Chapter 5

The date felt completely different from the party.

There was no pounding music vibrating through the walls, no crowded house full of people talking over each other, no curious stares following them every time they stood too close.

This time, Perth had chosen somewhere quieter.

The park sat a short walk away from campus, tucked between several streets busy enough to disappear once they stepped beneath the trees. The further they walked along the winding paths, the more distant the city became. Sunlight filtered through the leaves above them, painting warm patterns across the ground while a light breeze softened the lingering heat of the afternoon.

Santa felt himself relax almost immediately.

They moved side by side without rushing, their pace slower than usual, as if neither of them cared where they ended up. At some point, Perth’s hand brushed against his before their fingers slipped together naturally.

No hesitation. No teasing comment. Just warmth settling against his skin like it belonged there.

For Santa, that feeling was still unfamiliar enough to make his chest tighten slightly every time he noticed it.

Perth glanced toward him every now and then, quiet smiles appearing for no clear reason. He looked unusually relaxed too, shoulders loose, expression softer than the confident grin he wore around everyone else.

“You’re quieter than usual,” he said at one point.

Santa looked at him. “…I’m always quiet.”

“Not like this,” Perth replied.

Santa frowned slightly, but didn’t argue. Because maybe Perth was right.

They continued walking until they reached a small ice cream stand near the edge of the park. Before Santa could properly look at the menu, Perth had already ordered for both of them, like he already knew what Santa would have taken.

When he handed one over, Santa stared at it for a second, surprised that Perth already knew what he would have taken, before accepting it.

“…Thanks.”

Perth smiled like he had expected the reaction.

Conversation drifted easily after that. Sometimes they talked about classes, sometimes about completely meaningless things, and sometimes they simply stayed silent together. The silence no longer felt awkward. It settled comfortably between them, calm and effortless.

After a while, Perth slowed slightly beside him.

“What?” Santa asked, noticing the shift.

Perth didn’t answer right away. Instead, he leaned in quick and pressed a gentle kiss against Santa’s cheek.

Santa froze mid-step.

“…Perth.”

“What?” Perth said, already smiling.

“Don’t do that.”

“Didn’t like it?”

Santa opened his mouth, then hesitated. “…I didn’t say that.”

Perth’s smile widened a little more. “So it’s okay.”

Santa looked away, trying to ignore the warmth spreading across his face. It was useless. He could already feel his ears burning.

They kept walking, and a few minutes later, Perth did it again. This time the kiss landed dangerously close to the corner of his mouth before Perth pulled away like nothing had happened.

Santa stopped completely, turning to him. “…You can’t just do that whenever you want.”

“Why not?”

“Because…” Santa stopped halfway through the sentence, clearly searching for a convincing explanation.

Perth watched him carefully. There was still amusement in his expression, but something gentler lingered underneath it now.

“If you seriously want me to stop,” he said quietly, “I will.”

Santa met his eyes. And once again, he couldn’t say no.

The answer showed on his face long before he spoke, and Perth noticed immediately. Still, he didn’t push further. He simply intertwined their fingers again and continued walking beside him.

The atmosphere between them felt lighter after that.

For the first time in a long while, Santa stopped analyzing every little moment before it happened. He stopped wondering whether he was saying the wrong thing or reacting the wrong way.

He was simply there. With Perth.

*

The days passed faster afterward. What had started as occasional meetings slowly turned into part of their everyday routine without either of them mentioning it aloud.

Lunches became automatic. Sometimes Santa would arrive at the cafeteria and find Perth already waiting with food. Other times Perth would walk in and immediately spot Santa saving him a seat without consciously deciding to do it.

At some point, they stopped asking if the other was free. They just assumed they would see each other.

Their conversations changed too. They no longer felt careful or overly polite. Santa found himself answering more honestly, and Perth had become surprisingly good at noticing things left unsaid.

Outside campus, they kept finding excuses to stay together longer.

Dinners stretched late into the evening. Walks through the city turned into spontaneous detours through convenience stores, bookstores, or shopping centers neither of them actually needed to visit. Sometimes they watched movies. Sometimes they sat somewhere talking until Santa lost track of time completely.

Perth had a way of suggesting things casually, like he didn’t care whether Santa agreed or not.

And somehow, Santa almost always did.

They still studied together regularly. That part hadn’t changed. The library remained their usual place, with Santa explaining lessons while Perth attempted to focus for longer than fifteen minutes at a time. Most evenings ended the same way, Perth getting distracted, Santa getting irritated, and both of them pretending not to enjoy it.

