The Code of Aries ?

(50) Truth or Dare

"You know, I've always wanted to say something..." I decide to say, making everyone turn to me.

I finished the alcohol in my bottle before turning my head to Luke, whose cheeks were now red too, because of the amount of alcohol he had drunk.

Luke looks back at me, and then I take a deep breath and finally ask him, "What's your problem with me, Luke Anderson Padilla? Every time you see me, you have this disgusted look on your face. Since we're already here, and since we're already opening up to each other, tell me your reason so we can finally get this issue settled. Come on, tell me."

Everyone looks at Luke as he starts playing with the sand. Even his friends were encouraging him to speak up.

"This is bullshit," Luke then says as he stands from his seat. We all thought that he'd walk away and just leave, but to my surprise, he stopped himself and went back to his seat instead.

Luke grabs another beer bottle and chugs it down, probably to gain strength from the alcohol. "I'm only saying this once because I'm tired of sharing this story with others," Luke says, hinting that his friends already heard of this too, which could be the reason why they're encouraging him to speak up.

"When I was in high school, I had a gay teacher who made me feel uncomfortable. He would sometimes touch my shoulder and back when we were in class, which I thought wasn't a big deal. But then he started messaging me. I thought he'd fail me, so I replied to him most of the time. I guess I also thought we were just having a friendly conversation, but I was wrong. There was this instance when he offered to drive me home since it was raining heavily and most of the roads were already flooded. I thought he was just being nice, but this fucker drove me to a motel," Luke shares, surprising all of us.

"He was talking about how we have to stay there and wait for the flood to subside, but as a fourteen-year-old kid, I already knew what he wanted to do to me. So with all my strength, I jumped off his car and ran away in the rain," Luke explains further before turning to look at me.

"I know I've been an ass to you, Dom. As fucked up as it is, when I heard you're gay and that you're studying to become a teacher, I couldn't help but remember that person. I know I shouldn't generalize it, but...I'm sorry," Luke then says, making me release a breath before giving him a soft smile.

Well, what do I even say after that?

Some might think that I should scold him and tell him that not everyone is like that teacher, but I don't think that's the best approach. I'm not saying that his story validates the hurtful things he has said to me, but as the bigger person, I should just understand his side. At least with Luke, he knows that he's wrong. We can slowly work this out in the future.

"I guess you're not as much of an asshole as I thought you were," I say as I show him my beer bottle. Luke stares at it, but soon after, he shows me his, and the two of us clunk the air before taking a sip of our drink as a sign of truce.

The group cheers again. And Ash pats my back while Aries smiles at me proudly.

The night continued, and everyone loosened up after the sudden open-sharing. We drank the rest of the night away, and when midnight came, everyone got too drunk and went to bed. Some didn't even have the strength to go back to their rooms, so there were a few guys who slept in the pool instead.

Thanks to my job in the Red Light Bar, I was just tipsy than a full-blown drunk. So before going to bed, I decided to sit near the beach to sober up a little, my feet just inches away from the shore. I close my eyes, enjoying the sound of the waves and the cold wind blowing on me. But as I enjoy the peaceful moment, someone suddenly sits beside me. I don't know how it's possible, but with my eyes closed, I already know who it is just by the way they sit and the way they move close to me.

A smile immediately appears on my face as I reach out to touch this intruder's hand. When I felt them holding it back, I finally opened my eyes to face him.

"You're not tired yet?" I ask Aries, reaching out to tuck his hair behind his ear.

Aries shakes his head before lying on the sand. I look down at him and lean forward to kiss him. But when our lips were only a few inches away from each other, I blew on his eyes instead, instantly making Aris hit me.

I laugh as I lay beside him. With our hands still intertwined with each other, the two of us stare at the stars in the sky as we try to connect them to form an image.

"Babe, look, that one looks like a bear," Aries points out while tracing the stars with his index finger, making me chuckle.

"It actually does look like one," I answer before turning to the bright moon just above us.

"It's in its waxing gibbous phase, just like the first time you visited our house," I say as I point at the moon this time, and Aries reaches out to my hand, pulling it towards his lips to kiss it.

I turn my head as we stare into each other, his eyes almost as bright and as breathtaking as the stars.

"You know, what you said earlier made me fall in love with you all over again. You really do have your way with words," Aries whispers as he touches my lower lip with his slender finger.

"I love you," I whisper back in reply. "And when the time comes, I'll be able to make everyone hear it out loud. But for now, as long as you know that I love you, this is enough for me."

Aries moves closer to finally give me a soft kiss on my lips. "When I'm ready, will you be able to fight with me?" he then asks.

"I'll even fight the world if I have to," I truthfully answer, and Aries smiles before leaning close so he can rest his head on my chest.

"That's a dare, then."

end.