Let's Say Gex, 1426 H Street NW, Washington, DC, Hoa Kỳ, Washington D.C., DC (2026)

06/11/2026

After 20 Years, I Saw Him Again… And It Felt Like Nothing Changed

I didn't recognize him at first either, which is probably the only reason I had the nerve to talk to him.

It was one of those slow, forgettable afternoons.

I ducked into a small cafe just to kill time.

The kind of place that tries a little too hard to feel cozy.

Plants in every corner, soft music, people pretending to read.

I remember standing in line, half scrolling through my phone, when the guy in front of me turns slightly to the side to grab a napkin.

And something about him hit me.

Not enough to place him.

Not even close.

Just familiar in a way that made my chest tighten for no clear reason.

He was older, obviously, late 30s, maybe pushing 40, broader shoulders, a bit of stubble, that calm confidence people grow into.

But there was something in the way he moved, something in the way he tilted his head like he was always listening a little deeper than everyone else.

I kept staring longer than I should have.

He noticed.

Something on my face?

He asked, glancing back at me with a half smile.

I blinked caught off guard.

What?

No, sorry.

I just thought you were someone else.

He chuckled softly.

Happens more than you'd think.

His voice.

That was the first crack.

Low, steady, a little warm around the edges.

It stirred something in me I couldn't explain yet.

Like hearing a song you forgot you loved.

I forced a small laugh.

Yeah, guess we all have one of those faces.

We stepped forward in line together.

I tried to drop it, but my brain wouldn't let go.

There was a pull now, subtle but persistent, like something just out of reach.

When he ordered, I heard his name.

Otis.

My stomach dropped.

It wasn't a dramatic reaction.

No sudden realization, just a quiet creeping feeling spreading through me like a memory slowly waking up after years of sleep.

Otis.

No way.

It couldn't be.

Not after 20 years.

I told myself I was being ridiculous.

It was a common enough name.

And even if it was him, there's no way he'd look like that now.

No way life would circle back like that.

Not in some random cafe on a random day.

Still, I couldn't stop looking.

We ended up standing next to each other while waiting for our drinks.

Close enough that I could catch little details now.

The faint scar near his eyebrow.

The way his fingers tapped lightly against the counter like he had energy he didn't know what to do with that scar.

That stupid tiny scar.

And just like that, it hit me.

Clear, sudden, unavoidable.

Otis.

The same Otis who used to race me down dirt roads behind our old neighborhood.

The same Otis who shoved me into a lake once and then jumped in after me because he thought I couldn't swim.

The same Otis who on one very specific summer night looked at me like I was something more than just his best friend.

I felt my throat go dry.

20 years and he was right here right next to me completely unaware.

I should have said something immediately.

That would have been the normal thing to do.

Hey, are you Otis from But I didn't because suddenly I wasn't sure I wanted him to recognize me.

I wasn't that same kid anymore.

Life had a way of sanding down who you used to be, reshaping you into something quieter, more guarded.

Back then, everything felt simple, loud, honeSt.

Now, things were complicated.

And the way he stood there relaxed, confident, like the world made sense to him.

I didn't know where I fit into that version of his life.

Xander.

The barista called my name, snapping me out of it.

Otis glanced at me again, this time more deliberately.

His eyes lingered for a second like he was trying to place me now.

"You sure we haven't met?"

He asked.

There it was, that tiny spark of recognition.

I felt my pulse jump.

I could have told him right then.

Could have closed the gap, erased 20 years in a single sentence.

But instead, I shook my head.

Yeah, I said casually, picking up my drink.

Pretty sure I'd remember.

It was a lie.

And the second I said it, I knew I just made things a lot more complicated than they needed to be.

He studied me for another second, then nodded slowly.

Fair enough.

But as I walked past him, I could feel his eyes still on me.

And something told me.

He wasn't entirely convinced.

I told myself I was just going to sit down, drink my coffee, and leave.

That was the plan.

Simple, clean, no past getting dragged into the present.

But instead, I chose the table directly across from him.

I wish I could say it was an accident, but it wasn't.

There were plenty of empty seats.

I just picked that one.

Close enough to see him without it being obvious.

Close enough to feel him there.

And yeah, I was aware of how ridiculous that sounded.

20 years.

And suddenly, I'm acting like some awkward teenager again.

I kept my eyes on my cup at first, pretending to be busy, but my attention kept drifting.

