Defend Me, Attorney by Josh Gonzales

“If pleading guilty means protecting you, I will.”

Nasa kanto ako.

Napangisi ako nang makita ang text ng kaibigan ko. Tall, smart, not-so-dark, but undeniably handsome. Lahat na nga siguro ng nakakita sa kaibigan kong si Traise ay ganoon siya i-describe.

Aside from having an admirable personality, he was also a model student. Pero lingid sa kaalaman ng lahat, hiding beneath his calculated façade was a monster raised by his dark environment.

Traise actually grew up being physically abused by his father. Ang nakakainis pa, maging ang nanay niya ay biktima rin ng pang-aabuso.

Everything about him was perfect if we wouldn’t talk about his family at all.

On my way, sagot ko bago tuluyang lumabas ng bahay.

Nang gabing iyon, nakapagdesisyon na akong aminin kay Traise ang nararamdaman ko para sa kanya. I have been wanting to confess my love for him. And his recent actions were giving me signs that maybe, he felt the same way, too.

He showed up, we talked, and just as I expected, he confessed something.

Pero imbes na matuwa at kiligin, takot ang bumalot sa akin.

In the hushed and melancholic dark of the night, instead of summoning the god of love, the almost perfect guy painted the sky with blood.

Traise killed his dad.

In celebration of Pride Month, Precious Pages brings Precious Talks: Normalizing Love with BL Stories (A PRIDE Special). Join Jobelle Rivera, Gem Vecino, and Abet Cruz as they share their experiences and insights on writing Boys Love stories!

Problema ko na nga na super shy ang boyfriend kong si Tray kaya ang bagal ng progress ng relationship namin kahit one year na kaming nagde-date, dumagdag pa ang "childhood friend" niyang si Yuni na kailangan daw ng protection mula sa stalker nito. I hate it that my boyfriend isn't shy around his "friend,"  but I hate it even more that he has to play bodyguard to that brat. Parang nakakatampo kasi na hiyang-hiya sa akin si Tray pero pagdating kay Yuni, sobrang casual niya.

Magdududa na ba ako?

Problema ko na nga na super shy ang boyfriend kong si Tray kaya ang bagal ng progress ng relationship namin kahit one year na kaming nagde-date, dumagdag pa ang "childhood friend" niyang si Yuni na kailangan daw ng protection mula sa stalker nito. I hate it that my boyfriend isn't shy around his "friend,"  but I hate it even more that he has to play bodyguard to that brat. Parang nakakatampo kasi na hiyang-hiya sa akin si Tray pero pagdating kay Yuni, sobrang casual niya.

Magdududa na ba ako?

Problema ko na nga na super shy ang boyfriend kong si Tray kaya ang bagal ng progress ng relationship namin kahit one year na kaming nagde-date, dumagdag pa ang "childhood friend" niyang si Yuni na kailangan daw ng protection mula sa stalker nito. I hate it that my boyfriend isn't shy around his "friend,"  but I hate it even more that he has to play bodyguard to that brat. Parang nakakatampo kasi na hiyang-hiya sa akin si Tray pero pagdating kay Yuni, sobrang casual niya.

Magdududa na ba ako?

Problema ko na nga na super shy ang boyfriend kong si Tray kaya ang bagal ng progress ng relationship namin kahit one year na kaming nagde-date, dumagdag pa ang "childhood friend" niyang si Yuni na kailangan daw ng protection mula sa stalker nito. I hate it that my boyfriend isn't shy around his "friend,"  but I hate it even more that he has to play bodyguard to that brat. Parang nakakatampo kasi na hiyang-hiya sa akin si Tray pero pagdating kay Yuni, sobrang casual niya.

Magdududa na ba ako?

Problema ko na nga na super shy ang boyfriend kong si Tray kaya ang bagal ng progress ng relationship namin kahit one year na kaming nagde-date, dumagdag pa ang "childhood friend" niyang si Yuni na kailangan daw ng protection mula sa stalker nito. I hate it that my boyfriend isn't shy around his "friend,"  but I hate it even more that he has to play bodyguard to that brat. Parang nakakatampo kasi na hiyang-hiya sa akin si Tray pero pagdating kay Yuni, sobrang casual niya.

Magdududa na ba ako?

Problema ko na nga na super shy ang boyfriend kong si Tray kaya ang bagal ng progress ng relationship namin kahit one year na kaming nagde-date, dumagdag pa ang "childhood friend" niyang si Yuni na kailangan daw ng protection mula sa stalker nito. I hate it that my boyfriend isn't shy around his "friend,"  but I hate it even more that he has to play bodyguard to that brat. Parang nakakatampo kasi na hiyang-hiya sa akin si Tray pero pagdating kay Yuni, sobrang casual niya.

Magdududa na ba ako?