The Dreamer - 5. Chapter 5 - Fixing Stupid

Part 1 - The Aftermath

Mason sat on the cold bench for what felt like hours, his mind a swirling mess of emotions. The early morning chill seeped through his clothes, but he barely noticed. All he could think about was how everything had fallen apart. Eventually, the heaviness in his chest became too much to bear, and he knew he couldn’t stay outside any longer. With a deep, shaky breath, he forced himself to stand and slowly made his way back to his dorm room.

The halls were eerily quiet as Mason climbed the stairs, his footsteps echoing off the walls. Had everyone heard his confession? When he reached his door, he hesitated for a moment, dreading what he might find on the other side. But when he finally turned the handle and stepped inside, he was met with silence. The room was empty. Robby and the others had left, leaving behind only the remnants of the morning’s confrontation.

Mason closed the door behind him and let out a sigh of relief. For a brief moment, he was alone, away from the accusations, the anger, and the pain. He stumbled to his bed, feeling the weight of everything that had happened pressing down on him. Without bothering to change, he curled up under the covers, pulling them tightly around him as if they could shield him from the world outside.

Sleep didn’t come easily. Mason’s mind was a torrent of regret, shame, and loneliness. He replayed the morning over and over in his head—Maria’s words, Robby’s anger, Cindy’s silence. It was all too much. But eventually, exhaustion took over, and he drifted into a restless sleep, haunted by dreams of what could have been.

Part 2 - Cindy - Betrayal

Cindy sat in stunned silence, her heart pounding in her chest as Manny’s words echoed in her mind. “I’m gay.” The simplicity of the confession felt like a betrayal, sharp and cold, cutting through the warmth she had felt for him. It wasn’t that he didn’t return her romantic feelings—she could have accepted that. But the lie, the deception, the way he had led her along, allowing her to believe in something that was never real—that was what hurt the most.

She replayed the moments they had shared, the laughter, the late-night conversations, the lingering glances she had mistaken for something more. Every gesture now felt tainted, as if she had been living in a story where the ending had been decided long before she even knew it had begun. How could he have let her believe in something so false, when all along he was hiding this truth from her? The anger burned beneath her skin, hot and searing, mingling with the ache of disappointment.

Cindy had trusted him, opened herself up in ways she hadn’t with anyone else. She had thought Mason was different, that he understood her, that they were on the same page. And now, to find out that he had been lying to her, pretending to be someone he wasn’t—it was too much to bear.

How could he not tell me? she thought bitterly. How could he let me believe… Lead me on! She shook her head, trying to dispel the confusion, the sadness that weighed her down. It wasn’t about him being gay—that was who he was, and she could have supported him, stood by him as a friend. But the lie, the dishonesty—it felt like a betrayal of everything she thought they had shared.

The tears came suddenly, without warning. She barely made it to her room before they overwhelmed her, hot and blinding. Slamming the door behind her, she collapsed onto the bed, the sobs wracking her body as she buried her face in the pillow. She felt foolish, humiliated even, for having read so much into their moments together. It wasn’t love, it wasn’t even close—it was just another lie.

As the minutes passed, the knocking on her door began. First gentle, then more insistent. Voices of concern filtered through the wood—her friends, worried, pleading with her to open the door, to talk to them. But Cindy couldn’t face them, couldn’t bear to see the pity in their eyes or hear the empty reassurances she knew they would offer. So she stayed silent, curled up on her bed, letting the knocks go unanswered.

Why didn’t you just tell me, Mason? she thought, the question lingering in her mind, unanswered and painful. She ignored the knocks, the calls of her friends growing more desperate, more worried. But she couldn’t open the door, couldn’t let them see her like this—broken, betrayed, and utterly heartbroken.

As she locked herself in, she also locked away the part of her that had trusted so easily, that had believed in the possibility of something more. She felt the first stirrings of resolve—she deserved better than to be lied to. She deserved honesty, and Mason had taken that away from her.

Hours later, when the knocking finally stopped and the dorm had fallen into a heavy silence, Cindy’s tears had dried, but the ache in her chest remained. She stared at the ceiling, numb and exhausted, knowing that something had changed irrevocably between her and Mason. The trust was broken, and she didn’t know if it could ever be mended.

