By Your Side ✧⁠*⁠。

Episode 22

After a few days, Santa was feeling much better, thanks to Perth's attentive care during his illness. The fever was gone, and his energy had returned. Over those days, Perth and Santa grew even closer, spending a lot of time together. Perth would drive Santa to his faculty every morning, pick him up after classes, and drop him back at their dorm building. Though they both had unspoken feelings for each other, neither was ready to voice them yet. Perth had begun to understand his emotions, realizing how much Santa meant to him. On the other hand, Santa remained hesitant, unsure of what his own heart was telling him.

Meanwhile, Est proudly declared his relationship with William in an unforgettable fashion. One afternoon, he stopped William in the middle of the road on campus and confessed his love in front of everyone—students, lecturers, and even Mrs. Sammy, Est's lecturer. She couldn't help but tease them, exclaiming loudly, “Wow, young love is blossoming in broad daylight! Should I write this into the next lesson plan?” The crowd erupted into laughter as William, blushing furiously, accepted Est's heartfelt confession.

Gemini, not to be outdone, made his own bold move. He kissed Fourth in front of their group during lunch at the faculty café. Perth, Santa, Pond, Phuwin, Est, Chokun, Aston, and William all groaned in unison, embarrassed by the public display.

“Seriously?” Est muttered, covering his face with his hand.

“Can’t you tone it down?” Perth added, smirking.

Gemini, however, shrugged. “What? You’re all just jealous because I finally have someone to call as my boyfriend."

Perth raised an eyebrow. “You’re acting like you’re the first person to have a boyfriend. Trust me, your moment is temporary.”

Est chuckled. “He’s not wrong.”

Meanwhile, Chokun and Aston had their own moment of surprise. While the group was distracted, Chokun leaned in and kissed Aston for the first time. Santa and Fourth screamed in shock, their voices echoing through the café.

“What is happening?!” Santa gasped, his wide eyes darting between the two.

Fourth pointed accusingly. “You two kept this from us! And here we were thinking Chokun’s flirting was harmless!”

Chokun grinned smugly. “Guess you underestimated me.” Aston’s face turned bright red, and he buried it in his hands.

While the couples around them shared happy moments, Aou was becoming increasingly bold in his pursuit of Santa. He often tried to flirt or casually touch Santa, clearly hoping to win him over. This didn’t go unnoticed by Perth, who felt a pang of jealousy every time Aou made a move. Perth’s sharp glares at Aou only added to the tension, but Aou didn’t seem to care. He was determined to stay close to Santa.

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Currently, Santa and William were both lying on their respective beds. William was scrolling through his phone lazily, while Santa was texting Aston. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Santa groaned. “Who is it?”

William didn’t even glance up. “No idea. Can you check? I’m too tired.”

Rolling his eyes, Santa got up and shuffled to the door. He opened it to find Perth standing there with his signature warm smile.

“Hi, Ta,” Perth greeted.

Santa smiled back. “Hi, phi. What’s up?”

Perth hesitated for a moment, then said, “I’m heading back to my parents’ house tomorrow since it's weekend. Do you want to come with me? You can visit your ma and pa too.”