Under a Million Stars

Chapter Ten

7 years ago. Off's birthday, Adultkittiporn's residence

Off stared at the man sleeping on the passenger seat. Gun was lightly snoring but Off found it cute rather than annoying. Half-way through the trip, Gun dozed off so he was left with no choice but to stay awake on his own since he got no one to talk to. He slightly shook Gun's shoulder.

"Gun, we're here."

Gun stirred for a moment before opening his eyes.

"Where are we?"

"Home. I mean my residence."

Gun fixed his shirt and they both went down the car together. They were then met by a man in suit.

"Son, happy birthday. Who do we have here?" He asked as his eyes landed on Gun.

"Uhhm. Father, this is Gun, a friend of mine."

Gun smiled at Off's father.

"Good day, Sir."

"Good day, too. Come on. You two get inside. Lunch is about to be served."

Off and Gun seemed to be two lost kids in the middle of men in suits. They were the only ones in shirt and even Off who was the birthday celebrant was wearing a floral print shirt.

"Off! It's good to see you!" Off's mother went to embrace his son.

"And who is this young man?"

"Gun Atthaphan, maam. Gun Atthaphan Phunsawat."

"Oh, your family name sounds familiar. Never mind. Let's go inside."

The lunch went as what Off had said. If Gun didn't come with him, he would not have a single soul to talk to and he would be forced to pitch in ideas about their family business. After lunch, they excused themselves while the elders continued talking about business matters.

Off brought Gun to the garden. Gun immediately sat on the swing while Off stood behind him and slowly swung it.

"Gun."

"Hmmm?"

"Have you ever been in a relationship before?" Off asked, his heart thumping as fast as ever.

"Well, I had one during high school, but we only dated for a month."

"Why did you break up?"

"Pressure. She was too fixated on making our relationship a perfect one, so I decided I should end it before it become toxic."

"But you said you've never been kissed. So, you mean...you went straight to something of higher level?"

"Are you crazy? I did not even had my first kiss yet you expect me to be someone who had sex?" Gun retaliated.

"But you already had your first kiss, you know."

That made Gun turn his head to Off who had now stopped swinging the swing.

"Well, that only means I'm your first kiss."

Off saw Gun's face slowly becoming red probably due to the embarrassment of what Off said. Off moved his face closer and he could see that Gun was trying to move his head backwards in the hopes of maintaining the distance between them.

"Gun, I—"

"Off! Gun! Come on. Get inside. Let's take a photo together."

Off huffed a big amount as he watched Gun frantically make his way inside the house.

"First, Arm and Tay. Now, it's my mom. Seriously?"

"So you're into men, now. So, how does it feel screwing a man?"

Off rolled his eyes as Jaylerr, his cousin, came into view. One of the reasons Off didn't wanna attend this event was because he knew Jayler would be there. He just hated him down to the core that he couldn't stand even just the sight of him. He just had this boastful aura around him, and he hated the fact that people would mistake them as siblings because of their features. He'd rather rot in hell than be siblings with Jaylerr.

"What is it for you?"

"Well, I'm just curious how your dad would react once he found out that his only son is into men. He'd probably die of heart attack." Jaylerr's eyes became even smaller as his laughter filled the entire garden.

"You know what, fuck you."

Off said as he furiously went back inside and dragged Gun into the car, leaving his parents and relatives confused.

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"Happy birthday, Off."

Off watched as Gun handed him small box. He just came home from having dinner with his family and he did not expect Gun to be staying up considering that it was almost midnight.

"Uhmm. It's nothing much but I hope you'd appreciate it."

"Funny how you were the first one to greet me on my birthdays before, but now you're the last one." Off chuckled while holding the box in his hand. Gun didn't respond.

"So, it's Jaylerr, huh. Out of all people, it's my cousin. The very person whom you know I hate the most. Do you really hate me that much to the point you'd get into a relationship with him just to despise me?"

"Things just happened, Off. I- I love him. It's not just to despise you."

"You don't call me, P' anymore."

Off couldn't stop the tears that escaped his eyes. He was hurting so much to the point he'd probably break down in front of Gun, but the latter just looked down.

"You didn't have to leave back then Gun."

"It's been years, Off. It's been five long years. You can't expect me to still hold on to you after all these years. Let's just bury the past and move on with our lives. Had I known this would result to this, I should have rejected our mothers' request. Then, none of these would have happened."

Off could sense a tinge of hatred but at the same time fear on Gun's eyes.

"How can I forget the past, Gun. Cause after all these years, I'm still holding on to the promise we made. I still look for you everywhere I go. I still remember you in everything I do. You left me with so many happy memories that I could no longer find happiness in others. You brought my heart with you when you left, Gun. And now I wanna take it back. Will you let me?"

"Off," Gun exhaled loudly, "I already have Jaylerr and I-I love him. I don't wanna hurt him. Can, can you just accept that?"

Off smiled bitterly and took Gun's hand, returning the box Gun had given him earlier.

"Thank you for giving me the saddest birthday gift ever, Gun." Off said and went inside his bedroom.

Gun was left in the living room, holding the box containing the watch he bought for Off. For the first time after many years, he regretted what he said. He looked at the wall clock, now 5 seconds before midnight.

"Happy birthday, .... P'Off."