Chapter Twenty-Three

"Who likes men just as much as he should like women…" He finally confessed, sounding a bit ashamed from saying it at last.

Evan's eyes opened extremely wide. Michel was gay. Michel liked men, too, just like Evan himself did…

Was this surprising coincidence a hint for him to make a move? Would Michel like him back?

Evan felt that he didn't have any chance with him in any case, but… Maybe if he opened himself and told him the truth about himself just like Michel did, they could achieve a deeper bond, more unbreakable than it already was… Maybe?

"I'm so sorry, Evie… For not letting you know since the beginning. I hope you still see me like the friend you used to have when we were kids and like the friend you were talking to just two minutes ago. I promise you that nothing will change between us, I-I'm still the same person..." Michel stuttered as his voice began to crack again, utterly anguished and mortified. "Please… Accept me… You're my best friend, I'd be so saddened if—

"Michel, stop, please." Evan replied, his voice sounded compassionate and understanding. He placed his hand on Michel's shoulder again. "There's nothing to feel sorry about. And don't be ashamed of being just who you are and liking what you like. Please, there's nothing to be ashamed of, Michel, I promise you. In fact… I like men, too." He finally let out past his hesitant and trembling lips.

He felt as if that last sentence dripped out of his mouth like overflowing honey —perhaps too fast for his liking.

But still, for some reason, he didn't regret it at all… And, in fact, he was relieved he was telling his biggest secret to someone once for all…

Even more relieved now, knowing that someone was Michel, someone he could blindly trust and who would accept and understand him. Not for the sole reason of being his childhood friend, but also because he was aware of how much the prince appreciated him.

Michel's mesmerizing teal eyes opened wide and he let out a silent gasp of disbelief. They shone like twinkling stars when he saw Evan smiling for him, this gesture was so full of warmth and truth…

Was he possibly just dreaming…? Was he going to wake up soon, soaked in cold sweat and crying one more time because he couldn't be with the man he loved and adored so much?

If that was the case, he begged for the dream not to end.

"Pinch me, please." He let out, sounding completely void of emotions.

He simply couldn't believe this… Maybe he did have a chance after all… But he didn't want to believe it, not when all of his hopes had been abruptly brought down throughout all of those years of endless longing and remembrance…

Evan led his hand to Michel's cheek, pinching it without hesitation. Then, Michel yelped in pain.

"Ouch!" He complained, and suddenly, both of them were bursting out in joyous laughter.

"You're not dreaming, silly! I like men, too, I promise you, I can even tell you that my first love was—

He cut his own speech out abruptly.

He almost confessed his feelings… He wasn't ready for doing so at all… Maybe when he got married to Gabrielle and Michel would have found himself a boyfriend... But not right now.

Michel dating another man that wasn't Evan… That thought managed to sadden him a lot, that mere thought shattered his heart into a million pieces…

"Uh? Who was your first love?" Michel inquired as he smiled with curiosity and he successfully attempted to conceal a sudden feeling of intense jealousy.

Michel himself not being his beloved Evan's first love infuriated him a lot, that was for sure. But now he knew he was just like him, he was definitely going to try his best at winning his childhood love's heart.

He was an ambitious man at times and about specific matters, and love was one of them without a doubt.

He was aware he'd need to marry Gabrielle in a couple of weeks, but he would definitely find a way to convince him to choose him above her.

He was deeply enamored with Evan. He was completely determined right now, to make him surrender his heart to him and never let him go away again.

Evan drew his hand away from Michel's shoulder and blushed violently, from his cheeks up to his ears.

"L-Let's not talk about that… Please, i-it's a bit embarrassing." Was the simple yet awkward response that Evan gave as he stuttered and tripped on his words.

Michel simply crossed his arms and raised his perfectly shaped, well-defined eyebrows that matched the color of his cherub curls.

"I already told you the secret that only my birds knew, I deserve to know the one only you know, don't you think so, Evie?" He said, smirking playfully, almost wryly.

Michel had won this time. And Evan gulped a heavy lump on his sore throat, giving in at last.

"Okay, but… Do you promise me not to look at me weirdly? Make fun of me or treat me any differently?" The redhead asked for, in an almost begging tone of voice. And Michel's hopes suddenly increased quite drastically with these words of his friend.

