Chapter 12 : Revelations II

                                    

                                          
The dim glow of the city at sunset poured into the private lounge, casting long, orange shadows over the three men seated in tense silence. Min, Mai, and Q sat across from each other, the air thick with unspoken words and expectations.
Q sat on the edge of a plush armchair, his knuckles white as he gripped the armrests. Across from him, Min's gaze was like a blade, sharp and piercing. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his expression hard, giving nothing away. Mai stood by the window, his arms crossed, his silent presence a quiet but imposing force.
"Tell us everything," Min's voice cut through the tension like a whip. "You've been hiding something, and now it's time for the truth. Who is Blue, and how does he connect to this mess?"
Q shifted uncomfortably, his throat tight. He had expected this confrontation, but now that it was here, it felt more suffocating than he anticipated. "I didn't want to drag anyone into this... but you deserve to know. All of it."
Min didn't flinch, his gaze unwavering. Mai's eyes narrowed, waiting for the story to unfold.
"Start from the beginning," Mai said, his voice calm but firm.
Q exhaled sharply, the weight of the conversation pressing down on him. He had no choice but to tell them everything. "It goes back to high school," he began, his voice quieter now. "I wasn't like the others. I was quiet, awkward, and invisible. But there was one person who made me feel something... You, Pat."
Min froze, his brows furrowing. "Pat?"
Q nodded, his voice tinged with an old, unfamiliar ache. "I didn't know you as Min back then. I only knew you as Pat—the person I had admired from a distance. You were older, already in university, and I'd see you around, hear about you from other people. I watched you from afar... and I had a crush on you, Pat. I didn't even know you, but I thought about you all the time."
Min's face shifted, something resembling surprise flickering across his features. He hadn't expected this, hadn't known that someone—let alone Q—could have harbored such feelings for him.
"I never had the courage to approach you," Q continued, voice growing steadier. "But I kept hoping that maybe, just maybe, something would happen. I even wrote you a letter once, but I never gave it to you. And then, everything changed. I found out about Pran."
Min's chest tightened at the mention of Pran's name. He hadn't realized just how much his past had affected people, how much the world around him had watched and wondered.
Q hesitated, as though choosing his next words carefully. "You two... were inseparable. And I knew I had no place in that world. So I buried my feelings, pretended they didn't exist. But then Blue came into my life."
Min sat back, his face unreadable, but his mind was racing. He had no idea who Blue was, and the way Q spoke about him piqued his interest.
"Blue..." Min repeated, his voice laced with suspicion. "Who is he?"
Q's eyes darkened as he spoke of Blue. "He was older, more confident. He made me feel seen, important. I thought he was the escape I needed from my obsession with you, from the pain of knowing I'd never have you. At first, he seemed perfect. But it didn't take long for things to turn dark."
Min's jaw tightened. "What happened?"
Q swallowed hard, his face contorted with the painful memory. "He became controlling. Obsessed. He couldn't stand the idea of me being around other people, especially when he found out I had been thinking about you. He thought I was still in love with you—Pat. He kept accusing me of it, even though I barely knew you. And when I tried to leave him..." Q's voice faltered. "He got violent. He hit me. More than once."