Closeted freshman student, Aries Buan, falls in love with his senior after getting partnered with him during their freshman orientation. Afraid to admit his feelings, he kept his emotion in check and watched his first love from afar, swearing to him...
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I WOKE UP the next day, surprised to see that Aries was still sleeping soundly beside me. I always thought that sleeping beside the person you liked would be like those you see in dramas, but it was nothing like that at all. My arm was aching, and Aries was beside me, looking like a hot mess, which I actually found extremely adorable.
After pulling Aries's shirt down so his stomach wouldn't be exposed anymore, I grabbed the blanket and gently placed it over him before slightly opening the window so the cool air could get in.
I wore a shirt and walked out of the room while stretching my arms. It was still 5:00 AM in the morning, and my first class would start at 7:30 AM. I went to the kitchen to heat some water because there was no way in hell I was going to be taking a bath this early with cold water. So while waiting for the water to boil, I sat down on the sofa and turned the television on to watch the news.
This has been a regular routine for me. Mama was always the early bird in the family, but when I started college, I started waking up early too, even without an alarm clock, because my neighbor's roosters were enough to wake me. I started enjoying the solemn feeling of waking up at this hour, smelling the fresh pandesals near the bakery while moms stood outside, covering themselves with a towel as they talked about the latest gossip.
I started becoming a morning person too, but it looked like Aries was the complete opposite. You'd think that an honor student like him would wake up early and jog outside, but no, he was still snoring in my bedroom without a care in the world.
"I'm glad he's sleeping well," I whispered to myself.
The kettle started whistling soon after, so I got up and poured some on my cup first before running to the bathroom to put the hot water inside the bucket. I then turned the faucet on and ran back to the kitchen to make myself a hot cup of coffee.
"Should I buy something for Aries to eat?" I asked myself as I looked back at the television to watch the news about an accident near Makati city after a drunk driver went full racer on the highway.
"Dom! Dom!" A familiar voice then shouted from outside the house, making me sigh before taking a sip of my coffee.
The door swung open, revealing my childhood friend, Gelo, who was only wearing his boxers. He didn't even have to say anything. I knew exactly why he was here.
"Dom! Let me use your bathroom again! My sister's taking too long, and I'm about to shit my pants!" Gelo shouted, running to the bathroom before I could even stop him.
"I have hot water on the blue bucket! Use the red one!" I shouted back as the bathroom door slammed shut, making me sigh again because this was such a normal occurrence. I guess this is what makes the morning routine special too.
After finishing my coffee, I went to the bathroom and started knocking on the door. "Gelo! I'm gonna be late, and my hot water's gonna get cold! Get out already!" I angrily complained. And like it was some kind of magic word, Gelo came out with a satisfied look. I had to cover my nose because of the aftermath.