Michel faked a playful smile. Feeling rather confident in himself.

"Why? Was it me?" He teased, half expecting a disgusted 'no!' for an answer and half expecting an 'actually… yes'.

Evan let out an overwhelmed sigh and giggled a bit bitterly.

"What if I told you… That the first time I laid my eyes on a boy, was back in 2005 in a summer camp for nobility baloney?" He confessed finally, pursing his lips and looking away, his green gaze looked down to the ground and a bashful feeling invaded him.

This was all that Michel needed to feel and start acting boldly again.

The prince's expression turned severe, but without ceasing from looking polite and amiable. This was just Michel trying to have some serious exchange with his friend, with no jokes, without anything left to hide anymore, finally.

"Evan…" He muttered softly, alluringly.

Michel slid his hand on top of Evan's, feeling the redhead's limb thrill, but staying still nonetheless. He took this as a positive signal. So he could be able to continue with the flirting scene.

"Do you still like me? Like you did back when we were children?" He questioned.

Evan could do nothing more than averting his gaze and blush harshly, his cheeks went bright red and his citrine eyes began watering a bit.

He did not want to confess… What if Michel didn't feel the same for him…?

"Evan, please… Be honest to me, you can trust me." Michel kept whispering, trying to reassure his childhood love, but it would be certainly not that fruitful if he kept making use of such a flirty tone of voice... "I like you, too, Evan, and as more than a friend, you know..." Michel decided to take the risk firstly, feeling almost certain of what Evan's answer was going to be.

Evan's eyes darted directly into Michel's. Suddenly, his heart throbbed, and his hand, resting below Michel's, grasped the latter tightly.

"Please, tell me that you're not lying." He said, gritting his teeth. "Please tell me that you're not lying, Michel, please…" He repeated as large teardrops began falling down his reddened cheeks inevitably. "Please tell me that you're not lying to me. Please tell me—!

Suddenly, Michel wrapped his arms around Evan's smaller torso, completely embracing and comforting him. His entire body was warm and he was shaking.

As his friend burst out in tears, he couldn't help begin tearing up a bit as well.

"I'm not lying to you, Evan, I'm not. I swear…" He sniffed, while his childhood love and best friend cried and whined on his shoulder. "I promise you, Evan, that I didn't believe in fate until we saw each other again. And I never believed in miracles until right here and right now. I love you, Evan, I really do..."

Both of them cried on each other's shoulders for a moment. Such a moment seemed to last an eternity, and yet it lasted too little simultaneously.

The birds were contemplating that moment and recording it in their avian heads, not willing to ever tell anyone about it. It'd be another secret that they'd keep well-hidden forever.

The crying eventually ceased, now, only sniffing and sighing was audible, and both men never let go of each other.

"Evie…?" Michel murmured with sweetness, gently pushing the redhead away.

"Hm?" Evan hummed in response, staring at Michel's spellbinding eyes and at his breathtaking smile.

"You look really handsome today." The prince asserted, leading the back of his index finger to wipe away a tiny teardrop on Evan's eye corner.

Then, he caressed his cheek lovingly, enjoying the texture of the damp yet soft, velvety skin on his beloved Evan's fairytale-like face, so rosy and freckled —he'd start counting each minuscule freckle on his angelic visage anytime, like stars in a beautiful, recently discovered constellation.

Evan seemed to react positively at this gesture, since he leaned his cheek on Michel's palm and smiled for him, clearly enjoying the tender and sweet gesture that the prince had just made for him.

Then, he grabbed the redhead's chin and looked directly in his evergreen eyes with expectation and a glimpse of anticipation. Evan looked back at him, and his lips started trembling, almost as if he were begging for him to continue.

They proceeded then to break the short yet annoying distance that was separating their mouths and pressed their lips together at last.

They often say that you can fail twice, but the third time you attempt it, you'll end up achieving your once set goal.

This one was Evan's third kiss, and any other good, mirthful thing that could have ever happened to him before wasn't able to compare to this moment.

It wasn't a wild stolen kiss like the one he had with J.J for the first time, when he ended up with a sore and bleeding lip. They say first times are always painful, but he still questioned why love should be something that hurts you in any way…

It wasn't an awkward and inexperienced kiss like the second one he gave, either. With Gabrielle, everything felt uncomfortable, from his overly feminine scents to the fiasco of their teeth colliding. He understood then that love shouldn't ever be forced.

