College Life (Complete)

Chapter 56.5: Laundry Duty

**Kayli**

It's about seven o'clock when I get back to my dorm room. Sang's already in her pajamas, which these days consist of one of her guys shirts and a pair of yoga pants, staring out of the bay window.

"Why did Owen tell Axel to ask me if I knew where you were?" I ask as I close the door behind me.

"I wasn't answering the door," she mumbles.

"Why's that?"

"Didn't hear it," she shrugs. "Had my headphones on while I was working on my project."

"Sang, is everything ok?"

"Mhm."

Ok, what is going on? Sang sitting by the window isn't anything new, but her guys actively needing to look for her when she's right here? I mean, I know that Sang can get lost in her projects sometimes, but she's usually with her guys after class. At the very least they know where she is.

"Hey, I've got some laundry to do," I muse, walking into my closet. "Wanna join me? Catch up a bit?"

"Hmm? Oh, laundry. Yeah, sure."

I listen to her steps as she leaves her perch and heads into her closet, grabbing her bag of dirty laundry. She's still stuck in her head by the time we make it down to the laundry room. Her eyes are vacant as she sorts through her clothes and throws them into the separate washers.

"Sang? I know that things were a little rocky between us recently, but we're good now, right? You know you can talk to me about anything."

"Owen said he loves me," she mumbles.

"Wait, I'm sorry, what!?"

"Owen said he loves me...and I think I said it first. Not tonight, obviously. Few days ago. At least I think I did. I don't know, I was really tired."

"Ok, whoa whoa, back up. What have I missed? Are you guys at that point yet?"

"There's a point?"

The daze has left her eyes, she's focused, pupils slightly widened, eyebrows furrowed. The slight frown on her face has me worried, along with the way she's clutching the hem of her shirt like it's a lifeline. She really has no experience with these kinds of things. God, this is all my fault. If we weren't fighting I could've helped her through all of this. Help her understand what's going on. I've gotta do something.

"Ok sweetie, deep breaths. Let's start at the beginning. What happened tonight?"

She heaves a deep breath, closing her eyes before leaning back against the washer with her clothes in them. "I was hanging out with Kota and Victor after class, Nathan came in after. A few minutes later they each got a text, but when my phone didn't go off, I knew that the conversation was probably about me. I don't mind them talking about me, I mean, we're all in this thing together, but they could've at least waited until I wasn't with them. I decided to leave so that they could have their conversation. They weren't too happy about it, but I told them that I had to work on my project.

"I was working my tech project with my headphones on and my music on blast when I got a call from Owen. We talked for a bit, I told him that I was fine and I just needed some time alone. He said that we only work best as a unit, a family. He asked me not to push them away. I told him I wasn't, that I just needed a night. We said goodnight, and then he said, 'I love you'. I was stunned, so I didn't say anything, and then he hung up."

"Ok, but you said you might have said it first. What did you mean by that?"

"Ugh, I really hate you right now," she sighs. She opens her eyes slowly before looking over at me. "When I was with Owen over the weekend, we did some stuff, and I think I might have mumbled love you before falling asleep. Then the next morning I texted Kota that I loved him."

"Do you love them?" I ask lowly.

"How would I even know? I've never been in love before."

"Well, neither have I, but we've watched a bunch of sappy movies where chicks fall in love. I don't think the feelings are that different."

"You mean the weak kneed, fluttering stomach, heart racing like it's about to explode feelings?"

"Yeah," I chuckle. "Those. Do you feel them?"

"Those along with several others I probably shouldn't be feeling for my boyfriends."

"Like what?"

"Oh, aggravation, annoyance, suffocation...guilt."

"Guilt? Sweetie, I don't think there's any kind of handbook with this kind of thing, but why do you feel guilty?"

"I feel like I'm...pitting them against each other. I know that none of them have expressly said that they want me to choose, but it feels like they're just waiting for me to pick one."

"Sweetie...I don't think they want you to pick."

"Do you love them? Your guys?"

"I think so."

Shelooks down, wringing her shirt in her hands before nodding slightly. She givesme a small smile before the washers stop and we finish our laundry.