I had a crush on my childhood best friend for years, but I never dared to confess because he was homophobic. At the New Year's Eve dinner, I unexpectedly heard him say he already liked someone. I, who usually never touched a drop of alcohol, got completely wasted that night. But... drinking ruins things. When I woke up the next morning and saw my best friend on the pillow next to me. I knew I was screwed. Before I even had time to run away, the door was pushed open by a group of people. My best friend's parents, and my own parents, just stood there dumbfounded at the door, staring at us. "Mom, Dad! Mr. and Mrs. Vance! It's not what you..." Before I could finish, my best friend, who had just woken up and was covered in ambiguous marks, put his arm around my shoulder from behind. "It is exactly what you see. We are together." 1 I looked at the person leaning next to me in disbelief. What is he saying? Either I drank too much last night and my brain wasn't clear yet. Or Arthur's brain was broken. "No, we..." The words I was about to say got stuck in my throat because of Arthur's actions. He pulled the blanket and wrapped me up completely. When he spoke again, his voice was a bit hoarse, with a hint of a reckless tone. "How about... you give us some time to get ourselves cleaned up first, and then we'll come out to accept your interrogation?" As soon as Arthur spoke, the expressions of everyone present changed. "Ahem, okay, you guys clean up properly. No rush, no rush. We'll wait for you outside." Just go, just go. If you don't go soon, I'm going to spontaneously combust. My brain hadn't processed it just now. As soon as Arthur spoke, I realized I wasn't wearing anything. Judging from the commotion we made last night. I probably wasn't very clean right now either. The door closed, and I reacted like there was a spring attached to my butt. I immediately jumped away. 2 But that one move left Arthur completely exposed to the air. He didn't seem embarrassed at all. Noticing me looking at him. He even lay back down comfortably. Letting me look. "Pervert!" Arthur's tone was laughing. "Chloe, get it straight. Right now, it's because you wrapped yourself in the entire blanket that I'm like this." Fine. I lay back down wearily. I wasn't feeling as embarrassed anymore. Just worried about what to do about the current situation. "What should we tell them?" "Just tell them whatever." Arthur was fiddling with something next to me, his arm brushing against me every now and then. The intimate contact couldn't help but make me think of last night. The mood that had just calmed down suddenly flared up with anger again. "Arthur! Why didn't you stop me last night?!" I was drunk last night. But Arthur wasn't. He accidentally got injured at work a while ago. He was currently in the dietary restriction phase. So he didn't have a single drop of alcohol last night. He was sober from start to finish. "Chloe, how can you turn the tables on me? Did I not try to stop you? I tried, but it was useless." He suddenly sat up from the bed. Not caring at all about his appearance, he dug his clothes out of the closet and threw them on casually. "Did you forget? I'm injured. I'm a patient. How could I possibly stop a normal, drunk adult male like you?" I suspected he was tricking me, but I had no proof. "Put your clothes on. Let's deal with your parents and my parents first, then we'll deal with things between us." 3 Just like that, wearing Arthur's clothes. Arthur and I sat in a row in front of our four elders. Listening to Arthur accept their judgment. "So the person you said you liked last night was Chloe?" "Yes." "So you guys have been together for a long time?" "To be accurate, we only got together last night." "Are you two serious?" My thoughts had flown who knows where. I suddenly felt my hand being grabbed by the person next to me. "Yes." Arthur smiled very gently. As if everything he just said was true. But I didn't feel a single trace of emotion. Because I knew Arthur didn't like me. He was homophobic. And I was the one who had secretly loved him for many years but didn't dare to confess. Our family and the Vance family had known each other for many years. Arthur and I had known each other since birth. We went to elementary school, middle school, and high school together, only separating in college. Later, after graduating from college, we both returned to this city to develop our careers. It could be said that in my life, apart from my parents. The person who occupied the most memories was Arthur. I don't know when my feelings for him changed. From always being good friends and good buddies, to wanting to be his partner and stay by his side for a lifetime. But I didn't dare to confess. Just because he didn't like men. But Arthur had never been in a relationship all these years. I thought I might still have a faint chance. But I didn't expect... Last night, at the two families' New Year's Eve dinner. Faced with Mrs. Vance's pressure to get married, Arthur said he already liked someone. If it were anyone else, I might have thought he was just brushing her off. But if it was Arthur. 