My Bubblegum King - Chapter 11: Chapter 11

So my college life got busy over the next few days. It was like college was done welcoming me and now I was to face the real deal. Assignments were popping up here and there, lecturers were threatening us about the future this and future that and how we're to be serious like we weren't already trying to do our very best, and time was slowly disappearing very fast. I barely had time except at night and barely during breakfast to chat with Sim and Ryder too was becoming scarce trying to fit into her new life and schedule and going through what she was calling 'infant college life crisis', I can't even remember the last time I talked with Landon except for a few "Hey, how school?" And "fine, hope you're doing great✌️(peace emoji)" we managed to sneak in when I was smuggling myself online into Instagram while in General Studies class.
Seb and I still texted though, even though he was super busy he sent me an emoji everyday on different independent not scheduled (I'm guessing) times of the day and I might be exaggerating but that was what was keeping me alive, I feel like I would've broken down if not for it.
Now it was another Sunday and I was done with all my assignments for once, taken a full soak-in-the-bathtub-and-release-all-your-stress bath, read a little about my next class and ready to socialize or at least laugh with my bestie once again.
"Sim, you free to come with me?" I asked, putting on my sneakers in front of the tall mirror I'd finally gotten to put in front of my wardrobe door. For some reason I've always wanted that, I blame movies with too perfect teen rooms. It's never that perfect in real life.
"To where?"
"Ryder's clinic."
"I want to say yes but no," Sim said raising his head up from his laptop for a second and going right back in.
"That means you want to say no and are saying no, regardless of whether you wanted to say yes, which we all know you don't want to say and is just mentioning to seem polite."
"Um," he narrowed his eyes at me like he has no idea what I'm talking about. "Yeah, that."
"Why not?" I scrolled through my clothes in my head looking for the perfect jacket to complete my look. "It might be fun. There's a big goofy dog there named Barney."
"I don't like hospitals, especially vets. The image of suffering animals, kills me."
I pouted, "aw me too."
Sim rolled his eyes, "I'm serious. I could legit start crying just imagining what happening there."
"Oh... Okay." I want to say me too but I feel like it's not completely true and I need to respect Sim's affection... alism?
"Yeah and I can't even though I could actually go. This is like my only free day and I just started watching this SitCom that's really nice and I want to actually finish and I have to go meet some new friends I made in class in about three hours."
"Wow," I decided to just remove the shirt I already had on and go for an oversized sweater instead. Fits in. "You're making friends to meet up with and I'm not, I'm so jealous."
"I won't say friends friends. More like we're in a group project and we feel like it'll be good to know about each other before things get intense with work."
I chuckled, "I'm still jealous and that's good. Isn't that the way people make friends friends?"
"I guess and you can't be jealous, you've already made tons of friends in the school on the first week."
"Still I was super lonely this week."
"Happens, school can be crap."
I walk over and sit on his bed, smiling strangely at him. "So, is there a girl in your group?"
"Yeah..." He drawled, looking at me all alarmed.
I smile and nudge him, "a potential Mrs. Sim?"
"No," he shrieked, pushing me off his bed and I fell down laughing my brains out. "Not funny."
"Wasn't supposed to be until you freaked out," I stood up, still laughing. "Don't you want a girl? Don't worry, I would be totally chill about you having sex in here, just give me that proper warning in advance."
"Ew, Paxton, ew," Sim shook his head like the idea was formidable. "Girls are not my thing now."
"Oh... ohhhh."
"What now?" He groaned at my exaggerated oh.
"Are boys your thing?" I carefully and cautiously asked.
He eyed me, "No. Boys and girls are not my thing now. And I don't think boys are even in the option, no offense."
"Offense taken," I said with a straight face, placing both hands on each hip.
"Oh no," Sim shot up from his lying position, looking mortified. "No, no, I didn't mean it like that, I meant, I'm straight so boys aren't—"
I started smiling, "mmhm."
Sim stopped freaking out and stated glaring at me. "I'm starting to hate you."
I laughed, "sorry, I'm just picking up bad habits from Ryder lately and messing with you is becoming a favorite pass time."
"Get out, go to your thing already."
