Dilemmas

27

"I should've known," Shaun mumbled, eyeing Jason, who somehow rose from the dead. "I have a million questions for an asshole like you."

He sat cross-legged in front of Shaun. "Still tough, just like last time." He smirked. "You haven't grown, haven't you?"

"You came back from the dead and that's still your attitude," he shot back. "At least show some respect. Or you haven't learned your manners?"

He laughed again. It was chilly. "Oh, Shaun. You sound just like our parents, when they were still alive."

Shaun gulped.

Jason smirked and touched my cheek. "You're going to be alright here, Shaun. You can scream all you want and no one can hear you. You can starve here to death, unless I'm generous."

"What's this all about, huh?" he seethed. "Why don't you just fucking tell me and let me go?"

He laughed heartily. He sat on Shaun's knees and sighed. "Let me tell you a story, Shaun. Remember the car crash that killed me"—he chuckled—"and my parents?"

Shaun remembered vaguely what happened. It was on a news broadcast one day. The car swerved off the road and ended upturned deep in the forest, smoking. It tumbled down the slope and hit a tree. He nodded.

"Well, what they didn't tell you is that I survived that."

"Yeah," Shaun mocked. "I noticed that."

"I know." He raised two fingers, each a few meters apart from each other. "And I'm this close to punching you, so you better choose your next words—Oh, you know what. . ." He stuffed back the cloth in Shaun's mouth. "Better."

He let out some muffled screams.

Jason sighed again. "Anyway, I hid for some time and came across my twin by accident and well, I had to do some tinkering."

More muffled screams. His eyebrows creased and he could feel beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. Fuck you! Fuck you!

"Then, I realized he went to same school with you." He grinned. "It was quite a coincidence, because I didn't think I'd see you again. To me, it. . .it was a surprise."

A surprise? A fucking surprise?!

"And what's cooler was that we almost had the same resemblance. Honestly, I thought that you could spot me easily because we had different eyes. Wow, you're really that oblivious." He laughed. "Does it have to do with your poor lover here and the way you two lovebirds met?" Jason sneered.

You were the one who had the video. And you sent that fucking message. Shaun struggled again. Fuck! Why didn't I notice earlier?

"When I saw you're lover—what's his name again? Ryan, right?—I knew I could finally get your attention, with help, of course."

Julie. Fuck her! That bitch. . .

"I had a recording of the video thanks to the micro-camera I attached to his necklace." He chuckled. "Well, it wasn't really me who placed it there, but that's not the point."

Jason stood up and walked over to Ryan. "And honestly. . ." Grunting, he lifted his unconscious body and made it sit up. "I got caught up in the process." Jason locked eyes. "I want to ask you: what if I can remove completely—emphasis on completely—the embarrassment?"

He dropped Ryan to the ground and rolled his eyes. "Oh silly me. How am I supposed to get answers when my friend doesn't get the chance to talk?" He walked back to my side and sat on the toes of his foot. "No bitchy screaming, or I'll seriously consider leaving you here to die."

Jason took out the gag and Shaun just stared daggers at him.

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Shaun took a deep breath. "Could you unhand me so I can punch some sense onto your face?"

"A good offer, but no," Jason replied. "You better be thinking about my quest—my offer—rather than thinking of ways to strangle me to death, because you can't do that."

Shaun took a deep breath. "Fuck your stupid 'offer', Jason. Let me go!"

Jason frowned. "I. . .I know you're going to say that, but I also know that you often have second thoughts. So I'm going to put it this way, Shaun: do you really love your friend here? He's hot, you know."

His voice echoed in Shaun's head. Do you really love your friend? He swallowed. "Wha—what does that have do you with anything? I don't want him involved in this."

"Oh, I'm not including him. But he'll wake soon. Answer my offer, friend. It's that easy."

He sighed. "This. . .this is just to get even with me? Huh? After you almost got kicked out?"

At first, he looked astonished. Then Jason laughed. It was the loudest among the previous ones. "Oh. If you think that way, then yeah. It's revenge in your eyes, Shaun. But it's lifting a burden off your shoulders for me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shaun screamed. "Stop with your cryptic bullshit."

Jason laughed again. "On the contrary. It's quite straightforward, if you ask me."

He didn't reply. He looked at Ryan, who was unconscious. It was like there was nothing else but them both. Shaun didn't struggle anymore.

Did he really love him? He wasn't so sure. All of this happened because of the accident at the night of the acquaintance party. Before that, he never had feeling for him. In fact, he was supposedly normal.

But after that, things clicked. Somehow it felt natural, but rushed too. In just less than three months they were already kissing and sleeping on the bed together.

It also brought some embarrassment and cringe. Society can make lies and force them to become the truth. He could imagine himself years from now, during reunions when they'd recall the time when Shaun used to fall in love with a handsome soccer player named Ryan back then during school and everyone made them a laughingstock. Maybe Gabriel would join in and pantomime the entire experience with a faulty Shaun accent. Then everyone would laugh.

Did he really love him? He wasn't so sure.

"What are you planning, Jason?" Shaun asked.

He smirked. "You can't plan love can't you?" Shaun swore he saw his cheeks flush.

Shaun remembered what he said. You can't plan love can't you? He's hot you know. I got caught up in the process. Jason blushing. It suddenly and horribly made sense.

"No, you've got to be shitting me!" he exclaimed. "You can't. . !"

Jason got the message. He sneered and lifted Ryan close to him and gave him a little kiss on the lips. Shaun's nostrils flared.

He turned to me. "I had to admit, I never knew you were this slow in catching up. Apparently, I fell in love with him too. And that's the main reason you're here."

"Don't you dare take him away from me," he warned. "Jason, don't."

He tried to lift Ryan up. "You know, I knew you'd be this stubborn. So I had to take some. . .measures. I felt generous and asked you, but noooo. The option left for me is to take him by force. I'll make him forget you, the accident, everything. I'll save you."

"You're not saving me! Stop!" Tears were streaming off his eyes as Jason dragged Ryan into the darkness.

"You're forgetting one thing." He grinned. "We Prides always get what we want." Then they disappeared.