Your Hoodie still smells like me - Wrong Person

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Episode 9 — Your Hoodie Still Smells Like Me

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“Wrong Person”

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The diner near Westbridge University smelled like coffee and burnt pancakes.

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Eli sat across from Damien in a corner booth while pretending his life wasn’t becoming increasingly complicated.

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Outside, rain tapped softly against the windows.

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Inside, Damien looked way too entertained.

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“You know,” Damien said while stirring his drink, “your ex is painfully obvious.”

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Eli sighed. “Can we not do this again?”

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“I’m serious. That guy watches you like someone stole his future.”

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Eli looked down at his coffee quietly.

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Because part of him knew Damien was right.

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And that was the problem.

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Damien leaned back against the booth casually. “So what exactly happened between you two?”

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Eli laughed once without humor. “Depends which version you want.”

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“The honest one.”

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Silence.

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Eli stared out the window for a moment.

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“We loved each other,” he admitted softly. “We were just bad at it.”

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For once, Damien didn’t joke immediately.

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Instead, he studied Eli carefully before asking,

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“You still love him?”

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Eli’s chest tightened.

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Before he could answer—

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the diner entrance opened.

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And Kai walked in.

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Eli froze instantly.

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Kai stopped too after noticing them.

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Bad. Very bad.

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Because Kai clearly wasn’t alone.

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A girl from his architecture class stood beside him talking about something on her phone, but Kai wasn’t listening anymore.

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His eyes stayed locked on Eli.

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Specifically: Eli sitting alone with Damien again.

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Damien noticed immediately.

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And smiled.

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Oh no.

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“Don’t,” Eli warned quietly.

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Too late.

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Damien stood from the booth casually and waved toward Kai.

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“Kai!” he called loudly.

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Kai’s expression darkened almost immediately.

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The girl beside him looked confused. “You know them?”

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“Unfortunately,” Kai answered flatly.

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Eli wanted to disappear into another dimension.

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Instead, Kai and the girl ended up seated only two booths away.

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Close enough to hear. Close enough to see.

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Damien rested his chin against his hand dramatically. “This is the most fun I’ve had in weeks.”

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“You’re evil.”

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“Correct.”

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Eli tried to ignore the feeling of Kai’s attention burning holes through him from across the diner.

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Impossible task.

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Every time Eli laughed at something Damien said, Kai’s jaw tightened slightly.

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Every time Damien touched Eli’s arm casually, Kai looked away afterward like it physically hurt to watch.

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And somehow—

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Eli hated seeing that look.

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Because underneath the jealousy, Kai just looked sad.

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Damien noticed too.

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But unlike Eli, Damien didn’t stop.

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If anything, he got worse.

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“You know,” Damien said loudly enough to carry slightly, “I missed hanging out with you.”

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Eli narrowed his eyes immediately. “Why are you talking like we dated for five years?”

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“We almost could’ve.”

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“We went on three dates.”

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“Four.”

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“One was a group outing.”

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“It counts emotionally.”

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Eli rolled his eyes despite himself.

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Across the diner, Kai looked seconds away from walking out.

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Then Damien suddenly leaned closer across the table.

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Too close.

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Eli frowned slightly. “What are you doing?”

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Damien lowered his voice.

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“Your ex has been staring at us for twenty minutes.”

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“Damien—”

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“I’m proving a point.”

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“To who?”

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“You two.”

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Eli immediately disliked where this was going.

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“Don’t make trouble.”

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Damien smiled faintly.

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Way too calm.

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“You know,” he said quietly, “sometimes people only realize what they want when they think they’re losing it.”

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Eli barely had time to process that sentence before Damien moved.

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Fast.

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One hand lightly cupping Eli’s jaw as he leaned forward and kissed him.

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Soft. Brief. Unexpected.

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But real.

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Eli froze completely.

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The entire diner suddenly felt silent.

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Then Damien pulled back slowly.

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And immediately looked past Eli toward Kai.

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Eli turned instinctively.

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Big mistake.

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Kai stood beside his booth already.

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Eli hadn’t even seen him walk over.

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Kai’s expression looked terrifyingly calm.

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Which was worse than anger.

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The girl from his class stood awkwardly behind him looking horrified.

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No one spoke for a second.

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Then Kai looked directly at Damien.

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“If you wanted attention,” Kai said quietly, “you could’ve asked.”

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The coldness in his voice made Eli’s stomach twist.

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Damien leaned back casually. “Looks like I got it anyway.”

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Wrong answer.

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Kai laughed softly once.

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No humor in it.

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Then his eyes shifted toward Eli.

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And somehow that hurt more.

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Because Kai didn’t look angry at him.

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Just disappointed.

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Like Eli had confirmed something Kai was afraid of believing.

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Eli stood up immediately. “Kai, wait—”

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But Kai stepped back already.

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“You don’t have to explain,” he interrupted quietly.

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“That’s not—”

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“You’re single.”

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The sentence sounded emotionless.

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Too emotionless.

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Which meant Kai was absolutely not okay.

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Eli’s chest tightened painfully.

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“Kai.”

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Kai looked at him for one long second.

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And Eli suddenly realized something terrifying:

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Kai looked exactly like he did the night they broke up.

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Guarded. Tired. Already preparing himself to lose something.

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Then Kai glanced once toward the hoodie Eli wore.

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His hoodie.

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The one Kai had lent him two days ago because Eli forgot his jacket during late editing sessions.

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And now Damien’s lipstick stain sat faintly near the collar.

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Kai noticed it instantly.

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So did Eli.

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The silence afterward felt brutal.

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Kai looked away first.

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“…Wrong person,” he said quietly.

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Then he walked out into the rain before Eli could stop him.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetmCzKa135

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