With the end of the school year approaching, the students were restless. They started to plan the activities they will do during the few months of vacation. While some planned outdoor activities, others preferred staying in the city or at home for an endless amount of parties. For Malak and his friends, it was not different. They were already discussing the activities and trips they would do. 

“What about the beach?” Kayla proposed. “I need some sun.” 

“Oh, I like that!” Enrico snapped his fingers before pointing at his friend. 

Malak nodded. “Me too!” 

“What about we spend a week there? Can we rent an apartment or something like that for cheap?” Enrico suggested as Kayla fished her phone out from her jeans.

“I suppose it’ll depend on where we want to go,” she mumbles as she stares at the screen. 

“What are our choices?” Malak asked as he leaned toward her. 

“Sunshine Cove or Orves de la Mer…” she trailed. “Yeah, those look like the best ones, and there are beach houses to rent.”

Kayla put down her phone, so everyone could see the screen. The three of them discussed the pros and cons of the idea. They also recommended other propositions like camping, obstacle courses in the trees, road trips and so on. In the end, they had so many options that they ended up in square one. Unable to choose their favourite, they argued on which one they should do. 

“I think the beach is the best,” Enrico stated, unwilling to compromise. 

“But if we go camping, we can do it near a lake. We could both camp and have fun in the water,” Kayla retorted. “It’s so much more diversified. 

“But it’s not the same as going to the beach!” 

“You just want to see girls in bikinis,” she muttered while rolling her eyes. 

“Why are you even opposing me right now? The beach was your idea!” 

“Because I have never been camping before, and it sounds like fun! We can do so much more than going to the beach only.” 

“I hate mosquitoes. I refuse to go camping because of that,” Enrico pouted as Kayla sighed. 

“Is there a beach where we could camp outside? Is that allowed?” Malak asked as both his friends were now staring at him. 

“You're a genius!” 

“My Savior!” 

Both Kayla and Enrico exclaimed together. With finally everyone at a consensus, they could finally continue their planning. They only could do so much research by the end of the day. They still needed their parents' approval and help to complete the remaining steps. But they were not in a rush. Although summer vacation was the hot topic, they still had a month and a half of school left. The hardest part was the finals. If they want to go to the beach and graduate, they'll need to pass all their exams. No one could slack off or they would be left behind and suffer through summer classes. 

"Should we go just with the three of us?" Kayla asked as they walked to their next class. 

"I could ask my sister and her friends," Malak proposed as Enrico smiled with his thumbs up. 

"The more the merrier right?" 

"Great!" the red-haired girl agreed joyously before sighing. "I wish I had a boyfriend. It would have been a nice date. Don't you agree?" 

Malak’s step faltered for a second but quickly regained his composure. Doubts crept their way up. Malak was certain they didn't know his sexual orientation. But somehow, he had to convince himself that his friends still believed he was dating a girl. She wanted him to admit it and reveal her identity. 

“Haha,” Malak laughed to relieve his pent-up anxiety. “It's a shame that you don't have a boyfriend,” he added, hoping that he didn't sound too weird. 

“All the guys will run away before she could talk to one of them,” Enrico laughed as Kayla punched his arm. “Ouch, that hurt!” 

“Well, you deserve it!” 

With their last class of the day done, the students quickly hurried home. As a Friday, everyone was a lot more excited to leave and enjoy their weekend. 

For Malak, his excitement was at its highest point because he had a date with Kian today. Almost half a year had passed since they started dating. They went on countless dates and were closer than ever. However, they never went past the point of holding hands except for the occasional kiss here and there. It wasn't as if they didn't wish for it, but the timing wasn't right. They wanted to slowly build their relationship. The strangest of it all was the fact that they never talked about it. They knew and respected each other's feelings. 

Today's date differed from all the other ones. Kian invited Malak to come to his house for dinner. Not only Kian will cook, but he will also fetch Malak. It was quite a drive, so the younger man couldn't use public transportation. If Malak ever had doubts about Kian before, it all disappeared. He now fully trusted him. 

Once Lesley and Malak were home, he had little time to clean up and change before Kian arrived. Therefore, he had to quickly take a shower, change and prepare a bag with another set of clothing and other necessities in case he slept at Kian’s house. Malak was so excited to see his boyfriend again that he couldn’t stop smiling during the entire process. He even finished preparing earlier than planned. 

