Your Name

22| "Can P'Yin talk to them about us?"

╰┈➤𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐏𝐎𝐕*ೃ༄

It was night and the gentle knock on the door signaled P'Yin's arrival. He entered, carrying our dinner but he furrowed looking at me.

"Why are you wearing your old glasses?" P'Yin inquired.

For a fleeting moment, I considered remaining silent. But then, the memory of P'Earth's words resurfaced. The conversation we had shared during the car ride earlier in the evening had planted the seeds of courage within me.

I met P'Yin's eyes. "P'Yin..." I began, my voice trembling slightly.

With those words, I told P'Yin about the unsettling incident involving P'Fourth and P'Jimmy at the cafe, their cruel actions and directed at me. P'Yin remained silent throughout as he listened to my story.

Once I had shared the last painful detail, there was stillness as if the room itself held its breath. Seconds stretched into minutes as P'Yin didn't utter any words. He seemed lost in thought. I could only watch, my heart pounding as he struggled to find the right words to respond.

Finally, P'Yin reached out and gently took my hand in his. "I'm going to talk to them," he said, making me bite my lower lip. "I will ask them to apologize to you and they won't bother you again, okay?"

"Thank you, P'Yin..." I murmured.

While P'Yin's words were undoubtedly comforting, I could not shake the feeling that P'Fourth and P'Jimmy would never truly change, that their cruelty was deeply ingrained.

It felt as though P'Yin was once again attempting to justify his friends' behavior, a pattern I had noticed in the past.

"P'Yin...I know P'Yin means well but...it's not the first time they have treated me this way. I don't think they will change just because P'Yin talk to them. They...they have always acted like this."

P'Yin's expression faltered for a moment, his brow furrowing as he grappled with my words.

"It...it feels like P'Yin always trying to justify their behavior," I said in a low tone.

Silence.

P'Yin gradually withdrew his hand from mine and rose to his feet. He heaved a deep sigh and locked his gaze onto mine.

"Then, what do you want me to do?" He inquired with frustration.

Silence. I nibble my lip and I instinctively adjusted my glasses.

"Can...can P'Yin talk to them about us?" I stuttered, the words escaping my lips hesitantly.

Silence. P'Yin's expression shifted.

"About us? What do you mean, 'about us'?" He retorted with surprise and discomfort.

My fingers tangled together. "I mean that...P'Yin loves me," I admitted in a low tone, audible enough to be heard clearly.

The room seemed to tighten around us.

"What the hell are you saying?" He erupted suddenly, making my body jolted. "I never said I love you, War!"

Silence.

Phi...P'Yin didn't love me? The pieces of a puzzle I had fervently assembled in my heart fell apart. But how could this be? Why P'Yin treated me so tenderly these past few weeks? Why had we engaged in those intimate moments if he didn't love me?

"P'Yin...don't love me?" I asked with a crack voice, struggling to contain the ache in my heart.

"I don't love you, War!" P'Yin shouted. "Do you want everyone to label me as gay? It's fucking nonsense!"