Every time he moved, every time he shifted in his seat or ran a hand through his hair, I noticed he had changed.

Of course, he had, but not in the way I expected.

Back then, Otis had been loud, reckless, the kind of guy who' drag you into trouble and laugh the whole way through it.

He didn't think twice about anything.

This version of him was different, quieter, more controlled, but there was still something underneath it.

I could see it in the way his jaw tightened when he focused or how his foot bounced slightly under the table like he was holding back energy.

Same Otis, just grown up.

And somehow that made it worse because now I couldn't stop thinking about that summer, the last summer before everything changed.

We were 16, too old to be kids, too dumb to be anything else.

It was one of those nights where the air felt too warm, like something was about to happen.

We'd ended up by the lake, same place we always went, talking about nothing, skipping rocks, just existing in that easy way we used to.

And then there was this moment, this long quiet pause where either of us said anything.

I remember looking at him, and he was already looking at me.

Not joking, not teasing, just looking.

And I swear something shifted right there.

"You ever think about leaving this place?"

He asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"All the time."

He nodded slowly.

"Me, too."

Another pause, then softer.

"You think we'd still know each other if we did?"

I laughed a little, trying to shake off how serious he suddenly sounded.

Of course we would.

You're stuck with me.

But he didn't laugh.

He just kept looking at me like he was trying to figure something out.

And then Xander, his voice pulling me back to the present.

I looked up too faSt.

Otis was standing next to my table now.

I hadn't even seen him get up.

"Sorry," he said, gesturing to the empty chair across from me.

"Mind if I sit?"

My brain short circuited for a second.

Uh, yeah, sure.

Not exactly smooth.

He sat down like it was the most natural thing in the world, like we hadn't just met 10 minutes ago under completely normal circumstances.

But there was nothing normal about this anymore.

This is just a brief introduction to the story. The full story and the thrilling ending are available via a link in the comments below. Please click on "All comments" to see full story. 👇

06/11/2026

The Guy I Liked In School Came Back After Six Years… And Invited Me To His Place

The last person I expected to text me on a random Tuesday night was Darren Collins.

I was lying on my couch half awake, still in my work clothes, scrolling through garbage videos, and trying not to think about how repetitive my life had gotten.

Same office.

Same microwave dinners.

Same lonely apartment.

Then my phone buzzed.

Darren.

Hey Carson.

Been a while.

I stared at the screen so long it dimmed.

Six years.

Six damn years since graduation.

And somehow just seeing his name again made my chest tighten exactly the same way it used to back in high school.

Back then Darren was the guy everyone noticed the second he walked into a room.

Tall, messy dark hair, stupidly nice smile.

He played soccer, flirted with every girl alive without even trying, and somehow still managed to be nice to literally everyone.

Especially me.

Which honestly made it worse.

Because when you're closeted 17-year-old guy secretly obsessed with your straight best friend, every tiny act of kindness feels dangerous.

And Darren had always been casually affectionate with me.

Throwing his arm around my shoulders.

Sitting too close.

Calling me Car in that lazy voice of his.

Meanwhile, I spent most of senior year pretending my heart wasn't trying to beat its way out of my chest every time he touched me.

Then graduation happened.

He moved away for college in Chicago.

I stayed home.

And eventually we stopped talking.

At first it was gradual.

Missed texts.

Less calls.

Then one day it had just ended.

So seeing his name again after all this time felt unreal.

I typed three different replies before finally sending.

Me.

Yeah.

Been forever.

Three dots appeared instantly.

Darren.

I'm back in town.

That hit me harder than it should have.

I sat up straighter on the couch.

Me Seriously?

Since when?

Darren 2 weeks.

Helping my mom move.

Then another message came right after.

Darren You still live downtown?

I swallowed.

Me Yeah.

A few seconds passed.

Then Darren Want to grab a drink tomorrow?

I don't think I answered for almost a full minute.

Because the embarrassing truth was that part of me had never really gotten over him.

Not completely.

I dated people since high school.

Had relationships.

Whatever.

But Darren had always stayed tucked somewhere in the back of my head like unfinished business.

I told myself it was nostalgia.

Still, my pulse was racing while I typed.

Me Sure.

The next evening I got to the bar 15 minutes early.

Which was pathetic.

I kept checking the entrance while pretending to look at the menu.

