A Dangerous Liaison

-28-

Akira

Friday

Akira stood in the doorway of his bedroom, his eyes drifting over Talay who sat on his bed, reading a book. It had been a week now. A week since Talay had shown up at his doorstep with nothing but a bag stuffed with clothes and a story about getting into a fight with Ploy. The explanation seemed feeble, even rehearsed, an excuse for something Akira suspected ran much deeper. Talay had seemed angry and distressed that night, consumed in an emotion Akira instantly recognised as guilt. But every time he tried to push, Talay would deflect and change the subject entirely, and Akira had no option but to forget about it. 

Was he running from something? From himself? What was he hiding? 

Akira knew he couldn't keep living like this, despite how he had wanted it to happen for so long. Talay unexpectedly showing up at his door with the intentions of living in his house and sharing his bed was great and all, yet keeping him shut out when Akira tried to talk to him about what had driven him to make this decision was not what Akira had hoped for. Why won't he let me help him, he thought. And what is he not telling me?

"Have you spoken to Ploy?" Akira wondered, leaning against the doorframe. "It's been a week."

Talay looked up from his book. "No," he replied, flicking the page. "I tried to contact her, but she's not interested, so what else can I do?"

Akira sighed disapprovingly, before a fleeting thought crossed his mind. "Will you leave her?" he asked quietly, shuffling his feet nervously. Talay let out a soft sigh, closing his novel. Akira had surely asked the wrong question; his thick-headed curiosity always got the better of him, but so did his undying hope, that maybe...maybe Talay would leave Ploy to be with him instead? Wishful thinking, Akira thought, gently, but shamefully, knocking his head on the doorframe. 

How could he hope for it? What were they to each other, really? They had never spoken about it, defined it openly. Meeting up regularly, occasionally fucking, sharing intimate moments and unraveling each other's life stories - what did that make them? Akira couldn't quite name it, but he knew for sure that they had crossed the boundary of friendship months ago.

All he knew was that he wanted Talay, everyday, every minute, and forever.

Talay patted the bed. "Sit with me, please," he said, his tone gentle. "I want to hold you."

Akira hesitated momentarily, then walked over, sitting down beside him. He felt the mattress shift as Talay wrapped his arms around Akira's body, pulling him closer. The familiar scent of him - sharp and warm - filled the space between them, making Akira's heart beat faster. He buried his nose into the crevasse of his neck, briefly closing his eyes; Akira felt protected, comfortable. 

Loved.

"I don't know what to do," Talay murmured into Akira's hair, his voice trembling, thick with regret and anguish. "I want to be with Ploy, but my heart is leading me somewhere else... to you, Akira." His voice cracked under the weight of his confession. "It's complicated. It's... impossible. Everything is so fucked up. I've made mistakes..." His words faded into a heavy silence, his breath uneven, nerves pushing his voice to waver.

Akira could feel Talay's heart racing against his chest, a violent rhythm of fear and longing. He pulled back, eyes locking with Talay's, searching them desperately for answers. "What mistakes?" Akira's voice was sharp, on the verge of breaking, as if he already knew what was coming but needed to hear it anyway.

"Falling in love with you," Talay whispered, almost too quietly to hear. "I think... I don't know..."

Akira's stomach twisted painfully, his breath catching in his throat. He swallowed hard, his pulse pounding in his ears. "Is that a mistake?" The question came out rough, pleading, as if the answer could change everything.