Lunch Dates

Part 7

"What are you doing?" Nanon asked watching Ohm removing his clothes from the closet and laying them on the bed.

"Packing your clothes. Come and help me so we'll get done fast," Ohm said without looking at him.

"Stop! I just spent half an hour putting my stuff in there and now you're messing them up again." Nanon reluctantly stood up and started picking up his clothes.

"I don't care. You're going home with me." Ohm didn't even stop what he was doing.

"What? No!" Nanon protested.

Ohm spoke with decisiveness. "Either you go home with me and stay at my place or I'll get my things and stay here with you. At least there are two bedrooms in my condo. If you insist that we stay here, we'll have to share the bed."

Nanon didn't respond. He didn't move either.

"I already talked to your mom earlier. She was happy that I was taking you home. She said you needed support right now," Ohm continued laying Nanon's clothes on the bed. After he emptied the closets, he started stuffing the clothes into one of Nanon's bags.

"I'm not alone. I have Chimon, New and Jade."

Ohm finally stopped what he was doing and faced Nanon. "Oh, so you've replaced me with Chimon already?"

"You can't just replace a best friend, Ohm."

"So I'm still your best friend, then?"

"I don't know. I can't be friends with someone who can't accept my homosexuality. It hurts for sure but what can I do? I can't change your mind. So I have to find friends who'll love me for who I am."

"For someone so smart, you're being quite dumb," Ohm said before pulling in Nanon for a hug.

"Did you really think you being gay was ever an issue for me? Fuck, Nanon. Don't you get it? That's not the reason why I'm mad at you."

Nanon pushed him away.

"I don't care if you're mad at me. You're the one who walked out on me when I needed you," he muttered.

Ohm sat down on the bed, looking dejected.

"I'm sorry. I was too mad at you for not trusting me. That was an asshole move. I apologize."

"Uhuh. About time you realized that." Nanon sat beside him.

"But you have to explain why you didn't tell me as soon as you knew. And you even told Chimon long before you opened up to me. Can you imagine how I felt when I heard that you told him first? I felt like our entire friendship was a joke. What am I to you, Non? What did you think of me all these years that you didn't feel comfortable enough to tell me something so important?"

Ohm's eyes were full of disappointment so Nanon avoided his gaze before responding.

"I didn't intend to make you feel that away. I don't even have to defend my loyalty to you. You should know that. But being gay is not a disease that I was diagnosed for after one test. It was a long difficult process of self-discovery."

He took a deep breath. "When I was finally sure about my sexuality around junior high, I was also sure that my father would reject me. I figured, I'd rather keep it to myself than lose people I love. I was so afraid you would reject me too. I couldn't live with that. Honestly, I don't know how I would have gone through it all if you weren't there for me."

"Why would you even think I would reject you?" Ohm was livid.

"Well, you're as straight as a ruler. I didn't know if you had it in you to accept my sexuality. Besides, I also heard you making jokes about Mark, the only out gay kid in our class back then."