To The Moon, For You. [BL | TIWSON/POR]

20. Caught in-between.

Por picked up the phone and heard Jorn rambling over the other end.

"Where are you? You have been gone too long. No text. No call. No nothing. What is going on? Ask Tiwson to check his phone too."

Por gestured for Tiwson to check his phone. 15 missed calls, 30 texts all from Jorn.

"I am sorry. We were busy."

"With what? What is going on?"

"Are you worried for me?"

"You shut up. But yea... is everything ok?"

"Yes."

"Coming home tonight?"

"I won't be home for the next few nights. Is that ok?"

There was silence on the other line for a long while. Jorn finally speaks.

"Yea. Just let me know when you are coming back."

With that, Jorn hung up. Por felt slightly confused about why Jorn was so cold towards him. He wondered if he said anything wrong. While he was deep in thought, Tiwson snapped his finger close to Por's face. He looked at Tiwson in shock before gently hitting him on the shoulder. Tiwson laughs.

"Why are you so close with Jorn?"

"Well, he gave me a place to stay when I first arrived."

Tiwson tilted his head to the side. He frowned.

"You didn't have a place to stay?"

"No."
"Why didn't you tell me? You could have stayed here."

"How do I possibly tell a stranger I just met."

"You did that with Jorn."

"Well... it's different."

"How different?"

Por was tongue-tied. He didn't know how to tell Tiwson without revealing too much about his mission and where he was from. He chewed on his lower lip nervously. Tiwson reached out his hand and stopped him from what he was doing. He kissed him gently on the lips.

"You can tell me when you are ready."

"Does it not bother you that you know so little about me?"

"A little, but I trust you."

Por felt a stab towards his heart. The guilt that had left him came back like a tsunami. He felt breathless and closed his eyes trying to breathe. Tiwson must have noticed what was happening and pulled Por close. He gently whispered into his ear that it was ok. That he was safe with him. Upon hearing that, Por pulled Tiwson closer and hugged him tightly. When he finally let go, he held Tiwson by the sides of his shoulder, looked him deeply in the eye and said

"I am sorry."

Those three words caught him off guard. He could see the confusion clouding Tiwson's face. Por gently fondled Tiwson's cheeks, and he moved up to both his eyes, his nose and then finally his mouth. He felt the softness of his lips beneath his fingers. He held his hand there and Tiwson closed his eyes. They sat like this in silence for a long while. Por moved his hand away and kissed Tiwson gently. They opened their eyes and looked at each other. Por could see the twinkle in Tiwson's eyes. He smiled.

That night, Por lay in Tiwson's warm embrace. Tiwson was fast asleep but Por lay awake breathing in the scent of Tiwson. He smelled like vanilla. There goes a saying that the person we love would smell wonderful. Por realised that to be true. He gently wriggled himself out of Tiwson's embrace, worried that his movement would wake him. He looked down at the watch bound to his left wrist. Por suddenly felt a surge of unexplainable anger. He tore the watch off him and held it tightly within his fingers. He wanted so badly to crush it into bits. He walked towards the balcony and stood there feeling the night breeze gently blowing at his face. He heard the cicadas sing in almost harmony. He looked up and there stood the moon, gleaming in all its pride and glory. What Por once thought was home to him but now, he remained unsure. The familiarity of Earth, the people of Earth.... Tiwson. They were all growing on him and they are starting to feel like family. A feeling unfamiliar to an orphan like Por. This feeling scared Por very much but made him contented at the same time. It was the first time in a long time that he felt joy.

Por looked at the watch which he gripped tightly between his fingers. He toyed with the idea of throwing it over the balcony but stopped himself. He took one last look at it and placed it back on his wrist. He walked back into the room to Tiwson's gentle breathing. He crept back into his embrace and fell asleep.