Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:46:50 +0000
From: Draiodoir Draiodoir <darkdraiodoir666@hotmail.com>
Subject: Falling for a Straight Guy/ Chapter 6

PRELIMINARY NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

	This is the revised version of Falling for a Straight Guy that had
been first published here in Nifty. This story depicts gay love a.k.a. love
between two males. If you are not at the proper age to read this or if your
place of residence considers reading this illegal, please leave if you want
to. But if not, feel free to stick around and check out what I have cooked
up.

	All rights reserved. This story is property of Fritz Ilagan. No one
must copy, reprint or repost this story without any consent to the author,
whole or in part, except for permitted by this site or the laws. Situations
in this story came from the experience of the writer and with imagination,
change the names of people and places for privacy. Part fiction, part
reality, hope you enjoy. Sex scenes are still undecided...

Chapter 6: Questions and Answers

	It had been the longest wait Dave had endured in his life. After
talking to Daniel that morning, he had not been able to even get near the
guy. Stealing glances every now and then, Dave tried to assess Dan's
reaction without his friends noticing; he knew it would be hard to explain
if he approached Daniel as though they had become friends again all of a
sudden.

For that, the morning dragged on with few incidents, except for a strange
something between Jemma and Jaypee. Dave was so preoccupied by his own
thoughts that it took him until lunch break to notice how strange the two
lovebirds were acting. As the other members of the gang talked and ate
lunch around them, Dave noticed that he was not the only silent head among
the usually rowdy group.

Ever since they became a couple, Jemma and Jaypee had always sat with each
other at lunch. It had been an unspoken rule for two years never to sit
between the two... or else endure the cheesiest exchange of love lines of
your life. Now, however, Dave noticed that Belinda separated the lovers and
the usual trade of sweet nothings didn't occur; instead, Jemma looked
rather forlorn while Jaypee's face appeared to have gotten rundown by a
piston.

Being a journalist at heart, Dave's inquisitive nature won out; he could
sense something was up and it was not the usual lovers' quarrel. He took
his cell phone from his pocket and started texting. Jemma jerked a little
as she felt her phone vibrate. Dave watched her read the message and raised
his brows as Jemma gave him a look piled with mixed emotions. Confusion,
shock, relief and guilt were the few that Dave recognized before they were
all replaced by a well-practiced pokerfaced mask.

	The device on his hand took his attention and Dave opened the
message.

SMS from Jems: Talk 2 u aftr claz... meet u by d bakeshop?

	Raising a curious brow, Dave sent his agreement. Jemma pocketed her
phone after reading the reply. Lunch went on and Dave returned to his
thoughts vaguely aware of the gang's plans to catch a flick after classes.

* * *

	The afternoon classes were as boring as their morning
counterparts. Dave sang a mantra inside his head just to convince himself
to stay in his seat and listen to his teachers drone about demographics,
how to make a research paper and predict when the next planetary alignment
will happen using Newton's law of moving bodies. The bell ringing was like
an orchestra to a student's ear and Dave welcomed the most anticipated
sound together with the rest of the class.

	Gathering his book and notes, Dave felt his phone vibrate and
presumed that Jemma had sent a text to confirm whether they were still okay
for their date.

	`Probably giving me advice on how to ditch the rest of the gang,'
thought Dave as he took the device from his pocket. But it was not Jemma
who texted him.

	SMS from Daniel Rodrigo: Read your letter. We nid 2 talk. Meet me
at the HQ now.

	"Dave, you okay?" asked Paul. "You coming or what?

	"Huh? Yeah... I'm alright..." Dave responded quietly.

Looking at the crowd, Dave saw Daniel's back amongst his classmates exiting
the room. Glancing towards Jemma's forlorn face, Dave bit his lip,
indecision raking his brain.

It was obvious Jemma needed someone to talk to; most probably it was some
kind of problem with Jaypee. But if Dave decided to talk with her, he would
miss his chance to know what Daniel's reaction to the letter was. Sighing
to himself, Dave shoved his stuff in his bag and zipped up.

	"Paul... I need to do some stuff at the Herald head quarters..."
Dave started and he already saw the annoyance on his friend's face.

	"Again? Dave, the paper will get finished one way or another. You
don't have to push yourself to the brink of insanity just to prove you're
the editor-in-chief," said Paul frowning a bit. "Let your staff do their
jobs. You don't have to do everything."

	"I need to do something," said Dave and the edge in his voice told
Paul plainly to back off. "I'll take a rain check about the movies. See
guys tomorrow." With that, Dave walked towards the exit, Jemma's
disbelieving face unknown to him.

	As he reached the stairs, Dave typed hurriedly on his cell. He
hoped Jemma could figure out her problems without him. `There's Belinda
anyway...' Dave reasoned with himself.

SMS to Jemma: Jems... sorry but something came up at the paper. Can we talk
some other time? Thnx Ü

	Sending the message, Dave knew it was rude to cancel at the last
minute but he figured he needed to sort out his problems before he tried to
fix someone else's. Jumping two steps at a time, Dave rushed to the other
side of the school and made his way to the Herald Office.

