I tensed. "Ryu?"
"Yes. You sounded weird over the phone"
I started to sweat. Why must he bring this up now? Why can’t he forget things like every other normal human being? That happened some days ago. How could he still have that in mind?
He was staring directly into my eyes. He reached out and held my hand in a supportive manner. "You can tell me anything Aito. Did he force you into having sex with him? Did he really hurt you? If he did, I'll kill him"
"No no no" I quickly said, giving him the most nonchalant expression I could muster, trying to play it off casually. "We didn’t do anything like that. He didn't hurt me. Ryu is very nice. We just hung out, ate some pizza, played some games and what not"
He raised a brow, not quite buying it. "Are you sure?"
I nodded. “Why will I hide things from you?”
Haruto finally let go of my hand and relaxed. I let out a relieved sigh. It’s better he doesn’t know that we’ve had sex. If not, there’s no telling what he might do. I don’t know why but I had this gut feeling that Haruto will not take it lightly. If I secretly loved my best friend for 8 years, watching him sleep around and then when I confess, I find out he’s dating a guy and then he tells me they’ve had sex, how would I react? Honestly, I’d be heartbroken and I’d cry but that is me. Haruto…he would probably go ballistic.
Yeah I’ll just keep this to myself…
********
"Oh my god this is so pretty" I gushed, holding a transparent container of little glowing insects. "Are they really fireflies?"
Ryu smiled proudly. "Of course. I caught them myself"
I hugged him tight and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. This is so amazing Ryu. It's magical"
He laughed then planted a kiss on my temple. "Anything for you baby"
My parents, Haruto and I spent the whole day at home catching up. They told us about their trips to different countries, the people's culture, their food and so many other things. It all sounded exciting. And then they asked about my health and I told them I was fine. Haruto and I decided not to tell them about the episode I had since it never occurred again. They were so happy to know I was doing okay. They also asked if the stupid stunt pulled by Yua affected me in any way and I told them I was upset but they told me to keep it aside and focus on my upcoming exams. I had their support no matter what and things were going to be alright.
Haruto went home after dinner and Ryu sent me a text asking if I could meet him somewhere. He sent me the address. I told my parents I was gonna hang out with Toshiro and might not be back till the next day. So I got into my car and drove to the place just to find out that it was some sort of camp site.
The entire place was decorated with beautiful fairy lights and flowers of different kinds. Slow music was playing in the background and laughter filled the air. People were scattered about in pairs, eating and drinking. What shocked me was the fact that each couple was a same sex couple. Men and men. Women and women.
Ryu told me that the place belonged to one of his friend's father whose partner was also a man. He usually held a program for homosexuals once a month, to be able to show their love in the eyes of others without being judged. Even though the others were their own kind, at least, they could hold hands freely outdoors. Kiss openly. Embrace each other without worrying about getting caught.
Ah God bless this man!
He's the reason I was hugging and kissing Ryu so brazenly under the moon lit night. Ryu had secured a spot for us and placed a mat on the soft grass. He surrounded us with three jars of beautiful glowing fireflies. The air was cool, the full moon illuminated the sky, bathing us in its silver light and the stars twinkled so brightly. As if they knew it was a special day.
I wedged myself between Ryu's legs, resting my back to his chest and wrapping his arms around my waist.
"Ryu" I called. I wanted to know more about him.
"Hmm?"
"Tell me about your dad"
I felt him stiffen so I quickly added; "You don't have to talk about him if you don't want to"
Ryu didn't say anything for a while so I thought he wouldn't talk about it. I was a bit disappointed though. I remembered when he said that his dad died when he was nine. I wanted him to tell me what happened but it’s okay if he didn't. I mean, there are things I'm keeping from him too and I had no intention of telling him anything soon.
"He was a journalist in Australia" Ryu began and I listened attentively, not wanting to miss a single word. "The very best. He loved us dearly and he never failed to show it. Not even once. He taught me to stand up for myself and always speak the truth. That was his motto. To always speak the truth, even if it's bitter. He never ever wrote a fake story. He uncovered many lies and exposed a lot of companies"
"He was loved by a lot of people but he also had a lot of enemies. He was beaten countless of times. Some tried to kill him. Others tried to kill us. I was even kidnapped twice"
I gasped. What?
"I must have been a good person in my past life or maybe I was just really lucky because I was saved each time and the ones who kidnapped me never tortured me. Dad said the truth always won. Nothing bad ever happens to those who are good at heart but... he…he messed with the wrong people"
From that point, his voice went low, laced with anger and hatred. It was spine chilling and it scared me.