One evening, Perth leaned back in his chair with a sigh, clearly fed up with the constant noise around them.

“Let’s just study at your dorm instead.”

Santa didn’t even lift his eyes from his notebook. “No.”

“It’s quieter there.”

“No.”

“There’s actual food.”

Santa turned a page calmly. “Still no.”

Perth rested his chin against his hand, watching him carefully. “It would just be the two of us.”

That finally made Santa pause.

Slowly, he looked up.

“…That’s exactly the problem.”

Perth smiled immediately. “You don’t trust me?”

Santa held his gaze for a second before answering honestly.

“I don’t trust you to behave.”

“That’s harsh.”

Santa ignored him and returned to his notes, convinced the conversation was over.

Unfortunately, Perth clearly disagreed. He brought it up again the next day. Then again after that. Always casually. Always acting like it wasn’t important.

Santa resisted longer than he expected.

Until one evening, exhausted after a long day of classes and already knowing Perth wouldn’t stop insisting forever.

“…Fine.”

Perth blinked. “Wait. Really?”

“Yes,” Santa muttered. “Just stop asking.”

The grin that appeared on Perth’s face instantly made Santa regret agreeing.

*

At first, studying in Santa’s dorm went exactly the way he intended.

They sat together at the small desk or on the floor beside the bed, books spread everywhere while Santa explained assignments and Perth genuinely tried to pay attention.

For a while, it stayed productive.

At least until the studying ended. Because afterward, neither of them seemed eager to leave anymore.

Movies started playing in the background while they talked about random things instead of watching properly. Sometimes Perth leaned against him absentmindedly. Sometimes Santa noticed their shoulders touching for several minutes before either of them moved.

And sometimes neither of them moved at all. The space between them kept disappearing little by little.

A hand lingering longer than necessary.

Fingers brushing together before naturally intertwining.

Kisses that started soft and brief before slowly becoming harder to pull away from.

Santa couldn’t even pinpoint when it stopped feeling unusual. When Perth staying late became expected. When hearing “one more episode” suddenly meant midnight had already passed. Or when saying goodbye started feeling slightly disappointing.

And somewhere in the middle of all of it, Perth completely forgot about the bet he had made.

*

One afternoon, Santa sat beneath the familiar shaded area near campus with Phuwin and Bonnie while students moved noisily around them. It didn’t take long for them to notice something was different.

Phuwin narrowed his eyes slightly while staring at Santa across the table. “…You’ve changed.”

Santa looked up from his lunch immediately. “I haven’t.”

Bonnie laughed softly. “You definitely have.”

Santa frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Phuwin exchanged a glance with Bonnie before answering.

“You smile more now.”

Santa blinked, caught off guard by the comment. “I smile normally.”

“No,” Bonnie said immediately. “You really don’t.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is,” she insisted. “Before, it was rare. Now you do it without realizing.”

Santa looked down at his tray, absentmindedly moving food around with his fork while trying to dismiss the conversation entirely.

Bonnie leaned slightly closer. “You also seem less tense.”

“You used to look stressed all the time,” Phuwin added. “Like your brain never stopped working. Lately you seem… lighter.”

Santa exhaled quietly. “You’re exaggerating.”

“We’re really not,” Bonnie replied.

Silence settled briefly over the table. Santa hated how accurate they sounded. Because things really had changed. His days felt different now. Less repetitive. Less isolated. Somewhere along the way, Perth had slipped into nearly every part of his routine without Santa even noticing it happen.

“…Things have just been less stressful lately,” he said finally.

Phuwin hummed, clearly unconvinced.

Bonnie smiled slightly. “Does this have something to do with Perth?”

Santa’s reaction came far too quickly. “No.”

Bonnie raised an eyebrow immediately. “So you’re not spending almost every day together?”

Santa hesitated. “…We study together.”

“And?” she asked knowingly.

“…Sometimes we eat together too.”

Phuwin’s smile slowly widened. “And?”

Santa looked away. “…That’s all.”

None of them believed that for even a second.

Still, neither Bonnie nor Phuwin pushed him too much.

Instead, Bonnie’s expression softened. “Well,” she said gently, “Whatever’s happening… you seem happier.”

Santa didn’t answer. But a few seconds later, his phone lit up beside his tray with a new message notification from Perth. The unconscious smile that appeared on his face immediately proved their point.

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