	He was not surprised to see that Daniel was already standing by the
entrance. The office was closed when it was not in use. Dave was one of
three people with the key to the room; the others were the head janitor and
the paper adviser.

	Dave's heart pounded as he approached but he knew it wasn't because
of his running. A few meters away, Daniel looked up, his face was a blank
slate as he saw Dave. Dave gulped slightly.

	"Hey..." said Dave as he neared. His voice sounded rather croaked
as his mouth went dry instantly.

	"Hey," said Daniel coolly. "Can you open the door? Can we talk
inside?"

	Nodding in agreement, Dave rummaged through his bag. After half a
minute of searching, he took out a silver key and unlocked the door. The
office looked odd being empty; Dave led the way inside, switching on the
lights on his way. Daniel closed the door as he entered and Dave looked
clueless as he stared at the guy.

	"Why don't we sit?" offered Daniel. Dave took the offer and slumped
in a chair nearest to him as he was sure his legs would not have held if he
remained standing a second more. An awkward silence came as Daniel sat and
stared at Dave's feet. Then...

	"I was surprised... or maybe shocked is more appropriate," said
Daniel, still staring at the floor. Dave squirmed a bit as he anticipated
the next words.

 	"I never would have expected it... I guess, I never thought someone
like you would be like... like... that." Daniel gave a heavy sigh before
continuing.

	"I understand that it must be tough to hide something as big as
this and feel alone because you can't tell anyone about it. I understand
why you did the things you did. I'm not really sure about your feelings
towards me... but I guess, the only one who can sort that out is you."

	Daniel brought up his head and saw that Dave looked as though he
was close to crying which made the guy feel bad.

	"Dave, look at me please..."

	With great effort due to shame and fright, Dave stared at Daniel's
deep brown eyes. Daniel smiled.

	"It's okay," the guy said. "I'm no longer mad, now that I know what
you're going through. I'm not going to judge you because I know what a
great guy you are. And the fact that you're willing to share this stuff
with me makes me feel rather privileged because you trust me enough."

	Dave could not believe his ears. The sound of Daniel's voice grew
more perfect as he spoke the words.

	"You're not going to kick the crap out of me?" Dave said, tears
glimmering in his eyes.

	"And what would that accomplish? I might get expelled if I beat up
the Student Council President. And surely, you look as though you could
easily kick my ass too," said Daniel with a small smile. "But
honestly... it doesn't really make you a different person just because
you're..." Daniel got silent.

	"It's okay, I'm not really sure what I am anyway," said Dave
softly. "There are just so many expectations that I panicked and did the
stuff that I did. I'm sorry."

	"It's okay. If I were in your shoes, I would have freaked out too."

	Rays of orange light passed through the windows, faintly trying to
shine against the florescent lamps. The silence between the two guys said
everything. A minute passed and Daniel and Dave just sat there looking at
each other, both lost in their own reverie.

	"You sure you want me back?" said Daniel, sheepishly after a
moment. "In the Herald, I mean."

	"Yes, of course. You deserve to be back. You were great... you are
a great guy," said Dave. His breath got caught in his throat as Daniel gave
him a brilliant smile.

	Deep inside, Dave wanted to say more than these hollow words but
his communication skills diminished every time he looks at Daniel's
face. It was as though words were not enough to even describe and explain
what he really wanted to say. He smiled to himself... Dave never felt so at
peace in his whole life. He never knew honesty could set you free from so
many things.

	Dave stood up and Daniel followed suit. Now that everything was
clear between the two of them, Dave figured it was now time to leave. He
walked towards the door yet what happened next was totally unexpected to
him. Daniel must have misunderstood the motion; he was standing by the
chair nearest the door and as Dave neared, the guy opened his arms and
embraced Dave.

	Caught off guard, David stiffened a bit, as the feelings were
something he never felt before. He got compelled to stay in those arms as
he never experienced anyone hug him like that... his mother, father or
sister never did that to him before. Daniel felt Dave's shocked reaction
and was about to break the hug when he suddenly felt the guy's arms on his
back returning the embrace.

	Daniel smiled and held on his friend as he said, "You're a great
guy Dave... don't ever forget that."

	"Thanks," Dave whispered back, trying with all his might not to get
consumed by the feelings inside him.

* * *

	It was as if David saw the world in a completely new light. He felt
so at peace after he and Daniel talked in the Herald office. Something
heavy inside him was lifted when Daniel accepted his apology and his
friendship.

	Of course, his friends did not miss Dave's new aura. Marcelo and
Ferdinand were all smiles when they saw Dave walk in the room with a grin
so wide they could count all his teeth.

	"Ooh! Davey's glowing!" Marcelo chirped like a chipmunk that just
chewed marijuana. "Who is it, Davey boy? Is she sexier than me?"

	"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Dave as he sat. "You
and your ridiculous assumptions." But he knew his stupid smile gave him
away.

	"Assumptions? Moi? I don't assume Dave, I know!" said Marcelo
matter-of-factly. "People don't shine without any reason. Someone made your
wires spark up, didn't they? That's why you are glowing like a firefly in
heat right now."

