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They stole glances at each other from time to time, waiting for someone to speak. The clock was ticking but there were no words to fill the dense awkward silence. They hadn’t seen each other in years, things hadn’t exactly ended well. Mana hadn’t even been sure if Klaha was alive before he unexpectedly called, asking for his help.
"I'm getting a drink. Do you need anything...? Wine?" Mana asked as he stood up from one of the dark blue sofas in his modest living room, if he was going to go through this he needed alcohol in his system.
"Whiskey will do" It was true that the vampire-looking-man preferred wine, but right now, he needed something stronger to cope.
Klaha had come to the city on an important business trip—the same city where, coincidentally, the beautiful, long-haired man lived. His original plan had been to stay at a hotel but for some unknown reason, his reservation had been lost. Not only had he wasted money, but he also had nowhere to stay. After thinking about it for a while, he remembered hearing from a mutual friend, years ago, that Mana lived here. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was still true, but with all the hope in the world, he searched for Mana’s number in his old address book, praying it hadn’t changed.
"Here." Mana handed him a glass of straight whiskey along with the bottle. After all these years, he still remembered how Klaha liked it.
"Thanks." Klaha took a large sip, feeling the burn in his throat instantly. He would need a few more glasses if he was going to survive sharing a space with this man.
"You have real guts to come after all this time" Mana said with a slightly annoyed tone, crossing his legs and swirling his whiskey on the rocks. Klaha really was one of the biggest egoistical dumbass he ever known "So... are you here to see someone or something...?" And still after all that time, Mana wasn't going to waste any.
"I came for work, just work," Klaha replied immediately. "I'll find another place to stay in the morning, don’t worry."
"Oh, don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t asking because of that."
Klaha knew exactly what he was implying. What unsettled him was that Mana hadn’t said a word about him suddenly showing up asking for help, after vanishing for years. And while alcohol might be sweet on the palate, it was just as backstabbing. He wasn’t about to let Mana be the only one playing games tonight.
"I haven't had anything serious in years—certainly not serious enough to travel for someone. What about you? Anyone in the picture?" Klaha struck first.
"Nothing serious either. Just people coming and going every night, all with wide smiles on their faces, none of whom I ever call again. You should know all about that—after all, you're quite familiar with not calling back again." Mana countered before taking a long drink.
"Ouch, harsh." Klaha smirked and took another sip. "It's pretty late. If you're so good at this, why isn’t anyone waiting in your bed tonight?"
Mana fell silent, trying to think of a comeback, but Haruna beat him to it.
"Maybe 'cause tonight is just like any other night" Klaha said smugly, pouring himself a double whiskey.
"Give me that damn bottle" Mana snapped, snatching it from his hands and drinking straight from it. He was never a great drinker, but right now, he needed all the alcohol he can get if he was going to stay.
The silence returned. Since Mana refused to let go of the whiskey, Klaha searched for the wine he had originally been offered. Fortunately, the resentful young man had at least learned something from him—how to buy good wine.
Reuniting with his ex had never been part of the plan. And yet, here they were, drunk and angry.
"At lest I didn't disappear for years without calling ever again" Mana finally adress the elefant in the room, but he didn't sound angry anymore, more like nostalgic and sad.
"Oh dear" he gets up to sit close next to him. He grabs his face gently caressing him "Look at me my love, I'm here now, aren't I?"
Mana looks up at him with teary eyes, Klaha smiles taking a strand of long hair behing Mana's ear. The time stopped for a moment. Mana just can't stop looking at him, in disbelief that he really is there, this isn't one of his many dreams, Klaha was here. Tears starts to fall down his face.
"Oh my love, don't cry, don't cry, shh..." He treats him so gently like he used to do it, he can't even make up his mind to stand up for himself and ask him why he did what he did, he just hugs him hard, not wanting to let go again.
"I missed you so much." Mana sobs, letting go the hug but not the embrace, looking at him trying to engrave his face into his mind. Not noticing that the hand in his face already had a ring on a particular finger.
They kissed, intensely and hungrily, as if their very lives depended on it. Mana had waited so long for his return, and even as they kissed with such fervor, he couldn't stop crying.
Soon, they rose, their clothes scattered along the path to the bedroom, driven by an overwhelming need to reconnect as they once had. Klaha pushed Mana, who fell heavily onto the bed, but neither of them cared; they simply continued kissing, lost in the urgency of the moment. Klaha was mesmerized by the beauty of the body he had longed for. Both were consumed by the carnal desire that had built up over the years, one drowning in tears, the other in guilt that never seemed to fade.
The morning soon arrived and with it the disappoinment. Mana woke up alone in a cold bed, afraid that everything must have been another of his dreams.
But he heard some noise outside of the room, he quickly put a bathrobe on running to it. He found Klaha in the front door just about to leave. Relieve washes him just as the sadness of his leave.
"Do you really have to leave already? I thought..."
Klaha interrups him "Sorry, my love, but i really do have work to do" he gives him a little smile and a gentle kiss on the forehead "thank you for everything, but theres business to attend" looks at Mana's sad face with compassion and gives him one last kiss.
He just grabs his bags and before crossing the door turns around once again "I will call you" and smiles finally stepping out of the house. A taxi was waiting for him already.
Mana watches with his heart on his hands and the words on his tongue how the yellow car takes away what he yearned so much for.
Klaha didn't call again.