Chapter 3

After almost a week and half, the routine settled between them almost naturally. Classes in the morning. Training in the afternoon. Long evenings that somehow disappeared faster than before.

On the soccer field, the air felt heavy with heat and effort. The sharp sound of cleats cutting through grass echoed across the pitch while coaches shouted instructions from the sidelines. Sweat clung to Perth’s skin as practice finally slowed down, teammates gathering nearby to catch their breath.

Perth grabbed his water bottle and tipped his head back for a long drink.

That was when Ohm spoke.

“So,” he started casually, though the grin already forming on his face ruined any attempt at subtlety, “How’s your little challenge going?”

Perth stilled briefly. Only for a second. Then he lowered the bottle slowly, expression perfectly relaxed.

“What challenge?”

The entire group burst into laughter immediately.

“Seriously?” New scoffed. “The one-month bet. Santa.”

At the mention of his name, something shifted unpleasantly in Perth’s chest before disappearing just as quickly. He leaned back against the bench anyway, keeping his tone easy.

“It’s going fine.”

“That tells us absolutely nothing.”

“Have you even talked to him again?” another teammate asked.

Perth shrugged lightly. “Yeah.”

“Oh? Just yeah?”

“Come on, captain. We expected updates.”

Usually, Perth would have played into it immediately. He would have exaggerated details, thrown out smug comments, entertained the entire conversation effortlessly.

But this time, the words sat strangely in his mouth, because things hadn’t gone the way he planned. At first, Santa had only been part of the challenge. Quiet guy. Top student. Difficult enough to make the bet entertaining.

Except now Perth found himself looking forward to evenings in the library more than soccer practice sometimes. Sitting across from Santa had stopped feeling like part of a game somewhere along the way.

And that was a problem.

“We’re closer now,” Perth said eventually.

His teammates exchanged looks instantly.

“Oh?” Ohm leaned forward slightly. “Closer how?”

Perth met his gaze without hesitation.

“We talk. Hang out after class.”

That earned loud reactions immediately.

“You hang out?”

“Damn, that’s actual progress.”

Perth rolled his shoulders casually, pretending none of this mattered more than the original challenge.

“Told you I could handle it.”

“And the rest?” New asked with a grin. “Still confident you’ll win?”

A brief silence followed. Perth tightened his grip around the water bottle before forcing himself to relax again.

“Yeah,” he answered smoothly.

The response sounded confident enough to satisfy them. But while the conversation shifted toward practice again, Perth’s attention drifted elsewhere.

To Santa quietly explaining equations with endless patience.

To the way his expression softened when he got absorbed in something.

To those rare almost-smiles Perth had started chasing without realizing it.

None of this was supposed to matter.

Perth clicked his tongue softly to himself and stood back up once the coach called everyone over again.

It didn’t matter.

He made a bet.

And he was still going to win.

*

Over the next several days, things slipped into place between them in a way neither expected. They stopped needing to confirm study sessions every afternoon. It simply became routine.

Santa would already be seated near the library windows by the time Perth arrived, notebooks spread carefully across the table while late sunlight spilled over the pages. Perth would appear several minutes later carrying iced coffee half the time, dropping into the chair across from him with that same effortless confidence.

Studying gradually stretched into dinner afterward. Dinner stretched into slow walks back to Santa’s dorm. And somewhere in between, their conversations stopped feeling careful.

Their messages changed too. At first, they had only texted about schedules and assignments. Then suddenly Perth started sending random complaints about training, but also jokes and memes he saw on social media.

Santa answered with dry responses that somehow became longer each time.

Perth sent photos of badly solved homework problems just to annoy him.

Santa corrected them every single time despite pretending to be irritated.

The replies came faster now. But neither of them acknowledged it aloud.

For Perth, the change felt unsettling in a way he didn’t know how to deal with. Santa wasn’t what he expected at all. He thought Santa would stay distant no matter what. Hard to approach. Harder to understand.

Instead, Perth discovered someone patient in ways that didn’t feel performative. Someone who explained complicated things carefully without making others feel stupid. Someone quiet, yet strangely easy to sit beside for hours.

And Perth started noticing details he shouldn’t have cared about. The way Santa pushed his hair back absentmindedly while thinking. The faint crease between his brows when concentrating. The small shift in his expression whenever he tried not to smile.

The strangest part was how natural everything became. Talking to Santa. Walking beside him. Waiting for the next evening without admitting why.

Somewhere along the way, Perth stopped treating this like a challenge, and started liking Santa far more than he should.

On Santa’s side, things changed differently. At first, Perth had felt overwhelming in every possible way. Too confident. Too direct. Too loud compared to the carefully controlled routine Santa preferred.

Someone like Perth wasn’t supposed to fit into his life so easily. Yet somehow, he did.