4 Then it was true. Because he wouldn't bother lying about such things. Or brush it off. Listening beside him, my heart went cold. It seemed I completely had no chance. So, as someone whose secret crush had come to nothing, I drank cup after cup until I was drunk. My last memory was Mrs. Vance telling Arthur to take me back to my room to rest. The Vance family had a room specifically for me. My family also had a room specifically for Arthur. But... why did I wake up in Arthur's room today? I had no idea. "Since you two are serious, we aren't traditional-minded people, but I want to tell you something. "Given the relationship between our two families, if you really decide to be together now, and in the future you can't make it work, we will absolutely not distance ourselves because of your little issues. No matter how unhappy you are, you'll have to endure it when the time comes." My heart skipped a beat. This was the worst-case scenario I had imagined. Now it was suddenly spoken out loud. I felt terrible. "Mrs. Vance, actually Arthur and I..." "Mom, can't you hope for the best for us? Don't worry, I will never break up with him in this lifetime, unless... he doesn't want me anymore." A trial, raised high and put down gently. My parents were strangely calm. They hardly said a few words from start to finish. Instead, I was the one who felt very uneasy from beginning to end. "Chloe, let's go home." I walked numbly towards the door. But after taking two steps, I realized my hand was still tightly held by Arthur. He smiled and leaned close to me. "Don't close your window tonight." I knew what he meant. I hesitated to speak, and finally just nodded. I followed my parents home. Fifteen hours after the incident, I heard the sound of my window being gently pushed open. I got up and met the eyes of Arthur, who had flipped in from outside. "Want to talk?" 5 Arthur didn't like me. "Since things have already happened, it's not good to say everything was a misunderstanding. If I really said that today, my parents would definitely kick me out of the house on the first day of the New Year." Right. "And last night... you were the one who got taken advantage of. If I had just laid everything out, wouldn't that be selling you out?" Arthur sat with his legs spread on the chair. Even though he had been working for a few years. In front of people close to him, he still had that reckless vibe. Like a kid. "You haven't come out to your parents, have you?" "I have." "Ah? You came out to your parents a long time ago?!" Arthur seemed like a wolf whose tail had been stepped on; his aura suddenly became stronger. He wasn't satisfied just sitting on the chair anymore. In two steps, he crossed over to my bed, planting his hands on my shoulders. "Chloe, how many years have we known each other?" Facing Arthur's handsome face so close, I still couldn't help but swallow. "Twenty-seven years." "Right! Twenty-seven years, and you coming out, such a huge thing, I didn't even know! What do you take me for?!" I looked at Arthur with confusion. Wasn't it because he was homophobic that I didn't dare tell him? Could it be that just because we're good friends and good buddies, he could magically not be homophobic? I brushed Arthur's hands away. "Aren't we talking about last night? If you don't have anything else to say, I want to rest." I was tossed around all night last night. And spent all day today worrying about this. 6 I didn't sleep at all. I finally felt sleepy at night, and Arthur popped up again. "Oh, right, let's talk about last night." He seemed to finally grasp the main point. And retreated back to the chair. "Anyway, let's just pretend to be a couple for now." After waiting for a long time, I thought he was going to come up with some brilliant idea. And this was it? I pursed my lips. I wanted to ask him, aren't you homophobic? Then why are you willing to pretend to be a couple with me? But I quickly suppressed that thought. Just pretending. It's not real anyway. Of course he doesn't care. It's me who's suffering. The person I like is right in front of me, and I don't dare do anything. The more I thought about it, the more depressed I got. So I asked him to leave again. But Arthur didn't leave immediately. Instead, his hands