Lykn Nocturne (WilliamEst, NutHong)

Chapter 19

Tui left the office, his head slightly tilted downward, feeling the weight of such an unexpected defeat. When he turned to walk to his room, he found Est heading toward William's office, his face showing clear signs of worry and regret. Tui quickly straightened his posture, smiled at their guest, and asked if there was anything he could do for him.

"I... I would like to talk to William," Est said, his tone hesitant at first, but gaining more and more confidence as the words left his mouth. "He came to me earlier and I fear he may have misunderstood my... response."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible. He just received a call from... ummm... what was that title again? Oh right, our consultant for our stock market shares. I have no idea what any of those words mean, but he seemed pretty upset, so I wouldn't disturb him if I were you," Tui replied.

"Tui... please... at least don't lie."

"Are you calling me a liar?" Tui asked jokingly. He hadn't expected that resistance, but he hoped he could at least buy William enough time to prepare in case Est decided to enter the office uninvited.

"I know you're not a liar. That's why I want you to tell me the truth. Has he asked you to keep me out of his office?" Est asked. Tui shook his head. The swimmer stepped forward and reached for the door handle, but before he could press it down, he felt Tui's hand gripping his forearm. He turned to look at him, and this time, Tui's expression was stripped of its usual polite cheerfulness.

"There is nothing you can say right now that will cheer him up. Give him some time to process what he's gone through," Tui said.

"You don't understand. He confessed, and I..."

"As I said, nothing you say now will make the situation better. If you tell him you like him back — whether you mean it or not — he'll assume you're saying it out of pity. If you tell him you don't like him, that will only deepen his humiliation. He has never opened up this much before. Just give him time."

"Shouldn't he—" Est started, but stopped as the door opened.

William walked out.

"Tui, have you seen Lego? I would like to speak with him... oh, Est... I hope our previous conversation won't make your stay any more uncomfortable. Now, if you'll excuse me..." William said, trying to walk past them.

While Tui moved aside to let him pass, Est didn't budge.

"William, we need to talk. Do you have a minute?" Est asked.

"I'm afraid not," William said quickly and squeezed through the gap left by Tui.

Est tried to catch his attention again, but it was already too late. No matter how many times he called his name, William resolutely walked down the corridor toward Lego's room. He knocked. After a few moments, a sleepy Lego opened the door.

"I had finally managed to fall asleep... oh... William? Is something wrong? Are your eyes... red?" Lego asked.

Realizing Est might have heard that, William immediately pushed Lego inside the room and entered.