STRANGERS FLIRTING WITH him always made him feel so small, like he could curl up in a ball on the floor. What was it about promiscuity stained words and half-lidded eyes that made him want to bury himself underground, until the entire world left him alone? All he could hear was his motherâs resounding chides, even as she was stuck behind prison bars. It was enough to make him shiver and never want to be intimate with anyone ever again.
This was why he could never crawl out of his comfort zone, allow himself to have one night of unabashed fun, because he could feel her disappointment coursing through his system. She existed as an imaginary ball and chain, tied to his foot, dragging him to dark ocean depths, nothing existing but her unfulfilled desires.
When a stranger suddenly slid into the midst of it all, Sangho smiled at him exasperatedly. Everything about his expression screamed save me. Suddenly, he was willing to lie and act as if this man was the best friend he hadnât seen in years. He wrapped his arms around the other willingly, but then an act he could have never imagined occurred instead. The exact opposite of what he had wanted.
It was a simple, chaste peck, but it was still a kiss. His first with another man. While Sangho would never deny his blooming attraction to the same gender, he was inherently shy around them. And now, the small bout of affection he had been saving for someone special (someone he hadnât met yet) had been taken away. Just like that. Red immediately overtook his entire face, leaving his entire frame stiff and useless. He practically had to be dragged away from the group of girls, whose mouths had dropped open in shock.
Once outside (he couldnât even remember leaving the club), Sangho remained still, arms held up defensively, far too taken aback to even properly speak. He had been rescued, but at what cost? Jawline clenched, as fingers tapped at his now tainted lips, his mind still scrambled and unable to process exactly what had happened.
âY-youâ You kissed me!â
Never had he felt so humiliated in his life.