"So, do you plan to tell Eujae the whole truth? Will you tell him that you never meant to argue with him that time and that you didn't hate him from the beginning?"

It has been a week since Poll and Eujae started dating, and it has been that long since the forgotten memory about their first day in college came back to him.

Even though they have been going out for a couple of days, their family and friends have yet to know about their romantic relationship. It's not like he and Eujae want to keep it a secret from the people close to them, but with all of them getting busy again once they went back to university after their holiday break, the two young men haven't found a good time to tell them the truth.

At present, there is only one person from their group who is privy to the fact that Eujae and Poll have been boyfriends for days. But then again, they didn't need to reveal it to Lia for the young woman to figure it out.

Aside from being the sweetest among their friends, Lia has always been intuitive and understanding of others. She also often knows the right words to say every time a person asks for her honest opinion about something. And it is exactly because of those traits that Poll feels comfortable talking to her about the dream he had during their New Year's camping trip.

Poll studies the set of wall frames that hang above the smart TV in the living room. He recognizes one of the four pictures as the graphite portrait he'd made for Eujae as a thank-you and peace-offering gift. The other one in the middle is another painted image of his boyfriend, and he doesn't need to look at the artist's signature to know that it is Lia's work. On either side are the photos of Eujae's parents.

The male twin shifts his attention to his female friend, who's sitting in a tuck position on the couch while munching on the sweet potato chips that Eujae prepared for them. He glances at the door that leads to the kitchen to check if his boyfriend has come back from cooking the spicy garlic mushroom pasta that they're planning to have for lunch.

Once he's made sure that Eujae won't be able to hear their conversation, he answers the young woman's question, "I know I was at fault for letting my emotions get the better of me that day and then forgetting about the fact that I was mad at myself for doing something stupid so I took it out on him. I should explain everything to Eujae and apologize, right? But if that guy learned the whole truth..." He groans internally, imagining Eujae's reaction if he knew that he'd been attracted to him the moment he first laid eyes on him. "He's not gonna let me live it down. It would just give him more reason to tease me, and he's already annoying as it is."

Lia laughs softly and picks another piece of chip from the bowl on the coffee table. "That's one of Eujae's love languages though. He likes to be playful with the people he adores."

"I know that. It's just that he's too much of a smartass sometimes, and I don't like that I always lose to him whenever we're bantering with each other."

Sighing, Poll also starts eating the homemade snack. The first thing he notes as he crunches on the sweet potato chip is that it tastes better as compared to the ones he usually buys from retail stores. He can't pinpoint the exact difference or what makes the former superior. Maybe it's the right sweetness. Maybe it's crispier. Or maybe he's just being partial to the one that his boyfriend made.

He pours himself a glass of red fruit tea and drinks it, scrunching his face as the sour flavor charges his taste buds. Eujae must have forgotten to add honey or brown sugar to the beverage because he's never used to using sweeteners.

After setting the glass down, Poll continues talking. "But you know, it's still hard for me to believe that I had completely discarded that part of the incident from my memory. I thought amnesia was something that happened only in soap operas that my mom loves to watch. How did I get amnesia anyway?" He frowns and gives Lia a quizzical stare, as though the young woman holds the answer to his question. "I don't remember falling from my bed that night and hitting my head on something hard."

"Our brain hides a lot of interesting mysteries, right? But rather than amnesia, it may be more precise to call your experience a selective memory."

"Selective memory?" Poll asks, wondering where he'd heard the term before.

"Uh-huh." Lia nods and reaches for the glass pitcher of tea before she explains, "It's the tendency of our brain to keep only the memories that a person wants to remember and throw away those that one would rather forget. It's like a defense mechanism to protect you from unpleasant emotions, you see. Like when an incident makes you feel so upset or humiliated that you wish everything was not real, so our brain would manipulate that certain memory and make it seem like it never happened, or make you remember something that is different from the truth."

Poll makes a thoughtful expression as he remembers an episode from the TV show that his twin sister likes to watch. The people from the said show had discussed the same thing before. When he called the whole thing bullcrap, Tem told him that the subject had a scientific basis.

But even now that he's had first-hand experience, he still finds himself in doubt about its reliability.

"Is that thing actually real?"

The young woman shrugs. "I think so. I read an article before where people admitted to forgetting some upsetting or embarrassing events from time to time. One person even said that they usually forget about sad happenings in their life after just sleeping them off. Of course, they may be exaggerating, but I believe the main idea about selective memory is real."

Poll doesn't reply as he thinks there's no point in admitting that the idea still comes off to him as absurd.

