Only Friends: Dream On.

Dean hid in the theatre. The sight of an empty theatre was unfamiliar. It was dark, gloomy, and lifeless, but it suited Dean's fragile heart perfectly at this moment. 

 

The Prince of Fine Arts wiped away tears as he looked at old photos on his phone. He found a picture of himself with his mother and sister taken together in the countryside. Dean wasn't well-off, but he was raised in a loving family that loved theatre and film and never had the opportunity to experience them. They did everything they could to help their beloved son, who shared the same passion, achieve his dreams. 

 

Dean knew this opportunity came with a large investment, and his family was burdened with significant debt since his father's death. That's why he had to earn money to help his mother and sister, no matter how small the job, like working as a waiter until dawn, or even in revealing entertainment work.

 

Footsteps sounded before the lights switched on. Someone slowly entered the theatre. Dean recognised Jack, but was too tired to show any emotion. Jack walked over and sat down in a seat in the audience. He crossed his arms and silently watched the people sitting on the stage, saying nothing either. The two men stared at each other for a long time until Dean finally spoke.

 

"If you're going to give a sermon right now, let me tell you beforehand that I'm not ready to listen."

 

"I'll do it, but not now," Jack glanced at the light on the phone screen and could guess what it was. "Looking at pictures of Mom again? You always do that. If you're upset, call her."

 

"Don't bother me."

 

"When I show concern for you, you scold me. When I try to avoid involvement, you call me heartless. What do you want, Dean?" Jack was annoyed, but he calmed down quickly.

 

"Do you know who released it?"

 

"I hope it's not you."

 

"Dean, why would I release a video exposing you as an escort?"

 

"Isn't this why you broke up with me?" Dean sobbed again.

 

"When I found out about this after we started dating, I never had a problem with it. I accepted your past, and I did a great job of it," Jack slammed down. "But what I can't stand is that, even though you had me, you chose to go back to that kind of work instead of relying on me, your boyfriend, as your first choice."

 

Dean avoided the other person's gaze. Something was stuck in his throat, making it impossible to speak.

 

"Your image is that of the prince of millennial life, surrounded by people... perfect. I fell head over heels for you. But the truth is, your family is broke, you try to hide the fact that you're from the provinces... Screw it, it's not my place to judge. But when you had problems with debt, your mother, your sister, you didn't even choose to tell me first, as if you never trusted me. Yet, before that, I never judged you, not even once."

 

"I just don't want to be a burden." Jack could hardly believe what he was hearing.

 

"If you knew I was really your boyfriend, you wouldn't say those words. Whatever, you don't have to believe me, but I'm not the one who leaked the video. Even though we've broken up, seeing you go through this still hurts me."

 

"Jack!" Dean shouted, holding the other man back. He jumped off the stage and ran to hug him tightly. This was the first time Jack hugged him back so genuinely, a feeling he had longed for and hadn't felt since their breakup. Dean put his arms around the other's strong shoulders as if they were his refuge. The young director gently wiped away Jack's tears with his fingers. For the first time, Jack had revealed his vulnerable side as well.

 

"I haven't seen you like this in a long time," he said. "You're acting fierce. Until you forget that you're actually vulnerable too."

 

"I'm sorry, Jack," Dean sobbed, his head bowed low in the older man's embrace. It made the taller man smile. "Both then, and what I just said."

 

"It's okay. If I did anything wrong in the past, I apologise." Dean moved slightly out of the embrace, but Jack held him tightly, refusing to let go. Their eyes met, a deep, unreadable expression, as if they were silently questioning each other, "Do we still have feelings for each other?" Before Jack leaned down and gently, tenderly, pressed his lips against Dean's—a kiss filled with emotion, the first since their breakup.

 

"Do you think we can go back to how we used to be?" Dean asked after breaking the kiss.

 

"Like when? Ten minutes ago? Or when we were dating?" Jack asked teasingly, even though he knew the answer. "I don't know. Nothing's the same anymore."

 

"Is it really that hard to answer?"

 

"Let's wait and see. One thing I have to admit, you're not trustworthy."

 

"That's true," Dean pouted teasingly. "Then I'll show you how to be a new Dean."

 

"This is even funnier."

 

"I'm serious. You'll see, I'm a new person," the Prince of Fine Arts assured, before kissing the other man as a guarantee. Jack laughed but eventually returned the kiss.

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

Raffy was in an exceptionally good mood, even lighting a cigarette, something he rarely did. He didn't notice Rome quietly approaching him at the smoking corner beside the faculty building, his eyes and voice clearly indicating he wasn't there for casual conversation.

