Jock Next Bed (BL)
Chapter 203: It keeps getting worse

Chapter 203: It keeps getting worse

Sky wanted to ask so many questions. If they really hated each other, why was he here with a fruit basket? Why was Chris behaving so... not Chris?

Why and where did they dance together since they attended different high schools.

But his jaw clenched, his fingers itching to do something—anything. He wasn’t used to this feeling. Used to being the center of Chris’s attention, not sharing it with anyone else, especially not with a guy who looked like he belonged in the same mold as Chris.

Chris, catching the tension in the air, turned toward Sky, a silent plea in his eyes, like he was trying to defuse the situation. But Sky wasn’t looking at him. He was too focused on Liam—the guy who had a history with him, who probably still lingered in ways that Sky couldn’t ignore.

"Chris..." Sky said, his voice softer now, but with an edge. "Why don’t you introduce me to your ’old rival’ here properly?"

Liam’s eyes flicked from Sky to Chris, the expression on his face slowly shifting. It was like the realization hit him in waves, and as he pieced it together, his amusement became horrifyingly clear.

"Wait a minute," Liam said, his gaze now scrutinizing Chris, then Sky. The pieces clicked, and a slow grin spread across his face—one of those knowing, self-satisfied smiles that made Sky’s stomach twist in irritation.

"I can’t believe it," Liam drawled, shaking his head. "You’re actually jealous?" He gestured toward Chris, his tone thick with mock disbelief. "Cos of this bastard?"

Sky’s jaw clenched hard enough to make his teeth ache. He could feel heat rising to his face, a flush of anger and confusion swirling in his chest. He wasn’t used to being the one who had to prove something, especially not with a guy like Liam, who was looking at him now with that faint pity in his eyes.

Liam leaned back, the amusement still clear on his face. "Damn. That’s rich." He almost seemed to enjoy the tension hanging in the air as he turned to Chris. "Can’t believe someone is jealous over a loser like you." He clicked his tongue, shaking his head as though Sky was the one who’d gotten the short end of the stick.

"The hell?" Chris glared at him. "Time to leave, you asshole."

Liam laughed, but he stood up, picking up his fruit basket. "Well, since there’s more than enough fruit around here already, guess I’ll give this to my little cousin. She’ll appreciate it more than you, anyway," he said to Chris.

Liam took a step toward the door, then paused and turned back to look at Chris one last time, his expression darkening. "Don’t die, okay? Don’t go pulling this shit again. The last thing I need is to deal with you in a hospital bed again." His words were cold, cutting, but there was a tinge of something else there—something that could almost pass for concern, but Sky wasn’t about to buy it.

Liam’s lips curled into a final smirk. "It was disgusting to meet you again, Owen." His eyes flicked to Sky, a mock sympathetic look flickering in his gaze before he added, "Good luck, man. You’re gonna need it."

And just like that, Liam walked out, leaving a thick, tense silence in his wake.

Sky didn’t even blink as the door clicked shut. He sat there, his chest heaving with the frustration that threatened to overflow. His eyes stayed fixed on the door for a long moment, as if willing Liam to walk back in so he could punch the smug look off his face. But Liam was gone, and Sky was still standing there, on edge, barely able to breathe.

Then, finally, he turned to Chris, his voice low and sharp, cutting through the silence. "That guy is such a fucking asshole." He didn’t know if he was talking about Liam or himself—probably both. All he knew was that he hated the way Liam had looked at him, and worse, how he’d looked at Chris.

Chris shifted, clearly uncomfortable under Sky’s gaze. "Yeah, always is."

Sky stood up. His eyes were still burning with the desire to lash out, to say something biting, to let his frustration spill out. But instead, he just turned toward Chris, eyes dark with an unspoken challenge. "You’re lucky."

That was all Sky said.

Lucky for what? He didn’t explain.

"Sky..."

"Be honest with me, Chris." His gaze was piercing as he fixed his eyes on Chris, the tension in the air still actively lingering and mixing perfectly with oxygen. "What happened between you two? Don’t lie to me."

Chris stiffened, his eyes flicking away from Sky’s intense stare. He could feel the weight of the question pressing down on him, and he immediately went into defense mode, his words a little too quick and a little too rehearsed. "There’s nothing to talk about. Really, it’s nothing. Just... old stuff. Nothing that matters now."

Sky wasn’t buying it. His patience, already stretched thin from the earlier encounter with Liam, snapped like a taut string. "Don’t bullshit me, Chris." His tone was sharp, demanding. "I saw the way you acted when he walked in. You don’t just smile at someone like that for no reason. So stop pretending. What happened between you two?"

Chris hesitated, the uncertainty clear in his expression. He opened his mouth, closed it again, and then let out a sigh of frustration. "It was just a stupid crush. Okay?" His voice was almost a whisper, but it was too defensive. "It was dumb. It was in the past. Nothing to worry about."

The word crush felt like a spell which had been cast on Sky. He froze. He had thought maybe something mild had happened between them. Even if they had made out at some point, that was fine. No feelings kind of thing was okay. But crush. CRUSH?

Chris mumbled, barely audible, "It was just... a phase. A dumb thing I got over. Really. It’s not important."

Sky was unmoved. "Tell me the truth, Chris. How long did it last? Don’t lie."

Chris’s shoulders slumped in defeat. He opened his mouth but couldn’t bring himself to meet Sky’s eyes. "It wasn’t important," he mumbled again, his voice barely above a whisper.

Sky wasn’t letting it go. His frustration rose, but his voice remained eerily calm as he repeated, "How long, Chris? It’s okay. Tell me."

There was a beat of silence. Chris shifted uncomfortably, then mumbled, "Four—"

Sky’s eyes widened in horror, and for a moment, he thought his heart had stopped. "Four months?" he interjected, his voice full of disbelief and something darker. He felt the weight of those words, and they crushed him all over again. "You had a crush on Liam for four months!?"

Chris visibly winced and mumbled under his breath, looking anywhere but at Sky. "I didn’t say it was four months—"

Sky stopped for a split second and narrowed his eyes at Chris. "Wait, you didn’t? Then what did you say?"

Chris scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well... I—uh, I... it was... four hehsjsk..."

"Four what?"

Chris, still looking anywhere but at Sky, mumbled the next part so quietly it was barely audible, "y-years."