Ready to leave, Malak brought his bag downstairs as he noticed his mother in the kitchen stirring a pot of mouth-watering food. He also noted that his dad wasn’t back from work yet. 

“Leaving soon?” his mother asked as he stepped into the kitchen. 

“Yes,” Malak answered as he looked over his mother’s shoulder to see what she was cooking. He hummed when he saw a pot of red Thailandese curry simmering. “Why must you cook the food I like the most when I’m not here to eat it?” he whined. 

“It is to remind you it is okay to have fun with your friends, but spending time with your family is important too,” she smiled before pouring a spoonful of the curry into a bowl. “Taste it.” 

Taking the bowl, he blew on it carefully before drinking it all. The taste of spices, seafood, and coconut danced on his tongue. “Wow, it’s so good!” 

“I’m glad you think so. If you’re lucky, there may be some left tomorrow,” she said before tasting the curry too. 

She clicked her tongue before rummaging through a shelf. Taking a bottle of soy sauce out, she carefully poured a tablespoon or two into the pot. She stirred it well before tasting it another time. Satisfied with her curry, she closed the lid and when to check on the raw glutinous rice that had been soaking in cold water for a few hours now. 

Before long, a buzz in Malak’s back pocket informed him that Kian arrived. “It’s time. I’ll be back tomorrow!” 

“Have fun! Do you have enough money?” she shouted as she walked out of the kitchen while drying her hands on her apron. 

“Yes, don’t worry.” 

“Alright. If you need anything, call.” 

“I will,” Malak answered while putting on his shoes. “Alright, I’m leaving. Oh! Don’t eat all the curry!” 

Closing the front door behind him, he quickly locked the door. While walking, he fished out his phone to check where Kian was parked. It didn’t take long for him to reach the car. He opened the passenger door and slipped inside. 

“Hello,” Malak greeted with a smile.

“How are you?” Kian answered also with a smile as the car roared to life. 

“Good, but my mom is making red Thai curry. So I really hope what you’re cooking is tastier,” the younger man teased as Kian laughed. 

“No pressure! I’m not sure if it’ll be tastier than your mother’s cooking, but…” 

“But?" 

“It’ll be spicy.” 

It has been a while since they left the city, and they were now in a small town. It almost took an hour of driving to reach Kian’s house. As the sun was already setting, they quickly went inside the cold. Like the exterior, the interior was simply furnished with minimalistic decorations. It was almost sterile and cold.

“I’ll be in the kitchen. Make yourself at home.” 

“Thanks,” Malak answered while looking around as he put his bag in the living room. 

It didn’t take long for him to look at his surroundings. There weren’t many decorations or belongings. Following Kian’s steps, Malak joined him in the kitchen. While the living room was barely decorated, the kitchen was much more lively. The furniture and decorations were all chosen with care and complemented each other. 

“Are you finally willing to tell me what’s on the menu?” Malak asked while looking around on the counter where all the ingredients were displayed. “Fried chicken?” 

“Haha, yes. You got it right. Spicy and super crispy fried chicken,” Kian winked with a smile. 

“I didn’t know you could cook?” 

“Well, it’s a good surprise, isn’t it?” Kian answered as he covered the chicken drumsticks with batter. “Do you want something to drink?” 

“It’s alright. Do you need help?” 

“I’m good, but if it doesn’t bother you to get dirty, why not?” 

Malak smiled and went to wash his hands before standing next to Kian. As he explained what to do, Malak carefully grabbed a drumstick before going through the process of coating the chicken in flour before handing it to Kian, so he can dip it into the batter. With his help, everything went a lot faster and soon they finished frying the last piece of chicken. As Kian was plating up, Malak went to the bathroom to wash his hands. 

As both of them finally sat down in front of each other at the dining table, the smell of the fresh and spicy fried chicken tingled their nostrils. With a smile, Malak carefully grabbed a hot drumstick before sinking his teeth into the crispy skin, but moist and tender flesh of the chicken. Soon, the spices invaded Malak’s taste buds. 

“Do you like it?” Kian asked before grabbing a piece for himself. 

Malak rapidly nodded. “It’s so crispy and just spicy enough to taste the other seasoning!” he answered before taking another bite. “You should open your own fried chicken restaurant. I’ll be coming every day.” 

Kian laughed. “Thank you, I’m glad you like it. But to open my restaurant… That’s a bit…” 

“You should! People would line up for it.” 

