Same Page (A Short Story)

The Story

Warning: This story may contain same-sex relationship and can trigger persons who are not open for it. Read at your own risk. Vote, comment and share this story!

Same Page (A Short Story)

It's Friday. The dusk is starting to fall around the beaten town of Noveleta, Cavite. As always, students are rushing for jeepneeys and taxis to ride home.

There are two people left inside the campus after class; Ark and Patrick. They were alone in the rooftops of the school building. They stood here for a long time, gazing at each other. Patrick had taken him here because he wants to say something but, it seems like no one wants to talk first.

"I love you, Ark!" Patrick said it, his feelings.

He then looked away from Ark.

Ark remained silent, biting his lips. He knew Patrick was waiting for him to respond but he's having a hard time finding the words to say. Those words from Pat is exactly what he always wanted to hear. Now that he heard it, he was speechless.

It's impossible for him, but possible now.

Patrick was so confident and Ark didn't know where all this coming from. Only few people knew that Ark had a crush on Pat and one of them is his best friend, Reign. He swears, he's gonna kill that girl if he finds out it was her who had told him.

Pat pulled out a cigarette and lit it up.

"Wala ka man lang bang sasabihin?" he said, exhaling the stream of smoke in the air.

Ark feel tensed. He wasn't expecting this moment in this very day.

"Fuck, Ark!" Patrick groaned impatiently, shifting his gaze to Ark. "Ano na?"

Ark's throat went dry. It felt wrong if he'll confess, too.

"What did I just do to you to make you say something like this?"

The question from Ark masked a confused expression on his face. Even Ark didn't know where all his words coming from. It just came out of nowhere. Pat's eyes were desperate to hear what he would say, but instead, he throws him a weird question.

"Is that what you want to say to-"

"Just answer it, Pat."

Ark feel the familiar pain growing in his chest.

Pat calms himself before he speaks.

"I don't know. I don't how." He shook his head. "I just ... fell in love with you, is all."

Ark hissed, "Tanga ka ba? Then, how can you say you love me if you don't know how it happened?"

"Is saying 'I love you' not enough? I love you, Ark. Ano pa bang gusto mong sabihin ko?"

"You don't understand, Pat," he smiled sadly. "Hindi ka naman gigising na isang araw, mahal mo na agad ako. Love isn't something like that. If you don't know how and why you love me, then stop."

He starts to walk away from Pat. He doesn't want to hear another word from him that would make him fall deeper. It would be dangerous.

A tear streaked down his pale face.

"Ikaw ba? Why do you love me?"

It made Ark stop. His heart thudding fast.

Slowly, he turned back at him and say, "Who says I love you, Pat? No one loves you, no one does."

They both knew it was a lie. His words tore his own heart apart.

It made Patrick clench his fists and before Ark could turn away from him, he came rushing to Ark and gave him a kiss - a kiss that tasted their love and wanting.