Vanilla

Forty Three

"Not with me," I laid out and fingers flew my way.

"You fucker," Chen laughed. I did too, before my hardwired brain started entertaining itself with thoughts of him and how he'd, by now, be panicking with mine in his hands and searching for me in the next five minutes before the opening ceremony with red ears and a cute, fucking glare.

Somewhere down 'D' row, Raul was making his way over with Bank right behind him from 'F', I think, or something along those lines. People were casually swapping places all around without the facilitators noticing, so. They came for no concrete reason, probably because Raul was dying to share his party stories which was usually the case. He'd spent last night in some club for the countdown and him walking was already a sign that he didn't enjoy it. Since, well, he wasn't wasted. Or hungover.

I did nothing to the tie I had on—made no gesture to remove it—and Chen, catching on the second I had that thought running through my mind, rolled his eyes and left the chat to start another with Lee Jungwoo some three people down. Don't ask how he got there.

"It started off sick and the music was great but the girls were either very pushy or, you know, like too much... your tie is the wrong colour, man." He paused for five seconds. "Oh. Ohh, playdate."

I feigned nonchalance. He shoved a finger in my face before doing the thing with his brows and glancing over my shoulder as though something else had caught his attention. "Ah he's here." Raul raised a hand. Calling out to someone.

I didn't need to follow his gaze to know exactly who he was talking about because if you don't already know, I get turned on whenever he's within my fifty-feet radius. The rest of the group must've spotted him making his way over to us and made the connection, laughing and joining Raul in waving him over. Lee, who'd been so curious about the person I was so 'busy flirting with' was staring at me with wide, enlightened eyes. The amusement was killing me.

He arrived—flustered and trying to catch his breath. I was just taking my time, dragging this out as long as I could, taking in the pink dusting his ears and appreciating the glare of a baby fawn. I was right about my tie. He'd been too embarrassed to wear it around and had removed it, rolling it up into a neat little bundle which he was now holding out to me.

"You should really learn how to respect your morning alarm, Leroy Jeremy Cox, or I'm never going to spend another night in your room. You have absolutely no idea how absurdly embarrassing this is. Thank goodness Si Yin took notice at once."

"Or you'd be wearing it all day?" I removed it. Slowly. Enjoying this. "My colour. You look good in it."

The shade of pink on his ears darkened and he was furiously trying to recover whilst waiting for me to hand over his tie. "W-well unfortunately for you, Leroy, I have news and and that is, that, blue is not a colour that suits you and it clashes with your eyes if you haven't noticed so although you may very well think this shade of red looks smart on me, we are never not ever, I mean, never making the mistake of wearing the the wrong tie ever again."

I gave his forehead the usual and he hastily retrieved his tie from my hand whilst gently balancing mine, neat and uncrumpled, on my shoulder before running off. Deer-like.

"Tone it down, I'm warning you," was all Chen had to say, standing by his word. Backing off nicely.

"Students. Participants of the twenty-second W-interschool." The audio feedback from the sound system on stage was poor and most of everyone was not in the mood to pay the emcee any attention. "I know you're all dying to get back inside but Mr. Jael over here will now be giving out instructions for the commemorative photograph. Please ensure that your uniform is in perfect condition before looking up at the camera drone above."