Closeted freshman student, Aries Buan, falls in love with his senior after getting partnered with him during their freshman orientation. Afraid to admit his feelings, he kept his emotion in check and watched his first love from afar, swearing to him...
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THE ROOM BECOMES SUFFOCATINGLY quiet that I don't even notice that I have been holding my breath the entire time. Everyone just stares at us, their expressions almost completely unreadable. I can't tell if they're just shocked, confused, or disgusted. But what I do know is that Mr. Anthony Buan is not gonna let this matter go lightly.
"A-Aries...what are you talking about?" Aunt Ana asks as she looks at both of us with her eyes furrowed.
Aries swallows the lump in his throat and squeezes my hand even tighter as he answers, "Dom is my boyfriend. We've been together for over a month now, but I've liked him even longer than that."
"So you're saying that—"
"Yes, Mom," Aries says, and the words he's been keeping all this time finally come out of his mouth. I felt so scared yet proud that a tear instantly fell from my own eyes when I heard him say it out loud.
"I'm gay," he reveals. "I've liked men for as long as I can remember. I'm sorry," he then apologizes, and Aunt Ana instantly starts crying. I'm not sure if she's crying because she's disappointed or because Aries feels the need to apologize because he's gay. But I want to be optimistic and say that it's the latter part.
"She's gonna accept him. She's gonna accept him," I repeatedly say, almost like a desperate prayer.
"Oh, Aries...my sweet boy," Aunt Ana says as she wipes her tears with her handkerchief. She then walked towards Aries, and for a second, I got scared because I thought she might end up slapping him too like what their father did to me. But to both of our surprise, Aunt Ana reaches out to give Aries a tight embrace, making me let go of Aries's hand so the two of them can have their moment together.
"Don't apologize," she tells him. "I've failed as a mother because you had the need to apologize for something like this. I'm sorry, Aries. I'm so sorry."
Aries's eyes are wide in shock, dumbfounded by the fact his mother hugged him despite what he said. But I guess I've already expected the response from her. Anastasia Buan looks gentle and kind, and the aura around her just radiates with so much love. I'm glad this is how she took the news.
"Thank you, Mom," Aries says as Aunt Ana pulls away from him.
Arthur smiles brightly, glad his brother can finally put down the biggest load he's been carrying on his back. Apollo, on the other hand, is still left speechless. He's obviously surprised about this, and you can tell that he wasn't able to put the puzzle pieces together in the past, unlike Art. He was not mad, though, just confused.
I guess since Apollo has his own burdens as the eldest, so he hasn't been able to pay much attention. But I can tell he regrets it by the way he looks at Aries. There's this regret in his eyes and then a sudden realization. It's almost like he finally realized something about his brother.
But of course, every good thing has its bad. Unlike Art and Aunt Ana's reaction, Anthony Buan's take on this matter was totally different.
"Dad..." Aries calls out as he faces his father next.
