T E N Z I N [LGBT]

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Perhaps the hue of the gray sky didn't change and the trees of the school ground stood dead with the insensitive leaves failing to sway in the air. People or maybe let's say the normal ones, they continued to walk ahead unaware yet aware of the droopy sky above them about to depart the depressing emotion and release the first drops of the spring on the ground.

Tenzin lowered his stressing gaze from the damp sky and looked down at the dry ground that desperately longed for the rainfall. And believe me, that moment in between a fraction of seconds he felt the earth beneath his feet, he felt the warmth, the belongingness and all the strings that tied his inner self to the bottomless universe. For a fleeting moment he grabbed his breath and wished to disappear below it, never to come up again on the ground.

Just then, somebody dashed hard into him and heedlessly walked away. Tenzin felt a certain warmth of intimacy and ache as his delicate fair skin collided the tan flesh for a wee moment. But the person did not look back instead briskly walked ahead to join a group of masculine friends hovering in front of the block.

Tenzin halted there for a while and blankly stared at the black pair of unpolished shoes walking away from him. Deep down in between his rib cage and his heart, a certain inner voice incessantly called for those unpolished leather shoes to come back and stand near to his polished ones. But his body language failed to do so, he could only afford to stand there and lose himself on the emptiness of his rib cage and his heart, both left behind by the imprinted marks of those unpolished leather shoe .

"Tenzin? Tenzin?"
He felt Yangtse lightly pulling the hem of his white stainless lagay. He shook his head in a haste and pulled up a smile on that pale face. "I was thinking about the project. We have due on Thursday, right?", he lied without a doubt in his tone. "Yeah...yeah we do", she said quietly and walked ahead.

As they passed by the school block, girls glared at chubby Yangtse for being the best friend of the cutestboy in school. Where as the boys would make weird faces at Tenzin for his peculiar way of walking. It was sad that people around him always taunted him and still called weird names. But now he had almost bit used to it.

There was a rumor spreading around that Tenzin adored Samten Tashi the valedictorian of 10A. Some of his classmaste and elder boys even went to the extent of repeatedly teasing him. Maybe the people thought of it as a weird joke but no one really knew what was actually going inside Tenzin's mind and what actually came out of his mouth.

But Tenzin always refused neverously and Yangtse did not bother to ask either. She had known Tenzin for a long time and was also his closest friends. But she knew taking about it would make him feel uncomfortable and even if it didn't bother Tenzin. It would hurt her. She knew that the truth would hurt her badly and crumble all her expectations. Each moment that she had spend with Tenzin, she realized he was not like any ordinary boy. She realized everything; all of his flaws and strength. But each time she stood in front of him and met her eyes with his. She grew speechless. His tall feature, innocent mind and incredible dexterity made her desperately fall for him. And there was nothing she could do to help it.

But she kept it hidden, fearing what the world would say seeing her fall for a 16 year old boy who loved bees and butterflies. Tenzin and Yangtse were the two parallel lines. So close, she knows everything about him but somehow can't be together. Like how some stories are just not meant to be.

She placed her bag on seat and blankly stood beside the desk. She had a million things running wild inside her head and a thousand questions pinching the walls of her stomach making her feel the urge to vomit it out. But she knew there was no way that she could spill it out and make the world understand.

"Yangtse. Let's go to the assembly now".
She heard Tenzin from two tables away. Without a second thought or turning back at him, she immediately walked out of the class without a word.

Later, she felt sorry for him. She felt sorry for everything that was happening around, everything that the world couldn't sense but she could. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't approach him and ask forgiveness for her behavior in the past days.

For the next two periods, she tried best to avoid the presence of Tenzin even if her heart so much longed for him. At the ring of the interval bell she rushed out if the class and leaned by the balcony. The grey sky above had swelled with a grim expression, she knew it was going to rain any moment now. Just then someone walked toward her and leaned beside her, it was Tenzin. He stood there and carefully ran his fingers across wooden bracelet that inscripted 'blossom', he had gifted her as a friendship band the week before.

"Yangtse. I have something to tell you".

Just then she heard the gray sky burst apart releasing the heaviness it had been carrying for days. The ground soaked the first drop but she wasn't yet ready to soak Tenzin's words or recognize his voice.

"Yangtse, do you think Samten would accept me?"

Tenzin said leaning carefully over the railing trying to wet his slender fingers under the faint spring drizzle.

"Accept you!?

she questioned in bewilderment.

"Yeah. Will he accept my friendship? I want to be friends with him. "

Tenzin said he quietly turned toward her and held her hands.

Her heart skipped a beat for an instant buy after a while Yangtse grew speechless more of a bit hurt too.

But she held back her emotions, she had to accept Tenzin was not a normal boy.

"W-well of course! Why wouldn't he?",

she chuckled out.

"And as you haven't made any friends, you should. And-and I think you two would be great friends. "

Words managed to spill out of her mouth but there was still a lump of feelings she choked on.

"Awww.. Chimmi Yangchen, you always understand me. Thank you"

it was the first time Tenzin ever called out her real name.

So things won't be like how it always was? She thought