Part 3 - The Lonely Weeks

The next few weeks passed in a blur of confusion and despair for Mason. He tried to focus on his studies, but his mind was elsewhere, clouded by the fallout of his confession. Finals were approaching, but he found it nearly impossible to concentrate. Every time he sat down to study, his thoughts would drift back to Cindy, Robby, and the mess he had created. The guilt gnawed at him, making it hard to focus on anything else.

When exam week finally arrived, Mason was ill-prepared. He sat in the lecture halls, staring blankly at the exam papers, the words swimming before his eyes. His mind was a fog, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t pull himself together. He knew he had done poorly by the time he handed in his last exam. The realization only added to the weight on his shoulders.

In the following weeks, the dorm room became a place of silence and tension. Robby barely spoke to Mason, their once easy camaraderie now replaced by a cold distance. Whenever they were in the room together, Robby ignored Mason completely or offered clipped one-word responses. Mason felt the chill between them acutely but didn’t know how to bridge the gap. He was too ashamed, too afraid to even try.

Cindy, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found. She had seemingly vanished from Mason’s life, avoiding him at every turn. He saw her a few times in passing, but she always looked away, her expression unreadable. It hurt more than Mason had anticipated to be cut off so completely from someone he had once considered a friend. He had hoped, naively, that time would heal the rift between them, but each day that passed only deepened the distance.

Maria, at least, was civil when they crossed paths. But even she couldn’t hide her disappointment. One day, as they walked out of the library together, she stopped Mason and gave him a hard, searching look.

“Mason,” she began, her voice steady but tinged with sadness, “you really hurt Cindy, you know that, right?”

Mason nodded, his throat tight. “I know,” he whispered, unable to meet her gaze.

“She cared about you,” Maria continued, her eyes softening. “She had plans for the two of you—she even had a nickname for you. ‘Manny,’ she called you. Whenever we spoke, it was never Mason, but Manny. She loved you, Mason. She really cared for you. She even had it engraved on a pen and pencil set she was going to give you after finals. But after what happened… she threw it away.”

Mason felt a sharp pang of guilt at Maria’s words. The thought of Cindy going to such lengths for him, only to be met with rejection, was almost too much to bear. He had hurt her deeply, more than he had realized, and the knowledge of it weighed heavily on his heart.

“It’s my fault,” Mason said, his voice cracking. “I should have told her the truth from the beginning. I should have—”

“Why didn’t you?” Maria interrupted, her tone both curious and accusatory. “Why didn’t you just come clean in the first place?”

Mason opened his mouth to respond, but no words came. How could he explain the fear, the confusion, the crippling doubt that had kept him silent? He started rambling, trying to make sense of it, but Maria cut him off with a shake of her head.

“You have a lot to think about, Mason,” she said, her voice firm but not unkind. “Cindy doesn’t want to talk to you right now, and I can’t say I blame her. But whatever you decide to do, you better do the right thing. Don’t run from your past mistakes—or from yourself.”

Maria’s words lingered long after she had walked away, leaving Mason standing alone on the steps of the library. He knew she was right. He couldn’t keep running, couldn’t keep hiding from the truth. But what was the right thing to do? And how could he begin to make amends when the damage had already been done?

Part 4 - Isolation and Reflection

As the days turned into weeks, Mason’s isolation deepened. The silence in his dorm room became suffocating, and the empty space beside him at study sessions was a constant reminder of what he had lost. The study group that had once been a source of support had fractured. Word spread about what had happened between him and Cindy, about his confession, and slowly, the others drifted away, forming a new group without him. Even Robby was now a regular in the new group.

If only Cindy hadn’t said anything, if he hadn’t confessed—maybe, just maybe, none of this would have happened. But even as the thought crossed his mind, he knew he was trying to hide behind 'what-ifs.' It was easier to blame the circumstances and imagine a different outcome than to face the truth of his choices. Hadn’t he learned anything from what had happened?

Sometimes, he would see Cindy sitting with her friends during those sessions, her face calm and composed. He longed to approach her, apologize again, and explain himself better than he had that night. But he resisted each time the urge struck, knowing she wasn’t ready to hear it. The thought of facing her anger and disappointment was too much. So he kept his distance, watching from afar, the ache in his chest growing heavier with each passing day.

