𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫 | 𝐒. 𝐆𝐨𝐣𝐨 ✔️

Chapter XXIII

"How's the drama queen?" a voice breaks the silence of the empty classroom.

I glance toward the door, where Gojo leans casually against the frame, his arms crossed and a smirk playing on his lips.

"Yeah, I got it," I say with a sigh, offering him a small smile. "Thanks for the concern."

He raises an eyebrow as he steps inside, letting the door click shut behind him. "Concern? Who said I was concerned? I just wanted to see if you were still alive after yesterday's performance."

I roll my eyes, resting my chin on my hand. "Well, here I am. Alive and kicking."

"Barely," he teases, strolling over to sit on the desk across from me. "You looked like you were seconds away from a dramatic fainting scene yesterday. I half expected you to start quoting Shakespeare."

I glare at him, but I can't help the small laugh that escapes. "It wasn't that bad."

"Y/n, you collapsed in front of half the school." His smirk softens just a tiny bit. "That's pretty bad."

"Okay, fine. Maybe it was," I admit. "But I'm fine now, see? No need to hover."

"Hovering?" he repeats with a mock gasp, placing a hand over his chest. "You wound me. I'd call it... vigilant concern."

I give him a flat look. "That's literally hovering."

"Semantics." He grins, leaning forward slightly. "So, are you planning to tell me what that was all about, or do I have to guess?"

I stare at him for a second, my eyes narrowing. The dark circles under his—well, my—eyes are more pronounced than usual.

I bite the inside of my cheek, my thoughts racing. Has he been sleeping at all?

And yesterday... the way he spoke. The things he almost said. What did he mean? What has he been trying to say for a while now?

I'm confused. Completely lost. And my stupid heart won't stop pounding whenever I'm around him. It's like I'm stuck in this endless loop of overthinking and overfeeling, and he doesn't even realize what he's doing to me.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Gojo's voice cuts through my spiraling thoughts. He raises an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "Falling for your own reflection?"

I blink, snapping out of it. "What? No!" I shoot back, feeling my cheeks heat up. "You're so full of yourself."

"We may have a big problem, though," he says, his tone finally serious as he rubs the back of his neck. "It's only a matter of time before we switch back, but we don't know how. And to top it all off, Suguru and Shoko know now." He lets out a heavy sigh.

I look away, guilt bubbling in my chest. "I'm so sorry," I mutter. "I swear something was really wrong yesterday, and for a second, I thought we were going to switch back. I was so hopeful..." My voice trails off as I meet his eyes again. "I'm sorry you had to tell them. I didn't mean to make things worse."

Gojo watches me for a moment. Then he shakes his head with a small laugh. "You're apologizing like this is your fault."

"Isn't it?" I ask.

"No," he says firmly "None of this is your fault. You didn't ask for this, and you've been handling it way better than I expected. Honestly..." He pauses, scratching the back of his neck again. "I'm the one who should be apologizing. I probably made things worse by being... me."

I can't help but laugh, even if it's small and fleeting. "Yeah, you being you does complicate things sometimes."

"Hey!" he protests, but there's a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.