"There's something I'm really curious about though, Poll. You said you wanted to paint Eujae the first time you saw him because you thought he was so pretty then, so how about now?"

The question catches him off guard. He wants to give a negative answer at first, but he realizes that it's useless to deny anything to this woman. Rather shyly, he answers, "Of course he's still attractive. I'm not saying this because he's my bo... Because he's my boyfriend now, but he's really handsome, and... he has a nice smile. I still want to paint him, but I'd feel embarrassed if I ask him about it."

When he returns his eyes to Lia, Poll notices the way her face lights up as she fixes her gaze behind him. Curious about what made his friend beam, the male twin looks over his shoulder, only to be greeted by a kiss on his cheek.

"Lunch is ready," Eujae whispers in Poll's ear, making the latter blush.

Embarrassed, Poll sends a quick glance in Lia's direction. The young woman seems to be entertained by Eujae's shameless display of affection, and Poll can't believe that his boyfriend has no qualms about doing it even in front of his own cousin. He wants to know if Eujae will act the same and can be as bold if they're around the other people in their group, especially Tem.

"H-have you been there for long?" the smaller man asks in a timid voice.

"Not really," Eujae answers with an innocent expression. He looks back and forth between Poll and Lia, before asking, "Why? Were you guys talking about something that I'm not supposed to hear?"

"W-we're not."

Raising a brow, Eujae turns to his cousin as if to confirm if his boyfriend is telling the truth.

Poll sighs inwardly, relieved when Lia replies, "Don't worry about it. We were just discussing the new project assignment that our art professor had given us."

Eujae nods and invites them to the dining room, repeating that the meal is ready.

The three of them have lunch together. Once they're done eating and doing the dishes, Lia bids her goodbye to the couple, saying she has to finish a commissioned painting at home, while Poll chooses to spend a few more hours with the other man.

This morning, he told his mother and Tem that he was going to hang out with an acquaintance for the day. Little do they know that the person is, in fact, someone with whom they're very familiar. That, and he's his boyfriend.

As he slouches on the couch with his head comfortably laying on Eujae's lap and his hands busy with a mobile game, Poll tries to imagine how his family is going to react when they learn the truth. They will be surprised, but he's pretty sure everything will work out for them. The women seem to be really fond of Eujae after all.

The male twin brings his focus back to the game, frowning as an enemy NPC inflicts damage on his character. He's on the verge of trash-talking a computer but bites his tongue, aware that the behavior might draw disapproval from his boyfriend.

A hand keeps brushing against his hair, and it's becoming more and more difficult to ignore the flutters it sends inside Poll. Eujae is occupied with reading a science fiction novel at the moment, so he must have been brushing the smaller man's head absentmindedly.

The low volume of game sound effects and the rustle of flipping pages hang in the air. After a while, Eujae closes the book and breaks the silence.

"So, you really did have a crush on me from the very first time you saw me, huh? And could it be that you were just trying to get my attention all those times you started a fight with me?"

Poll's fingers freeze on his phone. He mentally curses, whether it's because his character has just been killed or because of what his boyfriend said. Abandoning his game, he sits up and gapes at Eujae. "I... I don't know what you're talking about. C-crush? Who? Me? On you? I-I think you're being delusional again. Why would I have a crush on you and try to get your attention? Do you think you're all that?"

He purses his lips and crosses his arms in front of his chest. However, as usual, his attempt to intimidate ends in vain.

With a smirk, Eujae pinches the male twin's cheek. "Why indeed? Maybe because you thought I was handsome from the first time you saw me. I looked like a cool character from an anime, and you instantly fell in love with me." Before Poll can tell Eujae that he is too conceited to say that about himself, the latter adds, "Your words, not mine."

"I didn't say that I fell in love with you that day!" Poll protests, grabbing a throw pillow to whack his boyfriend on the shoulder with it, "Stop making things up! And I thought you didn't hear what L.A. and I were talking about earlier!"

Laughter and objections fill the room as the young couple continues their mock fight. Eujae holds another scatter cushion in front of him to screen himself from the smaller man's attacks, but doesn't bother to strike back. He manages to stop his boyfriend by capturing him by the waist and tickling him, the retaliation earning a squeal from the male twin.

Poll winds up on Eujae's lap, straddling him, his arms circling around the taller man's neck. Breathing heavily, he lets himself be hypnotized by the heterochromatic eyes that gleam with amusement and affection.

"So I might have exaggerated about you falling in love with me at first sight, but you're not going to deny the fact that your first impression of me was that I was attractive?"

