The School Idol's Roommate

Aki almost jumped to his seat when the chair beside him clattered against the hard floor and watched Liam took the seat beside him. He turned to Aki with one of his easy smiles as Aki realized he was gaping and promptly pressed his mouth shut. Liam offered his blinding smile to Jun whose hand holding the burger remained mid-air.

"I hope I'm not intruding your lunch," Liam smiled. His smile grew wider and warmer when Aki hurriedly shook his head.

On his peripheral vision, Aki could see Liam's friends watching their table. One particular girl, the one with the highlights, sent death glare towards him. She seemed familiar to him though he could not remember where she met her. But before he could remember, Liam moved to his line of sight, unconsciously blocking the view.

"Is it really okay not to sit with them? Wouldn't they get angry?" Aki could not stop himself from sneaking a glance from the other table. They were still watching.

Liam poked his knitted eyebrows. "You worry too much. You'll get wrinkles."

"Rude. Even if I get wrinkles, I'll still be one hundred times more handsome than you," Aki pouted.

Aki's childish remarks made Liam bellowed in laughter. This kind of teasing had grown common between the two of them. Liam loved teasing Aki and that somehow drove Aki crazy, but in a good way.

While it was common for the two of them, as the spectator, Jun almost dropped his hamburger. Aki was not someone who would allow other people to casually touch him. It took him one year before Aki got used to having physical contact with him.

Aki seemed to notice him for the first time. "Oh, this," he flapped his hand towards Jun. "is my friend Jun. Jun, Liam. Though I think you already know each other." The last part was for Jun.

Liam grinned and nodded his head at Jun. "Yep! Hey."

Jun grinned back and for a second there, Aki thought something passed between the two that was akin to a conversation -- something he was not included. He was envious of this silent conversation, but he was indeed baffled and intrigued. He still could not wrap his head around Jun befriending Liam and vice versa.

The three of them ate and talked about trivial things, mostly about their courses. If someone told him six months ago that he would be this chummy-chummy with the school idol, Aki would scoff at them.

"What have you been studying?" Liam asked, peering at the index cards on Aki's hands.

Aki offered his index cards and leaned closer. "The ones we made last night."

Jun finally lost it. "You two… you've been studying together!?"

"Yes. So?" Aki asked, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at his friend like them studying together was already a given.

'So? So?? Whoever said that he needed to stay far far away from Liam? Jun thought.'

Liam seemed to have misunderstood Jun's reaction. "You can also join us if you want to."

"Yeah Jun! Hang out with us later. Oh, and you should taste Liam's foods. They're really great!"

Liam blushed as he glanced at Aki under his lashes. "I-it's not…"

Aki continued to shower Liam's cooking skills while the other guy denied it. But the redness of his face could not hide his embarrassment and happiness. Jun felt like he was kicked out from their little world and decided to just concentrate on his food.