105: Epilogue Part 9: Defending Sleeping Beauty

Connor’s lip twitched as Sarah slurped on the dregs of her iced coffee, rattling the ice obnoxiously. She was getting in the way of premium stare-at-Inho-while-he-sleeps time, and the interruption was not putting him in a good mood.

“Are you friends with him?” She tipped her head towards Inho’s sleeping form.

Connor took it as an invitation to resume his vigil resting his cheek on his hand. He shrugged. “Why?”

“People are saying he’s a drug dealer.”

Connor turned to glare at her. “What the hell? He’s not.”

“How d’you know? I heard it from a few people. Apparently, he has good stuff too.” She rattled her ice, searching for final sips. “I was gonna ask him if he’s got any weed.”

“He’s not a dealer. Trust me. You probs mixed him up with someone else in that smooth brain of yours.”

“Excuse me?” Sarah looked affronted as she swirled her straw in the ice cubes yet again. The coffee was fucking gone, give it a rest already.

Connor didn’t bother answering her, and before she could continue, another acquaintance of theirs dropped into the seat next to her. “Hey Ethan,” Sarah and Connor said in unison. Connor’s smile dropped immediately when he noticed his own expression mirrored on Sarah’s face. Ethan was Black, gorgeous, and tragically straight. Connor knew. He’d tried.

“Hey guys,” Ethan answered, then glanced at where Inho had started to drool slightly onto his macbook. Why is that cute? Connor would’ve liked to see him drool on something else–

“Hey, Isn’t he that drug dealer?” Ethan asked innocently, then jumped, startled, when Connor dropped heavy palms on the desk between them.

“He’s not a fucking drug dealer,” Connor snapped, “How sad are your lives that you spend them gossiping about someone you don’t even know?”

Ethan’s eyes widened, and he looked sheepishly at Sarah, “Whoa, man. I just got here, why’re you freaking out?”

Sarah smirked, around the straw she was now chewing like cud. “He’s like, acting up over this guy. It’s not even a big deal– lots of people sell drugs. Did you see his car? Josh said he drives a Tesla.”

“He’s not–” Connor interjected, not sure himself why he was getting so annoyed.

Sarah cut him off, “Why d’you care? You like him or something? Chill.”

Connor felt his face redden. “No, we’re friends, okay? So don’t say shit about him. Either of you.” Both of them were offended, he could see it on their faces, and he didn’t care.

“Why’re you being so sensitive?” Ethan asked, “It’s just gossip between friends, relax.”

Connor hated being called sensitive. It was something his dad threw in his face a lot. Too sensitive, too small, too feminine.

He sucked a breath through his teeth and put a chill in his voice. “Friends? Me and you guys?” He gave a small laugh dripping condescension, “That’s adorable.” He tapped his jaw with a finger, feigning confusion, “But don’t you two think it’s a little sad to try and reach so far out of your league? ” Ethan stood up roughly and Connor barely managed to hide a flinch. “How embarrassing,” Connor sneered with all his venom.

“You’re such a dick,” Sarah muttered. She and Ethan left angrily, and Connor slumped back in his chair, swallowed hard, and lay his face down to watch Inho once more.

Inho stared back at him from sleep-puffy eyes, “You and Stephen are really family, huh?”

“W-what?”

Inho laughed and sat up to stretch. “It’s like I suddenly got a vision of what he was like when he was a teen.” Inho laughed again, then grinned coyly, “He must’ve been horrible.”

“Hey,” Connor snapped back, ready to fight more. But Inho poked him in the ribs.

“I’m just teasing, relax.” Somehow it was less annoying when Inho told him to relax than when Ethan did it. “Thanks though,” Inho continued through a jaw-cracking yawn, “For defending my honor just now.” He ran a hand through his hair, “Donno why they think I’m a drug dealer though. I never even tried weed til this year, and it was by accident.”

“It’s probably ‘cause you show off your money so much.” Connor gestured, indicating Inho’s designer bag, and the pile of expensive tech spilling carelessly out of it.

Inho shrugged sheepishly, “I can’t afford any of this myself. Stephen keeps buying me stuff, and he gets super moody if I make a fuss.”

Connor rolled his eyes, “Oh wow, what a hard life you live.”

Inho pouted attractively and Connor changed the subject rather than risk facing the feelings that Inho’s pursed lips sent to his groin. “Maybe Josh started a rumor. He said something to you earlier right?” Finally, he could get the story. “You were super mad when you got here.” Inho wasn’t mad anymore Connor noted. He was relaxed and smiling now.

“Nah, he tried to stop me earlier in the hall, but I was up all night cuz Bulgogi was puking so I just pretended I was a ghost and came straight to class.”

“You–” That was a whole lot of… “You pretended you were a ghost?”

“Yeah. You never do that? When you don’t wanna talk to people, you just pretend you’re like an invisible ghost and they’re not even talking to you.”

What the fuck? Connor shook his head, at a loss. He moved on, “So Josh never said anything to you? Is Bulgogi okay?”

“Nah, fuck that guy. Anyway, yeah Bulgogi’s fine, Stephen took him to the vet this morning. I think he took a bite of my Regal Shield Alocasia. It sucks cuz that one’s rare, and it just put out a new leaf,” Inho rubbed his neck pensively, “I’ll have to be more careful with the Harolds so he can’t reach them.”

Connor nodded wordlessly. Talking to Inho felt like a head injury. Why was he attracted to such a fucking weirdo?