The Pen

My new pen made my genius lab partner blush. When I wrote with it, his breathing grew heavy. When I changed the ink cartridge, he groaned, pulling his hoodie over his lap. "Sadie... don't... don't do that..." "I... can't take it..." Chapter 1 Recently, Caleb Vance has been acting weird. He keeps staring at the new gel pen I bought from the campus bookstore. Whenever I pick it up, his cheeks flush, and his breathing gets heavy. Like he's trying desperately to suppress something. That look—burning, thirsty. And carrying a strong sense of invasion. I suspected he coveted my pen, so I quickly gripped it in my palm. "What are you doing?" Caleb shuddered and slammed his head onto the desk, exposing only the tips of his ears, which were red enough to bleed. It took him a long time to speak. "Sadie—hiss... sell me your pen..." Me: "???" "I'll pay anything." I suspected this academic god had fried his brain from studying too much. This pen, with its perfect grip thickness, didn't tire my hand even after hours of writing. The ink flowed as smoothly as melted chocolate in a commercial, and it didn't bleed through the paper. It was truly a dream tool for anyone grinding through practice problems. His own pencil case was full of expensive imported stuff. Now he was eyeing my plain, unpretentious treasure? "Not for sale!" I treasured the pen as I put it away in my pencil case. "I'll send you the link, buy it yourself." "Phew—" Caleb let out a long breath, the flush on his face not yet fading. He licked his somewhat dry lips and leaned a little closer to me. "Then can you not use this pen?" Me: "?" Psycho. He manages everything. Now he manages what pen I use? Chapter 2 Something even more ridiculous happened. During calculus class, the pen ran out of ink. I gently unscrewed the cap, preparing to change the cartridge. Suddenly. A muffled groan reached my ear. "Mmh—" Caleb abruptly yanked his hoodie jacket from the back of his chair and draped it over his lap. At the same time, a scorching hot hand shot out and tightly gripped my wrist holding the ink cartridge! "Sadie!" The sound of heavy panting drilled into my ears. Hot breath sprayed on the side of my neck. Causing a patch of goosebumps to rise. "Don't... don't do this... please..." He was extremely close. His smiling eyes were watery, the corners tinged with red. "I... can't... handle it..." Ambiguous tone. Ambiguous words. If we weren't in a classroom right now, but somewhere else. I would almost think I had drugged him with something improper and forced him to challenge his physical limits all night. "No, did you take the wrong meds?" "If you're sick, go to the nurse's office!" I lowered my voice. Caleb took a deep breath, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "No... I didn't..." "Just... please don't... touch that pen again... okay?" Question: What makes a cold, aloof academic genius beg with red eyes? Answer: The person involved, Sadie (me), is also confused, suspecting Caleb is possessed. An absurd, preposterous thought flashed through my mind— This guy... could he be... empathizing with my pen?! Chapter 3 Thinking back carefully. Ever since I bought that pen, Caleb's behavior has become increasingly bizarre. Sometimes when I wrote essays for too long, he would collapse on the desk as if drained of all strength, soaked in sweat, gasping for air. And when I forcefully underlined key points on the paper, he would suddenly stiffen his back, fingers digging into the edge of the desk, knuckles turning white. The most ridiculous was last Friday's physics quiz. Caleb was trembling all over, the test paper crumpled into a ball in his grip, biting his lip until it turned white. He handed me a note with just three words on it. [Gentler, please.] I was puzzled, thinking I was writing too hard and disturbing him, so I complied. Who knew Caleb would suddenly groan and stand up abruptly. "...Teacher, I... I need to go to the restroom!" The memory ended abruptly. I stared at the pen in my pencil case, feeling only absurdity. Empathy/Shared sensation? In modern society, how could there be something so ridiculous? I must have read too many Wattpad stories. Chapter 4 That night. I tossed and turned in bed. My mind was full of Caleb's misty peach-blossom eyes and his suppressed panting. Driven by some strange force, I took