My Online Crush Turns Out to Be My Roommate
After finally getting Jin Hao settled, I collapsed onto my bed, fingertips brushing my lips as if his touch lingered.
I opened our chat.
The last message from Jin Hao read:
“Babe, have you lost feelings for me?”
I still didn’t know how to reply.
Had I really done something wrong?
Should I just come clean?
Would coming clean mean the end for me?
But then again, I hadn’t lost feelings I just couldn’t face the truth.
My online boyfriend for a year was my arch-nemesis.
“No, I haven’t.”
That didn’t feel right.
I deleted it.
“Get some rest.”
Some things just need to be said sooner rather than later.
That night, I had a nightmare.
I dreamed Jin Hao turned into the King of the Underworld, a judge in hell.
He glared at me, “Toying with people’s feelings?”
Before I could explain, he had me beaten and thrown in jail.
I screamed, “I’m innocent.....”
I struggled to get free.
Damn! I woke up in a cold sweat.
The King of the Underworld was sleeping peacefully across the room.
After waking, I couldn’t fall back asleep.
At dawn, I snuck out to the library to work on our project.
I hid there until lunchtime before checking my messages.
Lin Chen: “Where did you go?”
Meng Yu: “Don’t worry about last night. He was just drunk.”
“I showed Jin Hao the video.”
Half an hour later:
“He left. No idea where he went.”
Jin Hao: “Sorry.”
“Where are you?”
“I drank too much last night”
“Can we talk?”
I replied to everyone, but hesitated when I got to Jin Hao.
Should I talk to him or not?
And what would I even say?
I switched to my alternate account.
There were messages from “Hao Baby.”
“Morning, babe.”
“What did you delete?”
“I was drunk last night, didn’t see your messages.”
“Babe, I drank too much, I think I messed up.”
“Babe, why aren’t you answering? Are you still asleep?”
Jin Hao sent a message every hour.
It gave me a headache.
But I wanted to see if he’d be honest with me.
“What did you do wrong?”
He replied instantly.
“Babe! You finally replied”
“Well…”
He hesitated.
A minute passed.
“I thought you didn’t want me anymore, so I went out drinking alone. I drank too much.”
“You once sent me a blurry side profile photo.”
“I… I mistook my roommate for you.”
“They looked so much alike, I couldn’t help but kiss him.”
“Really. It was just once.”
“I don’t want to hide anything from you. I don’t want to lie”
“You can yell at me. Or even hit me”
“But please, don’t break up with me”
“I don’t want to break up”
“Sorry.jpg”
Reading Jin Hao’s long confession, I had to admit at least he was honest.
Just as I was about to come clean, he messaged again.
“I’m moving out of the dorm today”
“I’ll never see him again.”
I took a deep breath.
“Let’s meet in person.”
Better to settle things sooner than later, for both of us.
I arranged to meet Jin Hao at a café just off campus.
He kept checking his watch, a faint smile on his lips. His long fingers tapped the tabletop in a steady rhythm.
When he saw me walk in, he looked surprised clearly not expecting me to show up here.
I could tell he took this meeting seriously. He’d styled his hair with wax, shaved clean, and traded his usual boyish look for a more mature, put-together vibe.
I sat down. “We need to talk.”
But he kept glancing toward the door, eyes full of anticipation.
“I know you’re anxious, but can you calm down for a second?”
“I’m meeting my partner here. We’re finally going to see each other in person” His voice was a mix of nerves and excitement. “Let’s talk about last night later, okay?”
I clenched my fist, coughed awkwardly.
Jin Hao finally looked at me directly, realizing I wasn’t leaving. He decided to address last night’s mess first.
“Sorry.... I was really drunk last night.”
I nodded, but there was something I had to know. “Aren’t you into girls?”
He scratched his head, embarrassed by his drunken behavior. “I’ve always liked guys.”
“Then why did you fight me over that girl before?”
He looked confused for a second, then remembered. “Oh! That was just to mess with you. She’s my childhood friend.”
Damn it!
“Don’t worry. Last night was a mistake. I already have someone I like” Jin Hao hurried to explain, watching me for a reaction.
When I didn’t say anything, he got nervous. “You’re not here to mess up my date, are you? Look, I’m sorry for everything before, and for last night. But this date is really important to me”
How could he not see what was happening? I dropped my gaze, unable to meet his eyes.
“What if I told you I’m your online boyfriend?”
My nails dug into my palm, the pain keeping me grounded. I braced myself for the worst.
Jin Hao let out a cold laugh, obviously not believing me. “Yeah, right.”
He immediately sent a message.
“Babe... Where are you?”
I opened my phone and, trying to sound calm, replied.
“I’m here. Some idiot just told me not to mess up his date.”
With a loud clatter, his phone slipped from his hand and hit the table.
Jin Hao bolted.
I thought he’d punch me, or at least yell.
But he didn’t say a word just ran out of the café, as if the sky had fallen.
The shock was too much for him to process.
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