As children, Kuro, his brother Mizu, and their next door neighbor Phillip were best friends, always playing together. In their teenage years, when the brothers’ emotionally abusive father fell ill, their friendship fell apart. For a time Mizu dated Phillip, and conflicted and frustrated, Kuro sought comfort from random strangers and did drugs.<br><br>The three men are now adults and Mizu and Phillip have broken up, with little chance for reconciliation. Without anywhere else to go, Phillip and Kuro move into a dumpy apartment, and Kuro hopes the two of them will be happy together. Maybe they’ll even have an opportunity to kindle a romance.<br><br>But Mizu is extremely jealous of their closeness, and both men have their own issues they’re struggling with and trying to recover from. To make matters worse, Kuro is losing sleep, as he’s constantly waking up at three a.m. Will Phillip accept Kuro’s feelings, or will he go back to Mizu? Can Kuro reconcile with his brother and his past?

3 A.M.

“You are so much like him, it…” I exhaled slowly, closing my eyes. “It’s beyond scary, honestly. I can’t stand to be around you anymore.” I lifted my hand. “Look. I’m shaking.”


He stared back at me for a few moments, saying nothing. Then he exited the apartment.


Phillip didn’t come home until after 7:00 P.M. I was already in bed, watching Glow on Netflix and idly checking off supplies on my course checklist. He passed by without saying anything, and closed his door. When I heard it click shut, the full weight of my loneliness sunk in.


This was supposed to be the one good thing that I have going for me, and I had ruined it. I pushed Phillip away with my neediness; had scared him with the past that I hadn’t disclosed to him. He was already dealing with his own frustrations: his breakup, his back, the brisk manner in which his entire life was upended. I was being selfish and unfair to the one person I wanted to support the most.


Chapter 10