One evening, as he was leaving the library after another failed attempt at studying, he ran into Maria again. She looked at him with a mix of pity and frustration, as if she could see right through him.

“You know,” Maria said, her voice low but pointed, “Cindy isn’t the only one you hurt. You hurt yourself too, Mason. By not being honest. With her, with Robby, with yourself. You’re better than this. You need to stop hiding and start facing up to who you are. Whatever you decide to do next… make sure it’s the truth. I told you last time, do the right thing - but you still don’t get it, do you? Was Robby right about you? I refuse to believe that Mason.”

“Robby? What about Robby?” asked Mason.

Maria looked at Mason with concern and determination, as if she was about to say something she had been holding back for a long time. She hesitated for a moment, as if choosing her words carefully, before finally speaking.

"Have you talked with Robby? asked Maria.

"No. He won't speak with me. What's the poing?" replied Mason.

"Mason, that's now what I asked you. Have you even tried to talk to him?" asked Maria again.

Mason wasn't sure what to say. He hadn't. Each time he walked into the room, he got nothing but a cold shoulder from Robby. He didn't think things would get back to normal.

“Mason, I don't know if I should even tell you this. But you do know Robby cares for you, right?” she said, her voice soft but firm.

Mason felt his heart skip a beat at her words. He opened his mouth to respond, but Maria wasn’t finished.

“I mean he really cares for you,” she continued, her eyes searching his. “He’s been acting like an ass lately, but it’s not because he doesn’t care. It’s the opposite. He’s been so angry and distant because he doesn’t know how to deal with what he’s feeling. And he’s hurt, Mason—hurt because you shut him out, just like you did with Cindy.”

"But..." just as Mason was about to speak, Maria cut him off.

"No excuses Mason, that's what got you into trouble in the first place. Stop making excuses." said Maria firmly.

Mason’s breath caught in his throat, a knot of guilt tightening in his chest. He had seen Robby’s strange behavior, the way he had pulled back, the anger that seemed to come out of nowhere, but he had never thought that it might be because Robby actually… cared. He had assumed it was just Robby being flippant, detached, and not invested in anything. He also knew deep down, that he really hadn't tried to speak with him. Whenever he spoke it was always about school, or something else unimportant never about what had happened. He realized he was trying to run away from this also.

“Robby… Robby is…” Mason’s voice faltered, the words catching in his throat. Even now, after everything, he couldn’t say it. Why was it so hard to admit, even to himself? He had already confessed, so why did this feel like the final barrier he couldn’t cross?

Maria's voice cut through the silence, soft but unwavering. “Yes, Mason. He is. We all knew it—how could you not? He’s your roommate. You’ve lived with him, shared your life with him.” She paused and, with a deep breath, delivered the words that shattered his denial. “He is gay.” Those three words struck Mason like a hammer to the chest, their weight finally breaking his defenses.

Maria took a step closer, her voice dropping to a near whisper. “Robby’s never been good at showing how he feels, especially when it comes to something like this. But it’s there, Mason. You need to think about that. You need to ask yourself why he’s been acting the way he has, and why you’ve been so afraid to face it.”

Mason felt a cold shiver run down his spine as Maria’s words sank in. Could it be true? Could Robby’s anger, his sarcasm, and his sudden distance all be signs of something deeper—something he had been too blind or too scared to see?

Maria’s expression softened, her tone turning almost pleading. “Don’t push him away, Mason. Don’t make the same mistake with him that you did with Cindy. You’ve already lost her—don’t lose Robby too. He’s still here, still trying to figure things out, just like you are. But he won’t wait forever either.”

She paused, letting her words hang in the air, allowing Mason to absorb them. “If you care about him—if there’s even a small part of you that feels something for him—then you need to stop running. You need to talk to him. Be honest with him, with yourself. You owe him that much.”

He had been so wrapped up in his own confusion and guilt that he hadn’t considered the possibility that Robby’s behavior was rooted in something more than just annoyance. Could he have been so blind, so wrapped up in his own fears, that he had missed what was right in front of him?