that pen out of my backpack. Fingertips gently stroked the smooth barrel. Then squeezed its slightly thicker rubber grip. I chuckled to myself, thinking I was really overthinking it. The next moment, the phone rang. It was Caleb. Through the receiver, there was only heavy breathing, suppressed to the extreme. "Sadie..." He finally spoke, his voice terribly hoarse. Every syllable seemed soaked in damp moisture. "What... are you doing right now?" His breath was unstable, asking with extreme difficulty. "Playing with a pen," I blurted out. "Don't... let go... don't touch it... please..." He almost moaned out this sentence. I was instantly struck by lightning. "Holy sh*t!" "Caleb, do you... really share sensations with this pen?" There was a deathly silence on the other end, only heavy and chaotic breathing clearly echoing in my ear. After a long time, a barely audible "Mmh" came through. My brain crashed instantly. "No way! For real?!!!" "WTF, since when!!!!" "Last Wednesday." He paused. "The first time you used that pen." I suddenly remembered that day, looking at this newly bought pen, liking it more the more I looked at it, I couldn't help but kiss the tip of the pen. The next moment, Caleb acted like he was scalded by boiling water, knocking over his water cup, his entire face and neck flushing red instantly, eyes panicking to avoid my gaze. I was completely petrified. "So every time I write..." "Mmh." "Change the ink..." "Mmh." "Spin the pen..." "Sadie." He interrupted me, his voice carrying a trace of shame and annoyance, "Stop talking..." My face burned instantly. No wonder he always looked like he wanted to say something but stopped. No wonder he asked me to write gently. No wonder he reacted so strongly when I changed the ink! "Wait!" I just realized: "Then just now I... squeezed the pen..." A "thud" came from the other end, like the phone falling to the ground. Followed by a flurry of frantic sounds, and then the call was hung up. Chapter 5 The next day, sporting dark circles under my eyes, Caleb and I looked at each other in silence. I was extremely awkward, my toes curling so hard they could dig out a three-bedroom apartment. Until lunch break, when only the two of us were left in the classroom. Caleb took a deep breath: "Sadie, we need to talk." I turned my head stiffly, eyes darting around, just not daring to look at his face close up. Fingers, however, seemed to have a mind of their own, unconsciously stroking the "culprit" in the pencil case. Caleb suddenly pressed my hand down, trembling: "Don't... don't touch." I yanked my hand back as if burned. "O-Okay, I won't touch it... I'll give this pen to you..." But he shook his head, ears completely red. "If you... can control your strength, write... a bit lighter, I... can probably tolerate it." Me: "?" No, what kind of wild talk is this? You're empathizing with it, how dare I use it!!! What's the difference between this and holding a remote control to control him?! I shook my head vigorously: "No need, no need." "Sadie... I secretly tried it when you weren't around. It seems I only share sensations with it when it's in your hand. I want to figure out why." Caleb leaned down, closing the distance between us. The faint scent of soap mixed with a bit of bookishness lingered around him. Those peach-blossom eyes, which countless girls claimed looked affectionate even when looking at math formulas, reflected my bewildered face. He lowered his voice, coaxing and seductive. "Help me, okay?" The afternoon sun passed through the window lattice, leaving pale golden light on his eyelashes. His school uniform collar was slightly open, revealing a small section of beautifully lined collarbone, gently rising and falling with his slightly nervous breathing. I stared at Caleb's face close up. My heart suddenly skipped a beat. An inexplicable heat rushed through my body. I flusteredly reached out to push him away, creating some distance, raising my voice to cover up. "Just talk! Why are you so close! My hearing is fine!" Caleb was stunned by my push. Looking at his hand suspended in mid-air. Then looking at my red face. The corners of his lips turned up slightly. Chapter 6 In the end, I confusedly agreed to research the shared sensation with him in an empty classroom during study hall every day. Time was strictly controlled