Chapter 6 Secret Established
Oom Eisaya did not sleep.
Again.
At this point, it was becoming a lifestyle.
She lay flat on her bed, staring at the ceiling like it had personally betrayed her.
“…she kissed me.”
A pause.
Oom slowly dragged her hands down her face.
“…she kissed me.”
Another pause.
She sat up abruptly, grabbing her pillow and pressing it over her head.
“This is not normal!”
Her voice came out muffled, but the emotional damage remained loud and clear.
Because this—
This was not something she could rationalize away anymore.
The other night? Maybe a hallucination.
The day after? Denial.
And tonight?
There was no coming back from tonight.
“She kissed me,” Oom repeated, this time in a whisper, like saying it softer would make it less real.
It didn’t.
Her entire body still remembered it.
The warmth.
The softness.
The way Bam had pulled her closer like she belonged there.
And worst of all—
“…she doesn’t even know.”
Oom flopped back onto her bed.
“Of course she doesn’t know. Why would she know? That would make things easier. And my life does not allow easy.”
She turned to her side.
Then to the other.
Then back again.
“I am being emotionally terrorized by a woman who is unconscious.”
A beat.
“…I let it happen.”
Another beat.
“…I would let it happen again.”
Oom froze.
Then slowly covered her face again.
“I have no self-respect.”
---
The next morning, Oom walked into campus like a soldier heading into war.
Sleep-deprived.
Emotionally unstable.
And carrying the weight of a secret that could absolutely ruin her life.
“Why do you look like you committed a crime?” Yada asked, appearing beside her out of nowhere.
Oom flinched.
“I didn’t commit a crime.”
“You look like you did.”
“I didn’t.”
Yada narrowed her eyes.
“…did something happen?”
Oom kept walking.
“No.”
“That’s a lie.”
“It’s not.”
“You only say ‘no’ like that when it’s definitely a yes.”
Oom sped up.
Yada matched her pace easily.
“Was it her?”
Silence.
“Oom.”
“I said no.”
“You didn’t say it convincingly.”
“I don’t owe you convincing.”
“You owe me drama.”
Oom stopped walking.
Turned.
Looked Yada directly in the eyes.
And said, very seriously—
“If I tell you something, you cannot react.”
Yada gasped.
“I already want to react.”
“You can’t.”
“I will try.”
“You won’t.”
“I might.”
“You won’t.”
“…okay, I won’t.”
Oom took a deep breath.
“She kissed me.”
Yada screamed.
Oom slapped a hand over her mouth immediately.
“I said don’t react!”
“I didn’t react,” Yada whispered loudly. “I expressed.”
“That was not expression, that was a public announcement!”
“You got kissed by the ice queen and you expect me to be calm?!”
“She was asleep!”
Yada froze.
“…what?”
“She was asleep,” Oom repeated, quieter now, as if that somehow made it less insane.
There was a long pause.
Then—
Yada slowly lowered Oom’s hand from her mouth.
“…explain.”
Oom didn’t want to.
She really didn’t.
But somehow, the words came out anyway.
“She fell asleep again,” Oom began, staring straight ahead. “And when I tried to wake her up, she grabbed me. And then she… held me. And then she—”
“Kissed you.”
Oom nodded.
Yada blinked.
“…while asleep.”
“Yes.”
“…and doesn’t remember.”
“Yes.”
“…and only does this with you.”
“Yes.”
Another pause.
Yada placed both hands on Oom’s shoulders.
“Oom Eisaya.”
“Yes.”
“You are in a romance plot.”
“I am in danger.”
“You are in love.”
“I am confused!”
Yada grinned.
“This is the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
“This is not about you!”
“It is now!”
Oom groaned, dragging her hands down her face.
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Easy,” Yada said immediately. “You go back tonight.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No!”
Yada leaned in.
“Yes.”
Oom stared at her.
“…I hate that you’re right.”
“I’m always right.”
“You’re rarely right.”
“I’m right about this.”
Oom sighed.
Because she was.
As much as Oom hated it—
She needed to go back.
Not just for proof.
But because something had already shifted.
Something she couldn’t ignore anymore.
---
Later that day, Oom found herself standing in front of Bam again.
In broad daylight.
In a normal setting.
Like nothing had happened.
Like everything was fine.
“Senpai,” Oom said, trying to sound normal.
Bam looked up from her notes.
“Yes?”
Same tone.
Same expression.
Same distance.
Oom clenched her fists slightly.
“…can I ask you something?”
“You already are.”
Oom resisted the urge to sigh.
“Do you… remember anything from last night?”
Bam’s gaze didn’t change.
“No.”
The answer was immediate.
Clean.
Final.
Oom’s chest tightened.
“…nothing at all?”
“No.”
Silence.
Oom looked at her.
Really looked at her.
At the calm, composed version of Bam Saralee.
And then—
Her mind replayed last night.
“…don’t leave me…”
Oom swallowed.
“Okay,” she said quietly.
Bam tilted her head slightly.
“You’re asking strange questions again.”
“I’m a strange person.”
“That’s true.”
“…hey.”
Bam waited.
Oom hesitated.
Then—
“…do you trust me?”
The question slipped out before she could stop it.
Bam blinked once.
It was the first time she looked even slightly caught off guard.
“…why are you asking that?”
“No reason,” Oom said quickly. “Just curious.”
Bam studied her for a moment.
Then—
“I don’t have a reason not to.”
Oom’s heart did something small.
Something quiet.
But real.
“…that’s good enough,” she murmured.
Bam didn’t respond.
She simply went back to her notes.
And just like that—
The moment ended.
---
That night, Oom stood outside the club room again.
Third time.
Third night.
At this point, she should have been charging rent.
“…this is it,” she whispered.
Her hand hovered over the door.
“This is where I make a decision.”
Because this—
This wasn’t just curiosity anymore.
This was something else.
Something deeper.
Something dangerous.
If she walked in—
She would be choosing this.
Choosing to be part of whatever this was.
Choosing to hold onto a version of Bam that no one else saw.
A version that—
“…only exists with me.”
Oom took a deep breath.
Then slowly—
She opened the door.
---
The room was quiet.
Dim.
Familiar.
And there—
On the couch—
Bam Saralee.
Asleep.
Waiting.
Oom stepped inside.
Closed the door behind her.
And walked toward her.
No hesitation this time.
No doubt.
Just a quiet, steady understanding settling in her chest.
“…I guess this is real,” she whispered.
As if on cue—
Bam shifted.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
“…you came…”
Oom’s heart softened.
“I did.”
She stepped closer.
And just like before—
Bam reached for her.
Pulled her in.
Held her close.
“…stay…”
Oom didn’t hesitate.
“I will.”
This time—
There was no panic.
No confusion.
Just acceptance.
Her arms wrapped around Bam naturally, holding her just as tightly.
Steady.
Grounded.
Certain.
Because now—
She knew.
This wasn’t a mistake.
This wasn’t an accident.
This was a secret.
And she was the only one who had it.
Oom rested her chin lightly against Bam’s head, exhaling softly.
“…you’re going to ruin me,” she murmured.
But she didn’t pull away.
Didn’t resist.
Didn’t run.
Instead—
She stayed.
And just like that—
The secret was established.