Their Parallel Universe ✓

Chapter 34

Up close, the beauty of nature can take one's breath away.

Poll scopes out the environment, fascinated by how lush everything looks from this valley. Thin layers of white clouds decorating the blue sky peek through the mountains. Mostly pine trees stand around the area where they chose to set up their camping tents and spend the night. They decided that tomorrow, before dawn, they'll go higher in the mountain to watch the first sunrise of the year.

The male twin flutters his eyes as the relaxing sounds of running water and chirping birds lull him into sleepiness. Even the contrasting temperatures of the sun and the air make it hard for him to stay alert.

Fighting the urge to doze off, Poll approaches Cloud and Eujae to ask if they need any help putting up the tent.

"It's alright, Apollo. This is the last one, and we're almost done," Eujae answers, glancing over the white polyester. "Are you bored? Why don't you join those guys for now, and we'll eat after this?"

Poll turns his head to the adjacent river where Tem, Risa and Nick are winding down. The two women sit on a large rock while their feet swing in the water. On the other hand, his male classmate keeps roving in the shallow area, his head down, and a jar of various pebbles in his right hand.

With no other choice, Poll starts to walk back in the opposite direction. After taking a couple of steps, he stops just to cast another look at Eujae over his shoulder. A frown appears on his face as the man's present behavior starts to bother him.

Since this morning, Eujae has been acting strange. Poll doesn't know how to put it exactly, but it feels like the man has become—for lack of a better description—less intimate with him.

It was weird enough that Eujae didn't settle beside the male twin in the car this morning even when he had the chance. As Poll got into the vehicle, he expected him to follow immediately so they could sit close to each other. Instead, he told Nick to hop on first before stepping into it himself.

Poll brushed it off at first, thinking that Eujae might have preferred the window seat. It made sense, considering how he always chose that spot during their beach trip.

However, even after they arrived at the valley, Eujae kept creating the impression that he was putting some distance between him and Poll. When Risa talked to him about their shed arrangement and asked him with whom he wanted to share a camping tent, Eujae didn't hesitate to tell their friend that he would be fine with Cloud.

It's not like Poll wants to sit beside him in the car or be in the same tent with him, but after Eujae made a big talk about pursuing him, the male twin thinks that the most the man can do is take advantage of every little chance he can have to get closer to him. But that's too different from what he's doing right now.

During Christmas, Eujae even said that he missed Poll and couldn't wait to see him again. Yet his actions, now that they're finally together, are telling otherwise.

Eujae's smiles are still warm, his voice is still gentle when he's talking to Poll, but his physical affections for the person that he's supposed to be courting have noticeably dwindled.

Convincing himself that he's not upset because Eujae hasn't patted his head even once today, Poll saunters to the shade and sits next to Lia under a big molave tree. He watches his sister and their friends in the river before his eyes dart back to a certain brunette man. A pout forms on his lips as he sees Eujae having fun talking with Cloud while they set up the tent together.

"Did you guys fight again?" A sweet voice asks, distracting Poll from his thoughts.

Without turning to his female friend, Poll shakes his head. Usually, Lia's question is something that would puzzle him, but after learning from Eujae that the young woman had figured out her cousin's feelings a long time ago, it is no longer a surprise for Poll to know that his friend can tell that something's going on between him and Eujae at the moment.