My knee bounced under the table non-stop.

Then the door opened.

And there he was.

Older.

Broader shoulders.

Little bit of stubble now.

Black hoodie stretched tight across his cheSt. But still Darren.

Still unfairly attractive.

His eyes landed on me instantly.

And his face broke into that same crooked grin I remembered from high school.

Carson.

Hearing him say my name again after 6 years did something weird to me.

I stood up too fast and almost knocked my drink over.

He laughed immediately.

Still awkward, huh?

Shut up.

He pulled me into a hug before I could react.

And Jesus Christ.

I forgot how warm he felt.

One of his hands pressed against my back for just a second longer than necessary before he stepped away.

You look good.

He said.

I tried not to visibly malfunction.

You, too.

That stupid grin appeared again.

I know.

Some things survive time.

We sat down and surprisingly conversation came easy almost immediately.

We talked about work, college, people from school we hated.

At one point Darren laughed so hard at one of my stories he grabbed my arm across the table and for a second I was 17 again internally losing my mind over basic physical contact.

The worst part was realizing he'd somehow gotten even more attractive with age.

More confident, too.

Back in school he'd always been energetic and chaotic.

Now there was something calmer about him.

More intense.

Like he paid attention differently.

Halfway through our second drink he leaned back in his chair and looked at me carefully.

So, he said casually, you seeing anyone?

I nearly choked on my beer.

No.

His eyes stayed on me.

You?

Nah.

Something about the way he answered felt strange.

Almost hesitant.

I looked down at my drink.

Honestly, I kind of figured you'd be married by now.

He laughed softly.

Why?

You always had girls obsessed with you.

Girls, huh?

The way he said it made me look up.

His expression was unreadable.

Then he took another sip of his drink and changed the subject completely.

But my brain stayed stuck on those two words.

This is just a brief introduction to the story. The full story and the thrilling ending are available via a link in the comments below. Please click on "All comments" to see full story. 👇

06/10/2026

I Thought He Was Just My Friend… Until He Did It

I didn't realize the exact moment things stopped being normal with Archer, but if I had to pick one, it was probably the night he fell asleep on my shoulder and didn't move.

Not even when I shifted.

Not even when I stopped breathing for a second, waiting to see if he'd wake up and pull away like a normal friend would.

He didn't.

And that should have been my first clue.

But I was stupid back then.

Or maybe just in denial.

My name's Christopher, and Archer had been my best friend for almost 3 years at that point.

We met in college, nothing dramatic.

Just two guys stuck in the same group project who realized we had the same sarcastic sense of humor and zero patience for everyone else.

It was easy with him.

Effortless.

We'd grab food, binge dumb shows, complain about classes, all the usual stuff.

He was the kind of guy everyone liked without trying.

Confident without being arrogant.

Funny without forcing it.

The type who could talk to literally anyone.

And yeah, he was attractive, too.

I noticed that pretty early on, but I'd buried it just as faSt.

Because Archer was straight.

At least, that's what I told myself.

He dated girls, talked about girls.

So whatever I felt didn't matter.

I kept it locked down, filed away under "Don't be an idiot."

And just stayed his friend.

And honestly, for a long time, that was enough.

Until things started shifting.

Not all at once.

Nothing obvious.

Just small things that didn't quite fit anymore.

Like how he started sitting closer.

At first, it was just crowded couches, shared armrests, his knee bumping into mine and not moving away.

Normal stuff.

Easy to ignore.

But then it kept happening, even when there was plenty of space.

Or the way he touched me mid-conversation, grabbing my arm when he laughed, nudging my shoulder, letting his hand linger just a second longer than necessary.

Again, subtle.

But not nothing.

I told myself I was imagining it.

That I wanted it to mean something, so my brain was twisting normal behavior into something else.

Because that's what happens, right?

You read too much into things.

You see what you want to see.

I had literally convinced myself of that until that one night.

We were at his place, just the two of us.

It wasn't anything special, just takeout, beers, and some terrible action movie either of us was really paying attention to.

The kind of night we'd had a hundred times before.

Archer was stretched out on the couch, one arm thrown behind his head, the other resting way too casually on the cushion between us.

I was sitting next to him, pretending to care about the movie while being painfully aware of how close his leg was to mine.

"You're not even watching."

He said suddenly.

I glanced over.

"Neither are you."

He smirked.

