THORN LOVE

Helpless heart

As Mile predicted, there was no answer when he tried to call Porsche. He slumped over the table, feeling defeated, and closed his eyes. Ten minutes later, he tries calling him again. "It's the last time," he muttered to himself, just as the phone rang. If Porsche didn't pick up this time, he was going to assume he didn't want to talk and stop calling. To his surprise, Porsche answered instead.

"Hi there," Porsche greets cheerfully.

"Thank god, you are okay," Mile said with relief in his voice. "Where are you now?"

"I'm in my office. I...,"

"I will be there. Don't go anywhere," Mile ends the call abruptly. In a hurry, he grabbed his keys and bolted out of the office, accidentally colliding with Lin.

"Easy. Where you going to?" Lin asked.

"Later. I got to go. Bye," Mile left in a hurry without answering his question. He only had one thing on his mind, seeing Porsche and making sure he was alright.

Lin stood frozen, staring at the spot where his friend had vanished in the blink of an eye. "He is no friend, definitely, and he is in love......oh my, the married man," Lin gasped as his mind played out at the thought. "He said he was not," he muttered to himself, hoping to believe it.

***

Mile felt his heart racing in his chest as he approached Porsche's office, adrenaline coursing through his veins; the anticipation of seeing him was overwhelming. The moment he entered, Porsche greeted him with a warm smile. He couldn't think. His mind was a void, and he yearned to wrap his arms around him, to reassure himself that he was not a figment of his imagination.

"Hey," Porsche said as he got to his feet and headed toward Mile.

Mile hurried to him and squeezed him in a tight hug. Porsche was momentarily unsure of what to do, but then reciprocated the hug.

"Don't ever disappear on me again. Don't you ever dare. Do you hear me? Don't you dare!" Mile said, embracing him firmly.

He held him tightly for nearly a minute before releasing him and locking eyes. "Don't do that again.You scared me," Miles said. Seeing him again after two weeks was like a burst of sunshine on a cloudy day. "I thought you didn't want to see me anymore..... I thought you were ignoring me," his fear was palpable in his trembling voice. Even though he felt uncertain, he couldn't contain his happiness upon seeing him again.

Porsche was at a loss for words and stood there, bewildered. He felt guilty when he saw the worried look on Mile's face. He didn't mean to ignore him; he was just feeling too drained to engage in conversation.

"No..no...no its not like that," Porsche said reassuringly. "I wasn't....I didn't mean to I swear....I'm sorry, okay? Sorry,"

Breathing deeply, Mile feels a weight lifted off his shoulders. As he looked at Porsche, he noticed he didn't look healthy either; he appeared thinner than the last time he saw him. "Tell me if you need space or you don't want to talk. Don't just disappear like that again. I was worried....you know,"

"Sorry. I just had a lot on my mind lately. It won't happen again," Porsche apologized again. "How can I make it up to you?"

Mile can't help but feel overwhelmed with emotion as he stands before him, and he pulls him into a tight hug. "Happy to see you again," Mile breathed out, feeling the tension leave his body.

Once more, Porsche was caught off guard, leaving him unable to react or respond.

After realizing what he was doing, Mile let go of him immediately. Embarrassed, he scratched the back of his neck and looked away.