FIXated

After taking a long, hot, steamy shower, the dull ache that had been agonizing him in pain for the past hours had subsided. His mind relaxed after thinking about different ways to get himself out of it.

Raphael heaved a sigh.

Then, he carefully lifted his wrist close to his face, smelling it—just the fresh scent of shampoo and earthy eucalyptus perfume.

Her scent is gone.

That’s a relief.

His fingers held tightly onto the fork, poking the last piece of string bean in the tray, as the tip pierced through it with a crunch.

He paused.

He felt it once again, eyes staring at him.

It’s that weird girl sitting next to him again, huh?

He took another glance, but their eyes didn’t meet this time. Her attention turned to the male student, standing next to her on the other side, his arm wrapping her up in an embrace while giving her a peck on the forehead.

Must be her boyfriend?

Maybe she wasn’t really looking at me.

He shrugged it off, turning his gaze back to his plate of food, minding his own business as he popped the last piece of string bean in his mouth.

A set of heavy footsteps trudged against the dining hall’s tiled floors, quickly coming forward towards his direction as he felt the closeness of its proximity.

“Hey!”

A voice boomed in the halls, loud enough to be overheard from the next table, but not enough to draw everyone’s attention in the area. The bustling surroundings remained unfazed, still filled with students' chatter, cheers, and the clatter of metallic trays and utensils.

“What are you doing, huh?”

As the footsteps stopped, Raphael felt a grip on his shoulder. He turned his head, looking to the side.

A man stood beside him, his gaze piercing through his as he hovered from above. His chest puffed out on full display, while his hands on the side clenched into fists.

A confused expression slowly formed on Raphael’s face, scrutinizing the man from head to toe as he tilted his head to the side.

He didn’t recognize him.

“Uhh, who are you?”

The man clicked his tongue.

“Cut the chase. I caught you staring at my girl. “

Raphael raised a brow while the corner of his lips twitched.

“N-no. I wasn’t. Just looking around.” He denied as his gaze averted, staring at his empty tray once more.

Then, he felt a warm sensation, breathing at the back of his neck coming from the man next to him as he leaned closer and whispered in a low growl.

“Next time I see you staring at her, I won’t be nice.”

Sweat trickled down Raphael's forehead as the grip on his shoulder tightened, fingers dug deeper, sinking into his clothes. He gritted his teeth before shoving his hand away.

“Edmund, stop it.”

The girl in a hoodie spoke up right beside him, tugging the man’s arm. Her voice sounded warm, soothing, and confident, with a slightly forced, raspy edge.

“Babe, I am just giving him a warning,” Edmund explained. His once threatening voice turned calm and pleasing as he shifted his attention to his girlfriend.

Raphael quietly watched the two of them, seeing the girl in a hoodie’s face in full view this time, studying her features. She has dirty-blond locks framing her forehead like a curtain, her sky-blue eyes glinted intensely against the light, and her face flushed red.

Her shoulders slightly tensed up as if she noticed his gaze.

“You should apologize.” She cleared her throat, crossing her arms over her chest.

“W-what? Yana, I-I can’t . . . that’s embarrassing.” Edmund whined, scratching the back of his neck, but she shook her head, insisting.

“It’s fine. You don’t have to. I’ll just get going...”

Raphael spoke up, quickly standing up from his seat while carrying the empty tray in his hands. He didn’t wait for them to say anything, turning his back as he walked away from the scene.

This is just troublesome.

After moving a couple of distances away from them, he felt a sharp, intense glare as the hairs at the back of his neck perked up. His fingers ran over it as he hastened his steps, moving towards the return station to dispose of his tray before disappearing into the crowd.

The dining hall was still thick with students, pouring in from the front doors and lining up at the counters to grab dinner. A huge wave of varsity players came rushing in, pushing students aside and bumping shoulders.

Raphael weaved through them carefully as he headed towards the door.

Once he exited the place, a sigh of relief escaped from his lips, as he pressed his hand over his chest and leaned against the corridor’s walls.

Finally . . .

Since when is dinner rush this crazy?

After catching his breath for a few minutes, he got back to his feet, walking towards the dormitory’s male wing and climbing the staircase to his room.

The door twisted open as the faint glow of the fairy lights spilled out in the corridors, illuminating the darkened hallways.

As Raphael entered the room quietly, shutting the door behind him, his gaze turned towards the Harian, who had buried himself over the pile of pillows and sheets on his bunk.

Not a welcome.

Not a greeting.

He was already fast asleep.

As Raphael carefully approached his bed, he stopped right at the edge of it to check on his roomie one last time, getting a closer look at his steady breathing and the soft hum of his snoring.

Somehow, Raphael felt a pang of guilt for leaving him so quickly to take a shower.

Harian . . . I apologize.

I just can’t bring myself to tell anyone about it.

Then, he looked away, turning towards his bed below, plopping himself at the center, and leaning his back against the wall.

His arms stretched while his legs sprawled comfortably over the bed.

He exhaled.

He wasn’t feeling tired just yet.

Like an instinctive action to kill boredom, his hand reached into the sides of his pocket, pulling out his phone and bringing it closer to his face.

As soon as his fingers pressed the switch, the phone lit up and instantly unlocked as the facial recognition activated.

He flinched, startled for a second.

A picture flashed on screen— dress shirt open, chest exposed, and that guilty look on his face.

The heat rose from his neck to his cheeks, turning him into a tomato.

R-right. I totally forgot about this.

I should’ve deleted this.

His fingers hovered above the screen, double-tapping to zoom out the image. Then, his stomach dropped as his phone darkened, leading into Diskord app’s chat box.

It was sent.

Exactly during that time.

Raphael stared at his phone, eyes widened, and trembled.

No… no…no.

Did she — who else would it be?

Hurriedly, his thumbs fumbled over the app, clicking on the list of options from the side. There, he found the Delete Message button and tapped it.

A prompt appeared.

Are you sure?

This will remove this attachment from this message permanently.

Without hesitation, he pressed the red button, holding his breath as the conversation refreshed for a second.

Image Deleted.