Jock Next Bed (BL)-Chapter 236: Anxiety

Chapter 236: Anxiety
"Poll?"
"Yeah." Noel leaned in. "They’re trying to guess who the top is."
Sky blinked once. "I’m going to throw up."
"The last time I checked," Noel added with a grin, "you were winning. Not by much though."
Sky looked visibly horrified that something like that was happening.
"But..." Noel gestured vaguely to Sky’s neck. "That hickey may do you no favor in the speculation department."
Sky’s eyes widened as he instinctively touched the side of his neck.
Yeah.
That was still there.
"You didn’t cover it properly," Noel said, trying and failing to keep a straight face. "It’s practically glowing in this lighting. Tells me so much of what I really do not want to know happened between you two."
"Just... stop it and shut up! Nothing happened."
Noel was now openly laughing. "You brought this upon yourself."
"Don’t you have something better to do?"
"Not really. This is top-tier entertainment."
Sky glared daggers at him.
"On the bright side," Noel added, "the votes might work in your favor. Intimidating people into submission is sort of your brand."
Sky glared sharpened. "Shut up."
But his expression had shifted slightly. Beneath the embarrassment, there was a flicker of worry in his eyes. Not just about the rumors, but about what Chris would feel when he found out. Because Chris didn’t do well with attention like that. Especially not when it turned cruel.
Noel picked up on it. "They’re just talking, Sato. It’ll pass."
"I know," Sky muttered. Then paused. "But it’ll hit him harder than it should."
He looked back through the glass, at Chris, still out there, still laughing. Still unbothered. Still... not knowing.
Or maybe he was pretending not to know. Or not to care.
Sky’s fingers curled loosely into fists. "Should I tell him about it?"
"Probably a good idea." Noel leaned back again. "Or you could distract him."
"Distract him how?"
"I don’t know," Noel said innocently. "With your dominant top energy."
Sky picked up one of the cushions and launched it with a lot of force at him.
Noel laughed. But when Rachel suddenly entered, the laughter died.
Rachel stood there awkwardly, staring. Sky looked between them and took it as his cue.
He disappeared.
His feet moved automatically up the stairs and into the room. Their room.
The curtains were half drawn, letting in a muted, golden light that softened the edges of the furniture and cast a faint glow over the bed. The quiet was stark compared to the noise outside, but Sky welcomed it. Needed it. He sat down on the edge of the bed and pressed his palms to his face. He wasn’t even sure what he was spiraling about anymore. His reputation, the rumors, Chris’s silence, his own raw, vulnerable feelings for Chris. All of it had coiled inside him so tightly, it was hard to breathe.
A soft knock broke the silence. Sky looked up, startled.
The door creaked open and Chris stepped in. Shirtless. His hair was slightly damp, like he’d just come from a quick dip, and water still glistened faintly on his collarbone. The sunlight touched his skin in a way that made him look more real than ever. Warm, flushed, human.
"Hey," Chris said gently. "You okay?"
Sky looked away quickly, rubbing his face like it would scrub the emotion off.
Chris frowned and stepped closer. "Why did you come hide in here?"
"I just..." Sky trailed off, forcing a casual shrug. "I wasn’t feeling it."
Chris tilted his head, studying him. "Is something wrong?"
Sky shook his head, a little too quickly. "No. Just... no."
Chris didn’t buy it. He crossed his arms, raising a brow. "You really want to lie to me right now?"
Sky looked up, blinking. "What?"
"I saw you talking to Noel," Chris said, his voice quieter now. "You looked serious. Like, seriously serious. And then you disappeared."
Sky said nothing. The knot in his stomach tightened.
"Is it school?" Chris asked.
Sky hesitated, then gave a small nod. He couldn’t lie completely.
Chris exhaled softly. "I figured."
He moved to sit beside Sky on the bed. For a moment, they just sat there, shoulder to shoulder, the silence between them fragile and full. Sky could feel the tension radiating off him, but he forced himself to stay still.
Chris looked down at his hands, then spoke quietly. "Look... when we get back to school, it’s fine."
Sky turned to him, a flicker of dread in his eyes.
Chris’s eyes stayed on his lap. "You don’t have to worry. I’ll keep my distance. If that makes things easier for you. I can clear the air, shut down the rumors. You can go back to living your life."
Sky’s breath hitched. His world tilted. His mind raced, a terrifying whirlwind of thoughts. Clear the air? Shut down the rumors? Go back to living his life?
Chris was going to drop him. He was going to say it was all a mistake, that the rumors were too much. Sky’s heart hammered against his ribs, a sickening drumbeat of panic. This was it.
The insecurity clawed at him, a cold dread twisting his gut. He was going to be left alone. He couldn’t hide the tremor in his voice, even if he tried.
"What are you talking about?" Sky said, the words barely a whisper, stiff with suppressed panic.
Chris looked at him now. Calm. Too calm.
"You care about your reputation," Chris said. "A lot. And I get it. I’ve always known that. I guess I was just selfish... for hoping it wouldn’t matter between us."
Sky’s breath caught again. It was crazy how his eyes suddenly got hot out of nowehere. Selfish? Was he really just a burden? The thought sent a fresh wave of humiliation through him.
"No," he said quickly, reaching out—grabbing Chris’s hand like it was the only thing grounding him, his grip almost painful in its desperation. "Why are you saying that? Do you want to drop me?"