 

"You're the one who did it, aren't you?" Raffy feigned ignorance, "What are you talking about?"

 

"Dean's clip," Rome said, "you got it from Joe, didn't you?"

 

"Do you think I'm the one who leaked the video?"

 

"If it's not you, then who else could it be? Suddenly, a video of Dean leaked out after the fact that you followed me to work can't be a coincidence."

 

"If you choose to work like this, you have to accept that there's a digital footprint. Anyway, I wasn't the one who released that video. You've misunderstood."

 

Rome looked at the other man with a weary expression. Raffy could fool anyone. But the saddest thing is... he's deceiving himself.

 

"Do you want Jack that much? Even though I willingly followed you to let you use your mouth in the bathroom, and let you sit on me and ride me in the car until you're satisfied. Isn't that enough to satisfy you?"

 

"That was just sex," Raffy retorted coldly. "I wanted Jack in a way you couldn't give me, and I never wanted it from you anyway." Those words left Rome speechless and stunned.

 

"They used to be a couple. Don't you think it's pointless to keep trying?"

 

"Just you wait and see if I'll benefit from this," Raffy said. "Are you done talking? I'm going to go find Jack."

 

Rome said nothing more. He could only watch as Raffy's back slowly walked away. Disappointment silently overwhelmed him, like the rain that looms before a storm. He had never imagined Raffy would be like this.

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

Tua initially asked Arnold to help him shop at Pahurat Market, expecting disappointment. However, Arnold readily accepted the invitation and even offered to pick Tua up from his house for a ride on his motorbike. Tua didn't complain at all while choosing fabric, a stark contrast to Dean and Timmy, who always whined and wanted to go home the moment they were invited.

 

"You're such a meticulous person, no wonder you like making clothes," Arnold said admiringly, as Tua carefully inspected lace fabric in a shop for a long time. "I've loved dressing up since I was a kid. I've always thought that when I grew up, I wanted to be a Stylist"

 

"That's great, unlike me. Whatever makes money, I'll do it first; I don't care what happens. Whether you like it or not, making a living is more important."

 

"How's your dancing? You did really well," Tua said. "Come on, if you really cared about money, you shouldn't have chosen this major in the first place. It's a top-tier program with low unemployment."

 

"You're right," Arnold finally admitted. Tua needed a lot of fabric because, although the stylist's job was to mix and match, many outfits had to be custom-made according to the context of the plays adapted from Shakespeare's works. Nevertheless, Arnold was very helpful. He carried bags of fabric by the meter with his strong arms while Tua diligently changed shops to search for fabrics he liked. Finally, Tua found the blue satin he wanted. But while he was shopping, a good-looking woman approached him, looking uncertain, before asking a question.

 

"Arnold?" The person whose name was called automatically looked up. Their expression indicated that...He knows her, too.

 

"Irene"

 

"Are you here to buy something?" The person whose name was called smiled sweetly, her cheeks beaming.

 

"We're helping a friend buy supplies for a stage play."

 

"Oh, is that the Sin Kam play that Arnold is in? I saw it shared on Instagram."

 

"um""

 

A long silence ensued, an awkward tension lingering between the two, palpable in their personal spaces. Finally, the woman nodded, offered a friendly smile, and said a final farewell before excusing herself to attend to her own affairs.

 

"Good luck! We'll come watch too."

 

The observer carefully examined Arnold's posture. "A friend?"

 

"We used to be close in high school, but we don't talk anymore," the other person confessed. "She once told me she liked me, but I didn't reciprocate. Eventually, we drifted apart."

 

"Oh...."

 

"I don't want to date my friend," Arnold suddenly revealed. "We've lost our friendship. If things go as planned, we probably can't be friends again. And this is even after Irene, and I were never serious. Look at us now, we've drifted apart."

 

"It's not like that for every couple."

 

"Really?" Arnold raised an eyebrow. "And what about Jack and Dean?" After such prime examples, Tua couldn't argue any further. He swallowed hard, imagining the day he confessed his love, only to be rejected and treated like he was invisible. The thought would be agonising. He could only stay near Arnold and admire him from afar, never having the chance to have his wish fulfilled.

  ════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

Although he had come to terms with it, the shocking rumours continued to spread throughout the university. Dean felt a whirlwind of eyes as he walked into the cafeteria. Looking around, he saw some tables quickly turning away, huddled together, whispering and gossiping. He was utterly exasperated, but understood that Thais were picky—he knew it well; he was Thai himself. Finally, he chose to sit at a quiet table, far from the other people's gaze, but he could still hear the whispers intermittently, making the meal unappetizing.

