tw: homophobia briefly mentioned but still apparent. i'll asterisk the paragraph if you'd like to skip!

Ten didn't turn up to rehearsals on Monday. The show was Friday and it wasn't good to miss anything on the week of opening night. Everyone had tried to text and call Ten but with no success. His phone was always switched off and the messages were left unread. The cast members were getting nervous, concerned for both Ten and the show. Whenever they asked their director she simply shrugged them off with some excuse about confidentiality. That only made people even more anxious.

"He's not sick, is he?" Kayla stirred the straw poking out of her milkshake slowly. They'd gathered at the usual cafe to discuss the situation. "He's not been answering any of my messages since Friday."

"Me either, I even messaged him on Instagram but he hasn't even read them." Libby had a deep concerning look on her face,  staring at her phone.

"He doesn't even have an understudy, if he doesn't turn up the show will be ruined." Kayla dropped the straw, elbows on the table, cradling her chin in her hands.

Mark slammed down his glass, releasing a heavy sigh, "We go to his house. We gotta make sure he's alive, right?"

The girls agreed, "Definitely. Kayla, you know where he lives right? Should we take flowers, just in case?"

"I don't, we always met up somewhere in town. I never went to his house."

The trio hummed in defeat before their gaze slowly turned to Johnny who was sitting silently in the corner of the booth, gazing out the window. He felt the eyes on him and turned his own gaze to look between the three, frowning.

"What?"

"You've been to Ten's, right?" Kayla leant forward. "You can take us there, see if he's okay."

Johnny nodded. He felt apprehensive about turning up on his own accord but he was just as, if not more, worried as the group about Ten. The last time he'd had any contact was the night at the park, it'd been three days with ignored messages. Except... Johnny wanted to go alone. He wanted to be selfish and see Ten for himself. 

He made an excuse to leave, mumbling something about chores before dashing off, leaving the group to discuss when to see Ten. He practically darted at full speed  towards Ten's neighbourhood, wanting to get there as soon as possible. He was nervous, concerned and just wanted to make sure everything was okay. 

Stopping at the door, Johnny paused to catch his breath before knocking. It felt like he was waiting forever, shuffling from one foot to the other, muttering pleas for someone to open the door under his breathe. When it finally did open, Johnny stared, praying silently for it to be Ten.

But it wasn't. A slightly smaller girl stood there, dark haired tied in a ponytail, in what Johnny guessed were her pyjamas. She looked no older than fifteen.

"Uh, hi... Is Ten home?" Johnny tried not to sound too hopeful, wanting to keep it casual to hide his reeking desperation to see the younger.

The girl rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Are you stupid? Do you want him to get into even more trouble?" 

"Trouble? Is it because-"

"Just go before my mom notices you're here. She'll lynch you."

"What?" Johnny didn't understand. Was it because Ten snuck out? Johnny didn't think it was a big deal, Ten was twenty years old. He wasn't a child, he could do what he wanted, right? 

There was a voice calling out in what Johnny guessed was Thai before the door opened wider, an older woman appearing beside the girl. 

"Hey, sorry to bother you. I was just looking for Ten, he's not been answering his phone and we're all worried about him. Is he home?"

"That's none of your business and I'd appreciate if you leave immediately." Johnny was stunned by the harshness of her words.

"I'm sorry?"

"You should be. He doesn't need your kind corrupting his mind and thinking it's okay to do the things you do." What the hell was she talking about? Johnny had done nothing wrong. Did she not agree with the production? "Get off my drive way or I'll call the cops, young man."

The door quickly slammed shut, leaving Johnny completely stunned. He just wanted to make sure Ten was okay, he didn't want any trouble. He stared at the door for a few more seconds before he backed away, mind racing. As he turned and walked down the drive, he felt something hit the back of his head. Looking back round, his eyes were drawn to something crumpled on the ground. Picking it up, he unfolded the paper and smoothed it out. In black, bold letters the word Johnny stared back at him. He glanced up at the house, wondering where it came from but there was no sign of life. The windows were shut, blinds drawn.

Johnny raced home, ignoring the calls of his mother asking about rehearsals, darting into his room on to his bed. He pulled the letter out of his pocket and opened it up, unfolding the sheet of paper. The writing was neat and well spaced, Johnny had no doubt that it was from Ten. He just hoped it wasn't bad.

"Johnny,

I'm only writing this in hopes I can sneak it out to you somehow but since I'm on lockdown, it doesn't look good. You deserve to know why I haven't been able to contact you.

When I got home Friday after the park, my mom was awake and she flipped out. She asked to nkow where I was, I said with you and she went insane. She took my phone and my laptop off me and searched them because she's got no respect for privacy. She saw all of our conversations, the photos and .

*She thinks being gay is a sin and she thinks I'm sick. She's not letting me leave the house. She's gone full crazy. When my grandparents get back from holiday, she's sending me back home to Thailand to live with them so they can "cure" me. Mom keeps saying family is the most important thing to us but right now, I'm not so sure. Not if they're ripping me from my life because of how I feel.

I wish I could write more but I literally don't know what to say. I'm sorry I have to miss the performance, I hope you all can forgive me for letting the company down. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to talk to you when I get to Thailand but I'm gonna miss you, like a lot. The company is the greatest thing that happened to me because I got to make such amazing friends. For once in my life, I finally felt like I'm doing something I love with people that understand and like me.

And I got to meet you, that's my favourite part. It that we spent so long with this tension when it could've been time spent making more memories like the night at the park. That night is going to be my favourite, the thing that keeps me going. I hate that I spent so much time resisting you when in actual fact I really like you. An awful lot, actually, it's actually embarrassing. I wish I had the guts to tell you in person but this will have to do. I like you, Johnny Seo.

Good luck in the musical. Don't forget about me when you become super famous!

Ten."

Johnny didn't even realise he'd been silently crying until he finished, the few droplets tainting the paper in his grip. He quickly wiped his eyes, rolling over on to his back, lids lfuttering shut as he held the letter to his chest, feeling ridiculous for his emotional state. Ten was just a boy, someone he'd known for only a few months, why was he crying over him? Ten had come swanning into his life with his bright smile and charming personality, captured Johnny's attention and now he was leaving just as quickly. How dare he? He accepted defeat, hand clenching into a fist, crumpling the letter with a mixture of anger and confusion, his heart aching.

"I like you too, Ten Leechaiyakul."