Beyond Bromance ♡ (Boy x Boy)

-Five-

Theo

Theo tried to calm his rapidly pounding heart. He stared out of the small airplane window, allowing his gaze to glide over the clouds that drifted by in pastel shades of pink and orange, illuminated by the setting sun. It was a beautiful sight, yet within him, a tumult of unease and curiosity was brewing.

"Isn't this insane?" Ulrik's voice, cheerful and excited as always, brought him back to reality. He pointed out the window, his eyes sparkling with a sense of adventure, almost as if they mirrored the vast expanse of the sky.

"Yes, it is," he replied with a cautious smile, despite feeling trapped in his own mind. As he looked at Ulrik and observed how the sunset's light bathed his face in soft golden hues, he felt a similar confusing warmth gradually spreading through his chest.

He opened the soda bottle to take a sip, but the thought of Ulrik made him nervous, causing him to shake his hands.

"Damn it!" Theo suddenly exclaimed. A generous streak of dark cola quickly stained the light gray fabric of his pant leg. He stared down at the expanding wet mark, a perfect illustration of how things always seemed to go wrong for him.

"Oops, should I fetch some paper so you can clean it up?" Ulrik was about to stand up, a smile breaking through the concern on his face.

"No, I'll handle it myself." Theo quickly got up, a wave of relief washing over him as he spotted the restroom sign three rows back.

He clumsily navigated between knees and luggage, acutely aware of every pair of eyes on the plane boring into his back. His steps needed to be deliberate, casual, and unhurried. However, the fear that someone might notice his unease and perhaps even read his thoughts compelled him to quicken his pace.

Inside the cramped airplane restroom, he locked the door behind him and leaned against the sink. His heart pounded uncomfortably as he took a moment to breathe deeply. He reached for the coarse, brownish hand towels and began the task of gently blotting the stain that had spread.

'Butterflies in my stomach, really?' he thought as he attempted to remove the stain from the denim fabric. 'Why does he make me feel this way?' The question lingered in the air.

"It must be my brain playing tricks on me," he whispered softly to his reflection, to the dark eyes staring back at him with an intensity he often wished he could conceal. "You can do this; just relax."

Theo continued to wipe, each movement becoming more mechanical than the last, as if he could erase both the cola and the bothersome new feelings through sheer willpower. He tightened his grip on the paper, gritted his teeth, and compelled himself to believe in his own decision.

"You can ignore it," he whispered firmly. "Just like always."

But as he spoke those words, a part of him knew that no matter how hard he tried, the butterflies would not surrender without a struggle.

Theo stared at the damp spots still marking his pants. The paper towel he crumpled in his hand was soaked through, but it was no longer just the stain that created a knot in his stomach. The image of his once-best friend, Herman, surfaced in his mind—a faded memory of laughter and carefree days before everything changed.

He rubbed a hand over his face, noticing that his palm was slightly trembling. Had it truly been youthful confusion? He could recall the excitement of Herman's closeness—the same surge of energy that coursed through him every time Ulrik shared a casual touch or a playful glance.

"I thought it was just a one-time thing," he mumbled, attempting to lock the words in his heart like armor. After all, it was so easy to believe that things had returned to normal when he met her—the girl whose bright smile awakened something different in him, something easier to accept.