"I know, but I asked firSt." I rolled my eyes, taking a sip of my drink.

"It's a bad movie.

I'm allowed."

"Mhm."

He hummed, shifting slightly.

Closer.

His knee pressed against mine fully this time.

Not a brush.

Not accidental.

Just there.

And he didn't move it.

I felt it instantly, like my entire body tuned into that one point of contact.

Still, I kept my eyes on the screen.

Didn't react.

Didn't breathe too differently.

Because if I acknowledged it, it became real.

And I wasn't ready for that.

A few minutes passed like that.

Silence, except for the movie and the low hum of the city outside.

Then Archer let out a quiet laugh at something on screen and leaned sideways.

Right into me.

His shoulder pressed against mine, his head tilting just slightly closer.

Dude, I muttered, trying to keep my voice steady.

You're crushing me.

Relax, he said, not moving.

You're comfortable.

Comfortable.

The word hit weird.

Because yeah, I was.

Too comfortable.

Dangerously comfortable.

I shifted a little, testing if he'd take the hint.

He didn't.

If anything, he leaned more.

And then, like it was nothing, his head dropped fully onto my shoulder.

I froze.

Completely.

My brain just stopped working for a second.

Archer, I said, quieter now.

No response.

I glanced down at him.

His eyes were closed.

Are you serious?

I whispered.

Still nothing.

He looked peaceful.

Like he just drifted off without a second thought.

Like this, me, was a normal place for him to land.

And that's what messed with me the moSt.

Because for him, maybe it was.

For me?

It was everything.

I sat there, barely moving, hyper aware of his weight against me, the slow rhythm of his breathing, the warmth of him.

Minutes passed.

Maybe longer.

I don't even know.

At some point, my body stopped being tense and just adjusted.

Careful.

Still.

But not panicked anymore.

And that's when it hit me.

This wasn't one-sided confusion.

Because people don't do this by accident.

Not like this.

Not repeatedly.

Not comfortably.

Something had changed.

I just didn't know if Archer understood that yet.

Or if I was about to find out the hard way.

Looking back now, that was the beginning.

Not the obvious kind.

No big moment, no confession.

Just a quiet shift.

The kind you can ignore until you can't anymore.

And I definitely didn't realize yet how far it was going to go.

But I was about to.

Very soon.

The next morning, I told myself it didn't mean anything.

That was the first mistake.

I woke up on Archer's couch, my neck stiff and my arm completely numb.

For a second, I didn't even remember falling asleep.

Then I felt it.

Wait.

Warmth.

Breathing.

My eyes snapped open and there he was, still pressed against me.

His head tucked into the crook of my neck now instead of my shoulder.

Like at some point during the night he'd shifted even closer.

If anything, we were more tangled than before.

His arm was loosely draped across my stomach.

My hand, without me even realizing it, was resting against his side.

I froze all over again.

What the hell?

I stayed completely still, staring at the ceiling, trying to process how we got here.

Because falling asleep like that may be explainable.

But this this was something else.

And the worst part?

This is just a brief introduction to the story. The full story and the thrilling ending are available via a link in the comments below. Please click on "All comments" to see full story. 👇

06/10/2026

I Fell In Love With A Guy In The Comments Section

I never expected a stupid comment section to change my life.

Seriously.

If you told me 6 months ago that I'd fall for a guy because of a sarcastic reply under a cooking video at 2:00 in the morning, I would have laughed in your face.

But that's exactly what happened.

It started during one of the loneliest periods of my life.

I was 26, working remotely from my tiny apartment, barely seeing anyone outside of grocery store cashiers and my barista downstairs who misspelled my name every single day even though I went there constantly.

My whole routine had become painfully repetitive.

Wake up.

Work.

Microwave food.

Scroll mindlessly.

Sleep.

And somewhere in between all of that, I got addicted to reading comments online.

Not posting.

Just lurking.

There was something weirdly comforting about random strangers arguing about movies, confessing embarrassing stories, or flirting under TikTok clips like their lives depended on it.

It made me feel less alone somehow.

That's where Cliff came in.

At first, he was just another username.

CliffR92.

No profile picture.

No bio.

Just this dry, annoyingly funny sense of humor that kept showing up under videos I watched.

One night I was watching this disaster cooking tutorial where a guy accidentally set a towel on fire while making homemade pasta.

