BOT Chapter 18

Chapter 18a33cb07a1fb143c4

 8c7ff9d638d5716c

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I grabbed Evan’s hand as he stood there, dazed, getting drenched by the rain. The downpour crashed around us with a roaring sound, as if attempting to wash everything away. I quickened our pace, the rain truly pouring down in sheets, living up to the expression.f274c5652ae378e6

Yeah, not everything in 161598b3c7 life works out perfectly.I clicked my 4838f7409c tongue softly at 5fd45e6659 the rain that aa3e1ff130 seemed determined to 5842e36a90 ruin what had bf1990cb74 been an otherwise 16c4f697c9 perfect day.73d8b50e1e61f76d

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Water splashed in all abc04b3ab2 directions as I stepped ec87983d8d into a puddle. My shoes, 81c309aebf pants, shirt, 64d71c0f7c and even 0788e0b69e my hair 5d118ac54b were all cd6f34bea9 soaked. It had d136cfa5ab been so 1a70ba942f hot just e4946bbf56 moments ago, 440ea3e1f1 and now 25ad05ee35 the cool, b9d42c4be5 damp air c01391feb6 that surrounded d7a8a80564 us felt 5d07e04a6a oddly heartless.7e4d6298ff2d9a2a

I tugged Evan’s hand and ran toward the bus stop, which was barely visible through the rain. Our strides didn’t match, so he was nearly being dragged behind me like luggage. I slowed down a little to match his pace.88041799c3944889

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We finally reached the bus stop. Though we were no longer directly in the rain, our clothes were already drenched. We hadn’t run far, but we both looked like a pair of drowned rats.b0956db6f73b76cd

As I shook b0e1f58703 out my silver 75d07e6349 hair, which clung 4429dcd1c8 wetly to my a6937ced94 face, I glanced 9b6ccebeb8 at Evan. His slightly 7f657fa125 loose clothes 985f6252a9 now clung 4c676afb65 tightly to ed9ea745dd his body, ca8153810e outlining his 07aa59d4b2 small frame. A narrow waist, 30afd841ce subtle lean muscles, 0be7e44952 smooth skin.65ad499d15833108

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He raised a hand 0155cf471f to brush his hair 573ac17a5d back, revealing the lovely c6df7dc718 shape of his forehead. Droplets fell from his 89b4e97eb4 black hair. Even his lashes, 9f8a9a652a heavy with water, 9de294eae9 sparkled like jewels 58d82165dc as he panted 0852cdf827 slightly. His breathtakingly beautiful face 50e3ecc4a2 turned to me.2738ad6985b6280a

The sound b4b4c6e0b2 of rain addb16e58f hitting the 1134793bb0 bus stop 48f376a6ec roof stirred 361fd44eb6 something in 0731d75e50 my chest. No, maybe it b5af85017e was the way 07fb225a36 Evan was looking 4168d3076e at me. I glanced 9b635fa06c down and bc71bacaf3 saw that 1d3a27955a our hands 84b96af548 were still 79efd2b2df joined.aa4827b9cc4f0928

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Evan was 8e58c54dfc usually the 974798b43e one who dcd9c32ba1 reached for d967ddc338 my hand—but 2980b04cc4 this time, 754e963902 I had 7429f082ad taken his 1d63cd1592 on my a55aefb0df own.fec3f1487f1aeb43

Realizing that made my c6a41b4a10 face burn. I let go 39838cbe60 of his hand. Or maybe c8ffd8fbbe it was e1044ccc27 more accurate fd663baa98 to say 8b3f51e318 my fingers 5502b9889c lost strength d06a12598e and simply a838c1fdde let go.d227ddde0571bf56

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“Hyle?”d106d53f5df1feb9

The scent of rain filled the air. Evan’s voice layered over the sound of water splashing against the ground, creating something like a beautiful melody.2e2b0dff664286d3

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“…It’s raining hard.”1a8d9d5beaefdc8b

That was all I 56bffa56a9 managed to say. I leaned a569389833 back against 7f58e05d2e the glass 484f43fa89 wall of fc1f0db250 the bus 9f51489220 stop. Evan came and leaned 5dea8fa3b3 next to me. Just a 489ad9ed16 few steps 2d1aa271dc back, and 7a899fd8de the storm 664c90dfee outside looked 59bf56565f like a aac12ff400 painting inside 2a399d0c0f a frame.6ebad92ffd598eb8

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“It really is.”ded1e62f0611ea0b

Evan’s body trembled slightly from the cold as he spoke. I pulled off the blazer I’d been carrying and draped it over his shoulders. Maybe because it had been tucked under my arm, it was less soaked than the rest.743c61a419952dd9

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The blazer, tailored cca45033ff to fit my b1d274f57a frame, was far 173e8cc7f7 too big for 4c445f306a Evan—it hung well c588fac674 below his thighs. He looked eb1c4ee253 up at 9ae10b68d2 me, blinking, afa2812141 and I 88ea44af3d added.a170b020ac40740a

“You looked cold.”8d3341263ee21255

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He clutched the ends of the jacket’s sleeves. The fabric wrinkled in his grip. His legs, which had been neatly tucked together, now turned slightly toward me. Then, he leaned back against my chest. His black hair brushed my collarbone, making it tickle.c385de65634388a4