"Wait but saying girls and boys aren't you're thing, are you trying to tell me something about your sexuality, huh Sim?" I asked and before I knew it, I was being pushed out of my own room.
"No, I wasn't. Get out, Ryder and the dog are waiting."
"But seriously if you are," he pushed me out, handing me my phone. "You know I'm the most right person to talk—" the door banged on my face. "—to." I chuckled, spinning on my heel and walking away. Sim was adorable, no bargaining that.
The walk to Go was silent and soothing. I listened to music and may or may not have tried pulling off a few dance steps on the road. I wonder what my days would be like when Sebastian comes over here. Would I leave the dorm and Sim to go share a room with him? Would we see everyday or scheduled days? Would he still text me at least an emoji everyday? Would we be inseparable or become total strangers because I've heard college changes someone. I've been here a couple weeks and I haven't changed, right? I honestly cannot wait for that time when he would be here with me and I'd be back to being complete.
Is it messed up that I feel incomplete without him here? It was different and I couldn't help it. All my life since I started knowing what life was and since I started knowing and discovering myself, I have always had someone. It was either I was crushing hard on someone and filling up that emptiness in me by stalking them and smiling from after or I was fooling around with someone and keeping that empty space temporary occupied with foolishness or I was dating someone and filling that empty space with the hugging, cuddling, thinking of marriage with our kids thing and even simple things like holding hands was filling enough. Now it was different, I've never been in this type of place before, this distant dating.
I was with someone and at the same time I wasn't with someone. We were dating but there was no contact, no looking into his eyes and remembering every second exactly why I was where I was, committed and in love. No feeling his body against mine even in a hug, not even glancing at him in his happy moments or sad moments. There was wasn't anybody to cuddle into and at the same time there was somebody, just miles and miles away. It was like I was stuck in this limbo where I was satisfied and unsatisfied all at once. I miss when things weren't this this. When even if I was swamped with things, just meeting his eyes in the hallway and knowing I'd see him later that day, during lunch break or after school gave me strength and filled my body with joy. I wasn't close to feeling empty or incomplete then, I'm a total love person and now it sucks.
I pressed the power button on my phone and it lights up revealing a picture of Sebastian on my screen. He was holding onto me, both arms wrapped around me with his nose digging into my neck. He had this rare goofy, I-can-eat-you-up smile on and in the other half which was on his own screen, I was trying to squirm away from him, all the while smiling like I won the lottery or something. And I did, my lottery was Sebastian Crown. I smiled, that emptiness in me feeling like it was filled. I guess now seeing things like this would have to serve like seeing him in the hallway, it was all I had now anyway.
Looking up from my phone, still with a smile my eyes meet with the tanned, chiseled, completely looking smooth, perfect body that belonged to none other than... Diego Royal. I swear, my phone almost fell, I had not anticipated or expected that at all, not in this life or the next. Like I knew from the right shirts and loose shirts that he had a perfect body but I didn't think it'll be like this! Baywatch, Captain America, all my porn legends, perfect. It almost reminded me of Sebastian's, that is after this list. I first checked to see if I was the only one seeing this and when my two seconds check proved that I was, I slanted my head well to really look. It was actually Diego's shirtless body I was seeing with his joggers pants riding low on his hips...the heavens. He looked to be throwing trash out and when he was done, I think he shuddered before running back into the building. Then I snapped out of it... Oh my God, was I really checking out Diego right now? Am I okay?
Nope, you're most probably too horny. Stress does that to people, right?
Yeah, at this point I'd probably check out anything. Maybe even Barney. A slap to the cheek corrected that thought... Any male human specie, that was my spec of course. Although I shouldn't have a spec because I'm in a relationship, another slap. Get your head back Paxton. And Sebastian is better looking. Yes, Diego might be a bit more tanned but that's probably a sprinkle or dump of Mexican genetics, I don't know. And yes, Diego might be a bit more buffier, a very little bit and maybe an inch taller? Not sure but Sebastian had the lean muscular body that was absolutely perfect and make you want to just put your tongue on him or get ice cream and watch it melt on those perfect pectorals.
Paxton Flynn! Yeah... I was definitely horny.