They joyfully chatted while eating everything in sight on the table, and soon enough, they emptied every plate except for the bones. Although Malak helped, the cleaning process didn’t get faster since he didn’t know where to put the dishes after drying them with a towel. Eventually, he sorted everything, and the kitchen was spotless once again. 

After that, they also decide to watch a movie. As Malak chose the movie on XilfteN, Kian was preparing a bag of buttered and salted popcorn. There were so many choices that he didn’t know which one to watch. 

“What do you want to watch?” Malak asked Kian once he walked into the living room with a bowl full of fresh popcorn. 

“Mmm, what about random?” he answered as he placed the bowl down. 

“Good idea.” 

Comfortably seated on the sofa in front of the plasma TV, they waited for the movie to start. The beginning of the movie was nothing out of the ordinary. However, as the plot continued to advance, the more Malak couldn’t stop the nerves eating at the bottom of his stomach. 

“Did you see what kind of movie it was?” Malak nervously asked. 

“I’m not sure…” Kian answered as his eyes were still glued to the screen. 

“It looks like a horror movie. C-can we change it?” 

Finally, looking away from the TV, Kian smiled. “Change the movie?” 

“Yes, quickly,” Malak eyed the remote in his boyfriend’s hand. “Something bad will happen soon, quickly!” he added when Kian didn’t move and only laughed. 

“Come on, it was just getting interesting.” 

“Please,” Malak begged with his eyes closed. “I can’t watch horror movies.” 

While Malak had his eyes closed and ears covered by his hands, Kian observed him with a smile. He thought it was cute of him to be so scared at a simple horror movie. He also enjoyed feeling Malak being glued to his side. With one arm pulling Malak to his side, he used the other to diminish the volume. 

“Is it that scary?” Kian whispered into his ear. With his eyes shut and ears covered, Malak nodded. “Nothing’s happening. You can open your eyes now.” 

“I don’t believe you.”  

“Open your eyes.” 

“No,” Malak almost whimpered. 

“Yes, look at me,” Kian gently argued. “Just look at me.” 

It took a while, but Malak eventually slowly opened his eyes. No matter how long it took, Kian patiently waited for him until they were staring at each other. Slowly, he also replaced Malak’s hands, so he was the one to lovingly hold his face. 

“See, it’s not that bad.” 

It didn’t even take a second before Malak got startled by a woman's scream. The screech was so loud, even at the low volume setting. Before he could go back into his shell, Kian tilted his head and gently pushed their lips together. 

For Malak, it was like someone had splashed him with iced water. He couldn’t move or breathe. Because of fear, all his senses were heightened. It was like every nerve in his body was concentrated in his lips. Although there was no tongue involved, it felt like fireworks were shooting in the background. It felt right. He didn’t want him to pull away, ever. Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed at his head. It was almost like his brain was pinched before a numbing sensation invaded everything. When Kian pulled away, the feeling worsened. He felt his consciousness drift away while his body became lighter. 

When Malak laid limply in his arms, Kian kept calling his name while shaking his shoulders occasionally. As suddenly as he fainted, he came back to his senses. However, he was acting drunk and kept slurring. 

“Why did you stop?” Malak asked as he wrapped his arms around Kian’s neck. 

Kian placed the back of his palm against Malak’s forehead. “You don’t feel feverish.” 

“I’m not sick,” Malak swatted his lover’s hand away. “But I have been dreaming a lot about that world where horned people live. There are also some with animal ears and tail!” he rambled while chuckling and imitating cat ears with his hand. “There is that enormous castle and an impressive wedding! Everything was so beautiful and elegant, but the pieces of jewellery were so heavy.” 

“What else do you remember?” Kian asked, hopeful. 

“Not much, but I always feel nostalgic when I wake up… Yeah…” Tears slid down his cheeks as he sniffled. “I don’t know why I’m crying,” he tried to wipe away the unending tears. 

Kian took Malak into his arms as he tried to console him. “Don’t fight it. You’ll understand everything soon.” 

“But it’s so painful. Can’t I just forget?” the younger man sobbed in his boyfriend’s chest. 

“Do you really want to forget?” the pain in Kian’s voice was heartbreaking. 

Malak tensed before shaking his head that was still resting on Kian’s chest. “I don’t want to, but the pain, will it ever go away?” 

“There is a way, but you’re not ready for it. Everything will become clearer with time.” 

Malak grabbed Kian’s shirt. “Please, I trust you.”