Chapter Text
William wasn’t supposed to be there.
Santa had dragged him along, half-bribing him with bubble tea, snacks, and some well-deserved gossip about his Phi’s new crush. William had come reluctantly—hoodie half on, hair still damp from his post-class shower—thinking he would get at least an hour of scroll time on his phone while Santa stared longingly at his future boyfriend.
The university’s indoor pool still had that mechanical smell of freshly installed bleachers, and every splash echoed like a drumbeat. The stands were mostly filled with swim team members and a few die-hard fan clubs.
William wasn’t supposed to be there.
He was supposed to be in his dorm, cuddling with his cat, watching a K-drama with a face mask on and eating noodles.
Yet here he was—poolside, waiting for his Phi to look away from his new muse.
“Phi, do you even understand what’s going on, or do you just cheer whenever someone completes a lap?” William had asked after watching Santa cheer every time a freshman finished a practice lap.
“I cheer whenever someone looks at me. It’s a coincidence that the swimmers complete their lap at that moment,” Santa had replied, shrugging.
“Maybe he looks at you because you cheer so hard at random people doing practice laps,” William muttered under his breath.
Now he was stuck watching the swim team practice, already feeling himself prune up just thinking about spending that much time in chlorine.
But then—William saw him.
Not just anyone.
Not someone he could casually describe to his friends later.
No. William would remember this moment for the rest of his life.
Standing at the edge of the pool in a crisp white and blue swim jacket was the most beautiful man he had ever seen.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
The most perfect, tiny waist.
Lean muscles in all the right places.
Messy hair, curled slightly at the ends from the pool’s humidity.
William leaned forward just as the guy turned around.
Heart-shaped lips.
William swore he could see the soft curve of the swimmer’s mouth—like the beginning of a secret smile.
And just like that, William forgot to breathe.
“Bro. Earth to William?” Santa nudged.
“I need to sit down,” William said faintly—even though he was already sitting.
“You… are sitting?”
William didn’t answer. His eyes were glued to the swimmer.
As if on cue from God himself, the guy turned his head slightly to speak to a teammate. His side profile was even better—sharp nose, heart-shaped lips, eyes so small and pretty they looked like they could either love you forever or never notice you at all.
William believed in fate wholeheartedly. He believed in love at first sight. He was born on Valentine’s Day and had grown up watching rom-coms. He had imagined scenarios every night before sleeping about meeting his soulmate.
But he had never imagined this.
He had never imagined who it would be, or what it would feel like to have the wind knocked out of him by just a glance.
Finally, he had a face for all his daydreams.
“Who the hell is that?” William asked.
“Who?”
“The most beautiful guy I have ever seen in my life. My soulmate. The love of my life. My future husband!!!” William announced without a shred of hesitation.
Santa blinked, stunned. He had dragged William here so he could stare at the love of his life without being judged—yet now his nong had found his future husband???
“Do you mean Phi Est?” Santa said slowly. “The two-time university champion? Lives in water? Hates sunshine, small talk, and happiness?”
Est.
Est.
Est.
Est.
Est.
Est.
Est.
Est.
Est.
Est.
Est.
Est.
“Est,” William whispered like it was sacred. “I’m gonna marry him.”
“You what? You just found out his name! William, Est is a third year. Plus, he radiates black cat energy. I get it—opposites attract—but this is like North and South.”
“Third year… tell me more.”
Santa stared at him. Aish, this kid.
“William, stop staring at that man and look at me,” Santa said, physically pulling him away. “Est is cold. He’s not someone you mess with. He’s rejected countless students. He’s low-key nice, but I don’t know why he’s been single for so long—and I don’t think he’ll be breaking that spell anytime soon.”
“So what you’re saying is… he’s nice and he’s single.”
Santa slapped his forehead with his palm.
Est had moved away from the pool and was now standing at the other end of the bleachers—just out of William’s line of vision.
He’s the one.
He’s the one.
He’s the one.
William let out a long exhale, leaning back dramatically like he’d just survived a heart attack. “Phi… I didn’t even want to come today.”
Santa raised a brow, arms crossed. “I know. You complained the whole way here. You literally said—and I quote—‘I’d rather eat expired seaweed snacks in bed with Mochi than smell like pool water for three hours.’”
“I stand by that,” William said quickly, “but also… thank you.”
Santa blinked. “What?”