were hidden in his pockets, who knows what he was hiding. He didn't make a move for a long time. I yawned and looked at him with a cold face. "If you're fine, can you go back first? Or if you have something, let's talk about it in a couple of days." Arthur finally moved. But he moved towards me. He lunged onto my bed. His ears red, he pulled out the hidden object. "Let me take a look." "Look at what?" "Well... last night, I think I might have used a bit too much force. You kept crying. I was thinking you might be hurt, so let me check. If you are, I'll put some medicine on it." I instantly realized what Arthur was talking about. What do you mean I kept crying? That wasn't... it wasn't from pain. And even if I was really hurt, would I need him to help me? Seeing I wasn't moving, Arthur thought I was being shy. "Don't be shy. It's your own body, and I saw everything last night anyway." Saying that, he was about to make a move. I quickly grabbed my waistband and kicked Arthur off the bed. "Get lost!" 7 "If you have any other discomfort, remember to tell me. If it's really bad, we'll go to the hospital." I lay on the bed. Feeling no desire to live. In the end, I still let Arthur have his way. Who told him to look at me with those sparkling eyes every time; I could never refuse him. This time was no exception. "I know, you can get lost now." I heard rustling sounds in the room, presumably him packing his things. When the room quieted down. I was just about to see if he had already left. "Chloe." "Hmm?" Arthur hadn't left; he was sitting on the windowsill. Propping his head up, looking at me. "Do you have someone you like?" My heart sank. Did he figure it out? Recalling everything from morning until now, it shouldn't be. I didn't think I exposed myself anywhere. "Why do you ask?" "Otherwise, why would you be so resistant to us pretending to be a couple?" Arthur's words instantly made me relax. So that's what he thought. That's fine then. "Of course I do. You have someone you want to develop a relationship with, aren't I allowed to have one too?" I don't know if it was my illusion. But I felt Arthur's expression turn weird. As if he were angry. "Sure, why not? But before we end this fake relationship, you'd better not have any developments with your crush, understand?" "You'd better do the same." Arthur left. Before leaving, he even closed the window for me. But my heart couldn't calm down. 8 What was this? A brief fulfillment of a dream? Although I didn't know how things would develop later, I knew that my secret crush on Arthur couldn't let him find out. Otherwise, even this brief pretense of being a couple couldn't continue. "What?! You two... you guys? Are together?" Liam almost spat out the water in his mouth. I leaned away slightly. "We're pretending to be together." He wiped the corner of his mouth and leaned close to me. His eyes twitching like he had a cramp. "You two did this and that, did everything you're supposed to do, and now you're telling me it's fake?" Thinking about it gave me a headache too. "It was all an accident. I drank too much that day." Liam pouted, "I think he probably has feelings for you too. You drank too much, but he didn't. How could he not push you away?" I sighed faintly, "Did you forget? He's injured, and you know what I'm like when I drink too much." Liam seemed to recall what I looked like when I was drunk. After a long moment, he finally accepted this fact. "I forgot, when you're drunk, you're harder to hold down than a cow. And meeting the object of your long-term crush, it's indeed easy to do some irrational things." Even though. I didn't really like this description. "Then aren't you going to take this opportunity to seize the chance?" "He won't like me. And with things like this now, it's even harder to say I like him. I always feel like, that night, I did it on purpose." Liam thought about it. In the end, he still nodded. "But I feel like there's still a lot of..." "Feel like what?" Just as Liam was getting into it, a familiar voice dropped from above our heads. 