One day Zico asks me a question that I'm not prepared to answer.

We're laying on our backs in the grass, Zico having finished his work for the day. He turns over on his side and stares at me, propping his head up with his elbow. I turn over to face him, frowning once I see the expression on his face. There's something wrong with him. He looks sad, or stressed. I can tell he wants to ask me something from the way he keeps opening and closing his mouth. "Yukwon," he finally sighs, fiddling with a long blade of grass. "Can I ask you a personal question?" I my head to the side curiously. "Sure."

He bites his lip and shakes his head back and forth quickly. "N-no, maybe I shouldn't. I don't know..." I put my hand on his arm to reassure him. "You know we can talk about anything. Go ahead." He takes a deep breath and glances at me embarrassedly. "Yukwon, do you...d-do you like guys?"

It takes me a few seconds to register his words, and when I do, I swear my heart stops.

I open my mouth then close it again, thinking of the best way to answer his question. I've never seen Zico look so nervous. The fear in his eyes is evident as he waits for my response. "Well," I start slowly, carefully trying selecting my words. "I...I'm not really sure, I guess. I'm just...confused." I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. Zico places a firm hand on my knee and I jump, startled. "Confused...about what?" He whispers, cheeks tinged pink.

"I think...maybe I might...kind of like guys. But I just don't know if I want to. You know how straight-laced my dad is. There would be too many consequences to being...you know."

I absentmindedly bite my nails and look down at the grass. Zico moves closer to me and gently grabs my chin, forcing me to look at him. He moves his fingertips up to my cheek, barely grazing my heated skin. "If you are, then you are. There's nothing wrong with being gay, Yukwon." I shift my weight to the side and swallow, pointing a finger at him. "Are you...?" I whisper, trailing off and leaving my question unfinished. He chuckles and purses his lips. "Honestly?"

I quickly nod my head, and he slumps his shoulders forward. "Yeah, I am," he confesses with a sad smile. My eyes widen and he looks over at me with an amused expression. "I'm gay. I'm gay." He pauses with an odd smile. "It feels so nice to say that out loud."

I have so many questions to ask him, but I have no idea where to begin. I decide to start with the most logical question I can think of. "So...how long have you known?"

"Since I was small. I could just tell," he replies without missing a beat. I nod. "Have you...ever dated any guys?" He looks surprised by my question, but quickly masks the surprise with ease.  "Two. One during my second year of highschool, and one during my last."

My throat closes up. "Oh." I'd rather act like I don't care, but I do. For some reason, the thought of Zico having a boyfriend makes me jealous.

"Have you?" He asks me curiously. I snort and shake my head. "I don't think my dad would like that very much. Are your parents okay with you dating guys?"

There's a long, awkward silence following my question. "Have I ever told you why my parents kicked me out?" Zico asks in a steady voice.

"Y-you never told me you were kicked out." He gives me a bitter smile. "Well, I was. My parents aren't too gay-friendly, either." I nod in understanding.

"Where are you living now, then?" I ask. He shrugs. "I have a little apartment about five minutes away from here." He shrugs again, acting as if he doesn't care, but I can tell he's hurt. I feel kind of bad for him, but I know he hates when people pity him. "Do you live alone?" I ask in a casual voice. He closes his eyes and bites his lip, nodding his head. "Yeah, and it . Everything ." He looks at me. "You're the best thing that's happened to me since I got kicked out."

And with that sentence, I can feel my heart melting. My worries and concerns disappear, and I just stop caring. I grab Zico by the chin, and before I have time to regret it, I lean forward and kiss him full on the lips. He makes a surprised noise, but doesn't fight against me. He kisses me back, gently. After a few seconds I pull away, the reality of the situation dawning on me.

My head's spinning, and my face is on fire. I blink a couple of times and glance at Zico. His cheeks are pink, but rather than that his face is unreadable. I wait for him to say something, but he just stares at me with a blank expression. Honestly, the silence scares me more than rejection. Eventually, I clear my throat and stand up on shaking legs. "I'm gonna g-go inside," I state weakly, turning away without waiting for a response.

The entire time that I'm walking away, I can feel his eyes boring holes into the back of my head.