hooked | brightwin

twenty-two

win's mother pushes two bowls of fried rice to bright and his son, her gaze warm and in bright's thoughts, non-threatening. win fumbles with the utensils, his eyes locked at the plate while bright shoves spoonfuls of rice in his mouth.

"your cooking really is the best, auntie," bright says, trying to light up the surrounding but win's mother only gives him a smile and nods. sadness eats him up, and he's guilty for some reason. now he knows why win has been scared to come out to his mother because just as much he's treated auntie like his own mother, too. 

"i didn't know you'd be home today, ma." win bites his upper lip when his mother raises her brow at him.

"how would you know, son? i've been texting you all day but neither one of it was read. i came home because i thought something bad must have happened but-" win's mother smiles and looks at bright, "now i think i know why."

bright chokes on his food and win hands him a glass of water in panic, slightly patting bright's back but stops when he notices his mother staring intently at him. 

win clears his throat, and rubs the back of his neck. 

"i can explain, ma." 

win's hands turn clammy, afraid the beating of his heart would cause him a heart attack. he's never lied to her mother, but at the back of his mind he knows it's because he's been tampering the facts and only telling her the bits of the truth. in that way, it's careful -- he's being careful. 

he's careful about his relationship with bright, and how deep it's starting to get because he doesn't know how he'd face her if she ever finds out the truth. so whenever he tells her he'd spend the night with bright and not have dinner or lunch at home, a part of him breaks. he doesn't want to lie, but he doesn't want to face the reality -- the possibility of disappointment coming from his mother who brought him up alone. 

bright feels the tension in the air, and entwines his hand on win's under the table. 

"auntie, we'll explain."

bright starts his side of explanation, how he's fallen in love with him and tried his best to shy away from the intensifying feeling he has for win minus all the sensual things.

when it's win's turn to speak, his throat feels parched and the need to barf spikes in his stomach -- all the words he's tried to say while bright speaks gone. and he's facing her mother. and he's scared. and he doesn't know what to say besides the words "i'm sorry" even if he doesn't exactly understand why that what he's said.

"what are you sorry for, son?" 

there's the look on his mother, calm but wary as if she's been anticipating this but win brushes the thought. he stares at his lap where their entwined hands are, and his tears just start falling nonstop.

"for disappointing you, for being like this. for lying about everything and not telling you the truth right away when i should have. i'm sorry ma. i really am."

he hates his words and the way it come out of his mouth as if he's ashamed of bright and what they've been going through and just then he feels bright stiffen beside him. as if he's ashamed of himself. but he can't stop his mouth from blabbering, especially now that he realizes the greatest scare in coming out -- and it's the fact that he doesn't know how she'd react. or that he knows he might be kicked out of the house, or he'd have to leave her too like his father did and her mother would be left alone. and just like what bright said, they've hate each other and he'd blame him. his thoughts wander to the farthest worst scenarios when he feels his other hand being wrapped by his mother's hands across the table. 

"you're my son, win. you came from me, and we're connected. even if you don't say anything, i'd have a hunch. i've had a hunch because of the way bright has always looked at you and how you've been acting these days, but i want to hear it from you so i didn't say anything." win's mother wipes the tears streaming on win's cheeks and gives him a warm smile. 

"i'm sorry, ma."

his mother squeezes his hand, "don't be, son. this isn't how i brought you up. i've always told you to be proud of who you are. you're my son. you are the greatest gift i'd ever have and you will never be a disappointment to me. never. remember that, okay?"

win blubbers when he hears those words come out of her mother's mouth, his eyes full of tears he doesn't know if it's because of happiness or contentment. all the fears inside him vanish as if her mother has been holding the key to let his scares go.

"auntie, i love him. so much. and you know i love you like my own mother."

"ever since you were little i've always treated you as my own, bright." she looks at both of them and while flashing a smile she pulls their obviously entwined hands underneath the table and holds it tight , "i'm happy for you, sons."