Stay (Boy × Boy) ✔

CAPTER 22

Two years ago Aydan had been walking in the school yard, on his way to a math exam, when he heard two guys talking loudly about William.

The taller one had scoffed: ''Yeah well, it's not like he's going to say anything. William's such a sissy. A sissy fag. I bet he's fucking with —''

Aydan hadn't listened the rest of the story, when his fist was already on its way to that guy's face.

''What the fuck was that for?'' The guy's friend had asked angrily before recognising him as William's best friend. They were always together even at school back then, so everyone knew they were a team.

''Don't you ever say that again, are we clear? If you do, I'll break your fucking face.'' Aydan had snarled, meaning every word, and the two younger guys had apologised plentifully.

It was just a small incident, some might even say inane, but it was where all the drama started in the first place. It was Aydan who started it, and it wasn't because he fell in love with a pretty girl and unwittingly broke William's heart.

Well, the latter was unintentional, because Aydan didn't know about William's feelings. He had had a little hunch about William thinking about him more than a friend, but it wasn't anything he actually believed in.

The Claudia part then, that was intentional. It was because he was still not ready to face the real feelings lurking underneath, that made him to go out with her in the first place.

After hearing what the others had said about William, Aydan had thought he was protecting him when he brought in a pretty girl to put an end to the rumours, but in reality he was only protecting himself. He had been a coward and he knew that now.

He had met Claudia when he was at the mall with Brian, who happened to be Josh's friend. When the two other guys talked, Claudia started flirting with Aydan and as he was offered such an opportunity, of course he had to take it.

Their relationship was bogus for him at first, since he already had someone else he had feelings for, but at some point he did fall for her too. Maybe not falling for her like falling in love, yet it became real at some point.

However his feelings for Claudia weren't strong enough to keep him from thinking about William just a little bit more than a friend. Yes, Aydan had already liked William for some time before that small incident at school. Nor had he ever ceased to like him.

Aydan wasn't gay like William, but rather a bisexual. So, that been said, Aydan did like guys too and he knew that when he started dating Claudia.

It all had seemed like such a good idea back then. Aydan would get to date a girl so beautiful it made others envy him and no one would keep implying that William was gay and in love with him. Moreover, no one would know Aydan was bi, so it would be a win-win situation for everyone. Except it wasn't.

No matter how much Aydan tried to reassure himself he had feelings just for Claudia, it never lasted. When it didn't, and Aydan's feelings for William came forth, he needed to take distance from him again. Then the longing for his best friend would become too much and he needed to see him again.

It was unfair to William, who was visibly miserable because of his behaviour and it was unfair to Claudia, who only had half of Aydan's heart.

Aydan had seen the pain William was in: the dark circles under his eyes, the listless look on his face, all the things William thought he could hide from him.

If you didn't count the assault, that day when he said all those awful things to William and later found out he had fought with his mom too — that was what Aydan still couldn't forgive himself for. He probably never would.