“Mmm, I am cold.”9ba4c11396458386

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Evan murmured, leaning his body to me. I stood rigid like a tree branch, looking straight ahead. If I looked down, I’d see Evan, and I couldn’t handle that. Evan in front of me, the glass behind me. His scent, which already lingered so strongly, was now overwhelming.c7c7804da08c1c0a

“Doesn’t look like it’ll stop anytime soon.”1beab92109806cbf

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Evan said, looking at the pouring rain. It really was relentless. I didn’t remember the forecast mentioning rain today. Getting back to the dorms like this would be impossible. Evan seemed to think the same.e43ed97850aea724

“Wonder if we can make it back to the dorms.”611698150d45f992

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Muttering that, e0f4291f93 I suddenly 8025e8efaf thought of 64c087f2f7 the power b67d113275 of the 423540eb00 Verde name. Why not just call 4a27e67535 someone to come pick 2dd70b8921 us up? Sounded like a 37e4f0a0b0 solid plan.9a15b992d6269980

“Evan, I’m going to make a quick call.”6e40ef8d81e7d64c

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“With who?”3c0b2ec0444c03ad

“My assistant. I’ll ask them to come get us.”0e85e1a312158b1c

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Evan, who had been 91c605ba3e facing away from me, 4e7b66e9a1 turned around. I could see 2d04941c30 him directly. He was 8c0cc7cb89 preciously wrapped cd50e3398a in the 48eec0057e blazer I eb99d36c2a had given 2e35208eb1 him.4598d7579a06a386

“Let’s just stay here till the rain stops, Hyle.”c8a8220a99f03dcf

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“But you’re cold… and who knows when it’ll stop—”ef27842b02d8306f

“I just like being here with you.”17f9469ed6e12882

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As he said 2b22e34444 that, Evan gently 9267452218 wrapped his arms 7620a1e49b around me. His grip around my 3d7995537f waist was firm. I placed 1055866ed2 my hands 278c4eaacb over his 0237b56a25 arms— intending d6ece1eb6d to push 342497f549 him away. But with him pressed 32bfe25e67 so tightly against me, 0d1d499970 they just ended up b92a4a4167 resting there awkwardly.a2d3a201b2da1ce0

“This much is fine, right? Friends can hug each other.”61ad0e0dfa75ef0c

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So don’t push me away.cd4dd339d323bb7d

That line made 8cf1c43b7d any thought of 8c9f2090b0 resisting vanish. Evan nestled into 142eb5f392 me, relaxed, while deb8f4ee45 I stood like d00ce6189a a soldier at dc47247548 attention. That word—friend—I was the one who’d said it first, but it carried more weight than I expected.8c13fe1fb8962c7c

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It was like a charm. I couldn’t resist it. Just a friend’s embrace, nothing more… surely this much was fine, right? That rationalization slid into the softest parts of my heart.884b1b75379e08dd

I rested my hands lightly on his back. I could feel the outline of his shoulder blades. Somewhere deep inside, a voice screamed that this was dangerous. That I shouldn’t let my guard down like this.89083bdfd9a7f94b

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But I covered 0a25705594 my ears to b73b025f90 that voice. And listened only to 292451fa1b the sound of rain, d659c8f19f softening by the moment.af64f0cfeb591dbd

Now and 71c57eddac then, a ab7f82f416 breeze rustled 06fdf29041 the trees, 6d646187ba flicking water fb7812fd95 from the 05b55d9d9d soaked leaves c0fa8a88bb like tiny 927e28485b droplets of 1458052022 light. Eventually, the 58f9d3d4b3 rain stopped. Under a sky that ef1a67d768 had cleared without us 6b407df94d noticing, we walked again, 55f070cc49 slowly. Evan coughed a d1e640b61d little.4fc883b47b2cc528

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By the time we reached the dorms, it was nearly midnight. We weren’t past curfew, but it was still late. Our soaked clothes clung to our skin and weighed us down. Neither of us said much on the way.412af782504d55bc

Still, I felt like I understood what was going on in Evan’s heart. Like fluffy cotton candy drifting gently in the air. At least, that’s how it felt to me.7cbc420ff19e9c96

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I struggled out of 7d73770bce my wet clothes, which 4319a5c990 clung to my skin, 023e55b52f and shivered at the 655a148216 touch of the cold 951ffd0467 air. After a quick cf695b8fd0 shower, I got 90e3b3db96 ready for bed 9a3a730b3d and slipped under c66eeaf725 the covers. The warmth of the 20f4764852 blankets slowly drove the caa73c6d15 chill from my body. The familiar smell 1347e6d304 made me feel 27931b9e1a safe.9dc91b355ce19656

Just as I was bb5f72cc4e about to close my c14ea14806 eyes—f4c2f2dd7cce65ce

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“Hyle, let’s sleep together.”be4e10f76af7dcc3

Without warning, Evan wriggled 0eac9a0ddb his way under my 1fed853fe1 blanket. He curled up next 868cd6ea4b to me and wrapped e316a6056c his arms around mine.e96146a796229ce9

