Jock Next Bed (BL)
Chapter 204: Spiraling

Chapter 204: Spiraling

"Four years?!" The words exploded out of Sky, sharp and ragged, like shrapnel tearing through the quiet.

Chris didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. The silence that stretched between them was thick with unspoken truths. He knew he had messed up clarifying it, but he didn’t want to lie.

Sky’s eyes widened, a flicker of disbelief warring with dawning horror. He recoiled as if physically struck. "You—YOU had a crush on Liam for FOUR YEARS?"

Chris remained silent, his gaze fixed on the agitated figure before him.

Sky turned abruptly, a harsh, humorless laugh escaping his lips. He began to pace the small room, a caged animal radiating volatile energy. "What the fuck is wrong with you? FOUR YEARS?! Oh my god—oh my god. Oh. My. God."

"It was in the past. He didn’t even know. No one knows." Chris said softly.

"You think that is comforting?" Sky spun around, his eyes blazing with an intensity Chris hadn’t seen before. "Four years, Chris? You were pining after him for four goddamn years!"

"It wasn’t like that." Chris’s voice was low, defensive.

He was suddenly thrown back to that day Sky had shown him a photo of him and a girl in the library. He looked even worse now.

"Then what the hell was it like?" Sky’s voice rose, sharp and accusatory. "Was I just some... replacement? The same jawline, same build, just better hair? Do you ever look at me and think damn, if only he was more of an asshole like Liam?"

Chris’s eyes narrowed, a flash of anger igniting within him. "Right now, you seem to be acting like one."

"What the fuck?" Sky looked at him with wide eyes.

"Stop swearing," Chris said, the automatic reprimand feeling strangely out of place in the charged atmosphere.

Sky’s reaction was immediate, a flash of irritation crossing his features. How typical.

He was spiralling, Chris realized, the controlled composure he usually exuded shattering before his eyes. It was always a bewildering sight. A flicker of something akin to concern softened Chris’s voice. "It didn’t matter. I haven’t thought about him that way in a while—"

"But you did for four years!" The accusation hung heavy in the air.

Chris took a step forward, wanting to close the distance, to bridge the chasm that had suddenly opened between them. "What do you want from me, Sky? To say I’m sorry for having feelings I never acted on? I didn’t even like him that much. It was just a thing. Dumb. A kid thing. He also has a boyfriend now..."

"He has a boyfriend now, and you were still flinching like you’ve got unfinished business," Sky said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous purr.

Chris’s mouth twisted in frustration. "For fuck sake, Sato. Why would I think about him when you... exist?"

Sky’s brow shot up, his disbelief palpable. "So if I didn’t exist, you’d be knocking on his door again? Great. Fantastic."

"What the fuck, Sato." Chris’s patience was wearing thin.

Sky stalked across the room again, shaking his head as if trying to dislodge the unbelievable reality. "Do you even hear yourself? God—four years, Chris."

"You are the one who has a fiancée!" Chris retorted, the words sharp and defensive.

"A fiancée I wasn’t romantically involved with and also already broke up with! So what’s your excuse?" Sky snapped, his eyes flashing.

"That this was in the past— wait... for real? You broke up?" A genuine shock widened Chris’s eyes.

Sky merely glared, the tension radiating off him in waves.

Chris moved closer, a spark of something he couldn’t quite name – hope? – igniting within him. "For real?"

"Don’t come close to me." Sky’s voice was a low warning.

Chris exhaled slowly, his jaw clenching again. "This isn’t how I imagined seeing you again."

Sky stopped his pacing, his movements jerky. He slowly lowered himself onto the edge of the bed, his hand trembling visibly. He was breathing too rapidly, his knee bouncing erratically, his teeth grazing his thumbnail – a rare, subconscious tic that spoke volumes of his inner turmoil.

Chris’s expression darkened with concern. "Should I call a doctor?"

No response.

"Sky." Chris’s voice was softer now, laced with worry.

Still silence.

Chris took a cautious step forward. "Talk to me. Please."

Chris was really worried. Sky looked like he was losing it. He had never seen him like this before.

Sky’s eyes slowly lifted, his gaze locking onto Chris’s. "You have the worst taste." The words were flat, devoid of inflection.

A small, involuntary grin tugged at the corner of Chris’s mouth. "Really? Is that what you think of yourself?"

Sky’s gaze burned into him, intense and unwavering. "You still haven’t sworn it."

Chris’s smile vanished. "What?"

Sky stood, his movements slow and deliberate, each step measured. Predatory. When he reached Chris, he closed the remaining distance and grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking his head back with a sharp, unnecessary force that startled Chris.

"Swear to me," Sky said, his voice low and biting, "that there is no one else. That you don’t think about him. Or anyone. Just... me. Only me."

Chris quickly recovered from the rough treatment. In fact, a stupid part of him found it quite... hot.

His own gaze sharpened, mirroring Sky’s intensity. He retaliated instantly, grabbing a handful of Sky’s hair just as roughly and slamming him back against the cool plaster of the wall.

Their faces were inches apart, both breathing hard, chests rising and falling in ragged unison. The air between them crackled with unspoken accusations and a dangerous undercurrent of something else entirely.

"I only care about you," Chris said through gritted teeth, his voice raw. "You. So don’t start acting like I’m fucking anyone else in my head, because I’m not. You’re it. Got it?"

Sky’s breath hitched, a sound that wasn’t fear, but a response to the sheer, palpable tension vibrating between them. His fingers, still tangled in Chris’s hair, tightened, and his breathing slowly began to even out. And was that a sudden flush in his cheeks and ears?

They stared at each other. When Sky spoke again, his voice was softer.