The top comment said, "Bro created Italian arson."

And underneath it, Cliff replied, "Grandma rolling in her grave whispering mama mia."

I laughed so hard I actually snorted.

Then I kept noticing him everywhere.

Under gym videos.

Under relationship posts.

Under random memes at 1:00 a.m. Always funny.

Always weirdly smart.

Never trying too hard.

A few days later, I made my first reply to him.

I don't even remember the video anymore.

Something dumb about terrible dating advice.

Cliff had commented, "If he says good vibes only, run immediately."

And before I could overthink it, I replied, "Same energy as men holding fish in profile pics."

A minute later, he answered, "Okay, but what if it's a really big fish?"

I stared at my phone smiling like an idiot.

That should have been my first warning sign.

After that, we started running into each other constantly online.

At least it felt constant.

Every night I'd end up searching comments hoping I'd see his username pop up.

And every time I did, my mood instantly got better.

It became this stupid little routine.

I'd leave sarcastic replies.

He'd answer.

Then somehow we'd end up having entire conversations buried under random videos.

Other people even started liking our exchanges.

One girl replied, "Y'all need to just date already."

I remember staring at that comment for way too long.

Because the thing was, I didn't even know if Cliff was gay.

There were hints, maybe.

Tiny ones.

The way he talked sometimes.

The jokes he made.

The fact he never mentioned women.

But nothing obvious.

And I definitely wasn't about to ask.

So instead, I kept things casual.

At least I tried to.

One night around midnight, I posted a comment under some video about worst first dates.

I wrote, "A guy once brought his mom unexpectedly."

A minute later, CliffR92, "Please tell me she paid at leaSt." I grinned immediately.

Me, "She complained about the restaurant prices."

Cliff, "Marry her, honestly."

That turned into a 2-hour conversation.

2 hours in the comment section.

At one point he replied, "Okay, wait, you're actually funny."

And I swear to God my stomach flipped.

Which was ridiculous.

I didn't know this man.

I hadn't even seen his face.

But suddenly I cared way too much about what some stranger online thought of me.

The next morning I woke up to a notification.

Cliff had followed me.

My heart actually skipped.

I opened his profile way too faSt. Still no real profile picture.

Just some dark photo of mountains.

But now I could see more of his comments, old posts, random music recommendations.

And one thing became painfully clear.

I liked him.

A lot.

That scared me more than I wanted to admit.

Because online feelings are dangerous.

You build people up in your head.

You create fantasy versions of them.

I knew that.

Still, I followed him back instantly.

For the next week, things escalated faSt. We moved from comments to direct messages.

At first it was memes, then voice notes, then entire conversations that lasted until 3:00 in the morning.

I learned he lived about 4 hours away from me.

He worked in marketing, loved terrible horror movies, had a habit of listening to sad music while cleaning his apartment.

And his voice.

Jesus ChriSt. The first voice note he sent caught me completely off guard.

Low, warm, slightly rough like he just woken up.

"Okay, first of all," he said laughing softly, "your take on pineapple pizza was aggressively hostile."

I replayed that voice note at least 10 times.

Maybe more.

Not proud of it.

The weirdest part was how easy talking to him felt.

No awkwardness.

No trying too hard.

Just easy.

Like we'd known each other forever.

One night we ended up talking about relationships.

Not directly about us.

Just generally.

Cliff sent, "Dating apps make me want to walk into traffic, honestly."

I laughed quietly to myself before replying, "Same."

Everyone either wants marriage immediately or can't hold a conversation.

The typing bubble appeared, disappeared, appeared again.

Then finally, "You're easy to talk to, though."

That one hit me harder than it should have.

I stared at the message for a long time.

Then typed, "You are, too."

A minute passed.

Then another voice note came through.

This one quieter, somehow.

"You know what's funny?"

Cliff said softly.

"I look for your comments now before I even watch videos."

My chest tightened instantly.

Because I did the exact same thing.

And suddenly this didn't feel casual anymore.

At all.

That night we stayed up until almost 4:00 talking about everything.

Family stuff.

Embarrassing high school stories.

The fact I hated phone calls, but somehow wanted to hear his voice constantly.

At one point he laughed and said, "Feels weird that a comment section led to this."

I smiled into my pillow.

"Yeah."

I admitted quietly.

"Kind of does."

There was a pause.

Then he asked the question that changed everything.

