- SEQUEL TO NAIR IN THE UNDERWORLD-
"I felt like I wanted to live every time I was with you."
...
In which Raphael, who dreams of a quiet life, tutors Junya Park for a recommendation letter.
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"Where have you been? What's wrong with your phone? Are you okay? Two weeks, Raphael!"
"I know," Raphael smiled softly towards a frantic Sabrina and uncharacteristically quiet Yohan. "I just went to spend some time with family. I guess I ended up getting overwhelmed."
"That's pretty normal," Yohan spoke wrapping an arm around Raphael's shoulder. "If you need anything, I got you."
Raphael simply nodded thinking about how he'd have to clear his dorm room, locker, everything. His time in Boston was about to end and it felt bittersweet.
Graduation was already the week after.
"Raphael."
Sabrina scoffed, "bitch, you better get away from me because I've been looking for you to rock your world."
"I'm not here for you Sabrina. I came to talk to Raphael."
"You want to talk to who?! Fuc-"
"Sure. Let's talk Brielle." ...
Raphael and Brielle saw on a bench on the outside area.
Raphael wondered when the air started to get chilly. Whilst he was spending time with Junya, his days felt warmer. He didn't even notice autumn had come around again.
Even when he wanted everything to stay still, time was still going forward. Unforgivingly so.
"I'm sorry for what happened that day. I must've been out of my mind," Brielle tried explaining. "That whole thing unraveled in a way I didn't mean it to."
"Were you being honest when you said that you love me?"
"Yes."
Brielle was always scared that her relationship with Raphael would change if she was honest about her feelings. It had started as a passing crush in high school but then, they got close and her feelings grew.
The lines between the affection she had for her friend and a person she wanted to be her lover blurred for Brielle.
She was able to manage her emotions when Raphael was with other girls because, he didn't love them. It was clearly just to pass time, he wasn't serious about them. He barely spent more than a month with any of them.
But, with Junya it was different.
He hadn't even defined the relationship with this random kid he was befriending through a program but, his actions were so clear. He looked at him like he was something magical. He treasured the time they spent to pgether. He talked about him so fondly.