9 The next second, Arthur sat down next to me. I turned to look at him, a bit dazed. "Why are you here?" "Why can't I be here? I just sent you a message and you didn't reply. Turns out you were meeting with him." Arthur leaned slightly closer to me, looking at Liam somewhat provocatively. Liam, who had almost exposed my secret crush, felt very guilty at this moment. I picked up the phone on the table and looked at it. Arthur had indeed sent me a message, but we were so engrossed in our chat just now. I didn't notice. "Mom and Dad asked us to go home, they have something to tell us. I dropped by to pick you up." "Ah, okay." I looked at Liam. "You should go, you should go. I can just go back myself." I don't know what Liam said that displeased Arthur. The guy who looked to be in a good mood just a moment ago suddenly had a long face. I couldn't care less. I grabbed Arthur and left. I thought my parents just wanted to chat simply about me and Arthur. I didn't expect... "Live together?!" "Yeah! Your relationship is developing so well, living together is only a matter of time. You're both busy, so moving in together is just right." My mom really knew how to drop a bombshell quietly. When they caught us red-handed that day, I thought my mom was very indifferent. Turns out, she was waiting for me here. I turned and gave Arthur a look. "Sure, actually I had the same idea. After all, you only truly know if you're compatible when you live together. Right, Arthur?" What a load of crap. Right now, I really couldn't see through Arthur. Doesn't he have someone he likes? Isn't he homophobic? 10 Why was he still rushing to live with me? Outnumbered, my mom made the final decision. She had Arthur move in with me. The next day, his suitcase was already sitting in my house. "What's the meaning of this?" Arthur was currently unpacking. Hearing my question, he looked at me with a very innocent expression. "What meaning could I have? Didn't Auntie ask me to move in?" "Couldn't you just refuse?" "I could have refused, but if I did, they would definitely suspect something. Do you think they could accept the truth of our situation?" Arthur really understood me well. And my parents too. After all, when I came out back then, it took my mom a very long time to accept it. If they knew that Arthur and I had accidentally slept together. That would indeed be very hard to accept. "Fine, then you sleep in the guest room." "How about... you go check the guest room first?" Confused, I turned and went to the guest room, looking at the completely empty space. My head instantly started pounding. "Where's the bed?!" "Probably they still sensed something. After all, during this time, you haven't met me much. How did we look like a passionately in love couple?" During this time, Arthur had indeed asked me out. But I had never dared to meet him. After that day, the memories I lost due to being drunk gradually surfaced in my mind. From hazy memories at first to clear ones later. Every minute, every second of that night, finally appeared clearly in my dreams. This made me even more afraid to face Arthur. So, facing his invitations, I rejected them all under the guise of being too busy with work. Thinking about it now, I was indeed the one who didn't do well enough. 11 "Fine, but we agree, we can sleep together, but no crossing the line." Arthur leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Looking at me with an ambiguous expression. I used to think I understood Arthur very well, after all, we grew up together. You could say I was the person who understood him best. But now. Or rather, since that night, I couldn't understand what Arthur was thinking at all. Does he hate me? Or is he simply afraid of trouble, wants to take responsibility, and that's why he got close to me. "Fine, but did you forget about your habit of being restless in your sleep?" Under Arthur's teasing. I blushed. I do indeed have that habit. Sleeping is like fighting. Since I was little, I could only sleep alone. Otherwise, the other person would definitely get kicked by me a few times during the night. But facing Arthur, I only wanted to say. I can lose the battle, but not the attitude. "I've already changed! I sleep very peacefully now. That was when I was a kid. You haven't slept with me recently, how do you know what I'm like when I sleep now?" "Oh~ Fine, then I guess I was judging a gentleman with a petty heart." Although I won the verbal argument. But really having to share a bed with Arthur. I was nervous to death inside. Lying on the bed, listening to the sound of water coming from inside. For a moment, I even wanted to just go sleep on the sofa outside. We aren't a real couple. Why do we have to sleep together? The more I thought about it, the more I felt I was right. So I hurriedly climbed out of bed, ready to grab a blanket and sleep on the sofa outside. But as soon as I turned around, I bumped into a warm embrace. "Where are you going?" Arthur's slightly hoarse voice sounded above my head. I violently stepped back. Almost bumping into the wardrobe door. Only then did I see clearly what he looked like now. 12 Arthur was wearing the same pajamas as me. It was when he came to my house before, saw them, and insisted I give him the link to buy the same ones. Now, in this ambiguous atmosphere, it felt