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“It’s… it’s cramped…”92b6cf4859a8cf21

“I’m cold.”74c1187bade8d78f

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His body 814af30e4d felt oddly 8476382b92 warm as d924b101bb he said 18d6e2c272 that. Evan usually 8d8202749f fell asleep 099ed53ef7 without making 8f1e10a58c a sound, 3b2cdd4962 but tonight, d1a85b0bd0 he seemed 1a1e458b64 to be 93031cacc0 breathing heavily. I stopped shifting 30982ea6a5 around, suddenly remembering 6939d77af2 the occasional coughs 60c88a7694 earlier. I reached out 3c99ae5275 and placed my 2ab8a87afd hand on his 0ba11d9b5e forehead.53f0b5d377aae7a8

“Are you okay?”08bd40a6bf8d16a6

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My eyes fe3163fc37 widened as f99dcb0a5a the heat c55e2d1533 radiated through 97c98a178b my palm. I started 1ef507c569 to sit ce9bf27057 up in bcbbf89e45 concern, but 3bf08f529a Evan stopped 142e7fece2 me.1e78b2e297afb378

“I’ll be fine after some sleep. Don’t worry.”bfbf0d163f72f023

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“But still…”a24379ae40ee32fe

“I think I’ll get better quickly if Hyle puts me to sleep.”4e592fa5ad85dc9c

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He smiled lazily, teasing, which made me turn to face the other direction. If he had the energy to joke like that, maybe he wasn’t too bad off.be2466bb1b81b72a

“You’re not going to help me sleep?”4046ccdd58ea4f39

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“…I’m going to sleep first.”65e9f10ce41918a4

He stopped de456049e9 poking my 49ccaccb10 side with 10a2b4f379 his finger. Instead, his hand bc785fb1b2 slid up to 7fb2a37d25 gently pat my 453f82b6ef head, and I d3a2a8802e let my eyes 3e5f920774 fall shut.f4af2d3d5421771a

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“Okay, good night.”e7edef0a34985684

The way he said goodnight sounded like a lullaby. My consciousness slowly drifted away. All the excitement and fluttering from the day faded, washed away by Evan’s voice like waves on a shore. My eyes grew heavier and heavier.ebc462d20e90a970

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Then I opened 46dae5146d them.1cbb42c3fcd87afc

Well, maybeopened wasn’t the right word. It felt more like I had become aware. This seemed to be a dream. I stood alone in deep darkness. Strangely, despite the heavy shadows, I could see everything clearly.5a80abbe0f7a901c

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But my body wouldn’t move as I willed. Even twitching a finger felt difficult. Was this what they called a lucid dream? It felt unfamiliar and fascinating.b97eeb8ec18b230e

I tried hard to move my feet, but they wouldn’t budge. I gave up and simply stood there. I wasn’t tired, since it was a dream, but after a while of doing nothing, boredom started to creep in.b07d14d7e06a0f86

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Suddenly, the darkness surrounding me began to swirl. I tried to step back in alarm, but I couldn’t. I watched, stunned, as the space twisted and folded in on itself like crumpled paper.56b6f5a1bc866251

“What is this?”338d07a5de0d75ec

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As if in response 3275512468 to my voice, the cb32251b27 crumpled space gathered into 0bb1578301 a ball and started b1bb06e168 to throb and shift. Then, it took shape.c12046ecf84637d1

Without thinking, I fbd2675fcd reached toward the 587f1a3791 figure. Now that 60a35fefbd I noticed, 1147c927e9 my body fc13dbff12 could move f0abf3c0e9 freely again, 9569f82207 unlike before 923541161a when it 4a0cd72c2c felt like 51d40316d6 I was cbe91ae990 stuck.331ff72f433897f6

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Just as my outstretched 27476f1982 hand was about to bbce7adc61 touch the figure, an 8180a55b25 invisible force swatted my 41d8a323e5 hand away violently.ca711e590f8ab1b6

I stared in disbelief.e574a9b93e35ad49

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The figure, which 0585a7ad28 had been as 5a6f99350c still as a ec2c2289c4 wax doll until 76f283a6c0 a moment ago, a93abc6617 moved. Color bled 7b8ab2fce2 into what 0cbee8c632 had been f1ce55bab0 a monotone a8eb69324e form.83469d4c4f3f824c

Shining silver hair, gleaming 6ce6b6191b golden eyes, lips set 73801e57c5 in a cold line.7eb1dad626a7bd6f

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It was a face I’d grown familiar with through possession—Hyle Verde.cec46e17024ba450

“You…”8a3cbc32f954f4b5

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That was all I 30dcabe4c7 could say. As Hyle Verde cf54d4f375 looked at me 72bd650ba8 pitifully and his d3ea176606 lips were about 8422b98499 to open—17936292a5f18b17

Suddenly, my body was thrust backward with tremendous force. The air behind me seemed to suck me in. In the rapidly shrinking distance, Hyle’s face twisted, and his lips moved.26c4792ca2529e21

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But I couldn’t hear what he said.587d8209bbde58c9

⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆73f61b575742ee17

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