60 Seconds

Chapter 23

"It was Off, wasn't it? I knew it all along, it's kind of obvious. " Tay spoke proudly, while New stood there, speechless. He doesn't know where this assumption came from. It was perfect. Why does he have to ruin his chance?

New rose to his feet. "What the fuck are you talking about?" This time, New was mad, so mad. He not only cut him his confession, but he also assumed he liked Off, his best friend!

"Ey, don't try to deny it. I can sense it. However, Off has a boyfriend now. "Please take a seat—" 

"I like Off?" In disbelief, New asked. "Fuck you!" He shouted. He still can't believe how insensitive he is after all this time. New's loud voice and the fact that it's a curse word caught everyone's attention.

Tay stood up. He looked around before grabbing his wrist. "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

New aggressively shoved Tay's hand from his wrist.

"Yes, you did, and I was hurt!"

"Did I offend you? I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention—" Tay tried to calm the younger man.

"Seriously, Tay? Are you fucking serious?!" New brushes his hair back due to frustration. He's mad, so mad. "It's you, asshole! It's always been you, not Earth, not Off, not anyone but you!" He shouted while he kept pointing his finger at Tay's chest. That made him step back a little.

"I didn't know..." Tay murmured.

"No..." New said, shaking his head. "A simple 'like' won't bring me here. I love you." Tay thought that the sentence 'I like you' was enough to make him freeze and be surprised, then here is New, punching him with a single word. "I love you, Te."

This suddenly reminds him of the day when New confessed to him for the first time. It was somewhat ironic that he only remembered it now. They even almost kissed that night. That's why New was pissed off after that day when Tay said he couldn't remember what happened to them inside the locker. Now, all of this is making sense to him.

It's like all those memories keep flashing back at him. Especially the kiss. He even forgot that they kissed. He assumed that New was just curious about it, that's why he let it go, but something in him that he couldn't explain when New's lips touched his. 

"You didn't know or you are pretending not to know?" New gulped as he tried not to let his voice crack.

"I swear I didn't know."

New was breathing so hard. Looking straight into his eyes.

"I don't believe you." New refuses to believe him. "If I say yes to her, what about you? Doesn't it sound familiar to you?"

"Was it with Mild?" Tay asked to confirm, but he didn't get a response. "It's just... I mean going home." He continued.

New scowl "Stop... Stop lying to yourself! We felt it! It was something—" he stopped and covered his face with both hands.

What's the point of this? It's like he was forcing Tay to like him back, but how can he deny what they had back then? Though New didn't confirm it, he felt it before. Even the day they went to the hill to celebrate his birthday, he knew it was something. Some changes happened there. The holding hands, the names craved on the tree, and the atmosphere there was created back then.

He's been a coward for the past few years for not telling Tay his feelings. For lying that they are just friends, close friends, or worst brothers, but at the same time, he can't blame himself because this is what he is afraid of.

Tay was his savior. He can't afford to lose him just because he has feelings for him more than friends. Confessing might sound easy, but it was not. There are a lot of possible outcomes when one person decides to confess to another, and this is one of them.