Abel and Paul stared at each other without moving. Suddenly, a tense atmosphere emerged, making people feel at a loss and stand still by the side. At this moment, Paul sighed and rubbed his slapped cheek.
"How impolite."
Paul muttered in a low voice and gave a slight smile. Abel, on the other hand, frowned and sighed.
"You always involve others like this. If you want to be taken care of leisurely by someone, just tell that person directly."
Abel aggressively grabbed Paul's collar. Paul narrowed his eyes unhappily and clicked his tongue softly.
"I just came here for something. The teacher was too defenseless. I couldn't resist teasing him a bit. I didn't expect him to cry."
"Don't be so confident after doing something that made him cry!"
Abel rarely raised his voice with annoyance in his tone and his gaze became a bit sharper. However, Paul impatiently flipped his hair and removed the hand that was grabbing his collar. Then, without looking back at Abel who was calling his name, he slowly walked past him.
As the sound of footsteps gradually faded away and after the open door was closed, Abel somehow rushed towards me as if bouncing back.
"Is Ben okay?"
"Hmm? Ah, I'm fine."
Facing Abel's gaze that was looking at me worriedly, I was a bit confused and was about to get down from the table where I had already fully sat. Suddenly—.
"Ben!"
Abel shouted anxiously and I fell onto his arm. I couldn't exert strength in my feet.
"Whoa, this is too bad."
I instantly grabbed Abel's arm, but my hand slipped and stopped on his wrist. Abel also squatted down in coordination and knelt in front of me.
Only at this time did I realize that my spirit had received a greater blow than I had imagined and felt helpless. If it's like this, it would be better to have been grabbed by the student by the chest and have a fist in front of me just now. In that situation just now, I felt my life was in danger in another sense.
"I'm sorry. The teacher asked me to come over quickly."
"This isn't something Abel should apologize for."
Seeing Abel suddenly showing a dejected expression, I gave a wry smile. He is still like a dog. Although I'm sorry for imagining him with ears and a tail, but he is really cute. I had an illusion as if seeing a dog with drooping big ears and couldn't resist patting his head like usual.
I remember there seemed to be such a dog in my family before.
"I'm sorry, Ben."
"I've said it's okay. I'm also at fault."
I was hugged tightly and my shoulder trembled for an instant. But when he hugged me like grabbing a life-saving straw, I felt sorry instead. I stroked his back like comforting him. He sighed and leaned his head on my shoulder.
"But I should have paid good attention. Nothing good ever happens once that guy is involved."
"Is it like that?"
"Ben is usually not very aware of himself, so I'm very worried. Blake is also very tense because of various things now. I'll pay attention. Ben, you also be careful."
"Um, okay."
Being said to have no crisis management ability and low awareness really makes my mood a bit subtle. Do I really have that many flaws? Well, if it comes to being sharp, I might deny it, but it is indeed the case. But this still makes me a bit frustrated.
"Ben is very sensitive to others' feelings but doesn't care much about things involving himself. Saying he is slow-witted isn't quite right either. It feels like he has left his own matters somewhere."
Abel seemed to have sensed my mood and gave a slight smile.
"Left somewhere?"
I didn't quite understand what Abel said and tilted my head in confusion. He smiled and said that it would be found someday.
"All right, let's go back today."
Abel said this, put his hand on his knee and stood up, pulling my hand. I was pulled up by him and swayed a bit but managed to stand firmly in the end.
"What about the club activity?"
"Today the minister ordered me to go back with the teacher."
"So it's Zoe."
Seeing Abel grinning, I unconsciously drooped my shoulders. Is it really okay for a teacher, or rather as an adult, to be taken care of like this by a student?
"Do you want to take a detour on the way back?"
Abel bent down, looked at me with my head lowered and stared straight at me. They are much more mature than me. I feel useless.
"This of Ben."
"Hmm?"
Suddenly a piece of paper was handed to me. I didn't know what it was for a moment and frowned. This was left by Paul just now.
"I don't really want you to have too much involvement with Paul, but Blake is also there, so just accept it?"
"Um, okay."
I took the paper and answered vaguely. Abel showed a somewhat troubled smile.
"I think it's best for you guys to be together now."
"Abel, you really act like an adult."
Usually only seeing his grinning and leisurely appearance. Now he is calmer than anyone else, which surprises me a bit.
"But maybe it's because of this that the balance among the three of you can be maintained very well."
When I heard that the three of them were childhood friends, I felt very unbalanced, but now I don't feel like that anymore. Abel's stability probably balances the relationship among the three of them very well.
"The teacher is very similar to Blake. But the one who causes the most worry is still Blake who seems like that."
"Is it like that."
After hearing my words, Abel narrowed his eyes and laughed loudly.
For some reason, I really want to see Blake very much now. I want to see him, smile like usual, stroke his hair and hug him.
"It's a bit lonely."
The empty hole in my heart that I haven't noticed all along is blown by the cold wind, making me feel a kind of sadness. There is nothing there. This kind of pain and loneliness is unbearable.
"Um, it's very lonely. Not being able to see the person I like."
"Like? So it really is like."
In the end, that day passed like this and nothing was solved. The more eager I am to see him but can't, the farther it feels the distance is. Nevertheless—.
"Why am I so indecisive?"
Being pointed out like that by Zoe and being reminded of things that I have already realized makes me should have noticed it already, but I still don't want to admit it. What is this kind of stubbornness.
"Everyone is too hasty. I think you can feel it more slowly."
"Only Abel would say something like this."
I gave a wry smile. Abel gave a somewhat troubled smile and started walking slowly.
"Because Ben has liked Blake from the very beginning, right."
"Ah?"
Abel was pulling the door while smiling and looking back at me. I couldn't help but stop my movement.
"So it's very lonely when not by his side, right. Falling in love more slowly won't get you punished either."
Abel gave a slight smile to me who was staring at him in astonishment.
"...Ah, maybe it's like this."
After being said that I like him, I was the first one to chase him. Even if that was a designed trap and a contest, I was undoubtedly attracted by him.
And the one waiting for my answer and not urging me is Blake.
"Like."
So that day—being strangely turned away by him with his back facing me, I hated it. I hated that he didn't look into my eyes. I hated his back that didn't turn back. I hated his arm that didn't hug me.
So I don't want to admit it. I'm afraid that if I admit it, something will collapse. What if I realize that I like him but Blake doesn't come back?
It can't be just anyone. The person who smiles, the person who gazes, the person who hugs—if it's not him, I don't like any of them. I know this myself too, so I'm extremely afraid.
"I like Blake."
Suddenly there was a pain in my chest and something that had stopped seemed about to overflow.
Whether Blake really misses me or not is not important now. From the moment he looked straight at me—missing has already overflowed and started to move.
The feeling of like sprouts in the heart and doesn't need time.