||Wattys 2022 Shortlist||
Kian Advani was a closeted queer in his high school. Always in denial of his true feelings and emotions. So much so that he did everything to blend in with the rest of the straight crowd. But that didn't mean he wasn't att...
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One week and a day later Kian was back at Club Ricardo's.
It had been exactly the same time period since he last saw Enzo. So, how did he end up here again?
It took a lot of courage and one unexpected invite.
Totally unexpected.
***
There's nothing more scary than confronting the remnant of one's mistakes but it was also very much necessary. If not for Enzo then definitely for Kian's own conscience. He was unable to function with the heavy weight of regret on his chest more so when Enzo wasn't giving any surprise visits to his workplace.
Kian figured since he was the one who messed up their friendship, he might as well take full responsibility for it and have closure once and for all. If this was their ending, he at least wanted to own up his side of blows to it.
So, after some encouragement and delusional possibilities from Audrey, Kian ended up sending an awkward text to Enzo. And to his worst nightmare, it was left on read for most of the day.
Hey Enz, I know you must think of me as an asshole, always sabotaging our friendship. If possible, can you forget about the kiss. I was doped to my brains. The point is - it was a mistake, Enz. The one I regret from the bottom of my heart. If by any miracle you happen to forget the exact moment I messed up, can we be friends again?
His finger hovered over the send button and before he chickened out, he pressed it. He chucked the cellphone aside and sat down on the floor leaning his head against the corner of his bed.
There were only a few moments in his life which made him feel like his existence was utter chaos. One of those moments was when he came out to his parents and his dad looked at him like he was a stranger to his own father and second was when he saw the look on Enzo's face.
Two hours passed with him sitting on the floor, with a hand propped on the knee of one leg, a joint between his trembling fingers and other leg stretched out while his head lay on the bed, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. He was patiently waiting for a reply.
Every so often his phone did vibrate with Kian instantly jumping to check them but they turned out to be meaningless notifications. Eventually, he silenced his phone and pocketed it, cementing his resolve to not open it unless the world was falling apart.
When he got to work after a string of lectures, he busied himself in taking orders and brewing coffee, trying to stay as far away from Simone as possible. Simone had an uncanny way of knowing when something bothered him and he really had no answers to offer.
"What's the matter with you Kian? You look awfully distracted today." Simone said as he leaned over the counter while Kian was wiping off the coffee spills which his disoriented self had caused. "I can't believe you just did that."
