Jock Next Bed (BL)
Chapter 210: Nervous

Chapter 210: Nervous

When they returned to his assigned room—one of the mansion’s magnificent guest suites—Chris hesitated by the doorway. The weight of everything unsaid between them pressed into his shoulders. Sky hadn’t asked him about the wealth. The name. The whole truth. But he felt the questions there, hanging unspoken between chandelier light and silence.

Sky took in the room again like he hadn’t been here before, trying not to show the awe that flickered in his eyes, but Chris noticed anyway.

To distract himself, he moved past Sky to open the wardrobe to see what else Sky could get from the line of clothes prepared for him—and immediately flinched.

"Jesus Christ," Chris muttered.

The wardrobe was lined with perfectly arranged suits, like a showroom display. All dark tones. All stiff.

All Leon.

Chris turned around, jaw slack. "Are you serious right now?" he said, staring at Sky, who burst into laughter.

"Leon’s insane," Chris grumbled. "Actually insane."

He shut the wardrobe with an irritated thud. "Was he planning for you to sleep in one of these too? Is there a silk cravat in the bathroom waiting for you?"

Sky only laughed harder, nearly doubled over.

Chris shook his head and waved him along. "Come on. Let’s go to my room before I find cufflinks on your pajamas."

He kept muttering as they walked down the hall, "Leon is actually crazy... actually, clinically... oh my God... what the actual FUCK..."

When they got to Chris’s room, Sky slowed to a stop at the doorway. His eyes swept across the spacious interior—the high ceilings, polished floors, the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a trimmed garden, the huge bed with expensive sheets, and shelves lined with books and things Chris probably didn’t even touch. It was everything a "rich boy" room was supposed to be.

"Wow," Sky muttered, eyes still flicking around. "You must’ve hated our dorm."

That was it. The first comment Sky has made concerning any of this.

Chris whipped his head around. "No—no, I didn’t," he said too quickly, too defensively.

The silence that followed was thick.

Chris turned away, making a beeline for the walk-in closet like he was running from the weight of the moment. He opened the door and cleared his throat. "Come on. You can find something here."

Sky followed slowly. The closet was practically another room—a room full of clothes, shoes, accessories, even a mirror that looked like it could tell you your future.

Chris tried not to look at him. He stood by the shirts, tugging at a sleeve that was slightly off center, biting the inside of his cheek, nearly chewing on his nail before he caught himself.

But from the corner of his eye, he could see how Sky looked around. The way he tried to keep his expression flat. Tried not to seem impressed. Or overwhelmed. Or... small.

And Chris could almost hear the thoughts spinning in his head. He didn’t say them, but Chris imagined every word.

How far apart they were.

How different their lives looked, side by side like this.

And he didn’t want that.

Chris pulled a grey tee-shirt off the rack, hesitated, then grabbed a pair of black slacks to match. "This should be fine," he muttered, almost to himself, before turning to hand them to Sky. "Do you like it?"

Sky looked at the clothes, then at Chris. "Why do you look more nervous than I am?" Sky asked quietly.

This was it.

Chris didn’t answer right away. His throat worked as he swallowed, hard. "Because I am," he said finally, and his voice was tight, frayed around the edges. "I’m scared of what you’re thinking right now. Of how you’re looking at me."

Sky blinked. "I’m just... not used to this version of you. That’s all. I’m trying to see you the same."

Trying.

Chris froze.

Then he suddenly dropped the expensive clothes onto the floor, his movements jerky, almost angry. "Right. Of course it is."

He backed away, his breath picking up as his hands flew to his hair, gripping it. "I knew this would happen. I fucking knew it."

"Chris—"

"No," he said sharply. "No, let me just—let me explain, okay? I didn’t want to lie. I didn’t. But I wanted to be someone else for a while. Just for once. Away from all this. The money. The noise. The expectations. The fucking name. I wanted to be just a guy in school. I wanted to be around someone, people who didn’t look at me like I was... like I was part of some legacy they could never touch."

His chest rose and fell, too fast. "But I should’ve told you, I know that. I should have. I was scared of this. This silence. This awkwardness. This... distance between us." He paused. "And the way you’re looking at me now like you’re trying not to look at me differently but... you are."

Sky cut through the spiral like a blade through fog. "Chris," he said, firm but soft. "Hey. I get it. Okay? I’m not blaming you."

Chris looked up, startled, and Sky stepped closer, holding his gaze. "It’s normal for me to still be surprised, isn’t it? This—" he gestured around the room, the walk-in closet, the expensive air of it all "—it’s a lot. But I’m here. I’m still here. That should count for something, right?"

Chris closed his eyes, like the words untied a knot in his chest. He gave a single nod.

Yes. He was here. Flew across the country for him.

It all counted.

Sky bent down and picked the outfit off the floor. He glanced at Chris, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "This already looks more comfortable than the suit. I’m diving into it."

Chris let out a shaky, but real, laugh. "God... okay. Good."

Then came the pause.

Chris was almost going to ask why he was just standing there and staring at him. But his brain caught up and he blinked.

"Oh—right, you probably want to change."

He took a step back, awkward now, rubbing the back of his neck. "I’ll wait outside."

Sky didn’t say anything—just looked at him. A look Chris couldn’t read. Not quite a frown. Not quite anything. But there was something in it... something sad. Faint but unmistakable. And for some reason, it made Chris’s stomach twist as he stepped out and softly shut the door behind him.