"So, can I finally see what you look like?"

My stomach flipped so hard it actually hurt.

Because up until then, neither of us had sent pictures.

And suddenly I realized this whole thing was becoming real.

I spent almost 10 minutes deciding which picture to send.

That's how pathetic I'd become.

I took selfies, deleted them, took more, hated every single one.

Too posed, too awkward, too desperate.

Meanwhile, Cliff had already sent, "You alive over there or did choosing a pic kill you?"

I groaned into my pillow.

Finally, I settled on something simple.

Just me sitting on my couch in a black hoodie, messy hair, tired eyes.

Casual enough that it didn't look like I was trying too hard, even though I absolutely was.

The second I sent it, instant regret slammed into me.

I threw my phone across the bed dramatically.

"Cool," I muttered to myself.

"Now he's going to disappear forever."

30 seconds passed.

Then my phone buzzed.

I grabbed it so fast I almost dropped it.

Cliff.

"Oh, wow."

My stomach dropped.

"Oh, wow."

What the hell did that mean?

Before I could spiral further, another message came through.

"Okay, you're ridiculously cute, actually."

I physically covered my face with my hand.

No one had called me cute in months, maybe longer.

And for some reason, hearing it from him mattered way too much.

I typed back, "You're legally required to send one now."

A few seconds later, three dots appeared, then disappeared, then appeared again.

Finally, a photo loaded.

And Jesus Christ, Cliff was gorgeous.

Dark hair, scruffy beard, broad shoulders filling out a gray T-shirt, sharp jawline, warm brown eyes that somehow looked soft even through a grainy phone picture.

He looked like the kind of guy who'd accidentally ruin your life without even trying.

I stared at the picture way too long before responding.

Wow, okay, rude.

His reply came immediately.

Rude?

This is just a brief introduction to the story. The full story and the thrilling ending are available via a link in the comments below. Please click on "All comments" to see full story. 👇

06/09/2026

He Hid Me From Everyone… Until He Finally Did THIS

I didn't realize I was being hidden until the third time it happened.

The first time, I brushed it off.

Alvin and I had only been seeing each other for about a month, and technically, nobody even knew we were together yet.

We met at the gym near my apartment.

He was one of those guys everybody noticed without trying too hard.

Tall, dark hair always messy like he just gotten out of bed.

Tattoo on his forearm, calm voice that made you lean in closer whenever he spoke.

The kind of guy who looked straight until he looked at you a second too long.

At first, it was just casual flirting.

Little comments, long stares, him finding excuses to touch my shoulder when we talked.

Then one night after the gym, he asked if I wanted to grab food.

That dinner turned into drinks.

Drinks turned into him walking me home.

And somewhere between standing outside my apartment building at 2:00 in the morning and him pushing me gently against the brick wall to kiss me, things became very real.

After that, we were inseparable.

Well, privately inseparable.

That's the important part.

Because behind closed doors, Alvin treated me like I was his boyfriend already.

He'd pull me into his lap while we watched movies, kiss my neck while I cooked, fall asleep with his arm wrapped around my waist like he physically couldn't let go of me.

But outside?

Outside, it was different.

The first weird moment happened at a coffee shop downtown.

We were sitting together sharing a muffin because Alvin said mine looked better, and I remember feeling stupidly happy.

Like embarrassingly happy.

The kind way you catch yourself smiling at your phone afterward because he sent something dumb like, "Miss your face already."

Then suddenly Alvin looked up from his coffee and froze.

I turned slightly and saw a group of guys walking in.

"S**t."

He muttered under his breath.

What?

My coworkers.

Before I could even react, he moved.

Not dramatically.

That's what made its thing worse.

He just shifted away from me.

His hand disappeared from my knee.

His chair moved a few inches farther.

His entire body language changed like someone flipped a switch.

One of the guys spotted him immediately.

Yo, Alvin.

Alvin smiled faSt. Too faSt. Hey.

The guys walked over, loud and energetic, talking about some project at work.

I sat there awkwardly holding my coffee while Alvin introduced me.

This is Jacob.

He said.

Just Jacob.

Not my boyfriend.

Not even my friend.

Just my name, like I was some random stranger sharing a table because the cafe was crowded.

One of the coworkers grinned at me.

You two know each other from somewhere?

My stomach tightened.

Alvin answered before I could.

Jim.

That was it.

