Only Friends: Dream On.

Every year, the Faculty of Fine Arts student club sets aside a budget for an annual outing to help students relax and relieve stress before final exams or thesis work for fourth-year students. Popular destinations are usually the beach or mountains, but this year is special because the club has a generous sponsor: a luxurious lakeside resort. In exchange, the resort's name will be credited for all faculty activities, an arrangement unanimously agreed upon. What's the problem?

 

Jack and Dean have special memories of their outing trip, and this activity...

Once again, they couldn't help but reminisce about the old days.

 

"Remember that first-year outing, Jack, when you asked me to be your boyfriend? You went all out..."

 

"The whole group knows about it."

Jack chuckled softly before continuing.

 

"I actually planned to ask you earlier that day, but I couldn't find the right moment. Luckily, Tua and Timmy helped me out. But I never thought they'd work together to create such a big scene."

 

Their sweet moment didn't last long. Suddenly, Timmy burst in, hands on hips, glaring at them. "So you're hiding here. Get in the car, or I'll leave you here!"  The theatre producer and student club member threatened. "And you, Dean, go film that video with Arnold. The public is demanding it!" Dean looked at Jack worriedly, afraid it might hurt his feelings, but the young director smiled understandingly. Jack nodded slightly, reassuring him not to worry. "Go ahead, I'm okay."

 

Timmy and Dean boarded the high school bus, now packed with students. The chatter was almost incessant, like a high school summer trip. They walked straight to the window seats occupied by Arnold, who kept staring out the window, not even glancing clearly at the person sitting next to him.

 

"Hey, Tua! Get up!" Timmy blurted out. "I reserved that seat for Dean." Tua reluctantly got up to find a new seat, but even sitting next to Arnold wasn't going to help. Since they met, the other man hadn't said a word to him. He didn't know how to start an argument, afraid that if he said anything, he'd be ignored even more, and just sit there hurting. So, in the end, he chose to remain silent and wait for Arnold to make the first move. Dean watched Tua walk away, then quickly turned back to ask Arnold something because he was puzzled.

 

"Is something wrong with you guys? You both seem tense."

 

"No," the person by the window shrugged, replying flatly.

 

"You’ve  been strangely quiet around each other."

 

"There's nothing to talk about," Arnold said curtly, before turning around. He interrupted, asking, "Are we going to start filming now?"

 

Timmy took on the role of manager. He was the one holding the camera, capturing every gesture and expression of the on-screen couple, directing their facial expressions and body language to create buzz for the play. 

 

Jack saw the three of them busy but didn't think much of it, choosing to sit quietly next to Duen. Although he wasn't happy about it, he didn't want to hurt Duen's intentions, so he decided to ignore them for his own peace of mind.

 

The group of music students boarded the bus last. Rome, walking behind, secretly glanced at Raffy, who was sitting by the window. He saw that the back seat was still empty, so he quickly went to claim it. However, Pete misunderstood, thinking that Rome intended to sit near him, and so he started talking boastfully in front of Raffy, who was sitting next to him.

 

"I think this trip is definitely doomed," Pete whispered, nudging his shoulder lightly.

 

"That night in the car...it was amazing, man." Raffy knew the other person was lying, but he forced a smile and went along.

 

"Then congratulations in advance."

 

It wasn't long before Timmy finished filming his content. He uploaded all the clips to the Romeo & Romeo theatre company's account. After Dean agreed to share the content, the number of followers increased rapidly, making it much easier to promote the theatre company. When it was time to leave, Timmy stood up and announced loudly.

 

"This is the last outing for the fourth-year students! Let's get completely drunk! Go for it!!"

 

The bus arrived at its destination in the afternoon. Everyone disembarked, carrying their luggage. Timmy was in charge of assigning rooms to the fourth-year students, so he was responsible for distributing the keys to the assigned groups. "Whoever gets the key to a particular room, that's the room you'll sleep in. Don't mess around trying to switch rooms. If something happens, it will be difficult for me to track down the person responsible."

 

"Who do we sleep with?" Arnold asked first, walking in. "We slept with..."

That would work with the orchestra as well. Timmy swallowed hard, trying to cover up his nervousness with a joke as he handed over the keys.

 

"Well, it doesn't matter where I sleep, we're all friends," Arnold said, escaping the commotion and heading straight to his room. The accommodation was a separate, rather private bungalow. He unlocked the door and entered, finding a two-bedroom suite for four guests, complete with a sofa, television, and air conditioning. It looked quite luxurious to him as Arnold slid open the balcony door; a voice called out from the hallway outside.

 

"I think this is the room. We should all be able to stay together, but I don't know about the other person."

 

Who is it?

 

Just as Dean finished speaking, he opened the door and came in, followed by Jack and Tua. Arnold lost his temper when he saw Tua standing there, his expression cold and indifferent. The stylist's face fell, and he kept his head down. Dean met Jack's gaze; both sensed an awkward, uncomfortable tension throughout the room before the Prince of Fine Arts forced a laugh to change the atmosphere.

 

"It's Arnold! Perfect! Much better than hanging out with strangers."

 

"Can I sleep with you?" Arnold asked Jack alone. "It's more comfortable," Jack asked Dean for permission with his eyes. The other man nodded towards Tua, who looked like he might cry at any moment, letting him know that his friend's feelings were far more important. "Sure, no problem."