Maria placed a hand on his shoulder, her grip firm but gentle. “Mason, it’s not too late. You can still make this right. But you have to be brave. You have to face it, whatever it is that you’re feeling. And you have to do it now, before it’s too late.”

Her words hit Mason like a punch to the gut. She was right. He had been hiding from the truth, his feelings, and the reality of who he was. In doing so, he hurt not only Cindy but everyone around him. He was seeing that now.

Mason walked back to his dorm feeling more lost than ever. The city, which had once felt so full of possibilities, now felt like a maze he couldn’t escape. The excitement of starting a new chapter in his life had faded, replaced by the cold, hard reality of his mistakes.

Part 5 - Robby - Doubts Destroy Dreams

Robby sat on the chair, staring at the wall and trying hard to study, his thoughts spiraling in a storm of confusion and self-reproach. The dorm room, usually a place of comfort, now felt like a cage, trapping him with his doubts and insecurities. He replayed the recent events over and over in his mind, trying to make sense of everything that had happened between Mason and Cindy, and where he fit into all of it.

He had been so sure of himself, so confident that Mason would eventually see what had been there all along. Robby had dropped hints, subtle at first, then more obvious as time went on. He had thought that maybe, just maybe, Mason would pick up on them, that he would understand that Robby cared for him—really cared for him. But Mason hadn’t. Instead, Mason had gotten closer to Cindy, and Robby had watched, heart heavy, as the two of them seemed to grow more inseparable.

Why didn’t he come out to me? Robby thought, frustration bubbling up alongside his hurt. Why didn’t he trust me enough to tell me the truth? He had always been open about who he was, never pretending to be something he wasn’t. He had thought Mason would feel safe enough to do the same. But now, as he sat there, he couldn’t help but wonder if he had been the problem all along.

Maybe I wasn’t clear enough, Robby mused, a knot of anxiety tightening in his chest. Maybe I was too subtle, or too focused on trying to protect myself. Maybe I should have just come out and told him how I felt, instead of waiting for him to make the first move. The doubt gnawed at him, eating away at the confidence he had once had in their connection.

Robby had seen the way Mason had looked at him, the way his eyes had lingered just a little too long, the way he had smiled when they were alone together. He had thought those moments meant something, that Mason was struggling to find the courage to admit the truth. But now, after everything that had happened with Cindy, Robby wasn’t so sure anymore. Maybe Mason had been scared, too scared to say anything, and Robby had missed the signs. Or worse, maybe Mason had never felt that way about him at all, and Robby had been fooling himself from the start.

The thought was like a punch to the gut, leaving Robby breathless with a mixture of sadness and regret. Did I push him away? he wondered, his mind racing through every interaction they had ever had. Was I too eager, too obvious? Or did I hold back too much, leaving him to think I didn’t care? The questions were relentless, each one chipping away at the belief that had once seemed so solid.

Robby’s heart ached with the possibility that he had ruined everything—that his own actions, or lack of action, had driven Mason into Cindy’s arms. He had wanted to protect Mason, to give him the space to figure things out on his own terms. But now he wondered if, in doing so, he had only made things more confusing, more difficult for the both of them.

He sighed, rubbing his hands over his face, trying to push the thoughts away. But they wouldn’t leave him. He couldn’t stop thinking about the what-ifs, the could-have-beens. He wanted to believe that there was still a chance for them, that Mason would see the truth, but the doubt was overwhelming, suffocating.

Maybe I was wrong about everything, Robby thought, the realization settling like a heavy weight in his chest. Maybe I’m the one to blame.

He glanced at the door, half-expecting Mason to walk through it, to tell him that everything was okay, that they could still be something more. But the door remained closed, and Robby was left alone with his doubts, wondering if he had already lost the one person who had ever truly mattered to him.

Part 6 - The Confrontation

Mason walked back to the dormitory with heavy steps, the weight of Maria's words pressing down on him. “He is gay.” The phrase echoed in his mind, over and over, a relentless drumbeat that drowned out everything else. “He is gay.” His thoughts raced, scrambling to piece together the truth that had been right in front of him all along. “How could you not know it?” The question reverberated in his chest, each word tightening the knot of anxiety. As he approached his room, the familiar door suddenly seemed like a gateway to the unknown. He knew he had to talk to Robby, but the thought of confronting everything that had been left unsaid between them made his heart pound with a fear he had never felt before.

