Chapter 12: Dating Rumors

The alarm buzzed loudly beside me, pulling me out of sleep. I groaned, blindly reaching for my phone to silence it.

Morning. Again.

I laid there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, feeling the weight of sleep still clinging to my body. The warmth of my blankets made it tempting to stay in bed a little longer, but I forced myself up with a sigh.

Dragging myself to the bathroom, I went through my usual routine... brushing my teeth, splashing cold water on my face to wake myself up, and taking a quick shower. As I stood under the water, my mind wandered back to yesterday.

Jake.

The arcade, the park, the way he looked at me under the city lights… The way my heart wouldn't calm down the whole time.

I shook my head, trying to push those thoughts away. Why am I even thinking about this?

After getting dressed, I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs. The house was quiet. I assumed Jake was still asleep, but as I reached the kitchen, I saw him sitting at the table, already dressed, casually drinking coffee.

He looked up and grinned. "Morning, sleepyhead."

I rolled my eyes, grabbing a glass of water. "Morning."

"Ready for another exciting day of school?" he teased.

I gave him a deadpan look. "Thrilling."

Jake chuckled, finishing his coffee before standing up. "Come on, let's get going."

I sighed, grabbing my bag, and we both headed out the door.

The morning air was crisp as we walked to school, the streets still quiet except for the occasional sound of passing cars. Jake walked beside me, hands in his pockets, his usual relaxed energy making it feel like he wasn't in a rush at all. Meanwhile, I kept my gaze ahead, trying to ignore how aware I'd become of his presence lately.

"Did you sleep well?" Jake suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"You guess?" He raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Had a dream or something?"

I almost tripped. My mind flashed back to the dream I had a few nights ago... the one where Jake was beside me, smiling, leaning in closer...

Damn it.

"N-No, just a normal sleep," I said quickly, looking away.

Jake hummed, clearly amused but not pressing further.

The rest of the walk to school was filled with casual conversation, mostly Jake talking while I gave short responses. It wasn't that I didn't want to talk... I just didn't trust myself not to say something weird.

When we arrived at the school gate, we immediately caught the attention of a few students. I heard whispers... probably still about Jake being the transfer student and the fact that he was always with me.

"Hey, new guy's always with Aiden."

"Are they close?"

"They live together, right?"

I sighed. People need a new topic to talk about.

Jake didn't seem to care. He just smiled like usual and kept walking.

We reached my locker first, and as I was grabbing my books, Nathan suddenly appeared beside me, leaning against the lockers.

"Yo, Aiden. You two walked to school together again, huh?" Nathan grinned before glancing at Jake. "Man, you stick to Aiden like glue."

Jake only smiled. "What can I say? He's fun to be around."

I almost choked. Nathan raised an eyebrow at me, smirking. "Fun, huh? That's a first."

I shot him a glare. "Shut up."

Jake chuckled before nudging me. "Come on, let's head to class."

Nathan gave me a teasing look before walking off, and I sighed, closing my locker.

Another day of school begins.

We entered the classroom, and as expected, most seats were already taken... except for the one beside mine. Jake casually took his usual spot without hesitation, completely ignoring the few girls who were clearly hoping he'd sit elsewhere.

"Good morning, class," the professor greeted as he entered. The room quieted down as the lecture began, but I found myself struggling to focus.

I tapped my pen against my notebook absentmindedly, my mind wandering. It wasn't like the subject was hard to understand, but something felt… off. Maybe it was the way I was still overthinking Jake's presence in my life, or maybe it was the way my chest felt tight every time I remembered the dream.

"Hey," a voice whispered beside me.

I turned slightly, finding Jake leaning toward me, his arms crossed on the desk, eyes filled with amusement.

"You're spacing out," he murmured.

I straightened up, feeling my face heat up. "I'm just thinking."

Jake smirked. "About what?"

"None of your business," I muttered, turning my attention back to the professor.