 

Arnold grabbed his luggage and headed straight to the bedroom. Jack patted Tua's shoulder twice for encouragement before going in to unpack as well, leaving the two friends to comfort each other. Dean sighed, worried about his friend, before comforting him in his usual style.

 

"Do you know where the perfect place to be a drama queen is?"

 

"Where?" Tua asked innocently.

 

"It's Bangkok!" The Prince of Fine Arts folded his arms. "But we're not in Bangkok right now. Hold our heads high! Let whoever wants to be mean be mean. You and I are going to have fun together, a grand finale to our fourth year of college, alright?"

 

Tua nodded slightly in response to his friend's words before looking towards the door.

Arnold just went in, his eyes filled with longing. Inside Jack and Arnold's room, they were separated, each rummaging through their bags. Jack watched Arnold's movements for a moment before speaking cautiously.

 

"He only meant well for Ming, you know. He secretly hired you because he wanted you to act in this play. And that's how I got you as the lead actor in our play. Think about it, if he hadn't said that, I probably wouldn't have gotten you as  the lead role, and I don't even know if the play would have even started."

 

Arnold paused. At first, he didn't say anything, but it wasn't long before he did. Sighing heavily, "Honestly, I'm not angry at him," the lead actor told the director. More than just a country."

 

"I understand. Let me be frank. I want you to try to understand that guy, too. Maybe he didn't mean it much. Don't assume he's looking down on you or buying you off with money. Find time to talk to him and clear things up."

Arnold listened but still didn't give an answer. He quickly changed the subject.

 

"So you two are back together? You two seem really close lately."

 

"We're just talking again. I'm not sure if we can call it dating yet," said Jack. The truth is, "Why?"

 

"I feel bad. The drama has all those hugging-and-kissing scenes, and I also have to create content. Together again, I'm afraid there will be problems."

 

"Phu has already talked to Tua about that. You don't have to worry. Relax," the director patted his shoulder. "I know you're a dedicated actor. Just do as you challenged me to do."

 

"It's okay to be normal. Don't overthink it and get stressed."

 

Hearing that, Arnold felt relieved and even regained his confidence. Jack walked over, patted the actor on the shoulder, and said a friendly parting remark.

 

"Don't forget to think about the Tua issue I told you about."

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

Rome wasn't sharing a room with his friends from the show. He was separated and placed in a private room in the accommodation, not in a bungalow like the others. Inside the room was a king-size bed and a small extra bed, only big enough for one person, that looked difficult to turn over. The door opened again, revealing Raffy, who seemed surprised to see Rome.

 

"What a coincidence," Rome smiled in welcome, but Raffy just chuckled.

"It's not just me,"

Following him was Pete, who was visibly delighted to see that he was staying with the person he liked.

 

"Oh, Rome's in this room too?"

 

The young DJ could only manage a forced smile, while Pete nudged Raffy to help him get what he wanted.

 

"I'll sleep on the extra bed,"

 

"It's okay, you sleep on the bed with Pete. I'll sleep on the extra bed," Rome said. "I probably won't be sleeping much. I'll probably be drinking until morning."

 

Pete was clearly annoyed, but Raffy was helpless as he had already done his best. He placed his bag on the large bed, opened the balcony door, which had a view of the lake, and picked up... Raffy took out his cell phone to take a selfie and send a report to his mother. Rome appeared in the frame just as Raffy pressed the shutter. The young DJ quickly apologised before offering to take the picture.

 

"Should I take it for you?"

 

Raffy glanced at his best friend. He saw Pete go into the bathroom and slam the door shut behind him. He didn't want the other person to see him talking intimately with Rome.

 

"It's okay."

 

"You've been avoiding me lately. Is something wrong?"

 

"I don't know how to act. Don't you see that Pete likes you?" Raffy whispered so only the two of them could hear. "If he gets upset, it'll be a problem. I'm annoyed."

 

Rome laughed when he heard this. The young man pretended to be handsome to annoy the other person.

 

"Just accept it, man. I told you I'm charming."

 

"Yeah, I believe you." The speaker glared. "Then why don't you just get it over with? You can be with anyone, right?"

 

Rome walked closer, deliberately brushing against the other's shoulder suggestively without hiding it. He whispered close to the other's ear. ©I probably used to do that. 

 

"But I'm bored with it already. Huh, suddenly you want to be a good person, huh?

No," Rome smirked. "But right now I prefer things that suit my taste."

 

"And who suits your taste, I'd like to know?"

 

"You," the young DJ revealed bluntly. "You suit my taste the most."

 

Raffy met the other's gaze, trying to discern if he was about to play a trick again, but no. Rome's expression was so serious that he didn't dare ask any questions. The bathroom door opened just then, so the two quickly separated. Pete walked towards the balcony, looking curious and suspicious.

 

"I was just talking about you," Raffy said with a smile. "Maybe I think you guys might actually have the same taste."

 

Pete beamed with delight, but Rome's face clearly showed his displeasure. The young DJ took out his mobile phone and opened the group chat, looking for a way to deflect the awkward situation.

 

"I'm going now, my friends are calling," Rome said, ignoring Pete, before walking out of the room without saying goodbye. Pete walked over to Raffy and spoke to his friend seriously.

 

"I'm going to do it again with Rome tonight. So, you'll have to sleep somewhere else tonight. You have to help me, understand?"

 

Raffy swallowed hard. He paused, but finally forced a normal smile as if nothing had happened.

 

"Sure, no problem."