Jock Next Bed (BL)
Chapter 232: Reintroduction

Chapter 232: Reintroduction

Nine people. One table. And not a single person speaking.

The food was impressive—scrambled eggs, buttery croissants, chicken sausages, diced fruit glistening like jewels in a wide ceramic bowl—but no one was really eating. Plates were filled, utensils were in hand, but the chewing was mechanical. The silence was dense, thicker than the syrup slowly seeping from its glass bottle.

Chris sat at the head of the table, regal by default, but tense. His jaw worked as he cut through a sausage without looking at it. Sky sat two seats away from him, next to Henry, who kept glancing between them like he’d stumbled into a cold war.

Mei sat across from Sky, Rain beside her. Noel was at the far end, seemingly fascinated by the way his orange juice reflected the light.

You don’t want to talk about Rachel. She was beside Chris. It looked like she was counting her breathing.

Jack was next to Wilson, who had made the mistake of trying—bless him—to lighten the mood.

"So," Wilson said with an overly wide grin, "is it just me or does this fruit salad look like it’s judging me?"

No one laughed.

Not even Jack, who at least gave a polite half-smile and went back to eating in silence.

Wilson cleared his throat. "Tough crowd."

Rain glanced sideways at Sky, then at Mei. Mei avoided both of them by focusing on a piece of toast she hadn’t touched.

Noel suddenly dropped his knife with a loud clink, and everyone jumped a little.

"Sorry," he said, too quickly. "Slippery fingers."

Chris didn’t even flinch. He hadn’t looked up once.

The eggs were now cold.

Henry finally spoke. "Okay, this is weird. We all know this is weird, right?"

"Henry," Rain warned.

"No, no, I’m just saying, like—someone cough or fake-laugh or spill water. Anything. This feels like eating breakfast in a funeral home."

"I think it’s peaceful," Jack muttered under his breath.

"Peaceful like a burial," Henry shot back.

Chris finally glanced up, and everyone collectively held their breath like they were about to be scolded. But he just reached for the jam and said nothing.

Sky watched him, eyes darting between Chris’s calm exterior and the slight tremor in his hand as he spread the jam too thick on his toast.

It wasn’t peaceful.

It was unbearable.

Wilson tried again, his voice loud—too loud, like it was meant to punch through the silence.

"Soo... what’s everyone doing today? Any games? A pool dive? Sky looks like he runs."

Noel gave a sharp cough into his mug, almost choking. Rain pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled slowly, clearly regretting waking up.

Sky blinked, spoon in midair.

"Thanks?" he muttered, brows knitting in confusion.

The silence afterward was thick, sticky, uncomfortable. You could hear the faint hum of the refrigerator over the deadness at the table. Even the toast had gone cold.

Jack slammed his fork down with a clatter.

"Okay. No. This isn’t happening," he said, throwing a hand in the air. "I feel like I just walked into a family drama mid-season. This tension? Not cute. Let’s be real—we don’t know each other. Not really. I’ve known Chris for a while, sure, but if we’re going to stay here for the next few days without someone snapping, how about we at least pretend to be functional?"

Wilson turned to him, one brow raised like dude, what are you doing?

But Jack didn’t blink. He straightened in his seat, eyes sweeping the group.

"Let’s just... do intros. Real ones. No secrets. No fake smiles. Just say why you’re here."

"He took a breath, leaned forward with his elbows on the table.

"I’m Jack. I’m into art—painted a few pieces I actually like. Wilson was my junior in high school, then somehow my partner—don’t ask how that happened. I’m here because he dragged me, yes, but also because... he seemed worried. About all this." His voice softened as he looked at Wilson.

Wilson gave a sheepish shrug but met his gaze, then looked at the others.

"Fine. I’m Wilson. Chris’s best friend since... honestly, since he used to wear glasses with strings." He snorted. "And yeah, he started being an idiot recently. Also Jack’s boyfriend, in case the tension between us was confusing. And I’m here because—" his voice gentled "—Chris needs people who care about him. Even if he’s pretending he doesn’t."

Chris tried not to roll his eyes, but Wilson’s pointed gaze didn’t let him off the hook.

With a breath, Chris spoke, low and halting.

"I’m Chris. And I’m here to... get away. Briefly." He hesitated, then exhaled sharply like ripping off a bandage.

