“Then what do you want?” I asked, my heart pounding. “You say you want me, but you won’t let go of your picture-perfect life. I can’t keep being your dirty little secret.

His brow furrowed, and spoke sharply with a clenched jaw, "Do you even hear how selfish you sound right now?"

"Selfish? Huh... That's rich coming from you."

He stepped back as if I had slapped him. “You don’t understand. I’m under so much pressure. My family, my job — they all expect me to be this... guy. But behind closed doors, when it’s just us… it’s everything I want.”

“And yet you still keep me hidden!” I shot back, my voice rising. “It’s not fair to me, and it’s not fair to her.”

“I know," he admitted, running his hand over his stubbled chin.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, glancing around the room as if searching for the right words.

With a deep breath, he stuffed his hand back in his pocket. Frustration carved into his face. “But I can’t just turn my back on everything I’ve built. I want you… but I don’t know how to have both.”

“You can’t have your cake and eat it too,” I said firmly, the tears stinging my eyes. “I can’t keep doing this, Gunner!” I shouted, my voice raw with frustration. “You have to stop pretending like we don’t exist!”

Gunner's jaw clenched once again, his bright brown eyes narrowing. “I’m not pretending! You don’t understand what it’s like for me. You don’t know what I risk every time I’m with you.”

“Risk?” I laughed bitterly.

At that moment, the dam broke. We fought, words like knives, cutting deeper than either of us intended. I wanted him to understand, to see the damage that was done.

“You think you’re the only one at risk here? I’m the one wearing my heart on my sleeve. While you hide in the shadows like a fucking pussy!”

His face flushed, and in a moment of fury, he shoved me back, causing me to stumble slightly.

“Watch it!” I snapped, but he didn’t back down... “Do it again, pussy! Show me just how much you don’t care!” My words seemed to ignite something in him, and he stepped forward, shoving me even harder.

This time, I caught my balance and shoved back. But he didn’t move an inch due to his obvious strength advantage over me. With a sudden, violent motion, he shoved a chair next to him away, the wood scraping against the floor as it toppled over.

“You think you can just demand that I fucking change everything? You think love can fix this? This is not some gay-ass fairytale where everyone would cheer us on as we hold hands and walk into the sunset!"

"Gay-ass? You're gay too just so you know, by putting your cock inside of me right after you ate my ass saying that it taste sooo fucking good —" Gunner's fist interrupted my nasty speech.

Adrenaline flowed through my body, making me feel nothing but a slight sting on my face. I did a quick jab to his jaw, which startled him. He staggered back to balance. Rage painted all over his face; he charged forward, tackling me against the bar counter, the clatter of cups and the thud of our bodies reverberating through the space. We grappled, our breaths heavy and ragged. Each punch was less about pain and more about release—years of love and frustration pouring out in a tempest of emotion.

"Fucking faggot!" I shouted, struggling to break free, knowing too well that it would only fuel his anger even more.

The fight was raw and messy, each bruise a testament to our struggle. We paused for a moment, chests heaving, locked in a stare that held both fury and an undeniable connection. As our rage began to wane, the bar fell back into its quiet stillness, leaving only the sound of our laboured breaths and the distant hum of the bar fridge. At that moment, surrounded by the remnants of the fight, we both knew we loved each other fiercely, even amid the chaos and with my back still against the counter.

As I caught my breath, staring into his fiery eyes. I could feel the heat radiating off his skin, the adrenaline coursing through my veins combining with something deeper, something I couldn’t quite shake.

“Is this what you wanted?” He spat, his voice rough. “To get your ass kicked?”

"You swing like a child!” I blurted out, wiping the back of my hand across my bleeding lips. “Is that all you’ve got, or are you just saving the best for your next pathetic excuse for a fight?”

His expression gradually morphed into a sly smirk. I couldn’t help but admire the way his eyes lit up with mischief.

“At least I’m not some sissy pretending to be tough. You think you can scare me with those pathetic little jabs? You’re all bark and no bite.”

Just as the words left his mouth, something changed in the air between us... The tension, once electric and fused with anger, shifted into something more dangerous. My heart was pounding in my chest.

“You’re full of shit,” I challenged the edge of my voice softened by the heat rising between us.

“Am I?” he shot back, his voice low and teasing.

Before I knew it, he grabbed my shirt and pulled me closer to his bruised face. Our lips collided, hard and fervent, a mix of teeth and breath that still carried the tension from our fight. The taste of sweat and anger blended together as we kissed, each movement fueling the fire we had just let loose.

“Is this what you wanted?” I repeated him against his lips, the words dripping with taunting venom. “A fight with your mouth instead of your fists?”

He chuckled darkly, his breath warm inside my mouth. “Maybe it is. Maybe I just wanted to see if you could handle more than just a punch.”

With each insult, each biting word, the fire between us only intensified. The bar faded away—our surroundings, the mess of broken glasses—everything blurred into oblivion. All that remained was the taste of our anger and love, combined into a single, reckless kiss that both terrified and exhilarated me.

“Guess you’re not such a terrible fighter after all,” He murmured, his forehead resting against mine as we finally pulled apart, both of us still panting.

“Don’t get used to it. I still think that it can't go on like this.” I shot back, a grin breaking across my face despite the sting in the corner of my lips.

I could only laugh. At that moment, I knew that this was just the beginning.

"Yeah... Me too..." He whispered in my ear before he playfully nipped it between his teeth.