The two men stared at each other as Lom’s phone began to ring. He answered.

“Hello...Yes, he told me…We’ll be there…okay, goodbye.” Lom smiled at Fah. “At least we don’t have to face him alone,” he said. Both of them began laughing. “Shit…” Lom looked at Fah. “What are we going to do? What are we going to tell him?”

“Tell him we’re a couple,” said Fah. Lom shook his head no. 

“We can’t be a couple, I’m sorry,” said Lom. Fah appeared as if he’d been punched in the gut; his face became pale and his eyes were glassy.

“Why not?” Fah’s voice cracked.  

“Fah, you’re being prepared to do good things. You’re smart and have a bright future in front of you. Even if Dad stops paying for school, I know you could get a scholarship, or work and put yourself through school. You don’t need the family anymore. I can’t change what I’m doing. Working for Dad I make more money than I could anywhere else. I only finished high school; I’m not going to drag you down. Plus, you don’t have our last name. The moment people see my name they think mafia. You don’t have that stigma. I love you too much to ruin your life."

“Fuck you, Lom! You say you love me, but you don’t let me do any thinking for myself. You don’t let me make any choices regarding my own life. You make one choice and it’s to break my heart and leave me by myself? I don’t need school. I need to be with you!”

“Fah, you’re not thinking straight. You have a lot to think about now; you just realized you’re gay. It’s common for people of any gender to think they’re in love with the first person they have sex with. You can’t say you love me because we had sex. In the past two days you’ve been to a brothel, had your first kiss with a stranger, had sex with me, got dumped by your girlfriend, were outed to the family, you’re facing losing your home and school, and now you have to see Ton. That’s a lot for anyone.”

“I’m not denying a lot has happened. Most people don’t have to meet with a mob boss as a result of coming out,” laughed Fah. “Everything you said was true except that part where I love you because we had sex. I know the sex was good, but do you think that you’re so incredible in bed that it convinced me I love you? Because yes, I wanted you. You’re great in bed, at least I think so, even though I have no one to compare you to. My feelings for you have been building over the years. My love for you isn’t just based on sex. Let me ask you, do you love me?” 

“Fah, I love being with you. I love hanging out with you, I missed that. I love the person you are – you’re always kind and honorable. I love talking with you and sex with you is fantastic. As far as being in love with you? I’d need more time to date you to be sure. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to be honest,” said Lom, feeling horrible as he said it.

“Oh,” said Fah. “I’m sorry. I should have asked about this before we had sex. I guess even though we’ve known each other all these years you still don’t know if you could love me. Probably you never saw anything in me that made you feel that way. Good to know.” Fah slipped his shoes on as he spoke and sprinted out the door. 

“Fuck!” Lom didn’t know what to do. Should he chase Fah? Should he leave? Should he wait for Fah to return? He didn’t have a key to the condo so if he left and couldn’t find him, he might not be able to get back inside. He didn’t want to leave things this way. Especially not when they had to appear in front of their father tomorrow. He decided to clean the apartment to release his stress. 

Four hours later Fah had still not returned. Lom tried calling him again but Fah’s phone was still off. He decided to make dinner. They could talk after eating, that should make them calmer. He chopped vegetables and cut up meat. He sliced chilis and green onions for a garnish as the meal cooked. He plated the food, set it on the table, and waited. 

Two more hours passed. It was now dark outside yet Fah’s phone remained off. Lom decided to eat alone. He finished, wrapped Fah’s food, and put it in the fridge. He did the dishes and sat on the couch. One of his favorite movies was on TV but he couldn't concentrate, he kept looking out the window hoping to see Fah.

At 2 a.m. Lom woke to the sound of his phone ringing. The caller ID said it was Fah. Finally!

“Fah?” 

“No. Lom? It’s Mek.”

“Mek? What are you doing with Fah’s phone? Where is he?”

“He’s here with me.” Immediately Lom felt jealous. “I ran into him at the bar.”

“He went back to the bar?”

“Yeah, he said he wanted to have sex with another guy so he could stop thinking about you. It wasn’t the best pick-up line,” said Mek. “What happened between you two?”

“Oh, it’s a long story. Is he there?” 

“Yes, but he’s finally asleep. That’s the only way I could get his phone and turn it on. He refused to call you or give me your number.”