This time, the third time he kissed someone, was soft, romantic, and he felt as if he were floating around, like a weightless feather in the vast ether full of gentle zephyrs blowing through it; and the surroundings faded away on the edges of his and Michel's silhouettes, like the final scene of an old movie in black and white…

Was this how love should feel like? A burning feeling invading your body, full of longing and craving for more? For more kisses, more caresses, more sweet nothings whispered, more love...?

Was there ever going to be more love? All of these doubts vanished away with every small, tender kiss that Michel deposited on his lips, his cheeks, his jaw, his neck… And reappeared every time he dared open his eyes, even half-lidded.

He'd never get enough of Michel as long as their bodies were apart.

They pushed away gently, and then, for the first time, Evan met true actual heartache.

His cheek got caressed one more time, Michel's soft fingertips created a short trail of warmth on the rosy tissue.

"Evan… I know this might be a bit too rushed… But… Would you like to… Maybe…" Michel was taking too much time in asking that question, Evan could see it coming. "You know… be my boyfriend?" And there it was…

Evan intertwined his fingers with Michel's, trying to make sure he'd understand he'd always love him despite any decision any of them would take at the end of the day.

"Michel… I would love to be your boyfriend, I-I would love to be your forever, nothing would make me happier, trust me…" He let out, and he could see Michel pursing his lips in discouragement.

"But…? You're already engaged to Gabrielle, right?" Michel blurted out, looking clearly upset about this.

Evan simply nodded, feeling crestfallen.

"I don't understand… We've just kissed, we've just confessed our feelings, doesn't that mean anything to you?" Michel complained, almost sounding like a frustrated child.

But when he saw Evan looking away and pursing his lips, he understood he'd need to take a step back.

"I-I'm sorry… Forgive me, please, I was just upset." He let out a heavy sigh. "We can do something about it… I know your parents need the money to pay their fine, I can just… Give up on my prince title, my father would fund your parents and help them, we can make this relationship work out, I promise, please…"

"You don't understand Michel, my parents wouldn't ever accept the money knowing their son is dating another man. And Gabrielle has been so nice to me that it would hurt me to know I've hurt her, too…" Evan replied, his voice began to crack and his body tensed in anxiety.

"Evan… Are you in love with Gabrielle?" Michel asked, frowning.

"N-No!" Evan exclaimed, outrageous.

"Then why don't you just let your heart speak over your mind once for all?" Michel blurted out again, determined to make Evan surrender to his actual feelings once for all.

Evan sighed in sheer distress.

"Let me think about it. Please… just, give me some time, okay? I promise I'll think of something." He squeezed the prince's hand. "I want this new thing we have to work out, too." He said, sketching a small smile that tried to reassure Michel.

He was speaking the truth, after all, he loved him.

Michel let out a sigh through his nostrils. It was awesome and maddening how society could see such a pure and sweet relationship like theirs as something bad or forbidden.

"It's okay, Evie." He replied, forcing a smile. "I can wait for you forever, you'll always be my one true love." He asserted, squeezing his hand as well and kissing the back of it lovingly.

Evan let out some giggles.

"One last kiss before we go back to the dining room?" Evan asked, making puppy eyes that Michel couldn't resist.

The prince let out husky guffaws.

"Sure, here, take this one."

He led his index finger to the lower area of Evan's chin and attracted his freckled face to his own. His other hand was still squeezing the contrary one. He deposited a small and elegant kiss on Evan's lips, making him giggle and blush a bit. He looked so cute…

Evan sat up from the piano chair, still not letting go of the prince's hand.

"Shall we get going, then?" He pronounced, making Michel stand up as well with this.

With all of this said and done, they made their way back to the dining room, where the rest of the guests might have been impatiently waiting for them. Still hand-on-hand, until they reached the interior of the palace as they feared getting caught.

But both of them also hoping silently that someday they wouldn't need to fear getting caught by anyone anymore. This was going to be their biggest dream from now on, being together.

Both of them knew they were inseparable, they were sixteen years ago, they were still up to the moment. No one, not even one of themselves, was ever going to break that special bond they shared and adored deeply.