“Okay.”
Alexander wasn’t the problem. Alexander treated Kalix as usual. Whether for Kalix’s sake, or just because he didn’t want it to be uncomfortable sharing the same room. In the end, it was Kalix who couldn’t properly ignore everything.
* * *
Kalix lay still facing forward, then turned his head to look to the side. Though he couldn’t see properly, he could confirm that Alexander was on his own bed. Kalix had been able to sleep reasonably well since Alexander returned to the room. But he woke up in between.
Originally, he would hazily wake up to the sound of Alexander preparing before going to training and then sleep again, or just sleep straight through. Then he would wake up around the time Alexander came to ask him to go eat breakfast, and go to the dining hall with Alexander. Now was the same, but it was actually a little different.
When he opened his eyes and Alexander wasn’t there, he would become anxious as if shocked. It was fine if he actually saw the process of Alexander going out somewhere, but it was especially bad if he was suddenly gone. So he would wake up in between.
What if he went somewhere else at dawn? Even if not, he felt at ease only after seeing Alexander leave for training directly. As a result, he naturally woke up a little earlier than Alexander’s wake-up time, and this time he had woken up even earlier than that.
If he went back to sleep, could he wake up before Alexander got up? What if Alexander wasn’t there when he woke up again? Thinking like that, sleep wouldn’t come.
“You’re not sleeping well again lately.”
He must have been sleeping, but at Alexander’s voice that came out low and hoarse, Kalix simply answered.
“I’m fine.”
It didn’t seem like Kalix had woken him up. In the first place, he couldn’t even tell if Alexander was awake now.
“Are you awake?”
“No.”
With those words, Alexander seemed to fall asleep again as there were no more words. Kalix just quietly watched. Alexander always slept peacefully. Covering himself with the blanket up to his chest, lying straight looking at the ceiling. Without any tossing and turning. But since they were lying in separate beds, he had never seen that face in detail. Kalix like that, quietly watched Alexander until Alexander woke up for training.
Hoping it would always be like this, that it wouldn’t disappear.
* * *
Kalix checked the time and glanced around. He roughly knew Alexander’s schedule, and today was a day when he had a lecture in a nearby building. Originally, Kalix would naturally have gone to his own lecture hall, but lately he had always been waiting for Alexander. It had been like that since he learned that not all their encounters were coincidental.
It wasn’t like they always met, but they did encounter each other often. Would he be able to see him today? Even if he couldn’t see him, he had seen him this morning anyway and would see him in the room at night, but he felt more at ease after seeing Alexander outside the dormitory too.
He might come through a different route, but while waiting for now, Alexander suddenly caught his eye. He hadn’t been waiting for Alexander hoping for anything in particular. He was satisfied just seeing him, but nevertheless Kalix looked at Alexander for a moment.
There was another person next to him. Alexander was walking while talking to that person. Kalix knew that person too. It was Rosie, Skylar’s friend. Rosie was smiling and saying something to Alexander, then swept her long reddish-gold curly hair that hung down her back to one side. To Alexander’s opposite side. Then when she pointed to around her neckline with her hand, Alexander seemed to look at Rosie’s neck that was revealed toward him, then laughed briefly and said something.
Kalix approached immediately without time to think anything. As he approached without particularly hiding his footsteps, Alexander immediately looked at Kalix.
“Hello.”
At that greeting, Kalix asked.
“Alex, where are you going?”
“History class.”
He only knew there was a class around this time in a nearby building, but it was the first time he learned it was a history class. Kalix briefly gave Rosie a polite nod, then looked at Alexander again.
“I have something to tell you.”
“Yeah?”
That was it. Kalix said again.
“I said I have something to tell you?”
At those words, Alexander tilted his head slightly as if he finally understood, then looked at Rosie. Then he handed the book he was holding to Rosie. It didn’t even seem to be his own book. Why was he carrying her book?
“I’ll be right there.”
At Alexander’s words to Rosie, Kalix immediately pulled Alexander along and moved.
“Why?”
Alexander asked, but there wasn’t really anything to say. He just wanted to get out of that situation. But Alexander seemed like he wanted to quickly hear what he had to say and just go.
“There’s time before class.”
Was he trying to quickly see Rosie again? Why? It didn’t seem like an important conversation anyway. It was closer to just chatting around. That’s what made it stranger. What was that about?
“But I didn’t do the assignment.”
“So?”
At Kalix’s question, Alexander answered blankly.
“So I have to do it.”
Kalix examined Alexander’s face thoroughly, but there were no particular signs. But Alexander was originally like that. He would reassure with such a nonchalant appearance like this, then always produce unpredictable results.
“Are you taking the class with Rosie?”
“Yeah. I agreed to help her.”
His answering voice was only calm. But Kalix couldn’t understand it. Rosie was Skylar’s friend. Alexander must have known her better than Kalix did. But could he be so nonchalant about it?
“Does Rosie know that Skylar is engaged?”
If she knew that, it would really be a problem. Of course, Rosie might think the two were dating because they liked each other, but in the end she would have known Alexander would get hurt. It might have been hard to stop them from dating, but wouldn’t it be hard to be nonchalant now that they’d broken up?
“How would I know? I think that’s too strange a topic for me to ask Rosie about.”
That was true. That was true, but still. Then setting that aside, doesn’t seeing Rosie remind him of Skylar?
“Where are you going?”
“Philosophy.”
When he first answered reflexively to Alexander’s question, Alexander pointed to a building.
“Over there?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright. Go in.”
At the sight of him about to move again, Kalix suddenly said.
“Alex.”
At that call, Alexander looked at Kalix. Kalix, subtly frowning around his eyes, said.
“Do your assignments ahead of time.”
Even as he said it, Kalix found it more absurd, but Alexander, who actually heard it, laughed lightly.
“Yeah. Thanks for the advice.”
Then as he watched Alexander’s back moving away again, Alexander suddenly turned back to look at Kalix. Alexander lifted his wrist to show Kalix his wristwatch, pointing at the watch with his hand.
It seemed exactly like he was telling him to go into the lecture hall now. Alexander looked at Kalix briefly like that, then turned his back again and walked straight. This time Kalix watched that back, which didn’t turn around again, enter the building.
Does he really not like me?
* * *
Could he possibly like Rosie? No way. That can’t be. Lost in thought without realizing it, he must have been staring at Alexander, because Alexander raised his eyebrows slightly with a puzzled look. But as if he wasn’t particularly curious about the reason, Alexander lowered his gaze back to his food.
Alexander and Kalix had chosen different menus, and Alexander’s menu didn’t have fruit. Kalix pushed the fruit from his portion to Alexander. Since he did morning training too, shouldn’t he eat more? Alexander ate well without being picky about anything, which was nice to see.
Moreover, Kalix lost his appetite when he couldn’t sleep, but Alexander didn’t seem to have that problem. Even before, he ate well despite clearly having stayed up all night drinking the night before.
“Should I get tea?”
“No.”
“Is there anything else you want to eat?”
“No.”
Even at those words, Kalix kept glancing at Alexander while eating his meal. Alexander wasn’t one to talk much while eating. If anything, he wasn’t originally a talkative personality. Then what did he talk about with Rosie that made him laugh? What was so funny?
Kalix was looking at Alexander like that when he suddenly frowned.
“Alex, didn’t you ask them to leave out the nuts?”
Since Kalix had come to the table after seeing Alexander there, he wasn’t with him when Alexander got his food. And he’d been looking at Alexander all this time, not at his tray. But now that he looked, there were nuts sprinkled on top of Alexander’s sauce bowl.
“What does it matter?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