Jim.

The conversation moved on quickly after that, but I barely heard any of it.

I just sat there feeling weirdly embarrassed while Alvin laughed with them like nothing happened.

And maybe I was overthinking it.

That's what I told myself.

Maybe he just wasn't ready yet.

Maybe it was too early.

Still, the energy changed after they left.

Alvin noticed I got quieter.

You okay?

He asked once we were outside.

Yeah.

You seem off.

I shoved my hands into my hoodie pockets.

You acted weird back there.

His expression tightened slightly.

What do you mean?

You know what I mean.

He sighed immediately, like he'd already had this conversation in his head before.

Jacob, my coworkers don't know about me.

The way he said it made my chest sink a little.

About you being bi?

His eyes flicked away.

Yeah.

I nodded slowly, trying to act understanding even though something sharp twisted in my stomach.

Okay.

It's complicated.

Sure.

He stepped closer then, lowering his voice.

Don't do that.

Do what?

Act like I'm ashamed of you.

I looked at him for a second because honestly, that was exactly how it felt.

But instead, I just shrugged.

I didn't say that.

Alvin grabbed my wrist gently before I could walk ahead.

Jacob.

His voice softened instantly, and that was the problem with him.

He knew exactly how to pull me back in.

I like you.

He said quietly.

A lot.

I hated how fast that made my anger weaken.

I'm just not ready for everybody in my life to know everything yet.

I stared at him.

The city lights reflected in his eyes, and for a second, he looked nervous.

Actually nervous.

That softened me more than it should have.

Okay.

I said finally.

And I meant it at the time.

I really did.

Because the truth was I was falling for him hard.

Hard enough to ignore things I probably shouldn't have.

Over the next few weeks, our relationship got more intense.

He stayed at my apartment almost every night.

Sometimes we'd cook together.

Sometimes we'd just end up making out against the kitchen counter while our food burned in the background.

He was affectionate constantly when we were alone.

Obsessively affectionate.

Like he couldn't touch me enough.

One night we were lying in bed together, tired and half asleep, and Alvin suddenly pulled me closer against his cheSt. You know you drive me insane, right?"

He murmured into my hair.

I laughed softly.

"In a good way?"

"The worst way."

His fingers traced slow circles against my stomach under the blanket.

"I've never wanted someone this much before."

That should have made me feel secure.

Instead, for some reason, it made me sad.

Because when it was just us, Alvin acted like I was everything.

But the second other people entered the picture, it changed.

It kept happening.

At restaurants, he'd stop touching me if someone walked by.

If we ran into people he knew, he'd suddenly become distant.

Once, we were holding hands in his car at a red light, and when another car pulled up beside us, he let go immediately.

Like instinct.

Like fear.

That one hurt the most for some reason.

I started noticing every little thing after that.

And once you notice something, you can't unsee it.

The breaking point came about 2 months in.

Alvin invited me to a party at his friend's apartment.

At first, I was excited because it felt important.

Like maybe this was finally him including me in his actual life.

I spent way too long getting ready.

Pathetic, honestly.

I remember changing shirts three times while staring at myself in the mirror wondering if I looked good enough.

Because somewhere along the line, Alvin's approval had started mattering too much to me.

When we got there, the apartment was packed.

Music blasting.

People drinking everywhere.

Somebody yelling from the kitchen.

Alvin stayed close to me at first, his hand brushing against my back as we walked inside.

Then his friend spotted him.

And just like that, he changed again.

Not cold.

Not rude.

Worse.

Careful.

Calculated.

Distant.

I stood there awkwardly while his friends talked to him, laughing and pulling him into conversations.

A few people introduced themselves to me politely, but Alvin never once clarified who I was.

Not once.

Then came the moment that finally cracked something inside me.

A girl walked over, blonde, gorgeous, clearly very comfortable around him, and immediately wrapped her arms around Alvin's neck.

"There you are."

She laughed.

And Alvin hugged her back.

Not casually, either.

Comfortably.

Familiar.

My stomach dropped.

She looked over at me finally.

"Who's this?"

There was a tiny pause.

Tiny.

But I felt it.

This is just a brief introduction to the story. The full story and the thrilling ending are available via a link in the comments below. Please click on "All comments" to see full story. 👇

Let's Say Gex

06/11/2026

06/11/2026

06/10/2026

06/10/2026

06/09/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request