A/N: I realised while editing, chapter one was way too long. So I've split it and now I have to go through and change all my chapter headings in my copy. Deep sigh.
Thursday morning, Paul opened his bedroom door and glanced down towards Ken's door near the elevator. The only other person in the corridor was other student making their way to the elevator and they gave Paul a nod as they passed. Paul turned and locked his door behind him and as he turned towards the exit, Ken appeared beside him.
"Shi..." Paul said as he jumped in fright. "You scared me."
Ken smiled and rubbing the top of Paul's head, said, "Cute."
"Hey. My hair." Paul brushed Ken's hand away and attempted to tidy his hair.
"Here. Let me." Ken said, turning Paul towards him and stepping closer, began to focus his attention on tidying his hair. Paul stared at Ken's lips as a heated blush washed over his face.
"It's fine." Paul said stepping back and fixing the front of his hair himself while hiding his face from Ken.
Ken smiled and said, "Shall I walk with you."
Paul attempted to hide his smile by turning away and replied, "That's up to you."
Ken caught his expression and gave a silent laugh as he caught up with Paul.
They walked together quietly to the elevator and as they waited, other students joined them. When they entered the lift, Ken gently pulled Paul to the back by his elbow. At each floor the elevator opened more students entered and soon Paul was pushed back against Ken, who in turn had now placed his hand against Paul's waist to hold him steady.
Paul closed his eyes, his emotions going crazy. As they almost reached the ground floor, Ken whispered to Paul, "I'm going out tonight to the bar I mentioned to you. Join me."
Paul's breath caught and as the doors opened and the students left, Ken used his hand around Paul's waist to guide him out. They paused outside the elevator and Ken added, "Invite Fourth. I promise, you'll have a good time."
Paul could no longer look at Ken in the eyes, his flushed cheeks burning. "I'll ask him." Paul awkwardly replied.
Ken leaned in and said, "Then, have a good day. I'll see you tonight."
Ken gently squeezed Paul's arm as he moved past and Paul placed a hand on his heart, beating erratically.
When Fourth arrived in the foyer to meet Paul, he'd been able to regain his composure. They chatted as they walked to campus, Fourth none the wiser about what Paul had experienced. There was a temptation to say something to his friend about the interactions he'd been having more often with Ken but Paul decided to say nothing until he could sort out his own feelings and understand himself what was going on.
Monday they had no intentions of going out on a weeknight and yet Thursday evening Fourth and Paul entered the small bar and immediately fell in love with the vibe. The quiet, modern bar was bright and welcoming with a warm summer vibe. The full open doors let the soft evening breeze flow through and the padded two seated cane chairs were randomly arranged to encourage socialisation.
"Now this is more like it." Fourth said, as he led Paul into the seated area.
"Okay. I'll admit this is good." Paul agreed.
"Paul. Fourth." Ken called out from the back corner and both men made towards him.
Ken sat alone and this surprised both friends.
"Why are you here alone? Where are your friends?" Paul asked sitting down beside Fourth on the two seater chair next to Ken.
Ken held out his hands and said, "Here."
Paul frowned and said, "Not us. Your other friends?"
Ken let out a sigh and replied, "Tonight it's us. What would you like to drink, let me get it for you."
"Whatever you're drinking." Paul replied and Ken rose and headed towards the bar.
"Don't you think it's weird it's only us?" Paul leaned in and asked.
Fourth glanced back towards the bar. "No. Why. Did he say to you his friends would be here?"
Paul turned away as a wave of heat touched his face as he recalled how Ken had asked him that morning to join him. "No. I only assumed there'd be others here."
Ken returned with their drinks and for the next several hours the three chatted about family and their homes. It was much later than planned when they returned to the dormitory.
"You'll be please to know class has been cancelled." Paul called Fourth Friday lunch time. His voice hoarse and cracked when he spoke.
As much as Fourth and Paul had been aware they had an afternoon class Friday, somehow they had ended up drinking far too much and getting home far too late.
"You couldn't have rang me twenty minutes ago. I'm on my way to class now." Fourth grumbled, his clumsy steps coming to a stop.
"Sorry, I've only woken myself and was going to message the group chat that I wouldn't be able to make it and I saw class was cancelled. I didn't see you acknowledge the message, so I'm calling you."
Fourth pulled his phone away from his ear, checked his messages, then putting his phone back to his ear, he replied, "Oh. No class. Thanks for ringing. I would have got to class and been sitting around waiting before realising class was cancelled. Are you okay?"
"Mmmm. I don't remember getting back to my room but there's a note here from Ken, saying he sent me home. He even left me hangover medicine."
"Same. Lucky we have him as a friend but let's not go drinking with him again any time soon."
"Agreed." Paul replied.
Fourth hung up and turning himself around, stumbled before correcting his feet and dragging himself back to the dorm.
