Till Death Do Us Apart

Chapter 16

"May I tell you a secret? But you must promise me that you will not tell the real Gun," Off to Gun asks. "I swear. What is it?" Gun asks, looking at Off. It's best not to tell him that this is true because he might not want to say it. "You know, when he confessed to me, I was overjoyed. All I wanted to do at the time was hug him, kiss him, and tell him how I felt. But I was afraid before I could do it. I'm afraid he's feeling this way just because he's at ease with me. I'm afraid he just wants me to stay by his side and not leave him. That night, I went home, crying... The urges to tell him how I'm feeling is built up inside me. But I'm scared. After that day, I was saddened to see how he tried to push me away. Just thinking about it could make me cry," Off admitted.

Gun notices Off crying for the first time. Seeing how damaged he is. He sobbed as he hugged Off. "I'd really like to see him. Inform him of everything. But I can't after seeing how broken he was at the time. I was a wimp. I was terrified. What if everything doesn't go as planned?" Off continue again. "Did you truly love him that much?" Gun inquires. "I adore him to pieces. I'm crazy about him. More than the rest of the world is aware of. More than you realise. But it appears that fate is not on our side." Off response.

And neither Gun nor Off said anything else the rest of the night. Enjoy being hugged, even if it's all a dream. A lovely dream. "I wish I could stay this way. And I don't want to get out of bed." And then Off went to sleep.

~~

I awoke feeling like a shit. Regardless, he is beaming. "At the very least, I'm having a good dream." "Are you all right?" There are three words. Just one question. It is sufficient to leave Off in silent mode. "What... What are you doing here?" he inquires of the individual in front of him. "You don't remember, Papi?" Gun asks as he sits next to Off. Off's faces gradually turn red. How can he not remember when he thought it was all a dream but it wasn't? "Why don't you go wash up first? After that, we'll have breakfast together," Gun says, leaving Off alone in the room. Who are attempting to process everything that has just occurred. 'Fuck'

He rushes to the table after finishing wash up. "How did I get home last night?" Off inquires. "I pick you up," Gun said simply, without looking at him. He keeps eating. Everything appears heavy to Off. Trying to organise his thoughts, he asks slowly, "Did anything happen last night?" "Yeah," Gun said, nodding. "You never stop bothering me. You kissing me right in front of your house. While crying, you even express the hidden content of your heart. Last night, a lot of things happened." Off covering his face. I wish everything was just a dream.

"That day, I was really broken," Gun said slowly. "You reject my feelings and don't even chase me after I confessed to you. I'm starting to wonder what I did wrong. Was my confession insufficient? After that day, I tried to live my life as if nothing had happened, but I can't lie, every night without my realisation, I cried. I had no idea that love could be so destructive. It hurts even more that I'm attempting to reverse everything." Off didn't know how to respond. The only thing he can do is listen.

"Until I realised that having you by my side, even as a brother, is preferable. Rather than losing you for good. But I'm powerless to assist. I can't help but fell for you every time you show me your kindness and sweetness. Until last night, when you revealed everything to me. I'm not sure whether to be happy because you have feelings for me, or sad because you see my love for you as a brother and nothing more. But after some deliberation, I've made my decision." Gun continue again. "What?" Off couldn't help but wonder.

"You don't have to respond to my feelings. Let's just keep things as they were. It will hurt. I'm not going to lie. It will also take time. If this thing can come, they can go right? Perhaps fate isn't really on our side," Gun says, trying hold back his tears. Off's hands were trembling without his knowledge. Off keeps asking himself questions. Is this what he truly desires? The bell interrupted their conversation.

Gun gets up to see who it is, but Off was strong enough to keep him in the corridor leading to the front door. "What exactly are you doing? Someone at the door," Gun says, struggling to break free from Off. Off kisses Gun in a split second. Holding both of Gun's hand. Letting Gun know that he is not going to let him go. "What exactly are you doing? There's someone at the door," Gun says after pulling off the kiss.

Off smiled as he caressed his cheek. "Is it really worth it to give up?" Off wonders. Gun maintains his gaze on Off. Honestly Gun didn't know either. "Was there a change to fix everything?" Off inquires once more. Gun remains silent once more. Off took Gun's hand in his and kissed it. "What do you want to fix?" After being silent, Gun responds. "This is for you and me. For us. For the sake of our future." "Aren't you afraid of phi Singto?" Gun responds.

He shakes his head. "I'm not afraid of him. The only thing that makes me scare and afraid is losing you. Without my knowledge, you had already written your own name deep in my heart, which cannot be easily erased. None of us deserve this pain, Baby. New was correct. Love is simple yet lovely thing. It was us as a human that made it complicated." Off stop and take a deep breath before continue. "Can you forgive me, baby? Forgive me for every pain that I cause. And allow me. Allow me love you. Allow me to take care of you. Can I?" ask Off.

He made his decision. Gun's eyes are locked on Off. I'm wondering if he really means it. But all he sees is Off's sincerity. Gun nodded without thinking too hard. Gun was quickly hugged by Off. Only God knows how happy he is at the time. "Who's at the door?" says Gun as he slowly pushes him. Shouldn't you go and check?" "I'm not sure, and I'm not interested. Let's finish our breakfast, okay?" Off response.

~~

Meanwhile at the front door.

"Is he still sleeping? But his phone is right here. I can't just leave it here," New says. He rang the bell a few times but received no response. After much deliberation, he decided to place the Off phone inside the mailbox. And left a note under the door indicating that Off's phone was inside the mailbox.