Chapter thirty-five

"You're feeling it again, aren't you?"

"What?"

"Those attacks? It's been a while since you felt them. Are you okay? Do you think you'll collapse?"

Silas can't do anything about the smile that's starting to form on his face. Jiwon may look overly enthusiastic and distracted by everything, but Silas knows better than anyone that the energetic part is only the surface of his best friend's amazing personality. He cares more about others' well-being than anyone ever would.

"I'm not. I hope I'm not. It's just...it's weird to feel it again," They continue their conversation in telepathy so the others won't hear, "And here?"

"Mhm, do you think it's someone on our campus?"

"I guess yes. I had the first attack on the bus on my way to the campus then at school and stuff."

"And at home once."

"Yes, Minseok's shirt. Maybe one of the previous attacks was also caused by something like that."

"Maybe, yes. I was thinking about it but the one at the coffee shop and afterwards Minseok's shirt. Minseok was there at that coffee shop."

"So what are you insinuating? That Minseok's my mate? I would've known it if my mate had been sitting only two places away from me." 

Jiwon felt his eyes darkening. A slap in his face. Nothing really happened, Silas just misunderstood him, but he still went all-territorial over his mate. Unconsciously he checks his bond with Minseok , afraid all may have gone lost, and feels it's still there. It felt weird for Jiwon that Silas talked this way over his mate. Almost as if someone was having lewd thoughts of his dearest. No doubt he'd try to and probably even succeed to bite off the head of anyone who'd even try to bring anything in their head. He knew that wasn't the case right now, though.

"That's not what I mean. I meant it may be someone he knows."

These words make Silas think for a second. How could I have never thought about that? It must be. Stupid. 

"Ji, oh my fucking goddess. How did that thought never cross my mind."

"Because you prefer working with facts over thinking logically."

"Auch bro."

"You're welcome, bro."

"So..."

"So what?"

"One of us has to find out."

"Find out what?"

"Who he went to the coffee shop with, of course."

"Why?"

"Because I don't think these attacks will ease. The opposite. It hurts more every time."

"But you're not collapsing?"

"I was overwhelmed that time. I'd prefer collapsing over this."

"Then ask him. He's sitting right beside me, go ahead."

"You ask."

Jiwon looks at Silas and puts his hand up in a questioning gesture. "Why would I? You're the one hurting because you can't find your mate, not me." No, but for real. He's hurting. He's hurting every time he senses his mate nearby while I was only longing for Minseok. 

"You know Minseok and you get along better than he and I."

"So what? You expect me to just go up to him and say 'Hey, Minseok , remember that one time you went to the coffee shop and Silas went nuts afterwards? Who were you with?' and that he will deadass tell me." Yes, he will.

"Yeah, you're right. I don't know, find a way to sneak it into a conversation or something."

"Guys?" Minseok calls up from Jiwon's right side.

"I don't think I have another option than to try it, Mr. Alpha Mr. Sir, but I can't promise anything," Jiwon hastily adds before closing the door to his mind again.

"Guys?" Minseok calls for the second time.

"Mhm?" Jiwon answers.

"Y'all have been staring at each other and not touching your food for quite a time," Minseok whispers after leaning in a bit, "Everyone's almost done and the groups are gonna be called. Eat up."

"Sorry, guess we zoned out," Silas says.

Jiwon feels Minseok's fingers brushing against his leg and looks at the boy.

"You trynna provoke me by staring into someone's soul for five minutes straight while I'm sitting right here?" 

Jiwon's cheeks begin to blush. "I'm sorry."

"I'd almost think you were doing this stuff with Silas on purpose. Always staring at each other."

"Getting jealous over there?"

"Maybe." 

That answer makes Jiwon smile and he softly strokes Minseok's fingers. "I gotta talk to you something anon."

"Sure do."

Jiwon looks to his left, seeing Silas eating his breakfast while having a conversation with his cousin. He knows the whispering doesn't have a lot of efficiency since Silas could easily increase his hearing ability. As can the other's, but he knows they wouldn't do such a thing. 

