"Love is unforgettable."

"Eh? How?" Kentarou asked.

He smiled as he reminisced and nodded.

"My second love is a silent and long phase, but it is unforgettable."

---

He wasn't expecting to love again, especially when Akihiro made him feel he's not worth it.

But his second love was unexpected yet unforgettable.

People say your second love is like a rebound from your first love, but it didn't seem that way for him. At least he thought so.

His second love arrived when he's in his second-year college.

His name is Tadashi, a senior of his who's a year older than him.

They weren't in the same department nor in the same group of friends but they had common friends.

He met him in one of their social gatherings, introduced by one of his friends and they clicked right away. He learned that Tadashi is a Computer Science major who lives in a dorm just like him. Tadashi wasn't that sociable but they were able to share some talk that night. 

Tadashi is taller than him, has a well-built body like an athlete, has sharp features, and hazelnut eyes. He could admit to himself that the older guy is really attractive.

Before the night ended, they exchanged numbers that lead to random texts and late-night talks days after their first meeting. He could say that Tadashi is a humorous, brilliant, yet reserved guy.

It started with subtle hints in stickers sent when they exchange some messages until it went to flirting by action in courtesy of Tadashi.

He was aware of Tadashi's feelings towards him but he wanted to make sure if the man is genuine and if he feels the same.

The guy subtly asks him out every time they are free. Tadashi treats him the food he likes or "accidentally" buys two tickets to movie genres he wants to watch. And Tadashi knows how to treat someone right.

He's happy with the man's subtle actions until he felt comfortable with just Tadashi's presence.

But the anxiety from his first love was still there, he even told Tadashi what happened before, and he didn't want Tadashi to feel burdened about it.

But Tadashi never felt burdened about it. 

He was aware of how Tadashi patiently waited for him to heal completely. Tadashi, like all of his close friends, stayed by his side and understood him.

Tadashi respected him and maybe the guy's patience was one factor that made him take the risk in love once more.

Before his second year of college ended, he confessed that he likes Tadashi. And they ended up dating.

It felt good once more, the thrill love has to offer was back once again. There goes the butterflies in his stomach and these chummy rainbow-y feelings.

If his first love was more into charming words, Tadashi was more into endearing actions.

He knew Tadashi wasn't good with words in expressing feelings, especially when it's face to face. Though talkative and funny in chats, Tadashi ends up being shy and awkward when speaking.

Saying "I love you" was like an overrated thing for them both. But he knew their feelings shouldn't be underestimated by that.

He knows Tadashi conveys his feelings towards him through long hugs, sweet kisses on every part of his face, short cute handwritten sticky notes on his papers and books, and buying a cup of coffee for him every morning.

It was a love he never felt from his first one. Maybe because they were older now and they both had experiences in love and knew their mistakes before.

During the span of time that they were dating, he learned that loving someone does not always need to be conveyed in words, but it needed to be felt through action.

And that was enough for both of them. 

Or so he thought.

After more than a year of dating, there weren't any misunderstandings or such, but something inside him tells that there's something lacking. He just couldn't pinpoint it but he disregarded these thoughts aside.

He likes stability, just like their relationship, and he couldn't ask for more. They were both understanding, they both want peaceful surroundings, and they learned to love what the other loves — it makes things easier for them, he thinks.

But maybe that's what makes their relationship stagnant at the same time  — they were too alike for his liking. 

Some of his friends had told him that they look like they were friends than lovers, that he even looked like Tadashi's little brother. 

He tried not to be bothered by it but he couldn't help himself but overthink their relationship at times. 

They never argued nor they never talked about what his friends told him but it's not like he likes drama or such, they're both not much of a talker. Truth be told, their relationship was solace yet silent. 

He didn't know when it started but he felt drifting away. 

Maybe it's because Tadashi's busier than usual as a senior student while he's piled up with his university papers. 

His friends would drop by his dorm more often than Tadashi does at that time and they would usually talk over their phones either by mornings or evenings. 

Or maybe they just really lack words within their relationship. 

He did feel like Tadashi is more like a person who he could rely on than a person who he could love. And he had a gist that Tadashi has felt the same. 

Before his third year ended and Tadashi graduated, for the first time, they talked about the state of their relationship. 

It was the first time they had a heart-to-heart talk, with a mug of coffee in their hands. 

It did felt pleasant but they both knew it was too late to change ways for each other. 

The time was long overdue for them to retrieve the sparks back. 

And by that, they decided to break up and stay as friends instead. 

But who stays as friends after a break-up? Not for a person like him, no. He still needed that space to cope up with another break-up. 

And so by the end of his third year, they completely drifted away. 

Surely, the love they shared was something special and unforgettable but they both knew they weren't the one for each other.

It was still sad, for things to end up like that, but it didn't feel bitter, unlike his first love.

He still somehow felt that Tadashi is a blessing in disguise, who taught him a different view of love.

And he was kind of thankful because he knew he still has the capability to love again and that someone could love him for who he was.

---

"Papa. Where is he now?" Kentarou asked. 

He shrugged. Even if he knew, he didn't care nor mind at all. The last thing he heard was that Tadashi's working in Hokkaido after the guy graduated. 

"Papa, if you have a chance, would you like to go back to that unforgettable love?" 

He shook his head. "No, I'm already happy now, especially when I have you." He said to which Kentarou gleamed in happiness. 

He wished Tadashi well long before and their story had already ended. Tadashi was another lesson, like Akihiko, and both were all in his past now. He couldn't even see himself with Tadashi in the present time. 

"You know, if I were to go back to that unforgettable love, then I would probably miss the best phase in love." 

He saw how Kentarou's eyes glimmered. "Oh yes! What's that phase again? I forgot!" He chuckled at his son's antics.

How he missed those antics. 

"Love is ineffable." 

---

it's  4 AM here and i'm just really in the mood for writing