The Teasing, Protecting and Unseen Jealous

The university courtyard was buzzing with voices, a mix of laughter and new friendships being formed. After the letter writing to a future self. Wine adjusted the strap of his bag nervously as a group of seniors approached. One of them smirked, circling around him.

“So, you’re the new pretty boy, huh?” the senior teased, leaning in too close. His words carried a mocking edge, meant to unsettle Wine.

Before Wine could even respond, Arm stepped in, his hand firm on Wine’s shoulder.

“That’s enough,” Arm said, his voice steady and calm but with a steel underneath. “Don’t you have something better to do than bother freshmen?”

The senior clicked his tongue, clearly not expecting resistance. For a moment, it looked like he might push back, but Arm’s unwavering gaze made him step away. The crowd dispersed, and Wine let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“Th–thank you,” Wine muttered, eyes cast down, cheeks warm with embarrassment.

Arm gave a small, reassuring smile. “Don’t worry about it. Just stick close to me.” Paused and added,"You know what,Wine, I have friends from others University too. We all are going to meet after class, and... if you are OK with it, you can join us?" It's was not a question more like Arm know Wine will be alone after he leave him that's why he asked and that was just a concerned he has towards him.

From a distance, Earn had been watching. His hand tightened around the railing of the steps. Every time… every time he looked, Arm was there beside Wine. Protecting him. Talking to him. And Wine—he seemed to let Arm in so easily.

The Unexpected Call

Later that afternoon, Wine and Arm settled into the same class. Earn, on the other hand, was placed in a different class.

Wine scribbled notes absentmindedly, still replaying Arm’s words in his head. Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced down. Pond.

He froze. Pond, his childhood friend from Bangkok. His thumb hovered over the answer button, but hesitation gripped him.

Pond on another side of speak,"Hello! Wine, how are you doing there without us?"

Wine was frozen like he don't know what to say to him. Some how he managed to open his mouth to speak and said,"I'm fine. What about you?" Wine had long pause while thinking what to say next.

A silence.

What to say next thinking comes again and again in his mind.

And then that silence broke when Pond said,"I'm fine it's just....... it's just that we all miss you, Wine."

Wine listen those words and that made him cry, but he didn't cry. The tears in his eyes wanting to come out, but his mind says he is brave enough to not cry again on the chapter what was already closed.

Suddenly Pond said something or someone's name, that Wine wasn't ready to listen for now.

"And Faifa....." said Pond, without listening what Pond was about to say he declined his phone.

He was thinking.

"Why his name....... why..... Pond?"

"He has to say when he knows what was I...... going through all these days. "

And Faifa… was the last name Wine didn't want to hear.

“Wine?” Arm whispered, noticing his distraction.

Wine shook his head quickly, slipping the phone back into his bag. “Nothing. Just… spam,” he lied with a faint smile.

Still, his chest tightened. For a moment, he almost want to hear Pond’s voice, to know what news was so urgent. But he pushed it aside. Not here. Not now.

Walking Out Together

When class ended, Wine and Arm walked side by side out of the university gates. The late afternoon sun bathed the campus in gold, and the hum of students filled the air.

Earn lingered behind, his gaze fixed on the pair. Every time he saw them together, it clawed at him. Memories surfaced—the circus, when Wine and Arm’s eyes met under the flickering lights… the moment when the senior teased Wine, and Arm had stepped in while Earn had only stood frozen, watching.

Wine’s phone buzzed again. Pond. He glanced at the screen, lips pressed into a thin line, before turning it face-down and sliding it into his pocket without a second thought. This time, there was no hesitation. He wasn’t going to answer.

Arm chuckled, nudging Wine lightly. “You always look too serious. Relax, you’re safe with me.”

Wine smiled faintly, though his thoughts were heavier than he let on. Earn, from the corner, clenched his fist.

Why was it always Arm beside Wine? Why did it hurt so much to watch them together?

As the two disappeared down the street together, Earn turned away, his heart twisting with a feeling he couldn’t name—jealousy, regret, maybe even something deeper.

And for Wine, the unanswered call from Bangkok faded into silence, a silence he wasn’t ready to break. Not yet.

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To be continued........

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