When he opened the door and stepped inside, he found Robby sitting at his desk, a textbook open in front of him. The lamp on the desk cast a dim, warm light, creating deep shadows that filled the room with tension. Mason took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was about to do.

“Robby,” Mason began, his voice trembling slightly. “Can we talk?”

Robby didn’t look up from his book. His voice was cold, distant. “What do you want to talk about? Haven’t you hurt enough people? Are you coming to finish the job?”

Mason winced at the words, but he knew he deserved them. “Robby, I’m sorry. I… I don’t know what to say. I spoke with Maria and she said…”

Robby suddenly spun his chair around to face Mason, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and deep hurt. “What did she tell you? Did she say that I liked you? That I cared for you? Because I did, Mason! I do.”

Robby could no longer keep it inside. The words were burning a hole in his chest, and he knew that if he didn’t say them now, he might never forgive himself. “I did everything I could to show you how I felt, but you didn’t see any of it, did you? You didn’t notice when I lent you my favorite jacket, hoping you’d keep it. Or when I gave you a bunch of my clothes when you first came. Or when I made up excuses just to hang out, just to be near you. All those times we went for pizza and beer, trying to build something… anything. But you… you were so blind. You just brushed it all off, like it meant nothing.”

Mason was taken aback by the intensity in Robby’s voice. He had never seen Robby like this before—so open, so raw. He opened his mouth to respond, but Robby cut him off.

“Mason, I never hid who I was,” Robby said, his voice trembling with emotion. “I didn’t bring anyone to our room, and yeah, I went out with girls, but I never lied to them. They knew I was gay. Everyone fucking knows I’m gay. It’s gotta be the worst-kept secret on campus. But you know what? I’m still figuring things out too, just like you. Why do you think my parents dumped me here? Why do you think I’m not living at home? You never even thought of asking me! Let me tell you. They sent me away because they’re ashamed of me. My brother will become a doctor, my sisters will probably be lawyers or something else successful, and me? I’m the family fuckup.”

Robby’s voice cracked as he continued, the floodgates of his emotions finally breaking open. “You have no idea what it’s like, Mason, to be sent away by the people who are supposed to love you unconditionally. My parents didn’t just dump me here; they exiled me, like I was some dirty secret they couldn’t bear to look at anymore. I’m the one who didn’t fit their perfect little picture. My brother? He’s their golden child, the future doctor they brag about. My sisters? They’re everything they ever wanted in daughters. And me? I’m the mistake they hide away, the one who’s too different, too ‘wrong’ to belong in their world. Do you know how much that fucking hurts? To know that the people who are supposed to love you would rather pretend you don’t exist?”

He paused, taking a shaky breath as he fought to keep his composure. “I thought… I thought maybe you were different. That you’d see me for who I am and not just some guy who’s trying to get by. But you never did, Mason. You never even asked. I hinted so many times. You never cared enough to notice that I was hurting, too. And now, here we are, with all this between us, and I don’t even know if it matters to you.”

Robby’s words hung in the air, each one heavy with years of pain and rejection. Mason felt a pang of guilt in his chest, realizing how little he had truly understood about the person in front of him and how he had failed to be a true friend.

“Robby, I…” Mason started, but Robby wasn’t finished.

“Mason, I fucking care for you, maybe I love you - I don’t know,” Robby continued, his voice breaking slightly. “It fucking hurt me when you wouldn’t even give me the time of day. And then, when I saw you with Cindy, I was happy for you—I thought you had found someone who made you happy. Maybe you weren’t gay… But then I realized you were just running away from who you really are, from what you really feel.”

Robby’s eyes were filled with anger and sadness, and Mason could see how much this conversation cost him emotionally. The strong, confident facade Robby had always worn was replaced by someone struggling just as much as Mason was—if not more.

Mason just stood there, taking it all in, feeling like the ground was shifting beneath his feet. Everything Robby said was right, every word a painful truth Mason had been too afraid to face. But what shocked him the most was how openly Robby was sharing a part of his life, something deeply personal that Mason himself would have never dared to reveal so openly. Here was Robby, baring his soul, being vulnerable, being real in a way that Mason had never been.

