Page 78 of His Untoward Hate

“He has the guts.”

“Of course, he wasn’t aware.”

“It’s Sky Granger, for heaven’s sake.”

“He’s definitely dead.”

Kring! Kring! Kring!

The sharp ringing of the bell snapped Sky back to reality. In an instant, the crowded hallway erupted into motion. Students hurried toward their respective classrooms, scattering in every direction, while only a handful lingered behind to witness the aftermath.

Sky remained silent.

Sky’s gaze drifted to the crumpled sheet of paper the boy was holding. Printed at the top was a room number.

AB204.

Great.

They were in the same class.

“Sorry again,” the boy said casually.

To Sky’s surprise, the boy did not seem intimidated in the slightest. Instead, he flashed that same apologetic smile and scratched the side of his head once more before leaving, as though the collision had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

Somehow, that only chafed Sky further.

There was something about the boy’s innocence. The effortless sincerity and the complete lack of fear struck a nerve deep within Sky. He could not explain it. He could not even name the feeling. All he knew was that something about the boy was already getting under his skin.

Sky watched his back as the boy walked away, leaving him completely speechless. The boy did not seem to care at all. No hint of awkwardness, no surprise, no admiration, not even a passing glance of interest. He acted like Sky was not worth his attention, unlike the others around who always tried to catch his eye. That in itself felt wrong.

Sky bit down on the inside of his cheek, frustration curling in his chest, while a darker thought slithered to the edge of his mind.

I’m going to make his life miserable.

And…Sky did.

The start of everything.

END OF FLASHBACK

Jude’s cold, unconscious body pressed against Sky’s warm skin as he carefully lifted him into his arms. Sky stared down at his face, still carrying the same untouched innocence throughout the years. He had grown more handsome. He had grown more mature. He had grown wiser. He had grown a light stubble. He had grown prettier. Although he did not smile as much as when they first bumped into each other. But it was the patented naivety in his expression that drew Sky in the most.

Sky never wanted to admit it. Never even wanted to believe it. But if love at first sight existed, then he had been doomed the moment he met Jude.

And for the first time, Sky wished they had never crossed paths.

Romantic love had never meant anything to Sky. It never would. Not after what his parents had become. He refused to believe in it. No matter what. Not even for Jude.

Whatever this was…whatever people called love, Sky wanted nothing to do with it.

But why did it feel like this?

As Sky carried Jude in his arms amid the chaos of the raging disaster, amid the chaos of their separate worlds, with Jude trapped safely against him, something in him refused to let go.

Why did it feel like he did not want Jude walking the road alone?

Why was his heartbeat so unsteady, so loud?