Like Him

(Present time)

"Have you told Adeline and the others about our relationship yet?" Ella asked.

Nicholas shook his head. "Not a single one. I'm afraid that they might not be able to accept it."

"Are you being ashamed of me?"

"I-I was just wondering if Adeline would be upset about it. I won't be able to spend much time with her like before since you're back."

Ella patted his shoulder. "Find a time to tell her about it. You both gotta adjust."

After finishing his meal, Nicholas called Peter and asked him to meet him at a bar to talk about how he'd be able to tell Adeline and Jacob about his relationship with Ella.

"Why didn't you just come back to the dorm?" Peter asked as he poured him a glass of wine.

Nicholas leaned back on his chair. "Ella's back and I have no idea what to do."

"We used to hang out with her after our part time jobs were over. I'm not surprised she's back for you."

"How in the world am I gonna tell Adeline and Jacob about this?"

"Jacob shouldn't be a problem, but I think Adeline would probably be..."

Nicholas started swirling his wine. "That's why I asked you out to help me think of a solution."

Peter sank onto his chair. "Tell her when the time is right. That's all I could say."

"I didn't come all the way here just to hear you say that."

"Unless you wanna keep it a secret—"

"I've been hiding this from her for two years. She has the right to know."

"Well don't you think that Adeline might've have developed feelings for you over the past eight years?"

Nicholas laughed. "Her and me? Are you kidding? We're not each other's type."

Peter stood up. "If that's what you say so."

"Come on, let's head back now. It's getting late."

As Jacob was opening the bedroom door, he saw Nicholas and Peter lying on the ground. He then asked where they've been, but neither of them were able to respond.

Jacob grabbed their arm and pulled them towards their bed. "Where have you guys been? Curfew's at ten, but you arrived an hour late."

Nicholas yawned. "We just talked about Ell—"

Before he was able to continue what he was saying, Nicholas fell asleep as his body started feeling weak.

"Who's Ell? Oh my, could it be that she's the one you like...? I'm so proud of you Nic, your finally growing up!" Jacob jumped in excitement.

The next morning, as Nicholas and Peter slowly opened their eyes, they saw Jacob cleaning the bathroom.

Nicholas stood up and rubbed his eyes. "You used to be idle when you're in the dorm. What made you help us clean?"

Turning his head to look at him, Jacob smiled and patted Nicholas' back. "Nic, you're about to leave us soon. That's why I prepared some—"

"What are you saying? He's not leaving," Peter interrupted.

Jacob grinned as he handed him a condom. "Nic, I wish you the best of luck."

Nicholas' eyes widened. "Where the hell did you get this? Are you crazy?"

"Last night, you told me that you guys talked about someone named Ell. That's why I decided to help you by buying you some condoms."

Peter flicked Jacob's forehead. "He's not heartbroken, stupid. Ella is his girlfriend."

Jacob bursted into laughter. "He what? Girlfriend? That's ludicrous."

Nicholas gave him back the condom. "I was gonna tell you about it today. Ella and I have been in a long distance relationship for two years."

"You must be kidding! Then why would you treat Adeline like—"

"She's my best friend, but now that Ella's back, I'll have to keep my distance from her."

As soon as Jacob heard that, he felt apprehensive about Nicholas telling Adeline that he was already in a relationship. Among all Nicholas' friends, he was the only one who knew that she liked him, but what would she do now that Nicholas had someone else to take care of?

"I can't wait to introduce Ella to Adeline." Nicholas sat down as he started eating the food on the table.

"They'll probably get along. Don't you think so, Jacob?" Peter asked.

Jacob opened the curtain and looked at the placid waters of the small lake. "Hope so..."