The Bad Boy's Dirty Little Secret BL Chapter 26: Pairing Up

Kai’s P.O.V

“People’s choice is so overrated.” I let out another sigh as I took in the array of clothes lined up in front of me. “Why do I have to do this all over again this year as well? Wasn’t two years enough?”

“I’m guessing that the girls want to get you bare chested and in the pool once again.” Zach laughed at my sour expression. “Remember how those pictures got over 50k likes last year?”

I narrowed my eyes at the Student Council President. “You’re having an awful lot of fun with this, aren’t you?”

“Look, girls want some eye candy.” He shrugged shamelessly. “And my duty, as the Student Council President, is to provide them with exactly what they want.”

“Zachary Billard!” I snapped at the fourth year med student. “You’re supposed to help students in distress! Not feed us to the sharks!”

“I promise the pool is shark free!” He held up his hands in surrender, a wide grin plastered on his face. “If you start making even more fuss, I’ll have you wear g-strings.”

I looked at him in horror. “They don’t have g-strings for men! Wait…do they?”

“Tina?” Zach smirked at her, who then smirked back conspirationally and turned on the browser page and typed in the words.

And just like that…hundreds of pictures of men in those flimsy underwear popped up on the screen, looking proud as fuck as they displayed those excuse for an underwear that left little to the imagination.

“Motherfuckers!” I cursed out loud before I could stop myself. “You’ve got to be fucking shitting me!”

“Hey! I though you’re a feminist!” Yin protested, narrowing her eyes at me. “If women can wear it, then so can men! Equal opportunities, remember?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not what feminism stands for, but sure…if someone wants to…” I grimaced at the image of a tiny sock attached to a string. “I definitely do NOT want to.”

“Oh! You’re such a buzzkill!” Tina shook her head. “I guess all the hot women in campus will be highly disappointed by this…”

“Don’t care.” I shook my head while I arranged the last of the participant files and made sure we had enough clothes the participants can choose from. “Did you guys check the women’s clothing as well? Do they get revealing bikinis? How about lace?”

“Goodness! Stop being a pig!” Both Tina and Yin protested at the same time.

“Wow! I see how the feminism is going!” I told them in a deadpan voice. “So much for equal opportunities and yet being okay with sexualizing men.”

“Hey! That’s different-”

“I dare you to finish that sentence.” I charged back, before Tina could. She clamped her lips shut.

Yeah. That’s what I thought.

“Alright! Enough with this you three!” Zach intervened. “We’re here to arrange a stupid pageant, not run for Presidential elections! Tina, Yin, get back to arranging the women’s clothing! And Kai, are you done with all the list of all the boys participating?”

“Here.” I handed the entire contestant list to Zach. “Who are you paring us up with this time?”

“I have a list in mind, but I’m guessing you’re not comfortable with getting paired up with Ruby?” He asked.

“Hell no!” I shook my head immediately. “I’m out of the contest if you dare try to pull that shit again. You’re the reason why I’m in this mess in the first place!”

“Please do try and remember that I paired you two together so you could win the pageant,” Zach gave me a ferocious look. “Sleeping with her was your choice; not a necessity to win the Campus Hotshot Award.”

I clamped my mouth shut at that.

He was absolutely right there…sleeping with Ruby had been my mistake. And several months later, dating her had been another mistake.

And now…that mistake was still at my tail, trying her best to win me over, despite me telling her a thousand times that “we” were through.

“Did Ruby get selected by people’s choice too?” I asked, even though I knew the answer even before Zach nodded his head. “Who are you thinking of paring her with?”

“Night.”

Suddenly, the entire room seemed to come to a standstill.

“Excuse me?”

Zach looked up at me with a frown at the sharpness in my voice. “What? Is there something wrong with it?”

“You know Night doesn’t date women, right?” I told him, trying to sound rational despite the sudden rush of adrenaline. I felt jittery, like I needed something to do with my hands. Anything to distract me from the fact that Zach was planning on pairing Ruby with Night!

For fuck’s sake, she had gone ahead and sat on his lap the first time she had seen him!

“So?” Zach’s frown deepened. “His sexuality had nothing to do with any of this. It’s just for the contest. Why are you getting so worked up about that?”

Zach had a valid point. It was just for a contest. There was no need for me to worry.

“Never mind.” I shrugged. “I thought he might feel uncomfortable.”

“Well, unless he says so himself, I think we’re good.” Zach shrugged, putting the files away. “Now, how about you go pick a suit for the rounds? Consider it winner privileges from last year.”

*

Night was on his bed with his phone in his hands and a faraway look in his eyes, when I entered the dorm room.

I paused at the doorway. “What’s up with you?” I frowned. “Why is your lunch still on the table?”

“Huh?” Night seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in and turned to face me in confusion. “When did you get back?”

“Just now.” I shut the door behind me as I entered the room. “What happened? Didn’t feel hungry?”

“I lost my appetite.” He sighed, sitting up on the bed with his legs hanging off the side. “Just not feeling all that well.”

“You’ve been like this since last night.” I noted, sitting on the bed opposite to him, after placing my backpack away. “When did you even get here? I didn’t even hear you come in.”

“I came back around two in the morning.” He sighed, rubbing at his eyes. He looked like he was sleep deprived as well; there were dark circles under his eyes and his hair was a mess. It’s the messiest since I met Night. He was usually a well put-together person. “I didn’t want to wake you up, so I stayed quiet.”

“And from the looks of it, you didn’t go to class either.” My eyes roamed around the room, which too seemed to be a mess.

The overnight bag he had taken to his parent’s was on the floor, by his bed and the clothes spilled out onto the floor. The food that he’s probably ordered for lunch was still on the tiny dining table in the room, half-eaten and out in the open. Since it was past seven in the evening, I was guessing that the only place that was going was in the bin. I sighed…what a waste of perfectly good food.

As for Night, he was still in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and he looked like he hadn't graced the shower in about two days.

“Why don’t you go clean up?” I suggested, looking at the stain of…something, on his T. “Take a shower. Shave. In the meantime, I’ll get something for dinner.”

“Don’t bother.” Night sighed, rubbing at his eyes. “I’m not hungry.”

“Well, I’m not about to let you go to bed on an empty stomach.” I told him firmly, getting up from my bed so I could chase him out of his. “Come on. Up! Stop acting like a child!”

I went to hoist him up with my hands under his arm, but that was when I noticed how hot his body temperature was. “Shit! You’re hot!”

“I know.” He smirked at me through his half-closed eyelids.

“Damnit, you egoistic ass! I meant your body temperature!” Lifting his head up with my fingers under his chin, I pressed the palm of my other hand on his forehead. “You have a fever.”

No wonder he wasn’t feeling like eating. He had probably been sick since last night…or the night before that. After getting all wet in the rain on Friday night outside the club was no fun.

“Yeah…I think so too.” He muttered, his voice soft.

From this close, I could feel his hot breath fanning my cheeks. His lips were slightly parted and his stubble pricked my fingers a little. It made me brush my fingers up his cheek, causing him to open his eyes wider as he stared into mine.

My face lowered a little, on their own accord. I didn’t know what I was about to do next…so I was going with the flow, letting my body decide what it wanted.

But just then, Night’s eyes narrowed at me, his lips closing in a firm line and the next thing I know, his hands were on my collar, jerking me forward.

“And where exactly have you been all day?”