Jock Next Bed (BL)
Chapter 103: Weird new friendship

Chapter 103: Weird new friendship

When Chris finally woke up again, it was well into the afternoon. He groaned and rubbed his temples, feeling the persistent ache in his head. Pushing himself to sit up, he reached for his phone and checked the time. A series of missed calls and messages caught his attention—both from yesterday and today.

The only person’s text he bothered to check was Rachel’s. She was wondering why he hadn’t shown up at school and what had been happening with him since yesterday. Also worried he wasn’t taking her calls and wanted him to text her as soon as possible. He sighed, realizing he had some explaining to do. He sent out a brief response to her, explaining that he wasn’t feeling well and had decided to take the day off, promising to call her later.

He remained in bed for a couple of minutes more, too weak to stand up. Exhaustion coursed through him; his head throbbed relentlessly, and his mouth tasted bitter. He felt simultaneously cold and hungry, yet the thought of eating was unappealing.

Being sick left him feeling weak and vulnerable, a sensation he despised. But he reminded himself that he was Christopher Owen.

Even though he was no longer at home, where doctors would attend to him with care and have people hovering beside his bed, watching over him, he could still manage all by himself.

With a sense of determination, Chris swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, wincing at the dizziness that washed over him. He made his way to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face, hoping to shake off the fatigue, though it only made him feel colder.

As he stared at his reflection in the mirror, he was almost taken aback by how awful he looked. His complexion was pale, his eyes were sunken, and he appeared far from his usual self. He cursed silently, frustrated by the sudden onslaught of illness without any warning. He couldn’t afford to be careless; he was here to be serious about his studies, and falling sick could jeopardize his grades and scholarship, and he would have to resort to his family’s assistance.

"You look awful," a voice beside him remarked, and he turned, his eyes narrowing.

He saw Gary standing there, someone he had almost forgotten existed. Chris gave him a simple nod to acknowledge his presence and was about to walk past him when a sudden wave of dizziness hit him, causing him to almost stumble. Gary, though smaller in stature, reacted quickly and caught him before he could fall. His eyes were wide with alarm.

"I should call the university ambulance," Gary suggested, worry etched on his face.

"No. I’m fine," Chris mumbled, not wanting to deal with questionable hospital treatments. He doubted that these people here had really good doctors who knew what they were doing.

"Do you want me to help you back to your room then?" Gary’s concern was clear.

Chris hesitated, realizing he was too weak to move on his own. Gary didn’t wait for an answer and gently supported him back to his room. Rachel was waiting outside his door, and her eyes widened as she saw Gary assisting Chris.

"You really are sick!" she exclaimed, opening the door for them and following them inside.

Gary helped Chris onto the bed, his strength a lifeline in Chris’s weakened state.

"What’s wrong? How do you feel? Should we go to the hospital?" Rachel bombarded him with questions as she sat beside him on the bed, concern etched on her face.

"He seems really ill, and I doubt he’s done anything about it," Gary chimed in.

Sitting there, surrounded by their worry, Chris felt both embarrassed and grateful, but he simply covered himself with his blanket to shield himself from the cold.

"Says who?" Chris chipped in weakly, facing Gary.

"Then, have you?" Rachel asked him.

"Not... exactly," Chris answered in a sheepish tone as he looked at her.

"Goodness, Chris! You should have told me you were this sick. I thought it was just a mild headache or something. I didn’t even think you were actually sick."

"Then why did you come?" He joked.

"This is not the time to be joking!" She snapped at him as she stood up, reaching for her backpack on his reading table to find her purse.

"Have you at least had anything to eat today?" She asked as she took out some cash from her purse.

"Nope."

"No medication either, I’m guessing?"

"Nope."

"Does your roommate know that you are sick then?" Rachel asked, frowning.

Chris glanced at Gary before he faced her and shook his head.

"You are going to be the death of me!" Rachel sighed before turning to Gary.

"Watch him. I will be back soon," she said before picking up her phone and leaving the room.

As Rachel headed out to get him some food and medicine, Gary remained by his side, his presence oddly not so uncomfortable. They faced each other, sitting in silence for a moment before Chris broke it.

"You don’t have to watch me," he muttered weakly.

"If you could see how you look right now, you’d understand why I’d rather not leave you alone," Gary replied with a small smile.

Chris sighed, leaning back against the pillows. "Are you sure you’re not just trying to be nice because of something else?"

Gary snorted, carrying his chair over to sit by Chris’s bedside. "You do seem to have trust issues."

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Well, I do."

"Ah, I see."

"What’s that tone?" Chris asked, curious.

"Your trust issues alarm bell didn’t go off when you met Ash?"

Chris scoffed. "What’s with everyone and Ash?"

"Because he’s weird."

"But many people seem to like him, don’t they?"

"He’s rich. He’s... hot. Talented too." Gary shrugged. "So obviously people either like him for the money or because they bet on him during races and he helps them win. Or they want to have sex with him."

"And which category do you fall into?" Chris inquired.

"All, I guess." Gary grinned playfully.

"And you’re judging me for kissing him?" Chris raised a questioning brow.

Gary laughed. "Fair play. But... I didn’t think you were interested in guys. And have a very understanding girlfriend."

Chris frowned. "First of all, Rachel is not my girlfriend. Secondly... Because I kissed a guy, suddenly everyone thinks I’m interested in guys?" Chris deflected.

"That’s true. I guess I was too quick to judge. But then again, I don’t think every straight guy goes around kissing other guys—"

"Are you worried because Sky is my roommate?" Chris interrupted him, catching him off guard.

"I... I don’t get what you mean," Gary stumbled over his words, a hint of blush colouring his cheeks.

"You don’t look like you don’t get it," Chris pointed out. "It’s clear you like Sky."

"I... I do have a crush on him," Gary admitted, chuckling nervously.

Chris had known this from the start, but Gary admitting it still caught him by surprise.

Why was he even surprised? Wouldn’t it have been weirder if Gary had said he didn’t like Sky?

"Do you... by chance... know if he has a girlfriend or—"

"Stop!" Chris cut him off.

"What?" Gary asked, bewildered.

"You should end your crush," Chris advised. The earlier he stopped it, the better for him. Because as far as Chris was interested in him, no one else was going to have him.

He was not going to allow it.

"Does he... really have someone?" Gary asked, his disappointment evident.

"It won’t work out between you two. And I’m sure you know that already."

Gary sighed heavily. "I kinda know that. Besides, he has been a lot distant with me." He sounded down. Chris almost felt bad for him. Almost.

"Why do you like him?" Chris asked out of sheer curiosity.

However, before Gary could respond, the door opened, and Rachel entered with nylon bags in her hands. She shot them a questioning look before she went to sit down beside Chris on the bed.

Gary excused himself, promising to check up on Chris again later. Chris wasn’t exactly sure if this was the beginning of a weird friendship budding, but he wasn’t rude to Gary and thanked him for his time.

Rachel stayed with Chris, helping him eat and making sure he took the medicine as prescribed. Chris was left reflecting on the unexpected camaraderie that had formed between them. Rachel, who had been almost strangers to him not too long ago, now felt like his closest ally.

As night descended, Rachel decided to head back to her dorm, promising to check on him once more in the morning. Chris found himself alone with his thoughts—a mix of gratitude, contemplation, and a hint of vulnerability. He realized that he didn’t have to bear everything on his own and that sometimes it was okay to lean on others. He could trust people who were not part of his family tree.

Closing his eyes, Chris felt the weariness finally catch up to him, but this time there was a sense of calm. He drifted into sleep, embracing the comfort that came from knowing he wasn’t exactly alone here.