"Okay folks, I hope everyone's done eating?" Eric's voice peals through the cafeteria, "If not, bummer. There's a flyer with the teams next to the exit. Your team consists of your roommates and another cottage's estates. Check your team and make sure to get today's agenda from my colleague. But I don't think Jessi'll give you the chance to forget it."

"So," Jiwon says to everyone, "I still don't know who's roomies with who. Except for Si and Sam."

"Yeah, true," Jordan says, "I'm roomies with Ji, Jun and Minseok."

"Sure," Ronan says, "I'm put with Theo, Eth and Lory."

"Lory?" Jiwon questions.

"Lorenzo," Minseok answers on Ronan's behalf, "He's our baby so he deserves a baby-fit nickname."

"You know I'm literally just two years younger right?" Lorenzo adds in from the other side of the table. 

Jiwon would swear he saw Dorian's hand shoot back the second the prior had opened his mouth.

"I'm literally grouped with all the babies I know. But I'm not complaining. At least I already knew two of my roomies and the third one too seems to be very kind."

"Wait," Jiwon says, puzzling with the new information, "You skipped a class?"

Lorenzo's cheeks turn bright pink, "Freshman year."

"Damn. Anyways, go on."

" Well," Sam begins, "Unlike you, I wouldn't say we have good roomies."

"Agreed," says Silas.

"What why?" Jiwon questions.

"We're grouped with Carl and Woojin."

"Wait what?" Chris asks, "Why's that bad? We have vocal classes together and they seem like nice people." Dorian and Minseok agree.

"They may be nice, but they are sickening. Like, don't get me wrong, their relationship is adorable, envious even, but they never ever talked in the past day and pretty much claimed the living room."

The students were one by one getting up and leaving the canteen, and so did the friend group.

"Wait," Minseok tunes in, "I had a lil group project with Wooyoung last week. I'd be lying if I'd say the boy didn't remind me a helluva lot of Silas."

"They're really kind, that's not what I meant when I agreed," Silas defends his pov, "They're just not even letting us talk to them. The second I walked in they avoided me as a plague. We didn't even have eye contact. It makes me uncomfortable."

"Oh, sorry to hear that."

"Anyhoe," Dorian says, "I'm grouped with Chris, Jake and Zain."

"Call us 'sexy house'," Jake says grinning. 

"You know we're not gonna do that, right?" Ronan asks.

"You will. Just wait."

As they get to the flyer to see their groups Dorian jumps onto Minseok in no time. 

"The fuck?" Minseok exclaims.

"Our cottages are teamed up."

"Whoo, teamed up with the sexy house," Jordan cheers ironically.

"I know you'd like it," Jake says with a wink.

"Ayo! Y'all getting your asses over here or what? We don't have the whole day," The camp leader exclaims. Chris walks up to her and apologises.

"Team name?"

"We're team...Godfather?"

"Sure," she looks around for a second and hands Chris a paper, "Here's your day planning. Try to not end up in a hospital."

"Ehm...Thanks? Oh and the team names?"

"What about them?"

"Are they all movie names?"

"Stupid right? That's what I thought."

Chris walks back to the group and hands the planning to Jake, "First activity is some mini-games."

Chris starts walking away and says, almost in a whisper, "Second last activity is rock climbing."

Jiwon didn't know why he got that random bit of information, then he hears Minseok's pulse quicken next to him. He subtly touches the boy's hand which was slung at his side. 

"Sup, Minmin?"

"Heights and I don't go that well together..."

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Silas was thankful he didn't have a bad team. It was his cottage and one with four boys he had seen in history and maths. 

"Nice to meet you, Silas Ahn." He extends his hand which is immediately shaken by a sweet-looking boy.

"Jihoon Yoong, nice to meet you. These are Justin, Leo and Sangwon. I hope we'll make a great team!" The boy's enthusiasm was almost contagious. 

"I'm sure we will. Jessie told me you'd already picked up the planning for today?"

"Sure thing," the boy who was introduced as Leo answers, "The first activity is pretty boring. We have to find some plants and get them back here before our second activity begins." 

Leo hands Silas the planning who goes over it real quick. Then his eyes lock on the last activity. 'Horse Riding' it reads.

Oh shit.