Perth talked constantly, but instead of exhausting Santa, the noise gradually became comforting. He filled silences without demanding anything in return. He teased often, but never cruelly. And despite his persistence, he never pushed hard enough to make Santa truly uncomfortable.

That mattered more than Santa wanted to admit.

Little by little, he lowered his guard without realizing it. He began looking forward to evenings at the library. To dinners afterward. To messages appearing on his phone late at night.

Perth was kinder than Santa expected him to be. More attentive too. And that made him dangerous in a completely different way.

*

An evening, their study session lasted longer than usual. Santa finished reviewing the final exercise before closing his notebook with a quiet sense of satisfaction. Across from him, Perth stretched lazily in his chair while watching him.

“You busy this weekend?” Perth asked casually.

Santa looked up, mildly surprised. “…Not really.”

Perth hesitated for the smallest fraction of a second before shrugging. “We’re having a party. Team celebration.”

Santa’s expression shifted immediately. “A party.”

It didn’t sound enthusiastic.

Perth hid a smile. “Nothing too crazy.”

Santa looked unconvinced already. “I don’t think that’s really my kind of thing.”

He started gathering his notebooks as if the conversation was already over.

“Pond’s coming,” Perth added.

Santa paused slightly.

Perth noticed immediately. “And if Pond’s there,” he continued, “Phuwin definitely will be too.”

Santa’s fingers rested against the edge of his notebook while he considered that. A party still sounded exhausting. Too loud. Too crowded. Too unfamiliar. But Phuwin and maybe Bonnie would be there.

And Perth was looking at him with quiet hope hidden beneath the casual tone.

“…I wouldn’t stay long,” Santa admitted eventually.

Perth’s smile softened immediately. “You don’t have to.”

Santa slipped his notebook into his bag slowly. “I’ll think about it.”

“That’s enough for me,” Perth replied a bit too quickly.

Santa noticed, and for some reason, that made warmth settle strangely in his chest.

A party.

The thought lingered in his mind afterward.

*

The cafeteria buzzed loudly during lunch the next day. Students crowded every table while conversations overlapped endlessly beneath the sharp sound of trays sliding across counters. Santa sat across from Bonnie and Phuwin with barely half his meal touched.

Phuwin leaned back in his chair while watching him carefully. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with Perth lately.”

Santa looked up calmly. “…We’ve been studying.”

Bonnie raised one eyebrow immediately. “Studying apparently includes dinner and late walks now?”

Santa didn’t answer right away.

Phuwin exchanged a quick glance with Bonnie before continuing. “I talked to Pond yesterday,” he said. “Apparently Perth’s been acting weird lately.”

Santa’s attention sharpened slightly. “…Weird how?”

“Less show-off,” Phuwin explained. “More distracted.”

Bonnie nodded in agreement. “Which is strange. He’s usually very aware of how he comes across.”

Santa frowned faintly at that.  “…He doesn’t act like that with me,” Santa said quietly.

“That’s exactly the point,” Bonnie shot back. “He acts differently with you.”

A small silence followed. Santa looked down at his tray, absentmindedly moving food around while thinking. The past few weeks felt strange when he looked at them too closely.

“…He’s easy to talk to,” Santa admitted eventually.

Both Bonnie and Phuwin blinked at him.

“That’s new,” Bonnie said carefully.

Santa ignored the comment immediately. “…He invited me to a party this weekend.”

That got their full attention instantly.

“A party?” Phuwin repeated. “You?”

“I didn’t say yes,” Santa corrected. Then, after a brief pause, “…but I said I’d think about it.”

Phuwin laughed softly before nodding. “Well, I’m already going. Pond already asked me days ago.”

Santa looked up. “…He did?”

“Yeah,” Phuwin said, a small smile appearing. “He’s been talking about it for days.”

“Obviously,” Bonnie said with a grin. “Those two are attached at the hip.”

That made sense. Pond and Phuwin has been dating for almost two years, and Pond and Perth had always been close. Both team captains, always at the gym together, training like it was part of their routine.

Bonnie stretched her arms lightly. “I’ve got nothing planned, so I’ll come too.”

Santa hesitated. “…You don’t have to.”

“I want to,” she replied simply. “And I’m not letting you go alone.”

Phuwin smirked. “We’ll make it survivable for you.”

Santa sighed quietly, though there wasn’t much resistance left anymore. “…Then come by my dorm first,” he told Bonnie. “We can go together.”

Bonnie smiled immediately. “Perfect.” Then her eyes narrowed slightly with dangerous excitement. “I’m helping you get ready.”

Santa immediately frowned. “I don’t need help.”

“We’ll see.”

Phuwin laughed under his breath while shaking his head. “This is going to be interesting.”

Santa ignored him completely, though part of his attention had already drifted elsewhere. Toward the party. Toward Perth.

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