 

"The kid's here, man."

 

"He’s  good-looking, what a shame."

 

Timmy was wary of the gossip and quickly turned to encourage his friend.

 

"Okay, man."

 

"Yeah, perfectly fine," Dean said dismissively, genuinely not interested.

 

"Looks like the whole university has gotten involved now," Timmy sighed before saying, "Have you found the person who released the video yet?"

 

"Still, those fake accounts on Discord are hard to track down. Does anyone know any good private investigators?" The Prince of Commerce asked. "Or even a hitman. That might be more effective right now."

 

"You're just playing around!" Timmy slapped his shoulder. "But you have to do something."

Hey!"

 

"What can we do? People have already made their judgment. Let them think what they want."

 

"Someone's saying the waiting list for a meal is fifteen thousand people!"

"Are you poor? Don't you have any other way to make money?"

 

"It's not surprising, is it? This kind of job pays really well. Everyone does it these days. My girlfriend does it. She used to be a bar host."

 

Although he spoke dismissively, when he heard another round of gossip, Dean couldn't take it anymore. He stood up, grabbed his empty plate, and hurled it to the floor with a loud bang. The sullen chatter in the cafeteria quieted down almost immediately.

 

"What did you just say?" The Prince of Fine Arts strode over, pointing accusingly at the bespectacled humanities girl at one of the tables. She clung to her friends, trembling with fear.

 

"It wasn't us!"

 

"Don't show off. It's not your faculty's subject," Dean glared. "Say that again. Talking the same way you were gossiping with your friends just now."

 

The girl with glasses trembled, her tongue tangled up so she could barely speak.

 

"Oh my, oh my, oh my... someone's spreading rumours that the waiting list for a meal is fifteen thousand..."

 

"Wrong, too expensive. It's only ten thousand!" Dean gestured with his finger to the girl with bangs next to her, "What did you say?"

 

"We...we...were talking about...poor families. Yes! We don't have money, you know. We want to be influencers, but we're too lazy to do video editing. So the clip chose this route, okay?!"

 

"Okay...okay...I understand."

 

"And you?!" Dean looked at the last person in the group. The short-haired girl flinched. They waved their hands frantically.

 

"We weren't insulting you. We weren't talking about you at all. We were saying that our own boyfriend/girlfriend has done the same thing."

 

"Working as a bar host, we understand you. *sniffle*"

 

"Then let's go..." The Prince of Fine Arts stepped back from the table where the three girls were sitting. They hugged and comforted each other, sobbing. Seeing everyone in the cafeteria watching, Dean took the opportunity to make a clear and concise statement: 

 

"Yes, the person in the video is me. I'm a male escort to earn money to support my family. I want to be rich, but I wasn't born rich. What am I supposed to do?! If anyone is unhappy, wants to cause trouble, or wants more details about my life, please ask me directly. Don't gossip loudly about it. That's not even gossiping; it's talking loudly enough for people to hear. So please ask me face-to-face. And if anyone can identify the person who released the video, I would be very grateful. I'll offer a reward, but it's not much, because I told you I'm poor. Remember? Agreed? Everyone!!"

 

The silence was so profound that you could hear the auntie at the rice stall clanging her wok. Dean assumed that was an affirmative answer, so he smiled brightly and gestured for everyone to continue eating as they pleased.

 

When Dean returned, he saw Jack sitting at the table. The young director was smiling, his eyes gleaming with pride. Dean rolled his eyes but eventually smiled back. Timmy and Tua noticed something suspicious but couldn't do anything about it. They all just exchanged glances, bewildered.

 

Not far away, at Raffy and Pete's table, who had also witnessed the incident, Pete whistled in admiration of Dean's daring act before speaking to his friend, unaware of the full story.

 

"Wow, that's something. If it were me, I wouldn't dare go back to school," Raffy glared at the table, resentful to see Jack still with Dean as usual. He thought Jack would dump Dean, or even kick him out of the Romeo role altogether. He never thought Jack would dare sit at the same table with him as if nothing had happened, despite all the effort he'd put into it. Pete, seeing his friend silent, asked, "What's wrong?"

 

"Nothing", Raffy declined. He had lost his appetite and got up to clear the table. The plate of rice was left behind, leaving Pete sitting alone at the table, bewildered.