Breaking Down the Wall

Moving On

Yo's POV

"It's nothing really. I just need to talk to him," Pha said. He was sitting in front of my door, talking to Pring.

"Are you talking about me? What do you want to talk about?" I asked, coming up to stand by them. I fought the urge to kick him, and luckily Pha jumped up, wiping his pants so it wasn't as much of a temptation. I'd been able to ignore him and his games for a few hours, but now he was here again. Did he really want to hurt me this much? "If you want to talk about what you said at the beach, I think the subject is closed."

"N'Yo," Pha started, but was interrupted by Pring. "What happened at the beach?"

Pha looked completely embarrassed by the direction our conversation was going. Since he was no longer blocking my door, I set my bag down in front of my room and pulled out my keys. Looking relieved, Pha stepped closer, his eyes on my door. I pushed my door open, kicked my bag inside, and used my body to block the entrance.

"I'm actually pretty busy right now," I said, standing firmly when he edged my way. He probably didn't want anyone else to hear that he's trying to set up two gay guys. Letting my impatience show, I asked, "Was there something important?"

"N-no," Pha stuttered, looking nervously at Pring before turning back to me. "Can we meet for breakfast tomorrow, N'Yo? We need to plan your practice for the competition."

I thought for a moment about his words. Maybe he was just trying to set up times for my piano practice and here I was being rude in front of his girlfriend. My cheeks felt hot as guilt flooded me.

"Sure, P'Pha," I said, taking a deep, calming breath. We made plans for breakfast with me still blocking my doorway and Pring listening to us attentively.

I closed my door and waited for Forth to come back. I turned on my phone, noticing all the missed calls and messages, but ignored them in favor of taking a quick shower. I looked at my room filled with pictures of friends.

I walked over to the bureau where the bracelet that I bought for Pha back in high school was still resting in it's grey box. I'd removed all the pictures in my Wall of Shame. This bracelet was the only thing left. I didn't want to give it to anyone else. That wouldn't feel right. But I didn't want to keep hanging onto it, like I had been hanging on to this foolish crush. Feeling like I was finally letting go of the past, I picked up the small grey box and tossed it in the garbage.

Today, I was going to enjoy some time talking to Joss and Forth was going to come over for a movie. Tomorrow, I would focus on practicing for this competition and ignore Pha's daily weirdness and whatever annoyances life threw my way. I was finally moving on.

Forth's POV

Giving Yo a ride from the beach had been wonderful. He'd pulled in close to me, keeping his arms securely around my waist. We'd stopped for lunch and talked for awhile about the beach and how much Yo loved the wind in his hair.

I enjoyed his smile and undivided attention. My plan to wait until after the competition to ask him to be my boyfriend was more difficult than I'd thought it would be. I wasn't used to having to be patient. I wanted to ask him now, to take him in my arms and kiss his plush lips. But instead, I held back and asked him to watch a movie tonight instead.

"I have some good movies in my room, if you don't mind waiting for me to finish my video call first," Yo said.

"Calling your family?" I asked.

"No, it's my friend P'Joss, but he's just like my brother," Yo answered. "I met him when I was going through something really difficult and he's been helping me through it. I don't know what I would have done without P'Joss and Ai'Ming."

"Like a brother?" I asked. "So I don't need to be jealous?"

Yo laughed and said no. Good. I gave him a ride home, where we met Ming with our bags. We thanked him and he left. I told Yo I would take my bag back to my room and get a quick shower and then come back for the movie. When I did come back, he was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and had damp hair. He made his video call, both of us sitting on the bed side by side. Adorable.

"P'Joss," Yo said, smiling at the guy on his phone. "How's your weekend?"

"Not bad, N'Yo," Joss responded. "Who's that?"

"This is P'Forth," Yo said. I know that Joss is supposed to be his brother, but I couldn't resist the urge to stake my claim by putting my arm around Yo's shoulder and lean my head closer to his.

They talked for awhile about how each of them was doing and things that were happening in their lives. It seemed like they had talked yesterday and Joss was concerned about how Pha was treating Yo. I guess he had noticed Pha's rudeness too. Yo asked him to forget it and then tried to include me in the conversation by talking a little about the competition. They only talked for a few minutes, then Joss wanted to make sure that Pha hadn't hit Yo when they shared a room last night. Yo told him not to worry and they ended their call.

"Why was P'Joss worried that Pha would hit you?" I asked, feeling annoyed at Pha again. Had Pha lost his mind? He's not normally a violent guy.

"It's nothing, really," Yo said. "We had an argument a little while ago and P'Pha grabbed my shirt and threatened me. P'Joss was on the phone at the time and it made him worry. But Pha didn't do anything to me."

"Is Pha still being a jerk?" I asked, my protective nature making me want to find Pha and punch him in the face for threatening Yo.

"Sometimes he is, sometimes he isn't," Yo said. "I don't really care anymore. Are you ready to start the movie?"

"Sure," I said, pulling Yo in closer to my side as he used his remote to turn on the TV. After about 30 minutes, Yo started leaning his head against my chest and soon fell asleep. I knew he was exhausted from all the competition practice, so I stayed where I was and just let him rest. I couldn't help peeking down at his lovely face. I don't really know what happened in the movie, but it was time well spent.

When the movie ended, I contemplated laying down in Yo's bed and staying the night. Unfortunately for me, he woke up, so I didn't have any excuse. I gave him a hug before leaving, knowing that would have to be enough for now.