within fifteen minutes. Too long might be too much for him. And for the rest of the study hall, he needed to tutor me in physics. I carefully held the pen, drawing a line gently on the paper. Caleb sat next to me. His back was tense and straight. Adam's apple rolled. "Feel anything?" I asked nervously. He pursed his lips, voice low and hoarse: "...Yes." "What feeling?" His body stiffened almost imperceptibly, silent for a few seconds before speaking. "...A bit... tingling." After speaking, the flush on his ear tips quickly spread to the base of his neck. "...Oh..." My face also heated up, pretending to be calm and coughing lightly. "Well, I'll continue then." "Mmh." I wrote a few words. Caleb's breathing was obviously more rapid than before, but still steady. Then, out of habit... I used my fingertips to gently flick the pen barrel, spinning it half a circle in my fingers. "Mmh—" Caleb suddenly pressed my hand down, breath hitching, "Don't spin..." Scared, I stopped immediately: "What's wrong?" He took a few deep breaths. Trying hard to calm his chaotic breathing. "A bit... too... stimulating..." His body temperature transmitted continuously through his hot palm. Scalding my fingertips until they went numb. My heart also seemed to be seared by that temperature, beating violently. I pulled my hand out quickly as if electrocuted. "O... Okay! Got it, won't spin, absolutely won't spin!" Chapter 7 To research the shared sensation. Recently, Caleb and I went to the empty classroom every day for experiments. It wasn't until the homeroom teacher called us in for a talk that I knew people were spreading rumors that we were dating. Dating? Crazy. Who is Caleb? That's the god-level academic grinder who treats math competitions as leisure and comprehensive science papers as snacks! His world is full of theorems and formulas, where is there room for romance? As for me? My head is full of 2D anime husbands, okay! Is 3D romance as good as games and novels? Us dating, this rumor is as ridiculous as pigs climbing trees! "Teacher," Caleb looked righteous, "I asked Sadie to help me with a small experiment. The empty classroom is quieter, not easy to disturb other students studying." He paused, adding, "It's related to studies." I nodded immediately, face sincere: "Yes yes yes! Teacher, Caleb is helping me with physics! It's convenient to explain problems in the empty classroom." Caleb's face, a model student who always topped the honor roll, was the best pass at this moment. The teacher's furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and finally just gave a few words of advice before letting us go. Chapter 8 Back in the classroom, I rested my chin on my hand and sighed. "Caleb, I think... we should keep some distance." He was organizing a thick stack of physics papers. Hearing this, his movement stopped abruptly. He accidentally tore a long rip in the test paper. "Why?" He looked up at me, tone calm, but eyes a bit dark. "Why else? Gossip is fearful! Didn't you hear the teacher's tone just now? If this continues, jumping into the Yellow River won't wash it clean." Caleb didn't answer immediately. He put down the test paper and turned slightly sideways. The afternoon sun fell on his chiseled profile, gilding his straight nose and slightly pursed thin lips with a soft golden edge. Those beautiful peach-blossom eyes turned to me. "There's no smoke without fire." He spoke slowly, fingertips unconsciously twisting the edge of the torn paper, "Maybe... it's not entirely a misunderstanding?" "???" I almost choked on my own saliva, "What the hell?! That is completely a rumor, okay? Don't you find it troubling?" Caleb's tone was indifferent: "The innocent have nothing to hide." "...You're amazing." I sincerely gave him a thumbs up. Truly worthy of being a god, this calmness even when Mount Tai collapses in front of him, I'm afraid I won't learn in this lifetime. Better read some "Chicken Soup for the Soul" to calm down— The shy boy watches the girl silently every day. The girl notices the boy watching her silently. So she encourages the boy with her eyes. The boy finally gathers courage. "Um, can I ask you something?" "Ask away?" "Do you have a boyfriend?" The boy said shyly. "No!" "Hahahahahaha I do!" Hiss... So cold. I rubbed my arms.

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