“I’ll come get him and bring him home. Thanks for calling me.”

“Oh, it’s okay. You can wait until morning. As I said, he finally just fell asleep.”

“But we have to…”

“Be at your father’s place tomorrow,” said Mek. “I know, he told me everything. I’ll have him up and showered so you can come get him. I think if you wake him up now, he might go back to being miserable and awake, and believe me, you don’t want to listen to that.”

“Okay, thanks. Was he that bad?”

“He alternated between crying your name and cursing you, then asking for sex. It was like sitting with a three-headed dog,” laughed Mek. “It took me forever to get him out of the bar. Let me go, I need to get some sleep myself; I just didn’t want you to worry.”

“Thanks, Mek. I appreciate it.” Lom hung up. Knowing Fah was okay and asleep at Mek’s made him relax a little, but he still felt anxious not having Fah with him. He turned off the lights and went to bed. 

His alarm went off at 6 AM but it seemed only seconds since he had closed his eyes. He jumped up, showered, and dressed in clothes he thought his father would like. He packed his stuff and took it down to his SUV. He called Fah’s phone but Mek answered. 

“Hey Lom, he’s in the shower. You might want to bring him some new clothes. His outfit had beer spilled all over it and it stinks.”

“Okay, thanks again. I’ll grab some and be there soon. Do you want me to bring you anything?”

“A coffee. Iced coffee and make sure it’s sweet please.” 

Lom was knocking on Mek's door 30 minutes later. Mek hadn’t told Fah that Lom was on the way – he wanted to avoid a fight. 

“Who’s that?” asked Fah.

“That should be my coffee delivery,” said Mek. He opened the door and let Lom in. Lom handed him his coffee.

“Lom!” Fah’s voice was angry. 

“Don’t worry, I have clean clothes for you to wear and I brought you an iced coffee as well.” He held both items out. Fah grabbed the coffee, took a sip, put it down, grabbed his clothes, and went into the bedroom.  Turning to Mek he asked, “Did Fah get sick last night? How drunk was he?”

“No, he didn’t get sick. He wasn’t drunk, just angry and heartbroken. I think you might have been a little too blunt with him.”

“I had to be. We have to face my dad today and he wanted to announce that we’re a couple.”

“And you don’t want to be?” asked Mek.

“I didn’t say that. I said I needed to date him more before I could say that I loved him and wanted to be a couple.”

“Poor kid.”

“Wait, you’re taking his side? How am I wrong?”

“You’re not wrong. Neither is he. No one can tell you that your feelings are wrong; they’re your feelings. I understand how he feels and I also see your side. You’re being pragmatic and cautious so as not to hurt him. He’s following his heart. Did you know he’s been in love with you since middle school? He has diaries filled with entries of everything you did or said each day and his art project at university this year was a portrait of you. He finished it a few months ago.”

“Really? He never told me.”

“And you never asked. You told him he couldn’t love you, that he only thought he loved you because you had sex. You never let him tell you about his love for you.” Mek spoke calmly as if explaining something to a child.

“Yes, Yoda. I should have listened more and not jumped to conclusions.” The sound of the bedroom door opening made them both turn their heads. Fah was dressed, and with his hair styled, he looked like a model. Lom noticed the bed looked as if it had been in a hurricane with the duvet on the ground and the sheets hanging off. 

“Wow, look at this guy! You clean up nice Fah!” Mek’s compliment made Fah smile. “I’ll walk you two out, I have to run an errand anyway. Do you have your phone and other clothes, Fah?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Fah waved the phone in the air before sticking it in his pants pocket. Mek handed him a plastic bag and he put his dirty clothes in it. He picked up his coffee and followed Lom outside. The three of them walked to Lom’s SUV. Lom hugged Mek and thanked him for his help, then went around to the driver’s side and got in. Fah got in the passenger side and put the window down. Mek leaned in the window. 

“You two have a safe drive and good luck with your father today.” 

“Thanks,” they said in unison.

Fah leaned out his window and hugged Mek. He let go but kept his hands on Mek’s shoulders. “Mek, thanks for talking to me last night. I needed someone, and you were there. Thanks also for having sex with me so I know if I fall in love with everyone I have sex with.” Fah sat back in the car. Mek’s face turned red. He waved goodbye as he walked away from the SUV.  Lom’s head snapped left.