As he ran away from a raging dog chasing him through a snowy night, Kai acknowledged he had no chance against a fast-running animal. Seeing the fence on his right, he started sprinting towards it. 

Now or never. 

He jumped up, his hands gripping painfully cold metal. Full of adrenaline, he felt little effort as he soared up the fence. Hearing barking closer to him, he placed his left leg on the other side and shifted the weight. 

Just as he was about to lift his right foot, he slipped. The dog bit him painfully and pulled him down. In a second, he fell to the cold ground at the mercy of an aggressive dog. As he was falling down, he looked up at the sky.

The last memory he had was how beautifully bright the stars were.

Kai woke up abruptly and sat up, rubbing his face with his hands. He hadn't had any dreams for a while. Exceptionally, shaking his insides like the one which recently woke him up. 

Going through his morning routine, he felt the urge to see a chestnut-haired man. As he got to his morning coffee, he came up with at least three scenarios to make this happen. 

Of course, it involved Noah and unplanned tagging along with him, which he knew that Noah wouldn't mind. His best friend wanted him to go out more, but Kai didn't want to be questioned why he would be so eager to do that. 

The perfect opportunity came a couple of minutes later as he heard his phone going off.

Looking around, he searched for his ringing device.

"Hello." Kai sat on his bed as he took his phone, pressing the green button.

"Do you want to go to the public lecture, something about art's importance and impact on society? Maya is nagging. She assumed that you also would be interested." Noah said suddenly.

"When is it?" Tiny butterflies rose in his chest as he got excited over the unexpected opportunity. "I'm not sure, but It sounds interesting."

"Friday afternoon, and it is interesting. At least this is what she said." He chuckled. "They took a liking in you."

"Well, I can be pretty likeable, I guess." If sitting there and barely talking made them want to hang out with him again, it meant they were the perfect group for him. He may slowly grow comfortable around Noah's friends one day. If hanging out with a couple of strangers will make Noah happy, then he will do it.

"So? I suppose you agree?" Noah assumed.

"Yes, I will come. Text me the details later, okay?" He was as excited as he was getting anxious right after the line went dead. He tried to convince himself to ease his nerves that he wanted to go, and no one was forcing him to go anywhere. Everything was of his choice. It worked for a few minutes before he got nauseous.

For the next couple of days, Kai wandered around the house, moving from one place to another. He picked up the phone countless times to call Noah and cancel the meeting, but he wouldn't cope with the guilt of disappointing him.

Friday came, and Kai was waiting for Noah to pick him up. They planned to meet at Starbucks, near the University where the lecture will take place. The plan was to grab a coffee, go for the speech, and they would part ways.

Kai was playing all scenarios that possibly could go wrong. He was stressing out so much that he had to change his shirt twice.

At that very moment, he wore dark skinny jeans and a grey T-shirt with a black cardigan. His style developed when he entered the door of the Art department. His love for simple clothes didn't change. They turned to be more mature and classy, adding khakis to his skinny jeans and shirts to his hoodies.

His phone went off when Noah's name appeared on the screen. He declined, already on his way downstairs, where the blond man was already waiting for him.

"You look good." Noah smiled at Kai and greeted him with a light punch on the arm. He was wearing a light brown jumper, nicely contrasting with his blond hair making them even brighter.

"Thanks, you too." He stared straight ahead at the building in front of them.

"You are looking pale. Are you alright?" Noah didn't start the car and waited for a response from Kai.

"No, not at all. I am simply freaking out here, so either we are leaving, or I'm going back upstairs." Kai was breathing slowly to calm himself while Noah pulled out of the parking.

"Oh, god.." Kai murmured to himself. Noah barely could hear it.

"Once we will get there, you will feel much calmer and overall safer. Trust me. It's just in your head." Noah padded his arm, trying to guide his attention to anything but his thoughts. "You have met them. Focus on that, and you will feel better."

"I hope so," Kai responded.

They got to the coffee shop, where everyone was already waiting for them. Maya and Jake were talking, standing close to each other while drinking their iced coffee. Leo next to them on his phone, holding a cup of coffee and being obvious in ignoring them.

"Hi! We will get some drinks, and after, I guess we are ready to go?" Noah and Kai walked to the group greeting each other with a simple wave.

"What do you want?" Noah looked at Kai, who stared on the board behind the blond lady who waited to take their orders.

"Just regular latte." He said, looking through Noah's shoulder at Leo. 

He looked gorgeous in his black turtle neck and a beige jacket. Wavy, dark brown hair styled. The last time when he saw him, they were looking like he got out of bed. 

Is it possible that it was his looks, not the personality, which attracted him? He fitted in Kai's type too well. For many, Leo would be too boyish. He wasn't a masculine type, had soft futures but not feminine, was probably around twenty-six but looked younger. 

Kai had to end this internal debate about the attractive man standing by the door, as that said man just locked his eyes with him. He quickly turned his head away, feeling like a stalker. Staring was wrong if you thought about it, but Kai couldn't help it. Leo was too handsome, too beautiful and too much of his type.

"Why are you nervous? You look like a scared Bambi." Jake said. "Maya has the same face when she is losing a spider from the sight."

"Maybe I'm transforming into one," Kai admitted.

"Spider or a deer?" Noah looked at Kai, confused.

"Should we go?" Maya interrupted.

"Everyone ready?" Jake slowly followed after his girlfriend.

"I think so. Let's go, or we will be late," Leo circled between a few people before joining Kai.

"How was your week?" He asked after a few minutes of walking in silence, which Kai found surprisingly comforting.

"Nothing in particular. How about you?"

"Same old. Studying, writing assignments. Boring stuff." He looked down at his arms. "I'm glad I finished that so I can take it easy before Christmas break."

"Are you staying in here?" Kai looked up at him.

"I will be driving up to see my family." He gently smiled as he mentioned them. Kai thought that his family was not like his family at all. "How about you? Staying? Leaving?"

"I'm going to see my family for a few days." They passed through the last crossing and started walking into the campus. A few of the other students joined Noah, Maya and Jake. All walked a few steps ahead of them. Kai knew no one from those people, but he didn't mind. His whole attention focused on Leo.

"That's nice. Are you living alone then if your family is away?"

"Yes, before I had a roommate. At some point, he moved out, and I never looked for anyone else." His face dropped visibly.

"He must be someone special if you didn't replace him," Leo asked, his eyes never leaving Kai. "I was just too old for a housemate." He lied, forcing a small smile.

"I thought it was a roommate?" Leo teased, smiling widely, and Kai felt his face hit up.

"Housemate, it was a housemate," Kai stated with a low voice and felt relieved when they entered the building. Leo couldn't ask any more questions. Kai was grateful for that as he could swear that his companion had more fun teasing him than he should.