The room was silent except for the sound of Mason’s breathing, which had become shallow and uneven. He was overwhelmed by the revelation, Robby’s honesty, and the realization that he had been blind to what was right in front of him all along.

“Robby, I had no idea…” Mason finally managed to say, his voice trembling. “I didn’t know you felt this way. I was so wrapped up in my own fears, in trying to hide from the truth, that I didn’t see… I didn’t see you.”

Robby shook his head, his expression softening slightly but still filled with pain. “You didn’t want to see it, Mason. You didn’t want to see anything that made you confront who you are. You’ve been running from it ever since you got here, and I was stupid enough to think that maybe, just maybe, you’d stop running if you had someone who cared about you. Someone who was like you. Someone who is gay.”

There were those words again. Why did he wince every time he heard them? It wasn’t just the words themselves; it was what they represented—the truth he had buried so deep, the fear of what it meant for him, for his future. Every time he heard them, it felt like a mirror reflecting a part of himself he wasn’t ready to face.

“And I tried, that night after pizza? I wasn’t drunk Mason. But you never kept the conversation going. You said you wanted to make a new life for yourself - but did you? You fucked things up.” Robby continued.

Mason felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he blinked them away, trying to stay focused. “Robby, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’ve been a coward. I’ve hurt people, hurt you, and I didn’t even realize it. I thought I was protecting myself, but all I was doing was pushing everyone away.”

Robby’s gaze softened as he looked at Mason, seeing the sincerity in his eyes. “Mason, you need to stop running. From me, from Cindy, from yourself. You need to start being honest, not just with us, but with yourself. Because if you don’t… you’re going to lose everything that matters.”

“Mason, you can’t change who you are. No matter how much you try to hide or how hard you wish it away, it won’t disappear,” Robby said, his voice firm but gentle. “You can’t run from it forever. The only way to move forward is to accept it—accept yourself. It’s who you are, and that’s okay. I told you, that we’ll figure things out. I meant it, Mason.”

Mason nodded slowly, the weight of Robby’s words sinking in. He had been running for so long, hiding from the truth, from his own feelings. But now, standing in front of Robby, he realized that it was time to stop. It was time to face everything he had been running from, no matter how hard it was.

“I’ll try, Robby,” Mason said, his voice filled with determination. “I’ll try to be better, to be honest. With you, with everyone. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

Robby studied Mason for a long moment as if weighing his words before finally nodding. “Good. Because I don’t want to lose you either, Mason. I care for you a lot. Maybe I even love you. I don’t know. But I need to know that you’re willing to face the truth, even when it’s hard. I need to know that you are willing to walk this path with me. You can’t keep hiding Mason.”

“I am willing to. I will. I will stop hiding.” Mason replied, his voice steady. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

There was a moment of silence between them, a silence that was no longer filled with tension but with a sense of mutual understanding. They both knew that this conversation was just the beginning and that there was still much to figure out. But for the first time in a long time, Mason felt like he wasn’t alone in this. Robby was right there with him, ready to face whatever came next.

Robby held out his hand, a hopeful yet determined look in his eyes. “So, what do you say? We start with a clean slate, but there’s a lot of healing we both need to do. That we all need to do.” Mason nodded, taking Robby’s hand firmly. “But right now,” Robby continued with a small smile, “I need to get back to the books.”

As Robby turned back to his desk, Mason sat down on his bed, feeling a strange mix of relief and fear. He had taken the first step, but there was still much more to do. So much more to face.

But for now, he wasn’t running anymore. And that was something.

Part 7 - Rebuilding Bridges

The next few weeks were a time of gradual healing for Mason and Robby. Though the wounds from the fallout with Cindy were still fresh, things began to improve, bit by bit. Maria started speaking to Mason regularly again, offering him small updates on Cindy’s well-being. She was careful not to give him false hope, but a gentleness in her tone hadn’t been there before.

“Cindy’s doing better,” Maria told Mason one afternoon as they walked together across campus. “She’s still hurt, but she’s starting to come around. I think she might be ready to talk to you soon, but give her time. She needs to work through this on her own terms.”

