Chapter 27

Getting overwhelmed by the feelings he just found out, Kiefer found himself getting sick the following day.

By the time his alarm woke him, he sat up and quickly fell back down to his bed, his head heavy and throbbing. His body felt weak and his breath felt a little too warm.

And while his situation was nowhere near good, he found himself feeling glad that he fell sick. Since he's not feeling well, he has a reason not to go to school and not to see Jacob.

Sure, maybe most people would want to see the person they like, but it was different for Kiefer. His realization of his feelings towards his best friend made him undergo a lot of stress last night, resulting in his current condition.

The thought of seeing Jacob after finding out about his feelings makes his stomach turn upside down from nervousness.

'How am I supposed to act around him now?'

'How should I strike up a conversation with him?'

'What should I do next so he'd feel less upset with me?'

Though his head was already throbbing in pain, Kiefer couldn't seem to stop his thoughts from running through his head.

Meanwhile, while the alpha was staying in bed, Jacob was sitting at his desk at school, waiting for the class to begin.

But as he did, he couldn't help but glance at the door as if he was waiting for someone to come.

'He's not here yet. Did he wake up late? That's very unlike him,' Jacob thought as he looked at his wristwatch.

Thinking that Kiefer might just be late, Jacob did not think much about it until the class finally started without Kiefer.

'He's still not here...' he thought as he glanced at the door.

Jacob looked at the board and saw that their teacher was busy writing while discussing something. He then took his phone out from his pocket and used it under his desk.

He pressed a messaging app and wondered if he should contact Kiefer or not. But after thinking about it for a second, he brushed that thought off and put his phone back in his pocket.

'No. I won't contact him until he apologizes to Leo,' Jacob thought firmly.

But as the day ended without ever seeing Kiefer's face at school, he couldn't deny that he was a little bothered by it.

Jacob was getting worried.

Even though Kiefer was not the type to put much effort in his studies, he never skips classes unless there's some kind of situation that makes him unable to do so.

It was almost dark and Jacob just stood in front of Kiefer's house. He hasn't gone home yet even though his house was literally just across the street. Rather than changing his clothes and putting his backpack in his room, he thought it was more important for him to at least see a glimpse of Kiefer's face.

But he was hesitant.

Jacob was a little too prideful that checking up on Kiefer felt like a huge hit on his ego.

And though he was hesitant, he still ended up sighing while pressing the door bell.

A moment later, the front door opened and Denise, Kiefer's sister, had gone out to open the gate for him.

"Hey, Jake. Kiefer's in his room," Denise said as she closed the gate behind the omega.

"H-Huh?" Jacob was flustered. Denise tilted her head as if asking him why he was acting confused.

"Aren't you here for him? Come in," she said and started walking towards the front door.

Although feeling awkward about her assumption, (which was true, by the way) Jacob followed her in and went to Kiefer's room.

He just stood there, staring at the door while hesitating. Again.

'Ugh...' He frowned, thinking that it felt like he was losing to Kiefer.

But still, it was better than not knowing what he has been up to the entire day.

He let out a soft sigh and knocked on the door just loud enough so Kiefer would hear it.

"God, since when did you knock?" Kiefer said while panting softly as he opened the door, his eyes slightly open.

He definitely looked tired but his expression turned into shock mixed with confusion.

"Jake?" He called his name as he blinked his eyes a couple of times. He rubbed his eyes and squeezed them shut and then opened them again as if checking if he was just seeing things.

While Kiefer was busy checking if it was reality, Jacob was observing how he looked, his usual stoic face now painted with an expression of worry.

"You... Why didn't you say anything?" Jacob asked, feeling a pang in his chest.

Kiefer's face was flushed and he was sweating a little on the sides of his face. His hair was slightly greasy and his clothes looked a little damp from his sweat. He looked weaker than usual and his breath was heavy—just like how he usually looks when he's running a fever.

'This is so upsetting. And to think I was even hesitating whether to come see him or not,' he thought as he looked down and clenched his jaw.

Jacob gently pushed him and went inside his room, closing the door behind him.

Kiefer just stood there like a statue, staring at Jacob while trying not to self-destruct from the embarrassment he was feeling at the moment.

'I haven't showered since yesterday. Do I stink? I must smell so bad. It feels so embarrassing having him see me like this,' Kiefer thought as he swallowed hard.

'I'm sweaty right now. I bet he could see the damp parts on my clothes right now.'

Correct.

Jacob could see what Kiefer has been worrying about, but the omega couldn't care less about that.

"First, change your clothes. You're all sweaty. It's not good if your sweat dries up like that," Jacob said as he grabbed a new change of clothes in Kiefer's closet.

He handed the shirt to the alpha. Kiefer took the shirt and stared at it, a little confused about the entire situation.

'Is he worrying about me right now?'