	"I'm not glowing!" said Dave exasperatedly. He got annoyed with
himself because people could easily read what he felt yet could not explain
why he was grinning like an idiot. Dave couldn't just tell them he was
smiling because Daniel accepted him as a friend again.

	"Well, now we know why you ditched us at the movies, you horn-dog,"
Ferdinand sneered. "Some innocent girl got bumped yesterday! Hahaha!"

	"Shuddup!" said Dave. "You guys just mind your own business because
I'm too busy to be the center of your perversions. I have a fundraiser to
plan."

	"Huh... grinning maniacally, dodging questions, using work as an
escape route, this sounds serious, interesting..." said Marcelo, narrowing
his eyes dramatically while caressing his invisible beard. "Well, whoever
she is, won't stay a secret for long Mr. President. Let me remind you that
you're a high profile personality and a girl in the lower level of the
social strata won't stay quiet for long. We'll see who will be victorious
in the end..."

	The gang laughed as the two gay guys did a pose and laughed
theatrically. Dave just shook his head as he chuckled. `Good luck with that
plan,' he thought to himself.

	Dave knew Daniel would never tell a soul about his secret so the
chances of the gang finding out why he got so happy all of a sudden would
be near impossible. Only Daniel... and Dave's computer knew his true
feelings and as his computer was password protected inside his dead bolted
bedroom, Dave knew he need not to worry.

	"Well, Dave," started Marites. "As you had been too busy enjoying
yourself, not even bothering to come with us to the movies last time, we
planned to have a group study at the library this afternoon to prepare for
the third quarterly exams. If it can fit in to your schedule maybe you can
hang out with us?"

	Dave raised his brows to all of them. `A study group as a reason to
hang out... yeah right!'

	"You just want me there so I can help you study," he said and all
of his friends acted as though they were insulted.

	"We'd never use you for academic purposes Davey! I cannot believe
you'd say that!" said Shaina with one hand over her chest.

	"Uhuh?"

	"Well... maybe we asked for your help once in a while but those
were times we really needed help. In moments when we can manage, we do our
own studying," said Mica supporting her fellow kikays.

	"And which moment was that again?" asked Dave with a grin. He never
minded helping everyone with their homework and stuff but he just couldn't
resist teasing them for a bit.

	The gang grew silent for at least five minutes. Dave just smiled
and so did Belinda and Paul but Dave noticed that Jemma and Jaypee were
still acting strange... as though they were not really listening to the
exchange of banter around them. Dave was about to say something about it
when he got distracted as Marcelo suddenly answered his question.

	"That time in our Livelihood Education class in junior year, we
didn't ask your help then and we passed... I think we even got a higher
score than you," Marcelo stated triumphantly.

	"Yeah, well we were studying how to put hot oil on hair and as you
had been going to the salon two times a week since you were a toddler, I
think you had a bit of an advantage on that department," said Dave. "I'll
help you all study on Thursday but only after I settled my org
works... alright?"

	They all cheered and Marcelo and Ferdinand reached to kiss Dave on
both cheeks but as Daniel entered at that moment, Dave fought tooth and
nail to stop the two from embarrassing him. Daniel just passed the gang
discreetly but Dave thought he might have seen Daniel give him a small
smile and a wink as the guy walked to his seat.

	The rest of the class were just looking at the gang as they joked
around; Dave saw some of them smile encouragingly. The gang had always been
the binding factor of their section and everyone agreed Dave and his
friends were. They didn't force anyone to have the same opinion as them,
but the gang was as charismatic as any political party could wish to be;
many students saw them as leaders.

	Their jokes finally came to rest as their adviser came in to start
the class. As Dave dared to give Daniel a fleeting glance, he saw half of
his classmates frown and groan while Mrs. Mendoza ranted with her high
pitch voice about trigonometric functions and formulae. Daniel gave another
smile to Dave as he caught his eye and with this, the President knew it
might turn out to be a great day.

	`Trigonometric functions... bring it on!' he thought happily.

(to be continued...)

NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR:

	Another late chapter hahaha... sorry guys, I know some of you have
been waiting but I really had a semester to remember and my mind had been
in Mars so I can't do anything right for the past few weeks. I hope you'll
enjoy this chapter though as my editor and I gave it our greatest.

	I might post one chapter per month from now on as I would be
concentrating most of my time to school because I didn't get in the Dean's
List last semester because I failed to attain the grade requirement... so
much just happened and most of it is due to my mistakes.

	Thanks for the emails guys and to those that downloaded my story
from Ziddu. I still hadn't had time to convert the story to html format for
those that could not stand .doc

	I want to express my gratitude to my editor H.Mac. who writes his
own story: American-English. I love this story and I encourage you guys to
check it out if you have time for more reading.

	This story is still dedicated to Si Kelly and Deepy, two people I
still love so much. Hope both of you are kickin' it!

	Emails are appreciated so much... send them to
darkdraiodoir666@hotmail.com I respond, HONEST! hehehe

	Until the next chapter... have a good one guys!

Fritz D. Ilagan