Waves

Telling Truths

As the resort hotel came into view, Phana and Beam slowed to a stop. Beam was silent, his eyes blank and mouth set to a thin line. Phana couldn't get a read on what his best friend was thinking or feeling. He slowly let go of Beam's wrist.

"Ai'Beam?" Phana said cautiously. "Stupid question, I know, but... are you okay?"

Beam, who was still tipsy, promptly sat down on the ground and vigorously rubbed his face with both hands. "I must be drunk enough to start hallucinating Ai'Forth."

Phana snorted and sat down in front of Beam. What a pair they made – two handsome boys – no -- men sitting forlornly on the paved pathway leading to the hotel. "I wish you were, Ai'Beam. But he was really there."

Beam's face was still hidden in his hands so his voice came out muffled. "I know, Ai'Pha. Thank you for punching him."

At the mention of the punch, Phana looked at his bruised knuckles which were turning red. "It was worth it." He clenched and unclenched his fist, wincing. "You didn't deserve being left like that. Just thinking about it makes me want to pummel him to the ground again."

Beam's eyes were dry when he looked up at Phana but there was a deep-seated sadness Phana could feel from his friend. "Let's go back inside. I think I need another beer."

Phana stood up and tugged Beam to his feet, "You need water. Lots of water. Then we're going to talk about what you're going to do now that Ai'Forth is here."

Beam hmphed at Phana's mention of water but let himself be tugged back into the well-lit hotel building anyway.

---

Forth was sitting on a beach chair, clutching a bag of ice to his aching jaw. "Ai'Pha still packs quite a punch."

Wayo, who was sitting next on the next chair quietly, turned to look at him. "You deserve every bit of that punch, P'Forth. After what you did to P'Beam..." Wayo trailed off as he looked back at the waves lapping up the sand.

"I know I do. Even more. I know how much I hurt him---"

"No you don't!" Kit practically shouted, his eyes glared daggers at Forth. "You have no idea what Ai'Beam went through when you left! So don't pretend that you understand what you did to him."

Ming grabbed Kit's hand, both for comfort and to prevent him from decking Forth. "P'Forth, why did you leave like that? Beam wasn't the only one hurt, you know. We all cared about you and you just dropped off the face of the planet."

Forth was silent, not looking at any of them.

"P?" Wayo prodded. "Can't you tell us? We might be able to understand what happened better if you were honest with us."

"If you can't tell us, you better be able to tell Beam. He deserves that much." Kit snapped. He looked at his boyfriend and tugged on his hand. "Ming, let's go. We need to talk."

Kit dragged Ming off, heading towards the hotel's café on the ground floor. Ming could feel the anger radiating from Kit. Maybe bringing Forth to their long-awaited trip was a bad idea.

Kit let out an angry breath and dropped Ming's hand before facing him. "Why did you bring him here, Mingkwan? You know what he did to Ai'Beam. You saw what Ai'Forth leaving did to him."

Ming rubbed his neck nervously. "I know, I know. It's just – P'Forth is my friend too, P'Kit. I know what he did to P'Beam was wrong and I would've gladly punched him myself but when I saw him today near the dorm..."

"What? Did he tell you why he left?"

Ming shook his head. "He didn't say anything. He just asked if I knew where Ai'Beam was because he wanted to talk to him. I think there's something P'Forth wants to tell Ai'Beam badly but I don't know what it is."

Kit sighed and laced his fingers through Ming's. "Ai'Beam is just so sad all the time. I don't know if I can forgive Ai'Forth for putting him through that."

Ming tightened his fingers around Kit's. "P'Forth is sad too, P'Kit. He was silent the whole drive but I get the feeling that whatever kept him away from Ai'Beam all these years hurt him too. They both need to sort out their issues before they can start healing."

"I guess you're right," Kit acquiesced. He was no longer seething, instead he just looked very tired. "I'm glad you're here, Ming."

Ming grinned and sneaked a quick kiss to Kit's cheek. "Me too."

"Oi, Mingkwan!"

---

"Let's go inside, P'Forth. It's getting late." Wayo said, standing up from the chair and brushing sand from his shorts. Forth looked lost, he was still staring out at the ocean. Wayo tugged his senior to his feet. "Come on. There's plenty of room in the suite. You can stay in Ming's room."

"Okay," Forth said quietly. "Thank you for not being angry with me, N'Yo."

Wayo looked at him grimly. "I am angry with you, P'Forth. I still can't believe that you could leave P'Beam like that, knowing how much you liked him. But I also know you well enough to say that there's a lot more to what happened when you left."

"There is... more to the story. I don't even know where to begin. You all deserve the truth from me, Ai'Beam more than anyone else."

Wayo sighed. "You can start with the simplest version of the story. I want to help you and Ai'Beam but you have to be honest with me. I think Ming and I are the only ones you can talk to right now without being punched."

Forth ran a hand through his hair and stopped in his tracks. He let out a deep breath and looked at Wayo. He seemed to be struggling with what to say.

"N'Yo... my dad got into an accident at the end of sophomore year. He was in a bad way and the doctors couldn't do anything even after several months in the hospital..."

"Oh, P." Wayo muttered. Forth continued, his fists were clenched tightly and he was looking at the ground.

"He didn't make it. My mom--- couldn't handle the loss and she tried to kill herself." Forth looked him. His eyes were resigned and sad. "That's why I left."

---

A/N: Dun dun dun dun... drama! Will Forth and Beam finally talk to each other in the next chapter? We'll see...