even more weird. His hair wasn't even dry yet. And he hurried out. "No, nowhere. I just suddenly felt you were right, I don't sleep well. It's better if I don't sleep with you, so I don't disturb you." Saying that, I was about to walk out. But Arthur reached out and stopped me. "It's fine, I don't mind. Plus, I have a solution." Have a solution? What solution could he have? He couldn't possibly tie me up before sleeping, could he? "Or, are you scared?" People really can't resist reverse psychology. As soon as someone provokes them, they fall for it. Otherwise, I wouldn't be in the situation I am now. I could feel the rise and fall of the breathing of the person next to me. Even though the sound wasn't loud. But it could easily affect my breathing rhythm, as well as my heartbeat. Sharing a bed like this. To be honest, Arthur and I had experienced it quite a few times. But those were just childhood memories. As adults, or rather, after I realized my feelings for him, this was only the second time. My mind was full of the scenes from that night. My whole body felt like it was going to catch fire. Forget it. If I lose face, I lose face. I can't just stare blankly for a whole night tonight. "Arthur, I think I still..." I had just lifted a corner of the blanket when the person next to me suddenly rolled over. An arm pressed on my waist, pushing down my movement to get up. Then Arthur leaned his whole body over. He intimately pulled me into his arms. Just when my whole body was stiff and I didn't know what to do. He suddenly nuzzled my cheek. "Chloe, are you..." "Yes!" "Do you hate me a lot?" 13 I didn't expect Arthur to ask such a question. Even less did I expect that when I wanted to directly admit my feelings for him, he would ask such a question. Both of us froze at the same time. I could feel Arthur's hand on my waist suddenly tighten, as if stimulated by my words. "You hate me?" In the eerily quiet bedroom, Arthur spoke first. His tone carried a deep sense of disbelief. As if he didn't expect me to say those words. "No, that's not what I meant. I thought you were going to ask..." Arthur suddenly reached out and closed the distance between us. Almost without me anticipating it, I bumped straight into his body. When this guy usually wears clothes, he doesn't look like he has much muscle, but in reality, his muscles are very well-defined. Bumping into him so suddenly. I felt like my whole body was not well. My body hurt. And Arthur, like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum. Buried his head next to my neck. His tone was full of grievance and unreasonableness. "How could you hate me! We grew up together, aren't I your best friend? I haven't done anything to let you down, why do you hate me? Is it just because of what happened that night? But you weren't unhappy that night either!" Hearing Arthur's words. My head started pounding. My subconscious told me that if I didn't stop what he was going to say next, it was very likely he would say some earth-shattering things. So I reached out, trying to push Arthur's head away. 14 Who knew this guy was harder to hold down than a pig before the New Year. He stubbornly wouldn't let me touch him. His head was buried dead tight next to my neck. "Am I wrong? You haven't forgotten about that night either. If you were going to be angry, why didn't you tell me you were angry back then? Now that so much time has passed, you're telling me you hate me. Chloe, this is unfair to me!" "It has nothing to do with that. Can you get up first? Don't you know how heavy you are?" If he pressed any further. I felt I wasn't far from death either. Sure enough, Arthur heard me say that. He silently loosened the arm wrapped around my waist a bit, and his body lifted slightly off me. But not much. The distance between us was like that night. If I just raised my head slightly, I could kiss Arthur's lips in the dark. Realizing what I was thinking, I quickly turned my head away, trying not to face him. But Arthur noticed my movement. He suddenly reached out and grabbed my chin, forcefully turning my head back. "You're feeling guilty. I was right." "I am not." "If you're not, why are you hiding from me? Chloe, do you know how sad I am? No matter how much we fought before, you never said you hated me. And now you hate me over this one thing?" Actually, I really wanted to say. This isn't the same as our childhood play-fights. What happened recently touched the bottom line. Arthur's breath hit my face. For a moment, I didn't know if it was our current distance or his overly hot breath that was making my whole body start to heat up. Especially my face.
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