Jake chuckled but didn't press further.

The lecture dragged on, and by the time it ended, I let out a sigh of relief. As I packed my things, I could hear the usual chatter around the classroom.

"Jake, let's have lunch together!" a girl asked sweetly.

"Sorry," Jake replied smoothly, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "I already have plans."

I didn't even have to guess what that meant. Sure enough, as soon as I stepped out of the classroom, Jake was right beside me, walking in sync like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Nathan and the others were already at our usual table when we arrived at the cafeteria. As I sat down, Nathan immediately leaned in, lowering his voice like he was about to share some big secret.

"Dude," he whispered. "You won't believe what I heard."

I raised an eyebrow. "What now?"

Nathan smirked. "Someone said you and Jake are dating."

I choked on my drink. "What?!"

Jake, completely unfazed, just laughed. "Oh? That's interesting."

I turned to him, wide-eyed. "You're not even surprised?!"

He shrugged. "It was bound to happen. We're always together, after all."

Nathan snickered. "Man, you should've seen Aiden's face just now."

I groaned, rubbing my temples. "This school seriously needs a better rumor mill."

Jake leaned in slightly, resting his chin on his hand. "Relax. It's just a rumor… unless?"

I shot him a glare, my face burning. "Don't start."

Jake chuckled, clearly enjoying my reaction.

Nathan watched us with an amused expression before grinning. "You know, if you guys were dating, I wouldn't even be surprised at this point."

I groaned again, but deep down, I couldn't ignore the way my heart skipped a beat at those words.

As we were talking, Carla suddenly stood up, grabbing her tray.

"I'll catch you guys later," she said casually. "I'm having lunch with my boyfriend today."

Nathan smirked. "Wow, ditching us for your man? Betrayal."

Carla rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You guys will survive without me for one lunch break." She glanced at me and Jake, then grinned. "Besides, you two seem to be having your own little moment."

I nearly choked. "What?!"

Jake just smiled, unfazed as usual. "Have fun, Carla."

She winked at us before walking away, leaving me glaring at Nathan.

"See?" Nathan teased. "Even Carla sees it."

I groaned, rubbing my temples. "This is getting ridiculous."

Jake chuckled, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at me. "You're getting all worked up over nothing, Aiden."

I shot him a glare. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one being accused of dating some guy you just met."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like being with me would be such a bad thing."

I felt my breath hitch, and for a split second, I had no idea how to respond.

Nathan let out a dramatic gasp. "Ooh, Aiden's speechless! That's a first!"

I quickly looked away, focusing on my food to avoid their teasing. But even as the conversation shifted, I couldn't stop my heart from beating just a little too fast.

As I picked at my food, I suddenly realized something was off.

"Wait… where's Marco?" I asked, glancing around.

Nathan leaned back in his seat. "Oh, yeah. He's sick. That's why he's not here today."

I nodded, feeling a little bad for not noticing sooner. Marco was usually the loud one in our group, so the table felt unusually quiet without him.

Nathan sighed dramatically. "Now it's just the three of us. And honestly? I feel like a third wheel."

I frowned. "Third wheel? What are you talking about?"

Nathan smirked, pointing between me and Jake. "You two. The 'not-a-couple-but-acting-like-one' duo. Seriously, am I interrupting your date or something?"

I nearly dropped my spoon. "What?!"

Jake chuckled, completely unfazed. "That's a little dramatic, don't you think?"

Nathan shrugged. "I dunno, man. The way you follow Aiden around, the way you keep smiling at him... kinda sus."

I groaned. "Oh my god, not this again."

Jake just smiled, sipping his drink as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Well, I do enjoy Aiden's company."

Nathan gasped, placing a hand on his chest. "See?! This is exactly what I mean!"

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Can we please talk about something else?"

Nathan just laughed, while Jake gave me an amused glance.

But as much as I tried to ignore it, I couldn't shake the strange feeling in my chest.

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