At his room, Fourth pulled his key out of his pocket and unlock the door. The thought of bed pulled him in but as he walked into the room a young man, damp hair dripping over his broad chest and wrapped in a white towel came from the bathroom. Caught off guard, Fourth didn't have time stop himself as they collided. The other person attempted to hold onto his towel with one hand and stop Fourth with the other but the motion of falling had started and Fourth no sooner found himself laying across the top of the half naked man, both hands pressed against his bare, damp chest. They stared at each other, before Fourth, mortified to find himself in his current situation suddenly panicked. He stuttered an apology and made every attempt to stand. The man below him too pushed Fourth up and away from him but the effort to stand in the small entrance made the process difficult and awkward. As Fourth finally stood, the man too stood but the towel around his waist suddenly slipped and in sheer terror Fourth fled the room, slamming the door behind him.
Back in the corridor, Fourth leaned against the opposite wall, his hand on his racing heart. His breath heavy at the shock of entering the wrong room. But as he stared at the room number by the door, with a frown, Fourth realised the room number matched his own and in the lock of the door was his key. Did that mean there was a stranger using his room. A glance around him showed nothing out of the ordinary and once his breathing settled, Fourth approached his bedroom door and after a pause, knocked. Cautiously, Fourth placed an ear against the door and listened. After a long pause and no response, Fourth glanced at the key and tentatively unlocked the door. Slowly, he pushed the door open and peaked into the room.
He could make out the bathroom door, now open and light off.
After another pause, Fourth took a deep breath and exclaimed bravely, "I don't know who you are, but this is my room and I'm coming in."
Slowly, he drew the door open further and took a single step in before pausing.
The room was silent and Fourth took another step in looking around for something to use as a weapon. On the desk, opposite the bathroom, stood his lamp. Fourth made a grab for it and lifting it above his head, turned to face the intruder. What Fourth found confused him. The room was empty.
Slowly lowering the lamp and placing it back on the desk, Fourth enter the room cautiously. He slowly lowered himself to check under the bed but no one was there. He quickly turned and went to the bathroom. With a quick flick, Fourth turned on the light to surprise whoever was in there but the bathroom was also empty.
Back in the bedroom, Fourth scratched his head. Had the incident happened. Cautiously glancing around again he placed his hands together in prayer, praying there were no spiritual anomalies with his room. After another quick check and confident his room was empty, Fourth flopped on his bed and promptly went back to sleep.
At the sound of the door slamming, Gemini stared at the towel at his feet, then back at the door before quickly picking up his towel and wrapping it back around his waist. Still startled by the strangers brazen entry, Gemini reached for the door only to find it locked. The oddity of the situation began to frustrate Gemini, and unlocking the door he looked out into the corridor. With a glance in both directions he wasn't surprised to find the corridor empty. He examined the lock on his door from the outside and found it to be working fine. But that didn't explain how a stranger entered his room. The expression on the young man's face had also shown surprise. Had he entered the wrong room by mistake. Did he somehow have the same key cut as Gemini's. But that made no sense. To be certain something like that could not happen, Gemini returned to his room to dress and then made to the front desk to enquire.
"A stranger entered your room by mistake?" Ken questioned.
Ken, Gemini's best friend, sat next to him in morning class as they waited for the lecturer to arrive. Both dressed in black pants, white shirt and black tie, they didn't look out of place in the class room and yet all eyes were focused on them. Each had their own unique beauty that drew the attention of both men and women. Yet, both men ignored the glances in their direction.
"Yes. It was weird."
"What happened?" Ken asked.
"I was coming out of the shower and he walked in and we fell." Gemini said, as he removed his books from his bag, before dropping his bag beside his feet.
"Wait. Were you naked when this happened?" Ken asked, a smile on his face forming.
Gemini glanced his way and scowled at Ken's growing expression.
"There's nothing funny about this." Gemini replied, annoyed by his friend.
"Of course not. I mean I'd be shocked if I saw you naked." Ken didn't hide his amusement.
Gemini took a swipe at Ken, clipping the back of his head.
"Hey! Did I deserve that?" Ken cried in fake agony.
"Yes. You did." Gemini scolded.
"Okay. Okay. So did you find out what happened?" Ken asked, as he to retrieved his books from his bag.
"I spoke to the manager of the dormitory and they said every key was a special cut that couldn't be copied without authorisation."
"Then how do they explain someone entering your room?" Ken asked.
"They can't. It's not possible, they told me."
Ken turned to Gemini and leaning in close, said, "I know the answer."
Gemini knew the answer wasn't going to be the right one, yet he stared at Ken, waiting for his response.
"What?" Gemini asked when Ken didn't respond immediately.
Ken leaned in even closer and in a quiet voice replied, "Ghost."
Gemini let out a frustrating sigh as he rolled his eyes. Without responding, he turned and settled himself in his seat, facing the front of the class.
"Come on." Ken said, his arm over the back of Gemini's chair, attempting to lure him in. "It's a possibility."
