Just Playing The Game

“Hey Ico, I miss you. I’m really sorry I wasn’t there last night. I’m coming over tonight but I’ll probably get there very late. Don't wait up for me, ok? I love you,” Alex texted his boyfriend, Ico, who had been sick for two days and was still recovering. Alex was too busy with work to be with him while he was sick, so he at least wanted to be there while he recovers.

Alex arrived at Ico’s apartment at around midnight. He did not want to wake Ico up so he left the light off and moved as quietly as he can. He took off his shirt, lay on the bed beside Ico and hugged him. There was no need for sex that night. Alex was content to just hold his boyfriend in his arms.

But the hug woke Ico up. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked at Alex, almost curiously. Then he kissed him. It took Alex by surprise. He was not planning on having sex that night since he was already tired, but Ico seemed to be too much into it. There was urgency to his kisses, and Alex submitted himself.

The kiss started to trail down Alex's body. He kept himself from moaning, careful not to wake the people in the next room, but it was proving to be almost impossible. He gasped as Ico’s lips reached the waistband of his shorts.

But Ico suddenly stopped. He sat up, checked his phone and said, “We can’t do this tonight, Christian. I just remembered, Alex said he’s coming over tonight, and I think he’s on his way now.”


Alex was crying while he told me about it the next day.

“Wow. That sucks”, I said when he finished. “So what are you planning to do now?”

“I’m going to hook up with someone tonight,” he answered in between sobs. “Just to make things fair. Fuck him if he thinks I’ll just take it and cry.”

“Fair? Is that even going to help?” I asked. “And will sleeping with another guy even make things fair?”

“I don’t know. And I don’t really care anymore. I just want to beat him at his own game,” he answered, his voice drenched in vengeance.


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“I think I’m going to break up with him,” April told me over the phone. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot for several days now.”

I was surprised. I was not particularly fond of April’s boyfriend. Actually, none of our friends liked him, but April had always defended him from every criticism we threw.

“Why the sudden change of heart?” I asked.

“I don’t know, I’m just not pleased with him anymore,” she sighed. “He no longer does the things I expect him to do and, well, our relationship is starting to feel like a failed investment.”

“An investment? Wow, you’re a bitch,” I laughed. “What did you expect to get anyway?”

“Time. Lots of it,” she answered. “And it’s just irritating that he can’t even give me that.”

“You should have thought about that before you decided to date a married man,” I reminded her.

“Well, he should have thought about that before he decided to make me his-“

“Mistress?” I quipped

“Thanks. I almost forgot you were on my side,” she retorted.

“Well at least you get gifts. That’s a pretty attractive return,” I offered. “Wait, he does give you stuff right?”

“Yeah. I’m using a new phone right now.”

“See?” I laughed. “I think you might want to extend his deadline. It will be Valentine’s Day in a few weeks. He might be planning something grand.”

“You know, you actually have a point,” April laughed. “I have to play it smart to the end.”


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“Aren’t you dating Art?” I asked Andy while we were smoking on his bed.

Andy took a long drag before he answered. “Yes. Why?”

“Then why did we do this?” I asked.

He smiled. “It’s okay, he does it all the time. This is my first time though.”

“Wow, that’s a surprise. I had no idea you were a virgin,” I teased.

He laughed. “I meant my first time since we started dating.”

“Are you okay with that kind of setup?”

“No, actually, I’m not,” he sighed. “But he says he has needs. I’m a willing subject, of course, but he said he’s not yet ready to do it with me.”

“Ah, and now you’re taking your revenge.”

“No, not really,” he laughed. “He said it’s fine if I went and sated my own needs, so here I am. I held out for as long as I can, but I guess I’ve reached my limit.”

“That’s a really weird setup, especially the ‘not being ready to do it with you’ part ,” I said.

“Is it, now?” he said. He took one last drag at his cigarette and stubbed it out. “Go and tell that to Art. He made the rules. I’m just playing by them.”

“I don’t get it,” I said, shaking my head. He smiled.

“You don’t have to,” he said as he moved in to kiss me.


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“Ano, kumusta ang lovelife?”

“Ewan. Wala. Bahala na. Single kung single putangina. Saya kaya.”

“Kitang kita ko ngang masayang-masaya ka. Asan na ba yung huli mo?”

“Ha? Sino?”

“Si ano-“

“O, sshh! Tama na, ayokong marinig pangalan niya. Wala na kami nun.”

“Yun, siya nga. Ano ba talaga nangyari sa inyo nun?”

“Wala. Walang nangyari. Kahit anong klaseng pangyayari, wala.”

“Tanga. Tinatanong ko kung bakit kayo naghiwalay.”

“Eh wala nga kasi. Puro pakiramdaman. Nag-aantayan kung sino unang bibigay.”

“Hulaan ko, ikaw ang nauna?”

“I hate you. Pero oo, ako. Sabi ko linawin na namin kasi naguguluhan na ako. Ayun, sabi ayaw niya pa daw. Tapos. Malinaw na malinaw na tapos.”

“Malinaw na talo.”

“Di naman. Mas matagal naman siyang umiyak kesa sakin.”

“So ano, pakiramdam mo panalo ka pa sa lagay na yun?”

“Wala. Walang panalo. Pareho kaming talo.”