Isak pushed his wine glass and empty plate away. “In my first semester at university, we had this old professor who taught ‘Traditional Drawing’. Everybody loved the guy. He was talented, supportive, sweet, and funny. I really sucked at drawing, so he used to stay back in the evenings to give me extra lessons. Soon enough, I started seeing him as a ‘father figure’. My own parents died, so I guess I was subconsciously looking for replacements."

Isak’s face darkens, and his fingers dig into the carpet beneath him; his icy blue irises reflect the red flames of the fire. An uneasiness forms in Ethan’s stomach, nearly making him regret asking such a question. As the awkward silence drags on, his brows furrow, and he almost tells Isak to forget he said anything.

“One evening during one of his extra lessons, he forced himself onto me... I didn’t see it coming. I was so shocked, and my whole body froze up. I couldn’t say a damn thing. I didn’t even fight back once as he raped me on his desk...”

Each sentence was like a knife piercing and twisting Ethan’s heart. He always saw Isak as someone sheltered and unaware of the horrors of the world. Never would he have imagined that the man he loved so dearly would have endured so much suffering.

“I am so sorry, Isak...”

“By the time I realized what happened, it was too late...” Isak continued with a defeated look on his face.

“Did you tell anyone...?”

“Of course not. Nobody would have believed me. I blamed myself for what happened that day. I told myself that I was responsible because I didn’t say no. But in reality, it wouldn’t have mattered. He saw how scared and disgusted I was. He knew I didn’t want it, but he did it anyway. I thought I’d just forget it ever happened until one night at a restaurant, I saw him enjoying dinner with his wife and three kids. That’s when I decided he was going to pay for what he did to me.”

The air in the room seemed to grow heavier with each passing second. Ethan felt ill, but at the same time, he was curious to know about Isak’s past. To know the parts of him that no amount of stalking could expose. Isak paused and leaned back to bitterly smile at him.

“Do you want to know what I did, Ethan? You’ll never look at me the same way if you do...”

Ethan nodded almost instantly and draped an arm around Isak’s shoulder to urge and comfort him. “I’ll always like you no matter what you’ve done. I won’t tell anyone, I swear.”

“One evening, I covered myself head to toe and waited for him in an alleyway. He took the same route every day, and lucky for me, that particular area was always deserted. No cameras, too,” a grimace forms on Isak’s face as he relives that day. “An hour goes by and I finally see the fucker. Happily walking back from work like he had never done anything wrong.”

Ethan gave him his rapt attention and held his breath as he anticipated his next words. Isak went silent and his eyes welled up with tears, but he didn’t allow them to spill. Another painfully long moment of silence passed before he finally revealed the truth.

“When he got closer, I splashed sulfuric acid in his face and ran. He scarred me for life. It was only fair that I did the same.”

Most people would have been horrified after hearing something like that. But Ethan wasn’t like most people. In this moment, all he felt was admiration for Isak and elation for having earned his trust. He had thought of this evening going in so many different ways, but he never expected this. He thought he knew everything about him, but he was wrong; there was still much left to learn about his sweet colleague.

“What happened to him after that?” Ethan asked as he pulled Isak closer to him.

“He became severely disfigured and went blind. He lost everything and eventually killed himself,” Isak squeezed his eyes shut and allowed a few drops of tears to fall. “I’m a monster, Ethan. He may have deserved to suffer, but not like that. I don’t deserve anyone’s forgiveness or love...”

Ethan wiped his tears and pulled him into a consoling hug. “You’re not a monster, Isak. Don’t hate yourself for seeking vengeance. God punished that sinner through you and gave him the fate he deserved. His blood isn’t on your hands.”

“But still... don’t you hate me? Aren’t you appalled by what I did?” Isak asked as he held back more tears.

“Isak... I love you. You couldn’t do anything to make me hate you.”

Isak pulled back from the hug to look at Ethan with widened eyes. They were still holding on to each other, and their faces were merely a few inches apart now. Ethan couldn’t hold his gaze for long, so he turns his head away in embarrassment. He knew he had to confess his love for him at some point tonight, but he hadn’t expected it to be now.

“I love you too, Ethan... I’ve had a crush on you for months. But I’m surprised you feel the same way about me. I thought you only saw me as a friend...”

“I’m just good at hiding how I really feel. But I won’t hide anything from you anymore. I want you to know me just as much as I know you. Open that gift and see how much I care about you.”

Isak smiled up at him before pulling away and reaching for the gift on the carpet. He placed the box on his lap and started to undo the ribbon. Once the lid was lifted and he peered inside, his body went stiff and his face twisted with bewilderment. Ethan observed his confusion and growing panic with keen interest. Isak reached in and pulled out a fistful of photographs and flipped through them one by one. Many silent minutes carried on as Isak scoured through the pictures, each one dated and titled, and all of them were of him.

“My secret is that I stalk people I love. And I’ve had my eye on you for a long time,” Ethan gently laid his hands on his shoulders.

Isak’s face had gone pale, and he remained as still as stone. A thousand photographs were now strewn around him, all of which were taken over the course of seven months. Most of the photos showed Isak in his most intimate moments: sleeping, showering, changing clothes, and masturbating. The others were of him doing mundane activities such as shopping at the grocery store. In his hands, Isak now held the first photo that was taken of him: a late afternoon setting in which he was returning home from his first day of work as a teacher.

“What are you going to do to me...?” whispered Isak with his head tilted down in fear.

“Keep you with me forever, of course,” Ethan said softly before hugging him from behind. “I’m so glad you love me too, sweetheart.”

“Is this why you told me not to bring my phone...? You’re kidnapping me?”

“Yes,” Ethan whispered in Isak’s ear as his hands began to roam his body. “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you. I promise.”

“Ethan, please don’t do this...! You could go to jail...! Just let me leave, and I won’t tell anyone about this,” Isak pleaded in a desperate attempt to make him see reason.

“Isak, do you know why dogs and humans have the perfect relationship?” asked Ethan as he fondled Isak’s chest with both hands and starts kissing his neck. “Dogs are lesser than humans. They were bred to be subservient and meet the demands of man. They will unconditionally love their master and remain loyal until the very end because their survival depends on it. It’s a beautiful symbiotic relationship, only made possible through an imbalance of power. That’s all I want for us, Isak. The perfect relationship.”

Isak suddenly jerks out of his grasp and violently punches him in the face. He quickly bolts to the front door and reaches for the lock. Ethan reels from the blow but ignores the pain to chase after him. As he approaches the open front door, he spots Isak just a few feet away, sprinting toward the forest.

“Isak! Stop! Come back!” Ethan screamed as the fear of losing his precious prey ripped through him.

“Somebody help! Help me!” Isak cried as he ran into the dark forest and weaved past the tall trees.

Neither of them could see much of their surroundings anymore due to the lack of light. The moon was long lost behind the clouds, and the falling snow obscured what little was visible. Ethan closed the distance between them in no time and pounced on him. Isak tripped and fell to the snowy ground from the force with a blood-curdling scream. He attempted to rise again, but Ethan straddled him and flipped him onto his back. Isak thrashed him, trying his best to escape, but his efforts proved futile. Eventually admitting defeat, his body went limp, and his lips quivered as tears streamed down his face. Ethan instinctively grinned while panting for air, his hands becoming fists around Isak’s wrists until they bruise.

“Let’s go home, sweetheart...”