Haru's Love (Steamy BL Harem)

Book 2: Aiden to Haru - Chapter 20

Blurb

Haru has finally revealed his forbidden feelings to his older stepbrother Aiden, which, to his amazement, is reciprocated. Now the couple has been dating for six months, and after a grueling exam period, the two, along with their brothers, head over to Japan for a much-needed, long overdue winter vacation.

Just when Haru is beginning to enjoy the trip and his blossoming relationship with Aiden, the appearance of Aiden's old flame threatens to destroy Haru's newfound happiness. Adding to the already unpleasant situation is the emergence of changes in two of his other stepbrothers' behavior toward him, which confuses Haru, stirring up different sorts of emotions within him that are hard to explain.

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Haru

My right hand was shaking like crazy by the time I was done with the essay, at the same time the exam proctor's voice echoed across the hall. "Time's up. Pens down, please."

I gladly loosened my grip, with the pen landing on the sheet of paper on the desk with a light thud. I groaned, suddenly feeling so damn exhausted.

The final portion of this semester's exam was grueling, and I admit I hadn't a clue how well I did. If I was optimistic, I'd say it was fifty-fifty, since I sucked at economics.

After taking a sip of water to satisfy my thirst, I relaxed back against my seat, my head now swirling. The words were still floating around inside my head, and I suspected it'd take a few more minutes until they disappeared and left me in peace.

I felt something hard, like the end of a ballpoint pen, poking on the side of my arm. I didn't have to turn my head to see who was working on gaining my attention.

Jess said, "How was it?"

I rubbed the bridge of my nose as I mumbled, "Shit."

Jess chuckled. "That bad?" When I nodded, she said, "At least it's over, right?"

I nodded again. Damn right.

It was over. The weeks of studying my ass off were finally over. At least until next semester started.

About fifteen minutes later, we left the examination hall, along with throngs of other very relieved-looking students. I didn't blame them. None of us had looked like we had had any sleep since the last of this semester's lectures ended, marking the beginning of the dreaded exam period.

As we walked out the door, I felt like a ton of weight had been lifted off my shoulders. This last month had been stressful, not just for me, but for Reo, Mason, and Isaac as well, since they, like me, were university students. If I remembered correctly, Isaac had his last exam today, whereas Mason and Reo had theirs yesterday.

"Time to chill and celebrate," Jess said, spreading her arms out as she grinned brightly. "It feels so good to stretch, though it's a bit cold."

"Yeah, it is," I said, tucking my hands into the pockets of my jacket.

"So, are you looking forward to it?" Jess asked.

I turned to look at her, wondering what she was talking about. "Looking forward to what?"

She grinned. "To going to Japan. I'm so envious of you."

Now that she mentioned it, I hadn't been thinking about the trip since I was too worried about exams.

We had put it off, my brothers and I, due to studying, and of course, Noah's and Aiden's jobs. Well, for Aiden, he could take his vacation anytime he wanted, but for Noah, he had just started his employment, and it wouldn't look good if he just up and left for a vacation so soon after.