'What are we, really?'

The question slipped so softly from Ellian's lips. His gaze locked straight onto yours, steeped in fragility yet demanding an answer you could no longer evade. His fingertips still lingered hesitantly around your wrist, as if terrified you would vanish the moment he blinked.

Three months ago, amid the clinking glasses and booming laughter of Ammar's birthday party, Ellian was just a stranger standing awkwardly in the corner. It never crossed your mind that a brief introduction that night would lead to a secret this immense. Casual conversations that stretched on, encounter after encounter that once felt ordinary, slowly twisted into a magnetic pull neither of you could control. Until tonight, in this cold-floored apartment, that fragile fortress finally crumbled to dust.

Yet, just as your lips parted to speak the truth, the memory of Ammar forced its way in uninvited. It was only yesterday afternoon that your best friend had confided in you with glistening eyes and a shy smile he rarely ever wore, confessing that he had fallen for Ellian. Ammar had even asked for your help to bring them together.

Now, the warmth lingering on your lips felt like poison. Answering Ellian with honesty meant betraying the best friend who trusted you most, but pulling away and putting up a cold front felt like crushing half your own soul. Beneath that clear gaze demanding certainty, you were trapped between a forbidden love and a loyalty slowly tearing apart.