WRONG [BL]- Published Under PIP

CHAPTER 5

TYLER's head was spinning but he still drunk his 13th bottle of beer straight from the bottle's mouth, it's been eight days since the last time he saw Ashton and it is driving him crazy. And his messy thoughts aren't helping him at all.

Dalawang araw na s'yang 'di pumapasok sa opisina sa takot na baka mahalata ng mga empleyado n'ya ang pagbabago sa kanya. Ayaw na n'ya pang muling mahusgahan ng sino-sino, baka isipin ng mga empleyado n'ya na nagkakaganito na naman s'ya dahil pa din sa huling issue ng love life n'ya or worst, people might find out that he is obsessing over a man, Tyler doesn't want to be a loser and a pity man in anyone's eyes anymore.

His eyelids were already closing when he saw a man built entering his penthouse, he should be knowing who it was but he was too drunk that he fell asleep instead.

NAPAKUNOT NG noo si Tyler nang magising sa ibabaw ng kama n'ya, napalingap s'ya sa paligid dahil ang huli n'yang naaalala ay nakatulog s'ya sa sala ng makalat n'yang penthouse.

Mas lalo pang lumalim ang gatla sa kanyang noo ng makitang malinis na ang parang binagyong kwarto n'ya nitong mga nakaraang araw.

Hope burns inside his chest when he remembered the last thing he saw before he passed out. He saw a man's built! Maari bang si Ashton iyon?

Dali-dali s'yang napabangon bago nagmamadaling lumabas ng kwarto n'ya para lang matigilan ng makita ang matalik n'yang  kaibigang naglilinis sa sala.

"Stanley?" Disappointment was visible on his baritone voice as his shoulders fell that made Stanley's eyebrows furrowed.

This isn't the first time Stanley just invited himself in on Tyler's penthouse, he was like a brother to Tyler because of their closeness since they were in grade school. They haven't seen each other for almost a year and seeing Tyler like he was like expecting someone else beside him Stanley couldn't help the curiosity.

"Who else? Why you got another best friend?" Stanley asked dramatically as he shook his head and continue fixing the throw pillows of Tyler's big sofa. Para kasing binagyo ang penthouse n'ya ng madatnan s'ya nito kagabi.

"I thought you've told me you already moved on what happened months ago with your long-time internet girlfriend? Why does it seem like you are lying to me?" Pagpapatuloy ni Stanley sa pagtatanong ng manatiling s'yang tahimik.

Hearing his best friend asked too many questions at once made him smile. Though he couldn't help but to blows out a harsh deep breath.

Pabagsak s'yang umupo sa sofang inaayos nito dahilan para pukulin s'ya nito ng masamang tingin.

Stanley got a birthmark on his left eye, red dyed hair, tanned skin, pointed nose, thick brows, sharp jawline he could say that his best friend is also handsome, but not handsome as him. He stared at his best friend, pinapakiramdaman ang sarili n'ya kung mararamdaman din ba n'ya ang kakaibang pakiramdam na 'yon kapag tinititigan n'ya ang gwapong mukha ni Ashton, pero hanggang hambalusin na s'ya ni Stanley ng throw pillow sa mukha ay hindi n'ya iyon naramdaman dahilan para muli s'yang mapabuga nang marahas na hininga.

"Ano ba? Tangina mo ang creepy mo, Bro" Sita sa kanya ni Stanley bago nito dinampot ang ashtray sa center table n'ya at dalhin iyon sa pinakamalapit na basurahan. "Ano bang bumabagabag sayo at tila sabog ka?"

"Magugulat ka pagsinabi ko sayo." Pabulong n'yang sagot sa matalik n'yang kaibigan.

"Pwera sa ginamit ni Hermes ang pangalan mo para maagaw sayo yung ex mo ano pa bang nakakagulat?" Stanley asked as he throws the ashes of Tyler's cigarette in the trash bin.

"I got feelings for a man." Tyler answered while staring at the white ceiling of his penthouse, tulala lang s'ya sa kisame ng penthouse n'ya ng makarinig s'ya ng pagkabasag ng isang bubog na bagay.

Napatayo si Tyler mula sa pagkakaupo n'ya sa sofa at mapabaling sa kaibigan nyang nakatingin sa kanya ng may bahid ng gulat ang mga nanlalaki nitong mga mata, sa paahan ni Stanley ay ang ashtray n'yang hawak hawak nito kanina.

