HIDDEN (Hide Or Die)

Chapter 10

KYLE'S P.O.V.

Silence had reigned upon us, Albert had retreated further into the corner and I could hear his labored breaths. I wanted to apologize but nothing came out of my mouth as I kept fiddling with my fingers. I focused my gaze onto the floor, too embarrassed to even look his way.

“It might have not been… but as you probably saw I didn’t fight him off either so…” his lips quivered and I caught the hitch in his voice. He was about to cry and it was all because of me.

“I’m sorry! Please don’t be mad at me!” I felt my own tears building up as I threw myself on him. My weight caused him to tumble backward but we were saved by the wall. He gently pushed me by the shoulder, and I searched his frame to see if I had injured him, but I was surprised when he laughed.

I always thought of laughs as in the sound that’s emitted from the throat, but when Albert laughed, I saw it in his eyes. How they crinkled around the edges and his cheeks rose higher, lips shaping out beautifully. But even then, the joy wasn’t in his face, but in the glint of his eyes.

His posture was more relaxed as he ruffled my hair, “relax buddy, I’m not mad at you.”

“You’re not?” I replied, hopeful but surprised.

“No… just upset.” He looked away for a second then when he looked at me again, he was smiling. “You’re really weird, do you know that?” he chuckled, I knew he was joking but I couldn’t help but find him correct in his assumption.

“I know… I’m sorry I’ll try my best to be normal.” I looked down at my hands, not really sure where this conversation was heading. I heard him mumble a curse, before he yanked me by the shoulder, shaking me slightly. “No you idiot, I meant it as a compliment.” I looked into his eyes, “You don’t have to change who you are ever. Don’t change because of what people think of you, ok? They should like you for who you are, I like you for who you are, so keep being you. ‘Normal’ is over-rated anyway.” He was sincere, I know he was. But I couldn’t believe him.

I’m a lot of things. Naive. Oblivious. Could be an idiot sometimes. But I’m not ignorant. I know what I am. And if Albert knew too, he would've ran for the hills. He’s saying that now, just to cheer me up.

I needed to divert the attention away from me so I blurted out the first thing, “Do you want to talk about him?” I immediately regretted it when I saw how his whole demeanor dropped. He let go of my shoulders and scrunched up into himself. It felt as if he was going to cry, but nothing happened.

“His name is Julian,” he said after a few moments, I was caught off guard because, although I asked, I wasn’t expecting him to give me any answer at all. I stayed silent for I hadn’t a clue what to say, and he had that look on his face, similar to my mum when she had things to get off her chest. “I’ve been in love with him for over two years now.” I was shocked by the information, to say the least.

“I had decided to confess to him on the day of my uncle’s wedding, I was in California to attend the ceremony and he was there too. With the help of some booze, I gathered the courage to face him.” he had a far-away look in his eyes, as if reliving the moment, “It was one of the best days of my life. I didn’t just tell him how I felt about him, I also asked him out. Thought I’d get the rejection out of the way,” In some way, it reminded me of the whole purpose of this scheme, “To my great surprise, he said yes. He said that I had caught his attention. And throughout the whole duration of my uncle’s wedding celebration—which lasted a week because my uncle is extra like that—, we had the best time. We went on dates, spending every waking moment together. He was the sweetest boyfriend I could ever imagine him to be. It felt like a dream, and perhaps it was…”