Carmelized Onions and Confessions

The onions were caramelizing in the pan, carrying a scent across the whole apartment. The man standing over the stove was humming a tune as he was cooking, with a smile on his face. His roommate was about to come home from his classes, as their schedules were different. It’s not like he minded, though he did enjoy the other man’s company.

As the dinner was finishing up, the outer door creaked open, and inside of the apartment stepped the man known as Michael Oxlong, taking off his hat and coat. Immediately as he had stepped in, he was taken aback by the smell coming from the kitchen. Whatever was being made, it sure did smell amazing!

“Oh, Kenneth, whatever you are making smells exquisite!” Michael chirped as he hurried to the kitchen, grabbing the stool by a table and sitting down. The man fixed his round glasses, looking up at Kenneth.

Kenneth gave Michael a smile, as he now blended the caramelized onions with mashed potatoes he had prepared, which he knew Michael enjoyed. As he put the mash on the plate, he also threw in some liver he had cooked up beside it before putting down the two plates on the kitchen table and sitting down.

They’ve been living together for a few years now, as they had managed to rent the one-room apartment a while back for college. It was just the two of them, with an occasional girlfriend Michael would bring home (though they never lasted long). While the more outgoing Michael would bring people home all the time, Kenneth didn’t really have many people he could turn to and invite. He only had Michael, and he was happy to have his company around.

Actually, one could say he was more than happy. Kenneth yearned for Michael, as he had developed feelings for this man he thought of as his best and closest friend. Whenever Michael gave him a smile, Kenneth would have to look away to not show any suspicion as to what his true feelings were. This was Kenneth’s secret, and God forbid it leaked out. If it did, his whole future career could be in danger, and he didn’t want to risk dragging Michael down with him, as well as losing his closest and dearest friend.

Dear God, he couldn't stop looking at Michael, who had already begun to dig into the meal. The radio they both splurged on was playing quietly, as the two had begun to eat. Michael’s glasses fogged due to the steam from the meal, and he took them off for a while. Oh, how beautiful his eyes were. Kenneth could look into the odd coloured eyes for hours, one blue and the other one brown. Noticing his own face becoming red, he looked down at his meal quickly with shame, poking his fork around on the liver and mashed potatoes. As Kenneth looked down, Michael looked up from his meal to look at his friend.

“Are you feeling well, Kenny?” Michael asked, which sent a shiver down Kenneth’s spine. Michael was the only person that called him that.

“Yeah, uh, I…” Kenneth stuttered, still looking down at the meal,avoiding eye contact. Mike tilted his head slightly, clearly worried, as he looked over at his roommate. Kenneth swallowed nervously, then peeked up, “I uh… I have something I need to tell you. It’s… quite important.”

Michael gave off his usual goofy smile as he looked at Kenneth. “Oh, Kenny, you know you can tell me anything!”

“Mikey, I…” Kenneth started, again stuttering, as if the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat. Oh, how badly he wanted to tell Michael how he felt about him, and how he longed for his lips to meet his own. There’s so much he wanted to tell him, and so many things he could say, and yet he couldn't let out the words he wanted to announce. Kenneth opened his mouth to speak again.

“I got a job offer for after I graduate. At, uh… Aperture Science Innovations”

Damn, that wasn’t what he wanted to say at all. He looked up at Michael, his face still red as he was now starting to sweat bullets. Despite everything, Michael just gave him his usual smile.

“Oh, Kenny, that’s wonderful!” Michael said, getting up from the table to give Kenneth a big hug. Kenneth stopped up for a second, before hugging his dear friend back. Sure, “Mikey” was a hugger, but despite that his hugs felt so... special to Kenneth. He soon let go, and shook his hand.

Kenneth just sat there, looking at Michael. “Right! Uh… I was wondering maybe, you also wanted to apply? We could both work there, together, and-”

“Oh, Mikey, I’ll try to apply, but I’ve got another place in mind already”, Michael uttered, frowning while putting his glasses back on. “I’ve been looking at this facility that’s currently being built, uh… Down in New Mexico. Black Mesa, I believe it’s called..?” Mike said before stuffing his mouth with food again.

Kenneth frowned a bit, heartbroken over the thought of being so far away from his closest friend. He grabbed his handkerchief and wiped food from around his mouth, before standing up. Kenneth took a deep breath, before opening his mouth to speak again.

“I’ll write to you every single day we’re apart, Mikey.” Kenneth said, as he picked up both plates, while his own food was barely touched. He started cleaning up, so he wouldn’t have to face Michael’s face, as he felt his heart shatter to a thousand pieces.

Michael was still sitting down, kind of perplexed by how Kenneth acted, but didn’t dwell on it for too long. He opened his mouth to speak, asking Kenneth a simple question;

“Do you promise?”

Kenneth stopped washing the plates for a second, before turning his head a bit to see Michael out of the corner of his eye. He gave his beloved roommate a pained smile.

“I promise.”