Benjamin leaned back, sensing Wren's anger. He kept his voice gentle. "What do you mean? Tell me what happened, Wren. If you talk about it, perhaps—"
Wren cut him off, his voice sharp and loud. "It won't help. Nothing will change the past. Nothing."
Benjamin remained silent, giving Wren the space to breathe and pull himself together.
"Our emotions are like water, Wren. When its container is too full, the water has nowhere else to go but to spill over," Benjamin said softly. "Or like ice that expands until it breaks through the container holding it. We have to let it out somewhere. If we don't, it will eventually destroy us from the inside."
Wren nodded slowly, acknowledging Benjamin's words. He began to pace around the room as he tried to calm himself and gather his thoughts.
"You see… we were naive," Wren said. "We truly believed that our love would be enough to overcome anything."
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Following the stern warning from his parents, Wren and Atlas devised new ways to meet in secret. With Jae's help, Wren began selling off valuables from his residence. When asked by his parents what had happened, he claimed the items had simply broken. Using that money, one of Atlas's friends rented a small flat for them. They set it up as a tutoring agency. It was the perfect cover given that there were a number of students living in the building. Atlas always used the back entrance to avoid being seen.
Initially, for the first few months, Wren noticed his parents' personnel following him discreetly. However, after he performed the act of maintaining a distance from Atlas, the surveillance finally stopped and his parents became warm with him again.
It was then that Wren and Atlas finally moved into the flat together. But, they remained agonizingly careful never to be seen together in public.
"I don't know why you put up with me at all," Wren said one evening, his gaze fixed on the floor. "I'm a burden. Anyone would be lucky to have you... I'm sure there are plenty of people you could be with who wouldn't make your life a living hell."
"That's what you said months ago," Atlas replied, pulling Wren into a hug. "But I'm still here, aren't I? I'm doing this because I love you. I'd walk to hell and back to be with you, Wren. And this? This isn't hell. How could it be? I'd never meet someone like you in hell. To me, this is heaven."
Hearing Atlas's cheesy jokes, Wren let out a genuine laugh. "You... I'm so lucky to have you. I mean it."
"I know you do. We're both lucky," Atlas said softly. "If you think about it, in the grand scheme of things, the chance of us ever meeting was so unlikely.. But we did. So let's take the chance we've been given and make the most of it."
"You always say the right thing," Wren said, burying his face in Atlas' shoulder and hugging him tightly. "It's annoying sometimes. Stop it."
Atlas let out a soft laugh. "Can't help it that I've always been wiser than you."
But then, the laughter faded. Atlas grew quiet and his body tensed in Wren's arms. When he finally pulled back just enough to look at Wren, his eyes were welled with tears.
"But, Wren… please, don't ever say that again," Atlas whispered. "Don't talk about leaving me. Or me being better off without you. It will never happen. It… it hurts too much to even imagine it. The thought that something so awful like that could happen… it's the only thing that truly scares me."
When Wren kissed him, he felt the tears rolling down Atlas's cheeks. "After the incident at your parent's house, I thought that you would leave me. I didn't say anything because I didn't want you to feel trapped. I didn't want you to stay just because you felt pressured or guilty… But, I'm glad you chose to be with me."
Atlas pulled Wren closer, his hands slightly trembling. "But I'm so glad you stayed. I'm so happy more than any words could ever describe, that you chose me, Wren."
Wren leaned in and kissed Atlas's cheek again. "I love you so much, Atlas. You are my entire world," Wren whispered back. "I only said those things because I didn't want to see you get hurt. Being with me... it comes with so much baggage. Honestly, I was the one afraid you would leave me. But I wanted to give you the choice, just in case you couldn't find the words to walk away yourself. You have no idea how happy I am that you chose me."
The two remained locked in that embrace for a long time. They wept together. They were tears of relief for the joy they had found, tears of sorrow for the past, and tears of fear for the future that loomed ahead.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Hearing Wren's story, Benjamin felt as if his own heart was breaking. But, Wren suddenly stopped talking.
"I… I need to… I'll be back," Wren stammered. Before Benjamin could respond, Wren stood abruptly and quickly left the room, leaving Benjamin alone and confused.
Left alone with his thoughts, hearing Wren's story had reminded him of his own relationship with Charles. Yet, Wren's story cut deeper. They had been so young, barely beginning to navigate the world and forge their own identities. Despite their lack of experience, they had found something rare, beautiful and nurturing in one another. And to have that crushed so violently by the very people meant to protect them… it must have been heart-breaking and traumatizing.
Where is Atlas now? Benjamin wondered as he stared at the door.
Wren knows I went by the same name as his lover. Is that why Wren had been drawn to me from the start?
Although Benjamin's empathy for Wren grew, he knew that understanding his past didn't excuse what Wren was planning now.
How did that vulnerable boy in the secret flat become the man standing before me today?
How does this all tie into my past? Benjamin wondered as he pieced together the bits of information he got from Wren.