Chapter 1: The confession
"Are you crazy?" Ethan's world plummet to the bottom of the cold lightless ocean as Emman's expression and tone of disgust becomes apparent as he says that.
"Ethan! How could you do this to me? I'm your friend!" Emman himself couldn't understand why he suddenly bursts into anger after hearing what Ethan just said. He is so surprised, confused and couldn't have imagined Ethan would suddenly say that and act this way.
Ethan couldn't speak. Ha couldn't help it. In all the years of their friendship, he has been suffering alone and can no longer hide his feelings for Emman. He has been bottling up this overwhelming feeling to the point of suffocation. He also don't understand. At which point did he start manifesting romantic feeling towards Emman? He no longer remembers. For as long as he remembers it, Emman has solely been his favorite person.
He always thought that nothing could break their friendship and he since long before vowed to himself to never let anything like that ever happen. But as it turns out, he will be the one to destroy everything.
They were childhood friends. They were fated to become close friends even while they were still inside their mother's bosoms.
Their families has been in a close friendship ever since they knew it too. Ethan and Emman's fathers were best friends and they met their future wives that we're also best friends. Their houses are practically attached to each other and they've been the perfect and most harmonious neighbors the world has ever seen. Not once did their families clashed or opposed except regarding the matter of who could help the other the most.
Emman and Ethan were born almost at the same time and became inseparable since. Preschool, elementary school, middle school, and in high school. They were with each other every single day of the week. They saw each other grow up and became closer than brothers.
"Emman, why are you shouting? What is going on? What are you doing to Eathan?" A woman's anxious voice reverberated from the other side of the wall.
"It's is nothing mom!" Emman hastily reaches the door to close it, shoving Ethen on the way.
Ethan falls on the floor and couldn't get back up. His chest hurts so much that he lost all his strength and even the will to raise his head. He's eyes looks absentmindedly on the wooden floor. His thoughts couldn't be seen through his complicated expression.
"I'm sorry" Ethan's lifeless voice only comes out after Emman finally managed to calm himself down. Then, he stood up and heads towards Emman.
Emman could tell that Ethan wants to go out of the room while he is still filled with confusion and don't know what he want to happen. He has a feeling that if he let Ethan go out of this door now, something important in his life would crumble. He move aside and watch Ethan's solemn crouched figure as he opens the door and disappear before his eyes.
"Ethan, what is going on?" "It's nothing aunt Lucy." Emman could only listen to his mother's and Ethan's muffled conversation as he close the door back. His hands curls into tight fists and they tremble. He feels so annoyed and before he knew it, he smash his knuckles on the concrete wall, creating a dull crackling noise.
"Emman? What was that! Ethan I'm so sorry but please go home for now"
Emman sees the world in red. He looks around the room and every corner has reminiscent of Ethan's marks.
Ethan is someone so precious to him but this doesn't mean he could become sexually attracted to him. He told Ethan about the girls that he ever liked and even explicitly defined which of their body parts he find attractive the most. How could Ethan be so dumb and confess to him when he knows what will become of their relationship.
"What did he expected?" Emman murmurs irritably.
The curtains sways from a cold breeze. Emman gaze at the open window. Directly outside is Ethan's window. He hastily close it and then fixes down the curtains.
Later, Emman's mother heavily reprimanded him the whole night.
A week passed by with nothing ever happening. Emman was so harsh towards Ethan that night so he no longer knew how to interact with him. After all, that was the first ever arguments they had. There's also the fact that the latter has feelings for him all along and he still can't put his mind to settle in that fact.
Emman desperately tried his best to ignore and forget Ethan's existence but that was very hard to do because there are both their parents who keeps questioning them about what happened.
The two of them could only come up with some stories that is absurd and vaguely believable. The two of them has been through many misfits together and already developed tacit understanding so well that their stories gladly matches unplanned.
Emman thought that he could finally take a breather at school but there are also actually quite a lot of murmurs buzzing his ears annoyingly every single day. Their classmates are used to their closeness and seemingly attached-to-the-hip usual public displays so them suddenly ignoring each other caused a lot of puzzlement.
"They had a first fight right?"
"Yes, I was so concerned about Ethan's bruise on his arm but he just told me that he was just being careless and fell. But then, Emman came with bandages wrapping his knuckles so I was so surprised. They haven't talked for the past few days"
"How can this be? Even that close knitted friendship could also have hiccups huh?"
Emman hears this and whip his face towards Ethan at the other side of the room. He carefully observes him for a long time until he finally sees the latter's long bruise on his left arm.
"He must have gotten than when I shoved him back then. He must have hit the corner of my drawer." Emman worriedly murmurs for himself.
"So you really had a fist-fight." Emman's seatmate says and finally confirms everyone's suspicions.
"That's not it! Damn it, Dan, focus on your comics!"
Dan returns his gaze back to his comics and sighs. Emman's strong retorts aren't convincing at all.
"Ethan, have this. You need to have nutrient foods to get healed fast." A girl passes a fruit juice to her teammates and ask him to bring it to Ethan on the next isle.
"Thank you." Ethan receives it without any more words and put it down his desk.
"You have to drink it now, or else, it will loose it's cool and wouldn't taste as fresh and good by then."
Her seatmate used to like it that the girl beside him has become more interactive but now he sees the truth. It has become quite annoying lately so he reprimanded her to stop learning close to him. The girl still wants to urge Ethan to drink it so having been stopped makes her very angry. The two starts bickering.
Ethan is as popular as always. He's the kind of quiet handsome boy who the girls really likes these days. This girl is quite bold and she fawns at him to be noticed whenever she gets the chance.
Emman laughs inwardly and pity this girl. If only she knew Ethan already has he likes. Mysteriously, Emman is proud about that fact.
Emman continues observing Ethan for a bit but his usual nonchalant expression can't be read even for I'm Emman. That's why he never realized Ethan's feelings until now. He usually have no idea what's in the latter's mind when he never talks about it.
"What is he thinking?" Ever since that night, Ethan still haven't shown any signs of his feelings for him so Emman still doubts whether that was true at all. "Does he not even care at all?"
That was such a big revelation so how come Ethan still return to his usual self? This cause Emman to be the one on edge instead. If he somehow misinterpreted Ethan's words that night, that it was solely his fault and he lost his precious friend for nothing.
Emman really wants to confirm that but he already severed things between them. It's very embarrassing for him to suddenly mend it back again.
After the science period is lunch break. Suddenly, a girl from a higher grade enters the room bringing two sets of lunch box and gives one to Ethan. Everyone in the room who still haven't left for the cafeteria becomes shocked and starts a gossip.
"Emman, is that Ethan's girlfriend?" Dan stops Emman and points at the girl and Ethan's seats.
"How the hell would I know!" What the fuck? what is Ethan doing with a pretty girl? Why are they acting so cozy with each other.
Then, the girls scoops a spoonful of the meal from her lunchbox and put it up in front of Ethan's mouth. Ethan accepts and eats it.
Emman's eyes falls to the ground. "Wait." Isn't the one Ethan likes is himself? What is going on? Ethan usually don't care about girls at all! How did he even managed to get close to a pretty upperclassman?
Without thinking, Emman walks towards the two and then looks down at the from the side. His large shadow falls on them so the two looks up with confusion. Without saying anything, Emman grabs Ethan by his shirt and raise him up.
"What is going on?!" Emman's angry shout reverberated down the halls
Look out for the next part.
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