BY YOUR SIDE (complete ✅)

Chapter 6 (I have no intentions of sharing you with anyone)

It is 9 in the evening when New unlocks the door to their apartment. It is dark, cold, and silent inside. Tay is nowhere to be seen. He steps out of his shoes and pads to Tay's room. He releases a breath at the sight of the body curled up in the bed.

He flips the switch. Light spills into the room. Tay doesn't turn around. The uneven rise and fall of his shoulders say he's awake. New lifts the covers and slides in next to his best friend. He shifts until his whole front is plastered to the length of Tay's back. The other man remains motionless.

"Tay," he calls softly. "I'm here." He runs a hand along Tay's arm. "Please look at me." Seconds go by. And just when New is about to give up, Tay stirs and faces him.

His eyes are puffy and red. His face is blotchy. He looks so damn miserable. New beats himself up for doing this to his friend. He should've picked up his calls. He lifts his hands to Tay's face and gently strokes the tears away. "I'm sorry, Teh."

Tay covers New's hands with his. He closes his eyes. Shakes his head. "No, I deserved it. I shouldn't have said that to you."

"Still, I shouldn't have left. That's not our modus operandi." He caresses Tay's cold cheeks. "Tan called me."

Tay's brows twitch. "So you're not here for me?"

"I am. You know I'm always here for you."

"You weren't here. You left." His eyes are glassy. "You left me."

"I didn't. I told you I wanted some space. I should have answered your question. I still love you, Tay. I'll always love you." He stops to summon some courage. If he's wrong this time too, he couldn't live with the hurt. The first time he confessed to Tay, he was sure it was just a crush. But now he knows that even then, he was completely, irrevocably in love with his best friend. "I—Teh, I know you don't sleepwalk."

Tay's expression remains almost the same. It is not the reaction he predicted. "Tan?" He simply asks. New nods. "So do you hate me now?"

"I don't." He shakes his head with a smile. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Hin, you rejected me once. I didn't want to bother you with my feelings anymore."

"Wait what did just say?" New sits up abruptly, almost kicking Tay in the face. "You did what?"

Tay sits up slowly, looking perplexed. "What?"

"You said I rejected you." He is hysterical. What the hell is Tay talking about? "When did I reject you?"

Tay's frown deepens. "Are you messing with me?"

"No!" He screams. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"In my bedroom back at home." Tay provides. "You were mad because I turned down my scholarship. I told you I wanted to be with you. I asked you if you wanted that too. You said yes then—," He swallows thickly. "you told me the next day that you kissed May in the cinema."

New shakes his head. "No, Tay."

"You were so happy I figured you just said yes to me to spare my feelings. And kissing May was a way to let me down easily. Was it so insignificant that you don't remember?"

"I remember, I do. Just not the same way." This is New's favorite memory. He remembers everything Tay had said. I want to be by your side. Always. Forever. Do you want me to? "You—I—how was I supposed to know?" Tears spring to his eyes. He cannot believe Tay likes him too. That he has liked him for that long. "I didn't know you meant like that. How could I do that to you?"