Jock Next Bed (BL)
Chapter 174: Unwanted guest

Chapter 174: Unwanted guest

Rachel’s cheeks flushed a delicate pink. She quickly recovered, though. "So," she said, changing the subject with practiced ease. "What are you going to do about Collins?"

Chris leaned forward lazily. "How long have you been dating him?"

Rachel’s eyes widened comically. "What?"

Chris tilted his head, as he watched her. He wasn’t even amused by the situation. "You just outed yourself. I’ve been waiting."

Rachel grabbed her cup and took a long, desperate sip, clearly buying time. Then, narrowing her eyes, she pointed a finger at him. "This is deflection. We were talking about you. Don’t change the topic."

Chris shrugged. "I can handle Collins. He can’t keep hiding forever. He’ll be back after the holidays, and I’ll deal with him then. But you? How long have you both been dating secretly?"

"We... we’re not exactly dating," Rachel stammered, avoiding Chris’s gaze.

Chris folded his arms, staring at Rachel like she had grown two heads. "So... you’re not exactly dating?"

Rachel shifted in her seat, suddenly fascinated by her coffee cup. "Well... no, not officially."

Chris frowned, leaning back against his chair. "That makes no sense. I’ve been noticing things for a while now. Whatever is going on between you two has been happening for ages. How come you’re not dating?" Chris narrowed his eyes. "And why is it a secret? What, did he make you keep it quiet so he could flirt with other girls?" His voice dropped, eyes darkening. "Because if that’s the case, I swear—"

He pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contacts.

Rachel’s eyes widened in alarm. She grabbed his wrist. "Chris! Stop!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why? I can’t be here and let some bastard lead you on."

Wow! Pot calling kettle.

As if he wasn’t in the same position with Sky.

But then. Sky wasn’t a bastard. Others were.

"Don’t! It’s not like that!" Rachel hissed, glancing around.

Chris held her gaze, waiting.

Rachel exhaled, rubbing her temples. "It was my idea."

Chris raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Your idea? To not date? To keep it a secret?"

Rachel bit her lip. "I... I’ve been attracted to him for a while," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. "And... he seemed attracted to me too."

Chris leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "Weren’t you attracted to Sky before?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Chris, everyone was attracted to Sky at some point. He was like an unattainable idol—the kind of person you admire but know you can’t have."

She lowered her voice, almost whispering. "I’m still surprised, honestly, shocked that you... that you were able to..." She trailed off, shaking her head in disbelief.

Chris smirked but said nothing.

Rachel cleared her throat. "But Noel... Noel is attainable. He’s... realistic."

Chris snorted. "And materialistic."

Rachel groaned, knowing exactly what he meant. "Look, I know he gets excited about my ’rich’ background, okay?"

Chris crossed his arms. "Does he even know you lied about that?"

Rachel hesitated, then shook her head. "No. But I want to tell him."

Chris sighed. "Rachel..."

She looked at him earnestly. "I really like him, Chris. I just needed time to be sure before making it public. And honestly... I was worried about what you would think."

Chris blinked. "Me?"

Rachel nodded. "You’re my best friend. And I know how you feel about Noel sometimes. But... I swear he’s changed. He stopped flirting with other girls. I know it. I really think he genuinely likes me. Really."

Chris exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. She had called him her best friend. That was sweet. Touching.

To the point where he really wanted to go find Noel and punch him in the face and tell him to stay away from her because she was too fucking good for him.

Rachel leaned forward, eyes pleading. "Can you just... support me? Trust me on this?"

She really looked like she needed his support. Like it was so important to her.

Chris sighed. He didn’t know what to tell her. And he had no time to think either. Because...

The door to the café chimed as it opened.

Chris’s expression immediately soured.

Someone had just walked in.

Someone he really, really wasn’t looking forward to seeing.

Ash.

And of course, Ash spotted him instantly, his face lighting up with a bright, easy smile. Like he knew Chris would be there.

Chris felt his stomach twist as Ash made his way toward them, easily drawing the attention of everyone in the cafe.

Of course, he wasn’t a pretty boy.

An annoying asshole pretty boy.

Chris clenched his jaw as Ash slid into the seat beside Rachel, settling in like he was meant to be there.

His eyes narrowed. "Fuck off."

Ash blinked, then placed a hand over his heart dramatically. "Ouch. Why so hostile? I missed you."

Chris scoffed. "Did I fucking ask you to miss me?"

Ash chuckled, completely unbothered. "No, but you should have." He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "I’ve been wanting to talk to you."

Chris was about to tell him to get lost again when he noticed the way Ash glanced at Rachel—like she was an obstacle instead of a person.

Chris’s blood boiled.

Ash turned back to him, expression unreadable. "Unless, of course, you want an audience. I wouldn’t mind talking about Sky in front of everyone. Maybe I should just stand up and—"

Chris’s fist clenched, but before he could tell him to shut up, Rachel sighed.

"I’ll head out."

Chris turned to her, frowning. "Rachel—"

"I need to go fix something," she cut in, giving him a look that said ’you’ll tell me everything later’. She stood, grabbing her bag. But before leaving, she turned to Ash, eyes sharp.

"If you do anything crazy," she said flatly, "I will kill you."

Ash chuckled, amused. "Cute." He stood up to give her space to walk out.

Rachel rolled her eyes before walking off.

Chris turned back to Ash, his mood already ruined.

"Start talking," he muttered, voice cold.