Andrew's POV
We got to the cafeteria, but the noise and commotion did little to settle the turmoil
inside me. The boy who tormented my dreams was finally here in front of me, but
one thing threw me off balance: he couldn't remember me. My Tormentor—a name
I'd given him all these years apart because of how much he made me miss him, which always frustrated me. Watching him eat is something I just discovered I liked—the way he chewed slowly
and seemed to savor every bite was a marvel. So Julian says to Henry, "There's a
party tomorrow for all the freshers. Are you coming?"
"Yeah, I'll be there," Henry says, glancing at me with a small defiance in his eyes. Though I found that cute, I didn't say anything. I kept a cool face. Walking back to the room, I was cornered by Julian who asked, "Is everything okay, man? You looked tense ever since the new guy came in. Any issues?"
"No, there are no issues. Just trying to show a little dominance to the new guy," I
said, trying to sound calm and confident. Since when did he become so perceptive? I
was baffled but also unsettled by this newfound attention from him. My inner voice was trying to remind me of the vows I had taken just earlier today, but I didn't care and wasn't prepared to listen. All my earlier plans had gone out the
window when Henry came into the room. Reaching the room, I told the guys to go
ahead. I needed to clear my head. "Are you okay?" Julian asks, staring at me strangely. "I'm fine," I say quickly, and walk away from them like I was being chased. I saw
Henry glance at me strangely as I was about to walk away, and as I walked away I felt
his gaze on me. I was excited but also scared. He was finally here but could not seem
to recognize me. Sure, I might have matured a bit, but I still had the same features—
or was he deliberately pretending not to remember me? Thinking this way, I felt sure
That must be the case. I reassured myself, remembering details of our past together, remembering how I reacted the morning after our night together—he must still be
pissed at me. Thinking all these, I was temporarily pulled up from my emotional slump and began
to get excited for what the future held. Since fate thought it wise to put us in the
same room, then he was not escaping me again. But I still faced one major blockade:
I wasn't ready to tell people about how I feel or what I truly feel for him. That was
enough to make me feel down again. I sat down on a bench, grabbing my hair in my
fist. When I get there, I'll cross that bridge, but for now my main aim was for him to
acknowledge me and forgive me.
Taking a few minutes to gather my thoughts, I walked back to the room. Standing
In front of the door, I took a deep breath. Just before I went in, I threw a glance in
Henry's direction and discovered he was already asleep. He must have been tired
from moving day. Julian then cleared his throat. I turned to face him. "Will your walk go well?" he said to me. "Yeah," I said, trying to sound casual. "Cheer up. This is college—your one chance at freedom away from the prying eyes of
your father, your one chance to live a little, a chance to finally find love," he said
strangely, glancing at Henry at the same time, which left me perplexed as to what he
was hinting at. "Don't worry about me," I said, staring at him as I moved past him. Clasping my
shoulder, he said, "All I'm saying is, forget all your worries for a while. We definitely
have to go to the party tomorrow. All the pretty girls will be there—it's a chance to
drown out your sorrows. Cheer up and wipe that gloomy look off your face," he said, walking past me to his bed. "Thanks," I whispered, but he heard me. "Don't piss me off," he said, and that made me laugh. Crazy guy. He might come
across like a blockhead, but he's a caring and perceptive guy—that's why we became
friends in the first place.
I freshened up, preparing for bed, but I found sleep hard to come by. I lay there
staring at the ceiling for a while; my whole mind was a mess caused by one person
alone. Turning, I glanced at Henry. Seeing him sleep so peacefully made me angry, which I found funny—he's there sleeping while I can't even fall asleep. Seems he's
not so bothered by my presence the same way I was. Glancing around, everyone seemed deeply asleep. By focusing more on Henry, I
heard his soft breathing across the room. It wasn't difficult to differentiate—very
easy to pick out due to how calm and soft it was. Gently getting up from the bed, I
made my way toward him, careful not to make any noise. Years of practice tiptoeing
around the house whenever my dad was around had taught me well.
I stood there, staring right at him while he slept. I studied the rising and falling of his
chest, watched his face, his beautiful jawline, his nose, his curly hair scattered across
his face, his soft pink lips. I felt my cock stir in my pants with the memory playing in
my head of what those lips had done to me in the past. My throat went dry and, with
trembling hands, I found myself reaching toward his face. A small voice at the back
of my head told me, just a small touch and I'll go back to my bed—but the sound of
Ryan tossing on his bed broke me out of my trance.
I quickly made my way back to my bed and lay down, my heart pounding so loud you
I could hear it. I felt Henry turning the moment I made my way back to my bed. He
must have woken up—fuck me, I groaned in my mind. Hopefully, he didn't see how
long I stood in front of his bed, I thought, trying to calm