It Wasn't That Way

Chapter 14

Cake was getting antsy. His Digital Comm professor always ran over his allotted lecture time, and now Cake was running late!

Eiw always waited for him after this class and Cake hated leaving him alone for too long. Because every time Cake went out onto the pavilion to meet him, Eiw was never actually alone.

Cake tapped his foot and checked his watch and shuffled his papers around. Several students sent the professor a meaningful look, but he just kept droning on and on about the importance of including a picture with copy on social media posts. What would he even know? He had to be at least a million years old!

Now that he was in college, Cake had a fresh start, and he needed a good grade in this class if he wanted to have a 4.0 GPA. During actual class time, he always paid attention and took diligent notes, but the minute the clock struck on the hour, he was raring to go. He hated being late to meet Eiw because every time he was, some guy was always hanging around chatting him up.

It had been a few months since Cake had come home, and he and Eiw picked back up as though he'd never left.

Eiw slept over more often than not so they always came to school together and left together as well. Eiw had a bunch of 8 AM classes, and even though it was much too early and he didn't have class until noon, Cake still woke up and took Eiw to their Uni. His classes started late and finished late, and although Eiw was done in the early afternoon, he still hung around and waited for Cake so they could go home together.

It was almost the same as before, but it was moments like these that served as rude reminders that he'd been gone. Everything was different because now, unlike before, Cake was forced to share his time with Eiw.

Something he felt that he shouldn't have to do.

It was like after the shine of Cake coming home wore off, Eiw wanted to spend time with all of these other people, all of these friends he'd made while Cake was gone. People that Cake didn't know and didn't like.

Eiw always hung out with people after class, and if it wasn't that, he was rehearsing with others for his play in the auditorium. Cake tried to tag along whenever he could, but he wasn't always available.

Cake fondly thought back to the times when Eiw only had him in his life. He hated himself for it because he knew that back then, Eiw had been lonely and struggling, but he also couldn't help it.

Before, Eiw would've found a secluded nook to wait in for Cake, and no one would've approached him because he'd always exuded such a standoffish and anti-social aura.

But now, Cake couldn't leave Eiw alone for one moment, or he would get accosted by practically the entire male student body the second Cake turned his back.

Friends or people who wanted to flirt, Cake just wanted everyone to back off so that he could hang out with Eiw alone.

And if his professor let him out of class any time in the next century, they had plans to do just that this afternoon.

Today, they were going to hang out and grab some dinner. He was looking forward to getting pork curry and rice with Eiw, it was their favorite food at the moment and they'd found a place they liked to frequent. The owner of the restaurant greeted them together the same way Uncle O used to. Cake loved being thought of as a matched set with Eiw.

Afterwards, Cake was going to drop Eiw off at the auditorium and hit the library to finish up the last of his homework. He would've tagged along to Eiw's rehearsal, but he needed to check out some books and use the printer. But he wasn't going to take long. He promised Eiw that he would be back to pick him up as soon as he finished.