Taking The Plunge (The Puppy Honey Series)

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''You fucked up big time this time round, friend.'

Pick couldn't defend himself even if he wanted to. He couldn't blame Porshe for not being sympathetic to his current plight. Thanks to his everlasting idiocy, it wasn't only Rome's wrath that he had incurred. Emma was giving him the cold shoulder treatment and Porshe definitely wasn't going to back his ass up this time round. 

A week had passed and each attempt to speak to Rome had been futile. While he was still present at the club meetings, it was hard to catch the junior alone. Nai had taken it upon himself to shadow Rome like a fucking bodyguard and there was no way that Pick could steal a chance for himself with Emma present as well. All of his calls and texts were ignored (no surprise there), Rome barely stayed till late on campus these days and Pick might or might not have lingered outside the junior's home on a couple of occasions.

Sad to say...he couldn't muster up the courage to ring the doorbell and face Rome's parents should they greet him at the door. He was too ashamed of himself. It tasted bitter on his tongue and fuck, he could shower Rome with a thousand apologies, but that particular hurt and pain-filled eyes would haunt him forever.

Witnessing Nai and Rome becoming progressively closer by the day wasn't helping matters at all. On top of his own guilt, there was the feeling of jealousy and uneasiness that Pick had to contend with. Was Nai simply looking out for Rome as a close friend or did his feelings run deeper than friendship? 

''They look so adorable together, don't they?'' Rin gushed when she caught Pick sneaking a look at the pair. ''Don't you think it's sweet how P'Nai is so protective over P'Rome?''

At this point, Pick was practically tasting burnt ash on his tongue. He grunted an unintelligible answer, noticing how Rome easily leaned against Nai whenever he laughed. An uncomfortable sensation flooded his gut when Nai draped an arm around the younger male's shoulders, affectionately pinching the other's cheek between his fingers. 

It made him think of those days when Rome used to act like that with him. Always so carefree with his easygoing laugh...but Pick would always feel weird whenever the male got too close. He liked it, but it was just...he was just too bothered about how others would perceive their actions. He always ended up pushing Rome away and snapping at him for being 'too close'. Now, Pick knows that he'd pretty much do fucking anything just to have Rome close to him again.

''What's the matter, P'Pick?'' Rin peered at him with concerned eyes when he let slip a harsh sigh.

''Nothing.''

He still had this issue with Rin that he needed to work out. He didn't exactly agree to 'date' her officially. Then again, Pick couldn't deny that Rome was right. He had made use of Rin without meaning to. He couldn't drag this on without hurting both Rin and Rome. But he had to end things with her if he wanted to pursue Rome properly. Shit, a miracle would be godsent right now. 

With how badly he had fucked things up, Pick was lucky if Rome even looked in his direction.

x.x.x

Porshe thought Nai was a more-than-okay guy. He was genuinely nice and helpful, always willing to lend a helping hand. Not to mention that he did most of the heavy lifting work for the club. Initially, he had doubted the male's interest to join the club. From Track & Field to dealing with animals? He was well-liked by the other club members (of course the girls adored him). If there was one thing that Porshe was most grateful for, it was that Nai seemed to be the reason why Rome was coping decently well.

Fine. Pick may be his very best friend, but that didn't mean Porshe condoned his actions. He could understand that Pick was still struggling with coming to terms with his feelings for the junior, but that didn't mean that he could be an ass about it. Porshe was lucky that Nai had managed to talk Rome out of his decision to quit the club. Judging by the looks of it, Nai was taking on the role of 'protective friend' very, very seriously.