Your Hoodie still smells like me - Stop Looking At Me Like That

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Episode 21 — Your Hoodie Still Smells Like Me

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“Stop Looking At Me Like That”

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The morning after should have been awkward.

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It was.

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Just not in the way Eli expected.

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Because when Kai finally woke up, the first thing he saw was Eli already sitting on the edge of the bed.

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Looking at him.

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And unfortunately—

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Kai noticed immediately.

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"...Were you staring at me?"

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Eli nearly choked.

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"No."

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"You were."

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"I wasn't."

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"You absolutely were."

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Eli grabbed a pillow and threw it at his face.

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Kai laughed for the first time in days.

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A real laugh.

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Warm.

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Comfortable.

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Dangerous.

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Because hearing it made Eli's heart do stupid things.

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—

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The ride back to campus was worse.

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Much worse.

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Noah drove.

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Rowan occupied the front seat.

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Which meant Eli and Kai were stuck together in the back.

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Shoulders touching every time the car turned.

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Neither acknowledging it.

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Both very aware of it.

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Rowan noticed immediately.

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Of course he did.

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"You two seem less homicidal today."

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"Rowan."

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"What?"

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"Be quiet."

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"No."

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—

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Back at Westbridge University, reality returned.

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Classes.

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Projects.

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Deadlines.

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Unfortunately, feelings returned too.

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Because after spending an entire night sharing a room with Kai—

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pretending nothing happened felt impossible.

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Eli kept noticing things.

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The way Kai smiled when concentrating.

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The way he rubbed his eyes when tired.

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The way he still wore the bracelet.

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Always the bracelet.

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And it was becoming a problem.

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—

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Three days later, Team 8 and Team 14 met for a joint competition review.

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A disaster waiting to happen.

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Eli sat across from Kai in one of the library study rooms.

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Trying very hard not to stare.

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Failing.

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Badly.

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Kai noticed around ten minutes into the meeting.

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The first time, he ignored it.

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The second time, he got suspicious.

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The third time—

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he looked directly at Eli.

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Caught.

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Eli immediately looked down at his notebook.

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Smooth.

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Very smooth.

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Across the table, Damien looked amused.

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"Oh, this is new."

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Kai narrowed his eyes.

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"What is?"

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Damien pointed at Eli.

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"He's staring."

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Eli nearly dropped his pen.

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"I am not."

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"You are."

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"No."

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"Constantly."

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Rowan looked delighted.

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"No way."

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"Rowan, don't."

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Too late.

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Everyone was looking now.

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Including Kai.

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Especially Kai.

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And suddenly Eli wanted the floor to open and swallow him.

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—

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The meeting ended thirty minutes later.

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Eli escaped immediately.

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Or tried to.

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Because halfway down the library hallway—

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someone grabbed his sleeve.

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Kai.

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Again.

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Always grabbing sleeves.

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Eli turned around.

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"What?"

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Kai looked oddly pleased.

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Which was suspicious.

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Very suspicious.

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"You've been staring at me."

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Eli groaned.

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"Not this again."

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Kai stepped closer.

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"Why?"

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"No reason."

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"Liar."

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"No."

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"Yes."

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Eli hated how familiar this felt.

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The arguing.

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The teasing.

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The impossible tension.

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Kai smiled slightly.

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Small.

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Rare.

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Beautiful.

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Annoying.

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Eli looked away first.

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Mistake.

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Because Kai immediately noticed.

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Then his smile widened.

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"Oh."

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"Oh what?"

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Kai folded his arms.

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"You missed me."

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Eli looked offended.

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"I saw you three days ago."

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"That's not an answer."

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Eli hated this conversation.

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Mostly because Kai was right.

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The night at Noah's apartment changed something.

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The distance felt harder now.

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The pretending felt harder.

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Everything felt harder.

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Kai studied him carefully.

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Then asked quietly:

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"Are you still mad at me?"

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The question caught Eli off guard.

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Because for once—

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Kai sounded nervous.

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Not jealous.

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Not sarcastic.

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Just worried.

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Eli's irritation faded slightly.

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A little.

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Not completely.

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"Sometimes."

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Kai nodded slowly.

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Fair answer.

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Then he surprised Eli.

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"I'm still mad at myself."

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Silence.

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The confession hung between them.

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Kai looked away briefly.

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"I should've talked to you sooner."

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His voice softened.

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"I should've stopped acting like I could have all the benefits of being your boyfriend without actually being one."

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Eli's heart skipped.

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Because that was exactly the problem.

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The one they'd been dancing around for months.

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Neither spoke for a moment.

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The hallway around them was empty now.

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Quiet.

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Safe.

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Dangerous.

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Kai looked back at him.

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And for the first time in a long while—

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there was no joke.

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No jealousy.

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No game.

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Just honesty.

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"Eli."

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"What?"

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Kai hesitated.

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Actually hesitated.

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Then smiled weakly.

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"Can we stop making each other miserable?"

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And somehow—

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that was the closest either of them had come to admitting what they really wanted.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RGAFIRsTT

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