MR. BAD GUY (ENGLISH VERSION)

MY LOVE IS DANGEROUS

He knew that Tarek was going to spend some time with his parents and his twin sister who came from Brussels to spend the holidays. He didn't want to bother him and didn't even call him all that time. But he found out he needed him, needed to tell him all as soon as possible.

- My love, when will you come back home?

Tarek knew each one of his voice inflections. With no need to see his face, just his tone of voice, he knew when he was moody, sad, overexcited, romantic or whimsical. There was so many more dimensions in Enzo but those were some sample.

- What's wrong? Have you get trapped again in a lift?

He tried with a joke. If Enzo was just missing him and felt playful, he would play the game.

- No.

That No hinted he wasn't in the mood for jokes. Something worried him and then Tarek started to get restless.

- What's wrong?

- Nothing. I've been in the doctor. They made me a biopsy of a little spot in my shoulder.

- Oh, yeah. The spot...

He knew each corner of his body. Of course he knew which spot was. Absolutely. He escaped a relieved sigh. Enzo and his hypochondrias.

- I played it down but they took me a little piece to test it.

- Do they think it could be a melanoma?

- I just don't know, love. The thing is I have the tests and I would like you come and talk about it.

- Don't scare me.

- Could you come?

Tarek took the first train to London with hardly a second thought. He was restless with that velvet voice tinged with melancholy. He didn't look cuddly, deceiver, wishing attention like a spoiled child. Things that he used to be to Tarek pay him attention, he and only he. There was something different to his usual tricks.

Out of his mind with worry he came upstairs to their bedroom leaving the suitcase in the dressing room. Enzo was lying on bed in fetal position. Tarek unlaced his Converse and cuddled up from behind, encircling his narrow waist and nuzzling his nose in the back of his neck. Putting his lips softly on the soft hair of that area.

- Hi, my love -Tarek whispered-. Do you remember me?

- Every day, every minute -he said with huskier voice than usual.

Tarek's glance looked away from Enzo's shoulder to the bedside table where there were two brown envelopes. He noticed right away the tiny spot with some stitches.

- Did they hurt you? -he asked kissing it gently.

- No, not at all.

- Shall we talk about those envelopes? Are they medical results?

Enzo turned around on bed to look at his eyes. Tarek's big and expressive eyes gave him peace. They were so sweet and understanding. They were like a warm jar of honey breaking through his sore throat. He nodded as he grasped him against him.

- Do you want to read them? -Enzo asked.

- No, I'd rather you give me a summary. I'm not good at medical jargon.

Enzo clasped his hands between his. He made a little pause before speaking not knowing where to start. At this stage Tarek knew it was bad news. You didn't have to be a luminary to know it.

- I'm HIV-positive and I got hepatitis C. Both.

Tarek tighted his hands with no measurement, so much that Enzo had to let him go. Then he pulled him into a hug and he could hear his soft sobbings against his neck because his tears were beginning to wet him.