By Your Side ✧⁠*⁠。

Episode 4

Perth stood in his dorm room, adjusting the collar of his uniform as the early morning sunlight streamed through the curtains. He glanced at the time on his phone and sighed, grabbing his bag from the desk chair. Across the room, Gemini was also getting ready, combing his hair in front of the wardrobe mirror.

"You ready yet?" Gemini asked, slinging his backpack over one shoulder.

"Yeah, let's go," Perth replied. The two of them left the room, locking the door behind them, and descended the stairs. Their dorm building buzzed with activity as other students prepared for their day.

Outside, Perth headed toward his car parked near the dorm entrance, while Gemini walked to his sleek black motorcycle. Perth raised an eyebrow at the helmet Gemini was fumbling with.

"You sure you're awake enough to drive that thing?" Perth teased.

"Don't worry about me," Gemini shot back with a grin, strapping the helmet on securely. "I'll beat you to campus, as always."

"Yeah, yeah," Perth muttered, rolling his eyes as he climbed into his car. A few minutes later, they both arrived at the university's faculty parking lot. Perth parked his car neatly, while Gemini slid into a spot near him and pulled off his helmet triumphantly.

"Told you I'd beat you," Gemini said smugly, tossing his helmet into the compartment of his bike.

Perth ignored the comment, and the two of them made their way toward the faculty building. Inside, they stopped at their lockers to grab their notebooks and supplies for the first class of the day. Perth slammed his locker shut just as a familiar voice greeted them.

"Morning, my friends!" Est said, his voice bright and full of energy.

"Morning, Est," Gemini and Perth replied in unison, nodding at him.

The three of them walked together to their classroom, settling into their usual seats near the middle. Perth chose a spot next to Est, while Gemini sat on Est's other side. The room filled with chatter as students trickled in, but silence quickly fell when their lecturer, Mrs. Sammy, walked in with her usual dramatic flair.

"Good morning, my lovely students!" she exclaimed, gesturing widely as she set her bag down on the desk. "Today, we’re diving into a new topic, so I need all of you to focus. And when I say focus, I mean no daydreaming about your boyfriend, girlfriend, crush, or that cute neighbor from your dorm building!"

The class erupted in laughter, and Est leaned over to whisper to Perth, "Hear that? Focus! No daydreaming about anything or anyone."

Perth shot him a look, rolling his eyes in exasperation. But before he could respond, Mrs. Sammy’s sharp gaze zeroed in on them.

"Mr. Supha!" she called out, her voice cutting through the room. "What were you whispering about back there?"

Est froze, looking caught. "Uh... I was just telling Perth how pretty you look today, ma'am," he stammered.

The entire class, catching onto his desperate attempt to save himself, chimed in. "Yes, ma'am, you look so pretty today!" they chorused, barely holding back their laughter.

Mrs. Sammy’s stern expression melted into a smug smile. "Of course, I’m always pretty. Now, focus!" She tapped the whiteboard with her marker before diving into the lesson.

Est sighed in relief and whispered, "Thank God I didn’t get into trouble."

Perth snorted softly. "You deserved it."

The lesson continued with only a few more interruptions. By the time Mrs. Sammy wrapped up, everyone seemed eager to move on. "Alright, that’s all for today," she announced. "Don’t forget to review the topic we discussed. I’ll know if you didn’t!"