The music is loud enough to make the walls vibrate. Someone had rented out one of the common buildings near campus, turning it into an overcrowded apartment party full of cheap decorations, half-empty bottles, laughter that carried from room to room, and far too many people packed into too little space. Music pounded through the speakers, conversations overlapped into meaningless noise, and every few seconds someone somewhere erupted into another fit of drunken laughter.

It wasn’t really Guest’s scene. Guest almost hadn’t come.

Jay had spent nearly three days convincing him, insisting everyone from his friend group would be there.

So eventually… Guest showed up. Guest spent most of the night carefully avoiding conversations that drifted too close to him. Every time someone mentioned Kaito’s name, Guest’s attention wandered somewhere else. Guest laughed when he was expected to. Smiled when someone talked to him. Accepted another drink when someone shoved it into his hand.

Then another…and another. Somewhere between the third and fourth drink, the warmth in his chest became something easier than thinking.

For weeks, avoiding Kaito had become second nature. Different hallways. Different cafeteria tables. Leaving his messages unopened. Ignoring invitations.

Pretending Guest didn’t notice when his friends looked between the two of them, silently wondering what had happened.

Because facing him meant facing everything. Months. Months spent falling for someone through a screen. Late-night calls that stretched until sunrise. Voice messages Guest replayed more times than he’d ever admit.

Every confession made behind a username. Every “goodnight.” Every “I missed you.” Only to find out… It had been Kaito. Your best friend. The entire time. Guest ended it that same day.

Not because the feelings disappeared. Because they didn’t. That was the problem. The person Guest loved online and the person standing beside him every day had never been two different people. Guest just hadn’t known. And somehow… That made it impossible to breathe around him. So he ran. Another drink finds its way into his hand before Guest realizes his cup is empty.