I Am Here [COMPLETED]

Part 22

"P, this feels illegal," Gulf said as he sat in the passenger seat next to Kao, who kept smiling.

"Have you never had a secret night out behind your parents' back?" Kao glanced at the younger man.

"But I was a teenager back then," Gulf replied, looking at Kao.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to do it once in a while," Kao said with a toothy smile.

"I guess that's true," Gulf nodded and smiled. He couldn't help but feel excited for the night out.

The ride was filled with Kao singing along with the radio while Gulf grooved next to him. When Kao sang off-key, he just kept singing out loud, sometimes even dancing a little. This caused Gulf to laugh a lot during the ride.

"We're here," Kao announced after a while as they arrived at his private place.

Gulf saw a wrinkled rug on the beach with a dying small bonfire in front of it. It looked like someone had been sitting there before they arrived.

"P... Is someone here?" Gulf looked around.

"Oh, no. That's me. I was just relaxing after an event," Kao replied as he tidied up the rug.

"Ohh."

"Does that mean he suddenly wanted to have a night out with me?" Gulf smiled at the thought.

"What's wrong?" Kao turned around.

"Nothing," Gulf replied and sat on the rug.

"Wait for a moment," Kao suddenly ran off. He returned with a blanket and firewood.

"Here," Kao wrapped the blanket around Gulf and proceeded to light up the dying bonfire.

"Thank you, P," Gulf smiled.

Kao sat next to Gulf, and Gulf looked up at the stars.

"Beautiful," Gulf was mesmerized by the stars.

Kao looked at Gulf and said, "Yes, it is indeed beautiful."

They sat in silence for a while before Gulf spoke up.

"Thank you, P," Gulf began.

"Why would you thank me?" Kao's eyes never left Gulf.

"For bringing me here. Finally, I'm at peace. At least for now," Gulf said.

"I'm glad," Kao nodded.

They remained in silence again, but it felt comfortable for both of them. Gulf realized how different Kao and Mew were. Mew would say a thousand words, but only some of them had true meaning. On the other hand, Kao was a man of few words, but his words were filled with sincerity. Kao always made Gulf feel comfortable, even without exchanging any words. Gulf sighed.

"What's wrong, Gulf?" Kao asked.

"I'm just wondering why I liked P'Mew in the first place," Gulf replied, smiling flatly.

"Hmmm... Honestly, we can't figure out our hearts, even though they belong to us," Kao explained.

"True..." Gulf looked down.

"You know, sometimes I wonder how the ocean can appear so calm. However, the ocean holds so many things. Thousands of fish, both dangerous and cute ones, corals, and even treasures. But at night... it looks so calm. How can the ocean be like that?" Kao expressed his thoughts.

Gulf remained quiet, taking in Kao's words. It was one of those rare moments when Kao spoke more than usual.

"But then I realized that maybe the ocean appears calm to protect itself and everything within it. So that no one would dare to bring harm to the ocean, but instead, they would admire its beauty. No matter how tumultuous the ocean can be, people will still love it," Kao turned towards Gulf.

"That's why, it's okay to do crazy things just to protect yourself...People would still love you" Kao started.

Gulf was wide-eyed, feeling a warmth spreading across his cheeks. His heart felt a knot, as if someone had touched it.

"P..." Gulf stammered, feeling overwhelmed.

"No matter what you decide to do, I'll be here," Kao said with confidence.

Gulf's eyes widened as he finally understood the true meaning behind those words. A smile formed on his face, and he nodded in affirmation.

Maybe, just maybe... he could reciprocate those feelings.

"Come," Kao stood up and walked closer to the ocean. Gulf quickly followed, intrigued by Kao's actions.

"AAAARGHHHH!" Kao let out a loud scream.

"P!" Gulf was taken aback.

"Come on, Gulf. It'll help alleviate some of your burdens," Kao pulled Gulf to his side, encouraging him.

Gulf hesitated for a moment, biting his lower lip. Then, he took a deep breath and let out a scream.

"AAAAARRRGGGGHHHH!" Gulf caught his breath, feeling a slight sense of relief.

"See? It's not that bad," Kao ruffled Gulf's hair. Gulf nodded, appreciating Kao's presence.

Throughout the night, they continued to scream, play, and talk without a care for their surroundings. It was a night dedicated solely to them.

The next morning, Gulf found himself bombarded with notifications, especially on Twitter, asking how he was doing. After the events of the previous night, Gulf had made up his mind. He opened Mew's Instagram account, liked the photo, and left a comment.

"Congrats, P'Mew! You both make a stunning couple. Full of visual perfection."

Gulf let out a relieved sigh. The internet became chaotic after he left the comment. Inevitably, some comments accused him of betrayal. However, the majority stood by Gulf's side. It seemed as though they understood what Gulf had been through, as they sent heartfelt tweets of support.

Amidst the flood of messages, one text in particular brought a wide smile to Gulf's face. Kao messaged him, praising him for his action.

"It's obvious that he likes you."

Gulf suddenly remembered the words his father had spoken. Now, as he looked back at Kao's actions, he started to believe that Kao truly had feelings for him.

But how deep were those feelings? And since when?

Most importantly, what should Gulf do? He was afraid to reciprocate the feelings. What if history repeated itself?

Gulf fell silent for a while, contemplating his next move.

"I'll ask him tomorrow. I need to know everything, starting from the beginning," Gulf resolved within himself.

TBC