***
I was hearing Ryder's loud laughter before I even stepped into Go.
"Just keep in mind," that was Diego's deep voice. "It was all Jodi's fault. Bitch is so bitter."
"Really, me bitter? What's there to be bitter about, high and mighty Diego?" Jodi's voice came next.
Ry walked into the reception room, walking backwards so she was still talking and seeing the siblings and not me. "Why are you bitter Jodi? It's so not fair." She was laughing too.
"Tell her," Diego shouted, he sounded like he has had his own share of laughs too. The environment was jolly.
"Ryder, don't tell me you believe this dipshit," Jodi said following Ryder out just as Ry was turning around and seeing me. Jodi was dressed in her animal nurse uniform and Ryder was dressed normally, wearing jeans and what I believed was one of her only on dates shirts.
"Pax!" She exclaimed, looking more excited.
"Hi Paxton," Jodi quickly greeted before pulling Ry's arm and making her face her. "I didn't do anything to him, believe me. How could I even, it's not like I control animal digestive system and make them hurl on command." As Jodi was saying it, she couldn't control herself and burst out laughing, leaning into Ry's shoulder as she did. Ry didn't seem to mind, busy with laughing too. "I swear I didn't do it, but it's so fucking funny."
"Hi," I waved, completely confused. Maybe somebody released nitrous oxide here, making them laugh like this. "I'm here now, explain."
"I would, soon enough," Ry said, trying to calm down. "You won't believe what just happened."
"Who's here?" Diego asked, coming out to the room too, still shirtless but with a shirt halfway around his arms now. This time I did the right thing and immediately shut my eyes. After some seconds, "I'm clothed." I peek my eyes open and see Diego smirking at me. "Hi."
"Hey," I exhale, fighting the urge to blush. Why did I want to blush?! Maybe because I was pretending to be innocent and good when I'd already checked him out before. I turned back to Ry, trying to purge Diego's body out of mind like I never saw it. "So, what's with all the laughter? I expected to see you all serious and at work."
"I was," she shrugged, now Jodi was off her. "Kinda but that was until a dog barfed all over Diego here."
My eyes widened and I looked back at Diego, who wasn't wearing his smirk anymore but still looking at me. "Barney?"
"Nah, another dog that ate the wrong stuff. And as I was saying before you came Pax, it was all Jordy's fault."
"It wasn't," Jodi jumped to defending. "You asked me to give the dog the pill, I did as instructed and now I'm at fault. How was I to know you'd just go there and open his mouth wide like an idiot?"
"You normally don't listen to me, why did you have to this time?"
"Well, my bad, lesson learnt."
"And you should've told me you've given him the drug, you saw me going to him." Diego said, looking sad, I couldn't help the laughter that left me.
"I'm sorry," I said when all their eyes turned to me.
"It's totally okay to laugh," Jodi said, laughing some more. "You should have been here to see Diego's face and his body, he went out and threw the shirt away, the wasteful being."
"You would've kept it?" Diego asked her. "It smelled like fish and vomit and shit and vomit."
I couldn't help breaking out into laughter. What I kept imagining was too funny not to and Diego's face as he talked... Already priceless. Diego mock glared at me and started walking closer, "are you laughing at me, Paxton?"
"He should be," Jodi chipped.
"Sorry, can't help it."
"Oh you think it's funny?" He said, trying the make his voice deeper and look annoyed but I could tell he was holding a laugh in. Maybe it was actually that funny or my laughter was just too contagious.
"Um are you the one smelling like fish, vomit, shit and what was that again, oh vomit?" I laughed. "If so, then yes, it's funny."
He paused about a step away from bumping bodies with me and sniffed, then frowned. "No, I showered."
It's then I notice that his hair was wet, actual water dripping wet. I nodded, "okay, not funny then."
His eyes swept through my face, a half smile on. "Really?"
I took a little step closer and flicked a lock of wet hair away with my finger. "Really."
Diego finally broke into a full smile, looking at me like something on my face was confusing him. It wasn't a bad look though, it was like good confusion and I didn't know it then but as I was smiling right back, I was basking in the warmth the look made me feel.
It felt nice.