“Do you want to watch a movie?”

Peter agreed. “Horror, action, romance, or thriller?”

“You choose.”

“Okay.”

After browsing through the movies that were available, Peter selected a romantic comedy. By this point in time, he knew that his feelings for Anson had gone a lot deeper than mere friendship or a simple crush. He was falling in love. Fast and hard. Peter was aware that he had to remain patient for Anson’s sake, but it was difficult. Nevertheless, he would do his best not to push things too far.

“Ugh!” Anson exclaimed all of a sudden when the movie was nearly finished. “That’s so unrealistic.”

Peter glanced at Anson in confusion. He had no idea what Anson was referring to.

“Which part?”

“The female lead rejects the guy, and she has a change of heart afterward. Now, she goes to the man and apologizes while pouring her heart out.”

“Yeah, and?”

“I don’t even have to watch the rest to know the conclusion. The man will immediately forgive her while wiping her tears away or some fucking bullshit like that. Then they will hug and kiss, and they live happily ever after.”

Peter chuckled. “That’s because he loves her.”

“Yeah, but in real life, relationships are much more complicated.”

“They don’t have to be.”

“They always are. The character this actress is portraying has trust and abandonment issues. She has plenty of problems growing up. I can relate to her. If I were her, it would take me a while to figure things out inside my head. Or somebody would have to help me resolve the problems. Even then, I would still be afraid to commit myself to somebody. Besides, any potential boyfriend will run away from me after finding out about my past. Nobody wants to be with someone like me.”

“I do.”

Anson’s eyes widened slightly. “What?”

“I do,” Peter repeated while gazing into Anson’s eyes. “I was attracted to you since the first time I laid eyes on you. Initially, it was purely physical, but as I got to know you better, I began to develop feelings for you.”

“You shouldn’t have. I’m not worth it.”

“You are!” Peter insisted.

Anson gaped. “I thought ... I thought we were just friends.”

“I don’t have sex with my friends.”

Anson looked scared. Then he got up from the couch. Peter grabbed Anson by the wrist. Anson stared at Peter and then at their hands. Neither of them uttered a single word for what felt like hours. Peter immediately let go of Anson’s wrist when the man attempted to break free.

“I can’t ... I can’t do this.”

After that, Anson ran toward his bedroom and shut the door. Peter was too stunned to react for the next several seconds. Then he sighed. He had messed things up. He shouldn’t have forced the issue. He switched off the television before approaching Anson’s bedroom and knocking on the door. Anson didn’t say anything at all.

“Anson, I’m sorry. I’ll be leaving now. Call me up or send me a text message when you’re ready to talk.”

Peter waited for a few seconds, but when there was no response, he decided he should leave. He didn’t want to make the situation even more uncomfortable between him and Anson. He could only hope that Anson would forgive him and give him a chance to work things out between them.