I will never be the same without you...

Chapter 1

Song: Dios Malos, "You got me all wrong"

I hadn't seen Zon in at least a couple of years. We used to be friends during our university days. I was in the same program as his best friend, Tor. Zon didn't like me initially because I unknowingly made out with a girl he was dating. Eventually, we cleared up the misunderstanding, and things got better. However, something happened between us because of his sister. No, no, don't draw hasty conclusions!! I wasn't interested in her. She wrote yaoi fiction and used to base her characters on her brother's friends. She was a good writer, and her stories were cute and fun, but when she decided to turn her brother and me into a fake couple, things tensed up again between us.

The day he caught me with his ex, we ended up fighting. In the middle of the argument, he threw a punch at me. I wasn't expecting him to be so strong and feisty, so he managed to sock me. I lost my balance and fell down, taking him with me. As luck would have it, he ended up falling lips first... onto mine. He wasn't pleased with that. I, on the other hand, felt like I got hit by a thunderbolt. I was aware of my sexuality, and had casually dated both boys and girls. But when I kissed Zon, something new happened.

That day, he left mad as a hornet and every time we met after that, he antagonized me. I could say that I tried to explain and work things out, but I didn't. I hadn't sorted out my feelings yet. I wasn't ready, and it was easier to fight with him than to analyze myself too deeply. What can I say, I was a 20-year-old idiot and a bit of a coward. Eventually, we got a chance to spend time together. I explained that I didn't know Fai was dating him and offered an apology, which he accepted. We also both pretended The Kiss never happened. From that point on, we became fairly close until everything fell apart when he discovered his sister's yaoi webcomic. I am not sure if he was uncomfortable being portrayed as gay or being paired with me, I never got a chance to discuss any of it with him. After that, he made sure we were never alone together and always brought other friends whenever I invited him to do something. That's when I realized that I liked him more than a friend. I felt so sad and hurt that I eventually stopped reaching out to him. With each passing month, he was less and less part of my life, and I was left heartbroken.

Eventually, we graduated and had even fewer opportunities to meet. The company where I did my internship hired me, and I concentrated on work. After a while, I was promoted to a management position in my division. I dated a few people along the way, both men and women, but never very seriously. Work occupied most of my time, and to be honest, I never forgot the short jerk who rejected me all those years ago. He was always lurking in the back of my mind, but I hadn't actually been in the same room as him since Tutor and Fighter's wedding.

Until today, when Zon walked into my office and sat across my desk.