The tension in my body instantly eased as I carried the box down to the moving truck I had arranged. I left Evander's things by the trash bin downstairs, knowing he'd likely retrieve them after I was gone. I didn’t care.

Once settled into my dorm, I ran into Demi, who had just returned from dinner.

“Hey, gorgeous! Welcome back! I left the new notes on your desk. I heard about that shit with Evander—don’t let it get to you. Most men are trash!” Demi comforted me. “Tomorrow, our swim team is competing in the state championship. I bet those fit male bodies will help you relax! Orion will be there too!”

I hadn’t told Demi about my experience last night. Our interactions were limited to exchanging notes, and I was wary of getting hurt again. Besides, sleeping with Orion seemed too unbelievable to share.

“Demi, I appreciate your concern, but I’m not really up for watching the state championship,” I replied, not wanting to keep my feelings bottled up. However, Demi seemed to misunderstand.

Demi was cheerful but unlike Daria, she didn’t mingle much with guys and had more female friends. “Is it because Evander is also on our swim team that you don’t want to see anything related to that sport?”

“Who gives a damn about that shameless jerk! But honestly, Zoe, Orion’s swim meets are worth watching. They’re really exciting. Just come with me!”

Demi has a point, I'm not averse to the sport of swimming, and if I don't go, it will look like I'm afraid to meet Evander.

Seeing my hesitation, Demi softened and offered, “Hey, girl, if you really don’t want to go, it’s fine. I can go with you somewhere else to clear your mind.”

"Let's go, of course, I'll go. It's just thinking about Evander that makes me uncomfortable," I said with a bitter smile. Even knowing how foolish I'd been, moving on wasn't easy when my feelings had been so real.

"Screw men!" Demi slammed her book on the table and handed me a piece of chocolate.

I looked at her, feeling a genuine warmth, though I still wasn't ready to let my guard down completely.

The news of Orion returning for the state swimming championships caused quite a stir. Everyone went crazy! By the afternoon, the campus avenue was packed with people holding signs, all waiting to welcome him back. To make sure Orion felt the enthusiasm, the campus even gave everyone a two-hour break.

It wasn't just our campus, fans from other campuses were there too, and surprisingly, there were more male fans than female. Popularity never confines itself to one group, after all.

I took a freshly washed shirt out of the box. It still had the scent of cedar, not from Orion this time, but from my usual detergent. I liked the smell; it relaxed me. I packed it into a brown paper bag, planning to have someone place it in Orion's locker.

The next morning, the campus held a welcoming ceremony. The venue was decorated with all sorts of materials related to Orion, along with students' messages of admiration and well-wishes. Our campus's arena was the largest, so the championships would be held here, which was a treat for all the students.

I wore the most ordinary clothes: a hoodie, jeans, and sneakers, the kind that made me blend into the crowd.

Demi looked surprised when she saw me. "Hey, girl! I think you should change up your style. With a great figure like yours, you should show it off!"

I glanced down at my outfit, feeling perfectly content. I shrugged. "Maybe, but I like this style. Isn't that what matters?"

"You're right. We should hurry!" Demi finished dressing in her outfit and pulled me out the door. I didn't understand why we had to leave so early until I saw the massive crowd at the venue entrance.

"If I'm not mistaken, the competition doesn't start for another three hours. Why are there so many people here?" I asked, a bit overwhelmed.

Demi seemed used to the scene. "That's the power of the heartthrob Orion!"

I didn't like crowded places, but thankfully, Demi knew a less crowded path, and we managed to get decent seats in the stands. She brought a pair of binoculars, and I noticed everyone around us had them too, making me feel a bit out of place.

But I wasn't there to watch the competition. I just wanted to prove that I wasn't afraid of seeing Evander. He was a thing of the past, and I doubted his sexual performance could match Orion's.

The venue grew more crowded, and the long wait made me dizzy. Soon, a student volunteer in a designated uniform handed me a refreshment.

"Oh, thank you! I really needed this," I said, taking it gratefully. The dizziness eased a bit.

“This is the last batch prepared by Orion himself. He instructed us to make sure everyone in the stands gets these refreshments because it's hotter here,” the student volunteer explained.

At the mention of Orion, the crowd around me erupted into cheers and screams. Holding the refreshment, I couldn't help but feel a bit vain, thinking it was specially for me. I noticed a gaze on me and, looking up, saw Orion from afar. Though I couldn't see him clearly, I knew he was looking at me. It felt like he could always find me, no matter where I was, and I felt slightly uneasy.

Orion’s mere presence could ignite waves of screams that almost blew the roof off the venue.

“Good afternoon, everyone! Welcome to the national collegiate team finals!” The announcer’s voice triggered another round of cheers from the crowd.

After the host introduced the participating teams, Daria led her protocol team into the venue. Her golden hair was neatly tied back, and she looked vibrant.