Mason nodded, grateful for the information but also anxious. He knew he couldn’t rush things with Cindy; he had to respect her space. Still, the idea that she might eventually be open to hearing him out gave him a sense of cautious optimism.

Meanwhile, things between Mason and Robby slowly began to thaw. They started talking regularly, and their conversations became more open and honest. Though Mason wasn’t invited back to the study group—his reputation had taken a serious hit, and trust was hard to regain—he found solace in the fact that Robby was still there, willing to listen.

One evening, after a particularly long day, Mason found himself opening up to Robby in a way he never had before. They were sitting on Mason’s bed, the room dimly lit by the soft glow of a bedside lamp. The atmosphere was calm, almost serene, as if the room itself was inviting Mason to share his story.

“I need to tell you something,” Mason began, his voice quiet but steady. “Something I’ve never really talked about with anyone before.”

Robby turned to him, his expression serious but encouraging. “You can tell me anything, Mason. I’m here. I told you, we’ll figure things out.”

Mason took a deep breath, reached into his wallet, and pulled out a small, worn photo. It was a picture of Tony, the boy who had once meant everything to him. Mason handed the photo to Robby, who took it gently and studied it in the dim light.

“His name is Tony,” Mason said, his voice thick with emotion. “He was… my first love. We met one summer, and it was… everything to me. We spent almost every day together. He was confident, charming, everything I wasn’t. He made me feel seen, like I didn’t have to hide who I was.”

Robby listened intently, his eyes flickering with understanding as he handed the photo back to Mason.

“But one day,” Mason continued, his voice faltering, “he just… disappeared. No goodbye, no explanation. I went to his house, and it was empty. They had moved away without a word. It was like he had been erased from my life, just like that.”

Mason pulled an old, crumpled movie ticket from his wallet and held it to Robby. “This was from the first movie we saw together. I’ve kept it all this time, along with his picture. I guess I was holding onto the hope that one day I’d see him again, or at least understand why he left.”

Robby’s expression softened, his voice gentle as he responded. “That must have been really hard, Mason. To lose someone you cared about so suddenly, with no closure.”

Mason nodded, tears welling up in his eyes. “It was. And I think… I think that’s why I’ve been so messed up here. I never really dealt with losing Tony. I just pushed it all down, tried to move on. But it’s like he’s been haunting me, like I’m stuck in that moment when he left.”

Robby placed a comforting hand on Mason’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “You don’t have to carry that alone anymore. You can talk to me, anytime. About Tony, about anything. I’m here for you, Mason.”

Mason wiped his eyes, a small, grateful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Thank you, Robby. It means a lot to me. More than you know.”

Encouraged by Robby’s support, Mason continued to open up. He shared his embarrassment at his high school graduation when someone shouted a slur at him in front of everyone. He told Robby how that moment had cut him deeply, leaving a scar that had yet to heal fully.

“And that’s when I realized,” Mason said, his voice trembling, “that I had to get out of that town. I couldn’t stay there, not with people who saw me as nothing more than a faggot. But even here, I kept running. I thought I was starting fresh, but I was just dragging all that baggage with me.”

Robby nodded, his gaze never leaving Mason’s. “It’s hard to let go of the past, especially when it’s full of pain. But you’re not alone in this. You’ve got me, and Maria, and maybe even Cindy again, if you give her time. You’ve just got to be honest, with them and with yourself.”

Mason took a deep breath, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders as he poured out his story. He had spent so long hiding, so long running from who he was, that it felt almost surreal to let someone in finally. But here was Robby, sitting beside him, listening without judgment, offering unconditional support without hesitation.

For the first time in a long time, Mason felt like he was truly being seen—not just as a collection of mistakes and regrets, but as a whole person, flawed and struggling but still worthy of care.

Mason felt a sense of peace he hadn’t known in years as he lay in bed that night. He knew there was still a long road ahead: bridges to rebuild and wounds to heal. But he also knew that he wasn’t alone on that journey. Robby was there, and maybe, just maybe, there was a chance to make things right with Cindy, too.

Mason held onto that hope as he drifted to sleep, letting it guide him into tomorrow's uncertainty.