Michaels in Love (BoyXBoy) English

Chapter 2 - Season 1: Dear Mystery Guy

I was on the verge of breaking down when the train doors slid open with a sharp hiss, spilling passengers onto the crowded platform. The cacophony of hurried footsteps filled the air, a sharp contrast to the chaos brewing inside me.

At the Araneta Center Cubao station, I stepped off the train, my pace quickening as if trying to outrun my own thoughts. The crumpled paper from the fortune cookie I'd been clutching was discarded into a trash bin, as meaningless as the hollow words printed on it. Before I realized it, I was almost sprinting. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the man from the train—his face etched into my mind. He looked as though he wanted to follow, but the distance between us only grew.

The line at the security checkpoint to Gateway Mall barely registered as guilt wrapped itself around me like a vise. I couldn't shake it. What was wrong with me? This pull I felt, this undeniable attraction to another man—it went against everything I thought I knew about myself. I wasn't ready for this truth. I wasn't ready to accept me.

Inside the mall, I made a beeline for the restroom, the only sanctuary I could think of. At the sink, I splashed cold water on my face, desperate to wash away the storm of emotions. My reflection in the mirror mocked me. Eyes wide, face flushed—I hardly recognized the person staring back.

"No," I hissed at myself through gritted teeth. "You are NOT becoming gay, Michael!" The words hung in the air, sharp and bitter.

I clenched my fists, the urge to shatter the mirror almost overpowering. How could one fleeting encounter with a stranger unravel me so completely? "Why do I feel like this? Why does he make me feel alive?" My voice cracked as I whispered to the empty room.

Moments later, as I exited the restroom, fate played its cruel hand again. There he was. On the escalator. Our eyes collided, and the world seemed to tilt. Everything else faded—the bustling mall, the noise, the people. It was just him and me, two strangers connected by a gaze that lingered longer than it should. He was going up, I was going down, yet it felt like we were moving toward each other.

From that day, he haunted me. By day, he filled my thoughts. By night, my dreams. He became the invisible thread pulling me through the monotony of my life. Eventually, I landed a job, only to discover he worked there too. Seeing him every day was both torture and bliss. I tried to bury my feelings, but it was impossible. My heart had decided, even if my mind resisted.

I loved him—fully, irrevocably—with every piece of my fractured soul.

Back to the Present

I hadn't realized I was staring. My eyes had been locked on Mike for who knows how long, replaying the day we first met in vivid detail. He was walking toward me now, his figure impossibly familiar yet still capable of quickening my pulse.

"Lost in thought, Michael?" His voice, warm and teasing, jolted me back to reality.

"Huh? Oh, no, not at all," I stammered, caught off guard. My face flushed as the corners of his lips curled into a knowing smile. For a brief, insane moment, I thought he might lean in and kiss me.

He didn't. Instead, he sat beside me, his presence as electrifying as ever.

"Come join us for a game," he said casually, draping an arm around my shoulder. The weight of it sent shivers through me, the kind that no amount of self-denial could suppress. "The coach will be here in about thirty minutes. Plenty of time to loosen up."

"I'm fine here," I mumbled, avoiding his eyes.

"You sure?" His smile was disarming, and I nearly lost my composure entirely.