the teaching building!" I watched intently as he chatted on the phone, I wanted his number so badly but was afraid to ask for it. I had to stand there quietly, hands clenched. Until I watched him hang up the phone and tuck it back into his school bag, I could only sigh in disbelief.

Well, you're afraid to ask him for it, huh?

"Okay, I'll go first! If you come early tomorrow, you can meet me at the football stadium!"

How am I supposed to find you, Ae...

I just thought about it in my mind, but didn't dare ask, just smiled at him and mentally debated whether to ask him for it.

What to do, Pete, what to do? He's leaving soon.

Sometimes I'm tired of my own cowardice, and when Ae rode off, I could only sigh deeply and turn around, ready to walk into the Academy building with my head down. I thought about how I could repay Ae, but I couldn't even ask him for a phone number.

Zizi...

"Hey, Pete!!!!!"

Shouldn't "Hallelujah" be playing in the background at this point?

"I almost forgot to ask you for the number." I was still a little surprised to hear someone call my name, and then I saw the same bike that was still just now, dropped back and stopped in front of my college, and Ae jumped off the bike that was sliding by, his own phone in his hand, and handed it to me.

"Sorry, I almost forgot, you don't even have my number, how can you find me? I'm sorry... " Ae gave me an invincible smile, causing my hands to shake a bit as I reached out to receive the phone. I felt my face start to burn and thought to myself that it must be the sun too hard. Maybe I should just be brave like him and at least not think too much about what is and what is not.

But the thing that makes me feel happiest right now is that I hear my phone ringing from my pants pocket...

"OK, then I'll note your name as 'Khun-chai', then I'll go." Ae took the phone back and waved it at me. As for me, I'm still standing frozen in place with the corners of my mouth rising...

“Ai’Ae, thank you!" I shouted after him, and the fierce man looked back, dazed, and asked even louder in return.

"Thank me for what?" It was also the first time I had ever smiled so openly at him, I replied simply.

"It's a secret, Ae!" and then I turned and ran into the academy, I knew he'd be clueless, but let him keep clueless, it's just as well.

Thank you Ae, thank you for not knowing how good you are to me...