HIDDEN TRUTHS

CHAPTER 8: CONFRONTATIONS AND REALIZATIONS

Arm's heart was pounding as he was locking their apartment, the bag he had packed lying discarded in the hallway. He couldn't leave without confronting Porsch, couldn't run away from the truth,he thought. So he decided to wait. He opened the door and got back into the apartment.

It was Monday, and Porsch would be home soon.When Porsch finally walked through the door, Arm was waiting. His face was a mask of calm, but his eyes betrayed the storm of emotions inside.

"Arm, you're still up?" Porsch asked, surprised.

"Yeah, we need to talk," Arm said, trying to keep his voice steady.

Porsch looked worried. "What about?"

"Where have you been?" Arm asked, his voice trembling. "I found this." He held up the receipt.

Porsch's face turned pale. "Arm, I can explain."

Explain what?" Arm interrupted, his voice rising. "Why do you have a receipt for a necklace I never got? Why do you disappear every other weekend?"

Porsch's eyes widened with a mix of guilt and fear. "Arm, it's not what you think."

"Then what is it?" Arm demanded. "You've been lying to me. I thought we were in this together."

"I am in this with you," Porsch said, stepping closer. "I love you, Arm. But... I have responsibilities."

"Responsibilities?" Arm scoffed. "Like what?"

Porsch hesitated, then sighed. "My family, my parents —"

"Family, parents?" Arm's heart sank. "What about me? Am i not your family? Am i not your responsibility? What happened to it's just the two of us now? Do you have another family apart from me ?"

Porsch nodded, looking defeated. "Yes. I have a wife and two kids."

Arm's world shattered. "How could you? How could you keep this from me? How long have you had this family?"

Porsch reached out, but Arm stepped back. "Please, Arm. Let me explain. I never wanted to hurt you."

Arm's voice broke. "I thought you loved me."

"I do love you," Porsch insisted. "More than anything."

"Then why?" Arm asked, tears streaming down his face. "Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't know how to tell you," Porsch said, his own eyes filling with tears. "I was afraid of losing you."

"You already have," Arm whispered, turning away. "I can't do this anymore."

Porsch watched helplessly as Arm walked out the door, the sound of it closing echoing through the empty room.

---

Mew reluctantly pulled away from Tul, realizing he needed to get ready for work. "I have to go, but let's have dinner together tonight, okay?"

Tul nodded, watching Mew with an intensity that made his heart race. "Okay."

As Mew drove to work, his mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. The past few weeks had been a rollercoaster, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something fundamental had shifted between them. He gripped the steering wheel, trying to make sense of it all.

He and Tul used to have sex once, maybe twice, a week. But now, it was an almost daily occurrence, sometimes even more. And it wasn't just the frequency that had changed—Tul had become more assertive, often initiating and even sometimes taking the dominant role. Mew had always been the one to lead to guide their intimacy. But now, Tul's newfound confidence and desire were both thrilling and unsettling.

Mew's thoughts drifted to the moment he had found Tul watching him in the shower, the way Tul had taken control, demanding to be fucked. It was a side of Tul he had never seen before, a side that seemed to have been triggered by Max's sudden reappearance.

Mew frowned, questions swirling in his mind. Had Tul been pretending all this time? Had he ever been truly satisfied with their sex life, or had he been holding back, afraid of showing his true desires? And why now, after all this time, was Tul revealing this part of himself?

As he pulled into the parking lot at work, Mew turned off the engine and sat there for a moment, staring out the windshield. He had always prided himself on knowing Tul inside and out, but now he wasn't so sure. The doubts gnawed at him, making it hard to focus on anything else.

He took a deep breath and stepped out of the car, determined to get through the day. But he knew that when he got home, he and Tul needed to have a serious conversation. He needed to understand what had changed, and more importantly, he needed to know if their love was strong enough to handle it.

---

The night at the gay club had been a revelation for Tawan. The kiss with Nawin, the conversations, the acceptance he felt—it had all been a step toward understanding himself. But it also left him with more questions than answers.

As he left Gia's house, the weight of his confusion settled heavily on his shoulders. He had spent the night tossing and turning, unable to reconcile his feelings for Gia with his long-held beliefs about his sexuality.

Driving aimlessly through the city, Tawan found himself heading toward his sister's old neighborhood. The memories of his sister's transition, the family's rejection, and his own confusion flooded back. He had never understood why his sister had made that choice, and now, faced with his own identity crisis, he felt a pang of regret for not being more supportive.

He pulled over, staring at the familiar street. He remembered playing here as a child, before everything changed. The thought of his sister brought a lump to his throat, a mix of guilt and longing.

He didn't know if he was gay, bi, or straight. All he knew was that he was drawn to Gia in a way he couldn't ignore. But his hatred for transgenders, born out of his family's rejection of his sister, complicated everything.

Tawan knew he needed to confront these feelings to reconcile his past with his present. And maybe, just maybe, he needed to find his sister and make amends.

With a deep breath, he started the car and headed home, determined to face his fears and find the answers he so desperately needed.

As the sun set, Tawan sat in his living room, staring at a photo of his family. He knew the road ahead would be difficult, filled with uncomfortable truths and painful memories. But for the first time, he felt a glimmer of hope. He was ready to start the journey toward understanding himself and his feelings for Gia.

And maybe, in the process, he could find his sister and begin to heal the wounds of the past.