"No fucking way, man!" Stanley exclaimed, shocked.

Pangatlo, mula nang magising s'ya ay muli s'yang napabuntong hininga. "Yes, fucking way, Bro."

TUMATANGO tangong ininom ni Stanley ang Remy martin nasa baso nito. He told Stanley everything from the start where he bumped with Ashton to where he is having hard time to accept the changes in him, he told his best friend anything except for the man's name.

"-it's too fast, everything happened too fast that it's making me think that maybe I'm misunderstanding my own feelings? That maybe I'm not actually into him, that I am just confused right now."

Stanley shook his head totally disagreed with his words. "Nothing is too fast when it comes to love, bro. It will just happen so unexpectedly and that's what happened to you, you know the more you deny it the more you will have hard time to accept the truth when everything is already crystal clear."

Nagsalin pa ito ng alak sa baso nito bago s'ya nito tinapunan ng tingin. "Saka, you have already told me the sentence, 'I felt something I never felt with anyone before' and you are still denying it? Love is love, Bro. So, what if both of you are men? Love has no gender, Bro. Love is for everybody and when you told me that sentence, I already know that you have already accepted your feelings for him, and what you can't accept is the truth that once the society finds out about your feelings for a man you will be judged and looked down again, that is really what you are afraid for, that's the reason why you think you are having hard time to accept it."

Stanley sipped his alcohol while staring at Tyler with serious eyes. "If you continue caring on what will people say or think about you, you will not be going to have the peace of mind and freedom you wanted because whatever you do, good or bad, people always have something to say."

Napababa s'ya ng tingin sa baso ng alak n'ya. Stanley's words are all correct, he's not having hard time to accept the changes in himself, he is having hard time to accept the truth that he will be judged by society once he shows his feelings for Ashton visibly. Tinungga n'ya ang alak bago napatango-tango sa mga sinabi ng matalik n'yang kaibigan.

"I JUST visited you since I just got back from Cambodia, pero aalis din agad ako ng bansa after ko dumaan sa condo ng pinsan ko at kunin yung mga papeles na kailangan n'ya para sa kasal n'ya, it's so suddenly kaya 'di nakapaghanda, ni hindi nga ko aware na may girlfriend pala ang isang 'yon." Imporma sa kanya ni Stanley saka tinapik ang balikat n'ya.

Nasa pintuan na sila ng penthouse nya dahil aalis na din kaagad ito. Tinanguan n'ya ang kaibigan bago ito nginitian. "Thanks for visiting me, Stanks."

"It's nothing, actually I was just thinking of saving money so instead of staying at hotel for a night I just invited myself in your penthouse." Sabay silang mahinang natawa dahil sa sinabi nito pero saglit lang dahil agad ding sumeryoso ang anyo ng bipolar n'yang matalik na kaibigan.

"But seriously, Ty. Stop caring on what people will say, it's not about them, it's your life. It will be really hard for you if you continue caring about other's judgments about you." Muli nitong tinapik ang balikat nya. "I will leave na, I'll see if I could invite you to my cousin's wedding, so we could hang out again, and you could somehow breathe other air than Philippines polluted air, lets breathe Russia's polluted air instead." Stanley chuckled and waved his hand at him.

Gusto ni Tyler tumanggi sa totoo lang pero dahil minsan na lang sila magkasama o magkita ng matalik na kaibigan ay wala na s'yang nagawa kung'di ang tumango.

Tyler closed the door of his penthouse after almost 10 minutes of standing on his doorstep after watching Stanley as he left, his best friends words kept replaying on his mind, he went back to his bar stool and continue drinking again, still thinking about his best friend's words.

Nakakatatlong bote na s'ya ng Remy Martin ng tumunog ang cellphone n'yang nasa ibabaw ng lamesa ng bar n'ya.

Tyler stared at the screen of his phone and when he saw the notification and saw his best friends name, he immediately reached it and open it to see Stanley's email to him but after seeing what it is Tyler dropped his phone with his lips parted and chest suddenly full of dread and disbelief.

Email from: StanleyRobinson

You are cordially invited to the wedding of Ashton Robinson & Meria Del Sokolov.

"Ashton Robinson..."

____

THENAUGHTYGRAY