William’s voice softened, eyes flicking toward the other end of the pool. “Thank you for dragging me here. Seriously. I was gonna waste today rotting in bed, but now? I think I just saw the face of my future.”
Santa stared at him in disbelief. “You’ve known him for, like, ten minutes. He hasn’t even spoken a word to you.”
William shrugged, smiling so wide it hurt. “Doesn’t matter. My soul spoke.”
Before Santa could snark back, Est turned again.
Just for a second.
His gaze swept across the bleachers, slow and disinterested, until it landed on William.
And stayed.
William’s breath caught in his throat. His spine straightened, eyes locked. For the briefest of seconds, everything else went quiet.
The sounds of the pool faded. The chatter blurred. Even Santa’s scoff barely registered.
Est didn’t smile. He didn’t frown either. He just… looked.
Right at William.
And then he looked away, as if nothing had happened.
But for William?
It had.
He slumped back against the bleacher seat, eyes wide, chest heaving just a little.
Santa noticed. “What? What happened?”
William turned slowly. “Phi.”
“Yeah?”
“He looked at me.”
Santa rolled his eyes. “Who? Phi Est? That doesn’t mean anything.”
William grabbed Santa’s wrist with both hands. “No. He looked at me. Like—not in passing. It was a moment.”
“It was a glance,” Santa corrected.
“A glance is a moment. A shared glance is practically intimacy. This is the beginning of our story.”
Santa groaned, dragging a hand down his face.
William didn’t care. He felt high.
Est had looked at him. The universe had tilted for just a second. And William, sitting in the middle of bleachers that still smelled like metal and pool chlorine, felt like he had just been cast in a drama where he already knew the ending.
William didn’t just lie on his bed after the swim meet—no way. He floated.
The moment Est’s name popped into his head, William sprang up, Mochi still snoozing on his stomach. He gently slid the cat down to the floor, who promptly blinked at him like, You’re nuts.
William grabbed his phone with both hands, pacing the room dramatically, his hoodie sleeves hanging loose, the torn fabric swinging with every step. He paced once, twice, then spun on the balls of his feet, nearly tripping over Mochi who darted between his ankles with amused disdain.
“Okay, Mochi, listen up! This is not a drill. I have officially met my soulmate.” He threw his arms out wide, nearly knocking over a stack of books. “He has heart-shaped lips. Heart-shaped! Can you believe that?”
Mochi blinked slowly and settled back into a regal loaf position on William’s desk.
William flopped onto the floor, stretching out like a starfish. “I’m gonna marry him. I’m already practicing my vows.” He cleared his throat dramatically and recited, “I promise to love you as much as I love bubble tea and midnight snacks. Will you accept this forever?”
Mochi yawned.
William ignored the cat’s unimpressed attitude and started swiping through Instagram. “Let’s find out everything about Mr. Est. Mr. Perfectly Fine. Mr. Black Cat Energy.”
His fingers hesitated, then typed carefully: @est — a private account. Hm.
“Okay, no. That’s fine. Let’s try… @est.s… Bingo!” William’s eyes sparkled.
He scrolled, discovering photos of Est: swimming triumphs, candid campus shots, and—wait for it—a profile picture of Est with a golden retriever puppy perched happily on his lap, tongue lolling and tail wagging like it had no worries in the world.
William froze, mouth slightly open.
“A golden retriever?!” he exclaimed. “Mochi, this is proof. He has a golden retriever. And I am a golden retriever. We were made for each other.”
He leapt off the floor and started dancing around the room again, doing a ridiculous spin with arms outstretched, chanting, “Golden retriever and black cat. Opposites attract! Golden retriever and black cat! Meant to be! Meant to be!”
Mochi flicked his tail, clearly unimpressed, and slipped out the door like a dignified shadow.
William paused mid-spin. “You’re right, Mochi. I’m a little extra. But if you don’t believe in destiny, who will?”
He collapsed onto his bed again, phone clutched tightly, a goofy grin plastered across his face.
“Tomorrow,” he whispered, “I’m gonna find a way to talk to him. For real. Not just from the bleachers. We’re gonna be more than just ‘golden retriever and black cat’ stories. We’re gonna be us.”
Mochi’s soft meow echoed from the hallway like a gentle reminder: Don’t forget my food.
William laughed. “Okay, okay. Food first. Then world domination.”