THIS HURT SO FUCKING MUCH WHAT THE FUCK I FEEL SO EMPTY... Which is to say, absolutely well done!
Absolutely captured the Filipino vibes with birthday parties and gated subdivisions and everything else between. And similarly that level of yearning and angst I can only expect a fellow will ever know. The randomly playing sound of a dog doing their spin was the cherry on top of the ambience, and everything else was just perfect. Safe to say, perhaps by the end of the story, Sam realized he was just beholding himself as much for Nathan. A situationship, of which they have become both unwilling victims. And frankly, complete separation really just seems to be the best course of action, painful as it is...
Now allow me a week to process as I blast my ears off with Burnout....
And I'll be looking forward for more of your stuff, man!