Beneath the Shadows

Unraveling the Walls

The next few days felt like a blur to Beam. Each time he closed his eyes, he saw Forth—his face, his smile, the way his eyes seemed to pierce through the walls Beam had spent years constructing around himself. There was no escaping it. No ignoring it. The more Beam tried to push Forth out of his mind, the more he found himself pulled toward him. And it pissed him off.

Beam was used to being in control. He was used to being the one who held all the cards. But when it came to Forth, it felt like the tables had turned. Forth didn’t need to play games. He wasn’t trying to get anything from Beam. It was this strange, raw honesty about Forth that both irritated and intrigued Beam in equal measure.

But no matter how hard Beam tried to avoid it, Forth’s presence lingered in his life like an unspoken question.

The following weekend, Beam found himself standing in front of his dorm room, his phone in his hand, texting Phana. Phana had been sending him messages all day about the party she and Mingkwan were throwing, but Beam couldn’t bring himself to care. He was tired of the same old routine—of going out and pretending like he was living his best life when all he could think about was the one person who’d completely thrown him off balance.

As if on cue, his phone buzzed. A message from Forth.

*I’ll be at the party tonight. You coming?*

Beam froze. His thumb hovered over the screen for a moment, uncertainty creeping up on him. He hadn’t expected Forth to reach out to him directly, especially after everything that had happened between them. The last time they’d seen each other, things had been left hanging—unspoken words, too much unacknowledged tension.

It would be easy to ignore the message, pretend like nothing had happened. But Beam didn’t want to ignore it. He didn’t want to pretend that this weird, confusing connection between them didn’t matter.

*I’ll be there,* Beam replied, before he could stop himself.

He didn’t bother overthinking it. He shoved his phone into his pocket and walked out of his dorm, heading to the party.

When Beam arrived, the music was blaring from the open windows, and the sound of laughter and conversation filled the air. It was the usual crowd—engineers, med students, and random friends who always seemed to be around whenever there was a party. But Beam’s eyes immediately sought out one person.

Forth was standing by the drinks table, chatting with a few people, but his eyes were scanning the room. And when their gazes met, Beam felt a jolt of electricity pass through him. There was something different about this encounter. Something that felt more real than anything he had experienced in a long time.

Forth’s gaze softened as he pushed off from the table and made his way over to Beam, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

“You actually showed up,” Forth said, his voice low and teasing, but there was something more—something deeper—underneath the surface.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?” Beam shot back, though there was a slight tremor in his voice. He couldn’t hide the nervous energy that bubbled inside him every time Forth was around.

“No,” Forth replied, his tone becoming more serious. “I wasn’t sure. But I’m glad you did.”

Beam tried to hide the fact that his heart was racing. He wasn’t used to being this vulnerable, but Forth had a way of breaking down his defenses without even trying.

“You always make things complicated,” Beam muttered, more to himself than to Forth. “I didn’t expect this to be—”

“What?” Forth interrupted, stepping closer, his gaze intense. “Complicated? Yeah, I get that. I’m not exactly the type to make things simple.”

Beam swallowed hard. He didn’t know why he had come here tonight. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to deal with the mess of emotions that Forth seemed to stir up inside him, but part of him couldn’t resist. Forth wasn’t like anyone he had ever known.

“Why are you so... you?” Beam blurted out, half laughing, half frustrated. “You’re like a storm, Forth. You show up, mess with my head, and then disappear without a word.”

Forth chuckled, the sound deep and almost disarmingly warm. “I’m not trying to mess with you. Honestly, I don’t even know what I’m doing.” He paused, looking down at his hands for a moment before meeting Beam’s eyes again. “But I’m not pretending with you, Beam. I’m not playing some game.”

For a moment, Beam didn’t know what to say. He had heard that line from so many people before—people who had used words like that to get under his skin, to lure him in and then pull away. But there was something in Forth’s voice that made him believe it. Made him want to believe it.

“Then what do you want from me?” Beam finally asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Forth didn’t hesitate. “I don’t know yet. But I think I need to find out.”

Beam couldn’t look away from Forth. For the first time, there was no pretense, no facade between them. Just raw, unfiltered truth.

Before Beam could respond, the room around them seemed to blur into the background, the music fading into a distant hum. The world narrowed down to just the two of them, standing there in the middle of the party, a silent understanding passing between them.

Forth stepped closer, closing the space between them, and Beam felt his breath catch in his throat. The air around them was charged, heavy with possibility. But neither of them moved. They were frozen in place, as if waiting for the other to make the first move.

And then, just as quickly, Forth pulled back, taking a step away. Beam blinked in confusion.

“I’m not ready to rush into anything, Beam,” Forth said, his voice softer now, almost vulnerable. “But I think we’re both starting to realize that this… whatever this is… it’s not something we can ignore.”

Beam nodded slowly, the realization settling in his chest like a weight. He wasn’t sure where this would lead, but for the first time, he wasn’t afraid of the uncertainty.

---

### The Unseen Path

As the night wore on, Beam found himself caught in a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. Forth had said something that resonated deep within him. They weren’t rushing into anything. They were just figuring it out. And that felt… different. It felt like maybe, just maybe, for the first time in a long time, Beam wasn’t trying to force something to happen. He wasn’t trying to control the situation.

But as the party wound down and the guests started to leave, Beam found himself alone again with Forth in the quiet aftermath. The heavy silence between them felt more comfortable now, more natural.

Forth turned to Beam, his expression unreadable. “You’re not what I expected, you know?”

Beam raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “And what did you expect?”

“I don’t know,” Forth said, his voice thoughtful. “Someone like you, I guess. Someone who has it all figured out.”

“I don’t,” Beam replied, his voice quieter than he intended. “Not at all.”

Forth stepped closer again, his presence overwhelming but strangely comforting. “Then maybe it’s time we figure it out together.”

Beam’s heart skipped a beat, and for the first time, he didn’t have a witty comeback. For once, he was silent, unsure of what to say. Because, deep down, he knew Forth was right. They were both lost, and maybe they could figure it out together.

---

Tbc