"I don't believe in ghosts." Gemini side eyed Ken.
"Can you ask for the security footage. Maybe that might show you who it was."
Gemini didn't reply as he thought back at his conversation with the manager the night before. He'd asked to see the security footage but there was nothing to see. The only footage to be seen was Gemini leaving his room to check the door.
"I don't know who it was." Gemini said, not prepared to tell his friend the truth. It would only make the situation sound even more absurd.
Ken wrapped his arm around Gemini's shoulders, and told him, "Then don't dwell on it any longer. Whoever it was has likely been scarred for life seeing your naked body."
Gemini elbowed Ken in the ribs and Ken buckled, exclaiming, "Why is my friend so violent. I need new friends."
"I'm not stopping you." Gemini replied.
"Hey! How can you say that to your best friend. What would you do without me?" Ken asked, settling back into his seat.
Gemini huffed, without replying. At that moment Gemini's phone rang. The lecturer had still not arrived and Gemini pulled the phone out of his bag to see his mother calling him. Gemini showed Ken, who indicated for him to answer.
"Hello, mother." Gemini answered quietly. "Class is about to start. Is everything all right?"
"Gemini. I'm at the hospital. Your grandfather collapsed this afternoon and we've had to admit him."
"Is he okay?" Gemini asked as he glanced at Ken, who watched with an expression of concern.
"There running tests now. I wanted you to know. If you want to come you can, the rest of the family is here."
"Okay. I'll be there shortly." Gemini hung up and turned to Ken. "Grandfather collapsed and has been taken to hospital."
"You should go. I'll cover you in class."
Gemini nodded and thanked his friend as he repacked his bag and left the class room in rushed silence.
Outside the private room, Gemini found his father waiting for him.
"Is grandfather okay?" Gemini asked him.
"It would seem so. The doctors don't know why he collapse but they are running test now to find a cause."Father told Gemini.
"Your cousins and uncle left not long ago. Mother and aunt are still in with him. I was waiting for you because I knew you would be concerned." Father rubbed Gemini's arm offering reassurance.
"Thank you, Father. Can I go in and see him." Gemini asked,
Father nodded and indicated for Gemini to enter but did not follow his son in.
Gemini entered the luxurious hospital room to discover the jovial tone of his grandfathers voice. On first inspection, one wouldn't think anything was wrong. His grandfather sat propped up in the double bed comfortably, talking to his mother and aunt.
When all three pairs of eyes glanced his way, his grandfather's face lit up, as he indicated for Gemini to sit beside him on the bed. Gemini did so, taking his grandfathers outstretch hand.
"Grandfather, are you unwell?" Gemini asked, hopeful for a positive answer.
"I'm fine. As well as can be for someone my age." Grandfather joked. Gemini glanced at his mother and aunt, and both gave forced smiles back.
Gemini stared down at his grandfather's hands in his. They were still remarkably strong and Gemini couldn't imagine anything seriously wrong.
"Now that you are here, I have something important to tell you."
Gemini once more glanced at his mother her expression clearly showing her own distress.
"I'm handing over the business and all my properties to you, Gemini. Affective as soon as the paper work is finalised."
Gemini's head whipped back to stare at his grandfather. "But grandfather..." Gemini began before being cut off.
"It's always been my plan to leave the business to you. While I'm in good sound mind I've decided it's time to finalise the arrangements. You don't need to worry, Gemini. I'll be around for a long time yet but I wanted you to all know what I've done so that no one is shocked by my decision. I understand your mother and aunt currently manage the business and I'm not taking that away from them. I also know, it's not your desire to have any part of the business. However, you are my only living male heir and I intend to leave everything I own to you. How you choose to manage it will be up to you and the family."
Gemini swallowed with some difficulty and he once more glance at his mother. She gave a small shake of her head, indicating he say nothing further.
Outside the hospital room, Gemini took his mothers hand and pleadingly said, "I don't want the business or grandfathers money."
"I know, honey." Gemini's mother squeezed his hand in understanding. "Let your aunt and I discuss what's happened with the board members and we'll take care of everything. You focus on your studies. Don't let this concern you."
Gemini gave a nod and embraced his mother and aunt.
"Is everything okay?" Father approached them, his concern expressed on his face.
"Can you accompany Gemini to his car?" Mother asked, taking Father's hand in hers.
"Of course I can. Is Grandfather okay?" Father asked.
Mother nodded, "He will be. It doesn't appear to be anything serious but he's made a decision that may create some issues. It's okay. Aunt and I will take care of it."
Father nodded and turning to Gemini said, "I'll walk you out."
On Gemini's departure, mother turned to her sister and said, "What was father thinking making Gemini sole benefactor."
Aunt shook her head. "It's concerning father has suddenly decided that Gemini will inherit everything. Since when has 'the only living male heir' been a thing."
Mother and aunt both stared at each other. "Somethings not right." Mother said and aunt nodded in agreement.