"So what? It still didn't mean anything. People can acknowledge someone's good look without anything behind it," Poll answers, pouting.

"You're really in denial through and through," Eujae says, smiling widely. He rests his forehead on the male twin to do an Eskimo kiss. "Why don't you just give up and admit that you've always had a crush on me?"

Refusing to stay at the mercy of his boyfriend's teasing for another minute, Poll disentangles himself from the taller man and rises to his feet. He then starts to walk away.

"Hey, where are you going, baby?" Eujae asks in between snickers.

"I don't wanna talk to you anymore 'cause you won't stop teasing me." With a huff, Poll leaves the other man in the living room and goes straight to the kitchen.

He opens the built-in refrigerator and scans its contents. Compared to the first time the male twin had been in this house, Eujae has stocked a lot of snacks in his fridge and in the pantry cabinet.

Poll takes the leftover pizza from the refrigerator and puts it in a microwave oven for a few minutes. After reheating the food, he grabs a tub of cookies and cream ice cream from the freezer. Just as he is ready to bring the food to the living room, Poll pauses. He stares at the plate of pizza slices on the kitchen island, contemplating if he needs something else. As an afterthought, he walks back to the fridge to get two cans of beer.

With a tray of food and drinks in his hands, he exits the area. The view of Eujae sitting on the floor and busying himself with his laptop on the coffee table greets the male twin as soon as he returns to the living room.

Wordlessly, Poll puts the tray on the table, picks up the tub of ice cream with a spoon, and makes his way to the other man. He takes a seat in between Eujae's legs, leaning his back on him and resting his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. He might have said he doesn't want to talk to him anymore, but that doesn't mean they should stop the cuddles either.

As if in approval, Eujae kisses Poll's temple, briefly nuzzling his head, while his fingers remain on the keyboard.

Scooping a spoonful of ice cream, the male twin begins to enjoy the cold sweet as he watches the graph with floating green and red candle-like bars on the laptop's screen. Poll learned a few days ago that his boyfriend has been investing in online trading since he was in high school. This has been the man's source of income as an independent college student.

Eujae already explained how this investment worked, but it was too complicated for Poll to understand. The only thing he's gathered from everything his boyfriend told him is that he buys stocks or cryptocurrencies when their prices are low and then sells them once they cost higher. It sounds simple, but he comprehends that a smart trader has to learn how to analyze charts and apply strategies to avoid acquiring losses. In Poll's opinion, Eujae is an intelligent trader.

With the tip of the spoon in his mouth, Poll cranes his neck to peek at his boyfriend behind him. Even with a serious expression on his face as he concentrates on his task, the man still looks gorgeous, if not hotter.

Poll feels his face become warm at the thought. To redirect his mind, he takes a slice of pizza and holds it in front of Eujae's mouth as if to feed him. Without taking his eyes off the laptop, Eujae grins and takes a bite of the food.

Satisfied, the male twin turns back in front of him and finishes the rest of the slice.

It isn't long after that when Eujae shuts his laptop down. The man hugs his boyfriend from behind and rubs their cheeks together.

"Are you done?" Poll asks, a spoon and an ice cream tub in his hands once again.

"Uh-huh. I've already earned a little amount, and that's enough for now," Eujae answers, brushing his lips on the bridge of the male twin's nose, "Besides, it was kind of hard for me to focus, what with this cute little bean distracting me."

Not bothering to take off his left arm around the smaller man, Eujae reaches for a can of beer.

On the other hand, Poll savors his ice cream to the last drop, knowing his boyfriend bought it—among other snacks—especially for him. He supposes eating something cold during chilly weather is not bad, now that he has someone to snuggle with.

"Will you stay until dinner?"

The male twin nods and lets out an affirmative hum.

"Okay. Then I'll bring you home after that. What do you want to eat?"

"Curry," Poll answers, drawing invisible spirals on the limb that's wrapped around him. He takes note that the hairs on Eujae's arms are longer than his, but they're so thin that they don't stand out that much.

"I can do that," Eujae tells him, and he starts to sway them side by side while they're still cuddling on the floor. "The available curry mix is mild though, so would you prefer if I add more chili pepper to make it spicier?"

Another nod.

"Why don't we make it together later then? Since it's easy to cook, you can also learn how to make it," Eujae suggests in a low voice, his mouth grazing against the other's ear.

Pleasant shivers crawl through his skin, but Poll brushes the feeling aside. He rolls his neck backward to look at his boyfriend and bats his eyes.

"Okay, teacher chef. I'm your guy," he says, the answer getting rewarded by a chuckle and a kiss on the lips.