"Fuck. Okay. I’m sorry I lied to you all. I just... I didn’t want to be me. But the friendship I had with you guys—it was real. It is real. I didn’t invite you all here out of pity. I wanted you here for..." His voice dropped. "For Sky."

The last part was barely above a whisper, and he deliberately avoided looking at him. Instead, his gaze fell on Rachel.

Rachel stiffened like she’d been caught staring. Her hands curled into the hem of her sweater.

"I’m... Rachel. And I don’t know if I’m here for Chris or because of Chris." She let out a dry chuckle. "Also... I lied. Badly. And I know it hurt. I’m not asking to be forgiven right now, but I am sorry. The truth is... your friendship mattered. Still does. And I’d give everything to go back in time and fix this mess. But... I don’t know anymore. I’m... sorry."

Her voice trembled. And when she looked at Noel, it lingered longer than it should have.

Noel was silent for a beat. His lips were pursed, jaw tight.

"I’m"I’m Noel." He said it like he wasn’t sure the name belonged to him. "Sato’s friend. Or maybe the tagalong. I don’t know. I’m not the best at this kind of stuff." He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "I came here because I was worried about Sato. He’s been my guy since forever. But also because..." He hesitated, glancing at Rachel. "I care about others in this group."

Rachel looked up quickly, surprised. Their eyes met—and locked—until Wilson clapped once.

"Okay! No time for romantic staring contests—keep the line moving, soldier," he teased, trying to defuse the rising tension.

Noel snorted and turned to Henry.

Henry groaned. "I knew he was going to pass the mic to me."

"I’m Henry. Sato’s friend. I’m gay, and I have no idea why I don’t have a boyfriend yet. It’s honestly rude." He flipped his hair dramatically. "But I dropped a dance gig last-minute to come here because I care about my friends. Especially Sato."

Sky gave him a small, grateful smile.

"And yeah, I get a little jealous sometimes, because he’s too good at making people love him. Now, over to him..."

Now all eyes were on Sky.

He cleared his throat. His voice was low, steady, but heavy.

"I’m Sky. People call me Sato. I guess I’m... the problem." He tried to smile, failed, then scratched the back of his neck.

"I’m the idiot who worried everyone by traveling to a strange place and getting stuck. But... I’m here because of Chris. I was... worried about him."

Chris’s fingers curled slightly on the table. There was something fragile in the way they looked at each other. Something unspoken.

Then Sky’s gaze shifted—to his twin.

Rain raised both hands like she’d been caught red-handed.

"I’m Rain. And, okay—this is awkward, but I used to have a dumb little crush on Chris. Clearly poor taste runs in the family. But I’m here for my idiot twin" She winked at Sky, but her grin faded as she nudged Mei. "Your turn."

Mei, who had been sitting quietly, finally looked up, as if realizing the whole table was waiting on her.

"My turn?" she said softly, more to herself.

She looked around at all of them, then settled her eyes on Sky.

"I’m Mei. Sky’s ex-fiancée."

The table went dead still. Even the air paused, waiting.

"And I love Sky," she added, smiling gently. "As a friend. Of course."

Then she turned to Chris, eyes narrowing playfully.

"And before someone keeps giving me the eyes—yes, Chris, I mean you—I like girls. That’s it."

A beat of stunned silence.

Rain blinked. Noel choked on his juice. Henry gaped. Even Sky’s brows shot up like he hadn’t expected her to say that aloud here.

Jack? Jack just sipped his drink like this was any regular day.

Chris looked at her, eyes wide. "Wait... for real?"

Mei nodded. "For real."

Chris frowned slightly, voice softer now as he looked between her and Sky. "Then... why were you and—?"

"Because," Mei said, shrugging, "Sky’s a darling. My father’s an asshole and Sky knew it. So he helped me. He saved me more than once."

A hush fell again.

Only this time, it wasn’t heavy.

It was thoughtful. Softer.

As if, for the first time all morning, they were seeing each other.

And just when the moment could’ve begun to settle—

Ding-dong.

The doorbell rang.

Wilson slowly looked toward the hallway.

"Uh... was anyone expecting a guest?"

Chris was already pushing his chair.

"No."

Wilson stood too.

"Then who the hell is that?"