Daria’s father was the primary sponsor of the state swimming championships, so she was heavily involved in the event’s planning and promotion. I used to think she was amazing.

While I was buried in my studies, she was already making significant achievements and becoming a campus sensation. Yet, this impressive person had an affair with my boyfriend.

Soon, the swim teams from various campuses started filing into the competition pool area. Seeing Daria and Evander’s faces on the big screen made me feel nauseous.

“Hey, are you okay? Do you want to get some fresh air on the platform above?” Demi asked, concerned.

I shook my head. I didn’t want to spoil Demi’s excitement. Thankfully, the screen moved on from Daria and Evander quickly. As the athletes entered, all with broad shoulders and long legs, I couldn’t help but be dazzled by the sight of such perfect male physiques, typical of swimmers.

The camera quickly panned to Orion. From the moment he appeared, the fans’ screams never ceased. Standing beside him was his coach, and Orion was discussing something with him.

Demi excitedly patted my shoulder. “Oh my God! Look at Orion; he’s different from other men. Today’s match will be a breeze for him! The muscles on his arms are just perfect!”

Suddenly, Orion glanced at the camera, causing another wave of screams from the crowd. Feeling uneasy, I looked away, unable to forget the searing look in his eyes last night in bed.

As the race started, the venue fell silent. Swimming required immense concentration, and my ears felt relieved.

“Ready!” the announcer called through the microphone.

Orion crouched down, placing his hands on the edge of the diving board. His knees bent, poised to dive in.

“Go!” The whistle blew, and the swimmers leaped into the water.

On the screen, I watched Orion glide through the water and resurface. His bronzed muscles stretched and contracted with each stroke and kick.

Seconds later, he executed a flip turn at the pool’s end, pushing off the wall for the second lap.

Evander was performing poorly, trailing far behind his competitors.

The 100-meter freestyle comprised four laps.

The final ended quickly.

“Congratulations to Orion Pearson for winning first place in the championship. Well deserved! With Orion’s current performance, he has a strong chance of making it to the Paris Olympics,” the announcer said with a smile. The crowd's cheers grew even louder.

I stared at the screen for a moment. A time of 45.82 seconds was highly competitive. In comparison, the world record for the 100-meter freestyle was around 45 seconds.

Demi was ecstatic. She loved swimming and cheered enthusiastically at each of Orion’s successful turns, praising his perfect performance to me.

I glanced at the time. “Demi, are you hungry?”

“A little,” Demi replied, touching her stomach. “But I knew this would happen, so I brought some pastries. Want to try some?”

I shook my head. “I don’t like sweets. I’ll go find something to eat.”

The race was over, but Demi wasn't going to leave and looked at me a little regretfully and said, “There's a swimmer's synchronized swim after the race, aren't you going to watch it? You know it's a huge perk for fans of the state championships.”

“Oh, honey, I'll have to make sure I don't starve to death before I do that~ waiting for you to bring me good news!” I said and slipped out.

I could still feel Orion's gaze as I walked through the stands, I must have been drunk the day before so the hallucinations hadn't dissipated yet.

I felt a lot more relaxed as I walked outside the arena, it wasn't that I didn't have a sweet tooth, I just wanted an excuse to bolt, there was a bakery by the campus where I could hand-mix my own.

I went in and picked up some and put them in a small basket, when I checked out I realized there was no clerk at the register, it took a while for someone to run out from the back.

“I'm sorry ma'am, we're serving supply meals to the arena athletes today so we're short staffed, can you hold on a second?” This employee didn't look too good at operating the system.

I had also quit a job after checking out of my apartment, so I wasn't in a hurry.

I chose a window seat and sat down, feeling a slight burning pain in my stomach that quickly disappeared and I didn't take it seriously until I started to hurt so bad I couldn't stand up straight.

The cramping sensation in my stomach kept me from focusing on anything else, I didn't even know how Orion had walked into the store, he had shopped for a few things and when he saw that no one was at the register he walked straight over.

There were a couple of his teammates following him on the side, and hurray, there was no Evander in there.

It should have been a couple of the guys who had come out after the game in front of them.

“Captain Orion, we'd like to check something else out.” A couple of the others, not too excited about the bread, opened the door and headed out.

I curled up in pain, I tried to hide myself in a corner, but Orion sat down across from me anyway, “Are you okay?”

“I don't think so,” I had goosebumps all over my body, I knew how ghastly white I looked so I had no intention of trying to be a hero in front of Orion, ”I think I'd appreciate it if you could help me get some medicine from the adjoining drugstore.”

Orion set down what he had shopped for and walked away.

It wasn't long before Evander arrived, and even more fucking outrageous, still with Daria.

Athletes got supply meals, but cheerleaders didn't, and Evander was here to help Daria shop for food.

I couldn't even think about it, I subconsciously put on my hat and hunched over the excruciating pain, and in that moment I didn't think about the fact that Orion was actually there to get me medicine.