The night air behind the old storage building was cold and unusually quiet.
Michael stood there alone, his hands trembling slightly as he waited. The dim yellow light from a distant lamp barely reached the narrow space between the buildings. His heart beat so loudly in his chest that it felt as if someone standing meters away could hear it.
Footsteps echoed softly.
Francis stepped out of the darkness, calm and confident, as if this meeting meant nothing to him.
Michael's stomach tightened.
Francis didn't greet him.
Instead, he slowly took out his phone and unlocked it. A moment later he turned the screen toward Michael.
The photo.
Michael's breath caught instantly.
There it was — the picture of him and Lucas in that hidden corner of the seminary garden, their lips pressed together in a moment they thought belonged only to them.
Francis smiled faintly.
"One click," he said quietly. "That's all it takes."
Michael couldn't look away from the screen.
"One click," Francis continued, "and every seminarian, every priest, every lecturer here will know what kind of seminarian you really are."
Michael's throat felt dry.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked weakly.
Francis stepped closer.
"Because you think you're perfect," he said coldly. "The lecturers love you. The priests trust you. Everyone thinks you're the model seminarian."
He leaned closer.
"But now… you belong to me."
Michael shook his head slowly.
"What do you want?"
Francis smiled.
"You will help me pass every exam."
Michael frowned in confusion.
"You're close to the lecturers. You know where they keep the questions. You'll get them for me."
Michael's eyes widened.
"That's impossible."
Francis lifted the phone slightly.
"Then I'll send this."
Michael felt his chest tighten.
"I can't do that…"
Francis studied his face for a moment.
Then his eyes moved slowly to Michael's lips.
"You know," he said quietly, "many seminarians talk about you."
Michael looked confused.
"They say you're handsome. That your lips look…" he paused slightly, "perfect."
Michael felt a wave of disgust crawl through his body.
Francis stepped even closer
"Kiss me."
Michael froze.
"What?"
"Kiss me," Francis repeated calmly.
Michael immediately shook his head.
"No."
Francis' expression hardened instantly.
"I said kiss me."
"I'm not doing that," Michael said firmly.
For a moment the silence between them grew heavy.
Francis' eyes darkened.
"Fine."
He locked his phone slowly.
"But listen carefully."
His voice became dangerously calm.
"If I ever see you close to Lucas again…"
He raised the phone slightly.
"…this photo goes everywhere."
Michael felt like the ground had disappeared beneath his feet.
Francis turned and walked away without another word.
Michael remained standing there long after he was gone, staring into the darkness.
The first time Michael entered the lecturers' office at night, his entire body trembled.
His hands shook as he searched through the drawers.
When he finally found the exam papers, his chest tightened painfully.
He knew this was wrong.
Every part of him knew.
But the image of that photo haunted him.
Lucas' future… his future… everything could disappear.
He took the papers.
And gave them to Francis the next day.
Then again.
And again.
Each time he felt something inside him breaking.
One afternoon, while searching through the lecturer's office again, Michael suddenly heard a voice behind him.
"Michael?"
His blood froze.
Slowly he turned around.
It was Father Benedict.
One of the lecturers who trusted him the most.
The papers were still in Michael's hand.
The priest stared at him in shock.
"Michael… what are you doing?"
Michael couldn't speak.
The room began spinning.
"Talk to me," the lecturer said gently, stepping closer.
"Is everything okay?"
Michael tried to answer.
But his throat closed.
His hands began shaking violently.
Tears suddenly filled his eyes.
"Michael?" the priest said again, now clearly worried.
The papers slipped from Michael's hand and fell to the floor.
His legs gave way beneath him and he collapsed into a chair.
The first sob escaped before he could stop it.
Then another.
Then suddenly everything broke.
Michael bent forward, his hands gripping his chest as loud cries tore out of him.
His entire body shook violently.
Tears poured down his face like rain.
The priest rushed toward him immediately.
"Michael, breathe. Calm down. Talk to me."
But Michael couldn't speak.
His breathing became uneven.
His shoulders shook uncontrollably as he cried harder and harder.
It felt like months of fear, guilt, and pressure were exploding all at once.
Sweat covered his forehead.
He slid from the chair onto the floor, still sobbing.
The priest knelt beside him, holding his shoulder gently.
"It's okay," he said softly. "You're safe. Just breathe."
But Michael only cried harder.
The sound of his sobbing filled the quiet office.
After what felt like forever, his crying slowly weakened into soft trembling breaths.
His eyes were red and swollen.
The priest looked at him with deep concern.
"When you are ready," he said gently, "come and talk to me."
He helped Michael stand.
Then quietly allowed him to leave.
After that day, Michael began disappearing from the world around him.
He barely spoke in class.
He stopped answering questions.
Even when Lucas walked close to him, Michael simply turned away.
Lucas felt the change immediately.
But Every time he tried to talk, Michael walked away.
In the dorm room, Sam tried joking with him.
"Did the vacation make you lazy or something?" he laughed one evening.
Michael just stared at the wall.
His eyes distant.
He barely ate.
Most nights he lay on his bed staring silently at the ceiling.
One evening after class, Michael was walking quietly through a narrow corridor.
Suddenly a hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the shadows.
Michael gasped.
It was Lucas.
Lucas froze when he saw Michael's face.
His eyes were swollen.
His expression looked exhausted and broken.
"Michael… what happened?"
Michael tried to look away.
But tears immediately began spilling down his face.
Lucas' voice grew desperate.
"Tell me what's wrong."
But the more Lucas asked, the harder Michael cried.
Suddenly Michael stepped forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Lucas.
His body trembled violently as he cried into Lucas' shoulder.
"I love you," he whispered brokenly.
Lucas' heart skipped.
"But please…" Michael choked, his voice shaking.
"…stop coming close to me."
Then his crying exploded again.
He pulled away slowly, looking into Lucas' eyes one last time.
Then he ran.
"Michael!" Lucas shouted.
But Michael kept running down the corridor.
Lucas stood there frozen.
For the first time in a long time…
tears rolled down his own face.
After that day Lucas changed too.
He stopped laughing with his friends.
He stopped playing football.
Most nights he sat on his bed looking through the vacation photos on his camera.
Pictures of him and Michael smiling.
Moments that now felt like another life.
One afternoon Lucas finally went to Michael's dormitory.
Sam opened the door.
"Is Michael here?" Lucas asked quietly.
Sam hesitated but went inside to ask.
A moment later he returned.
"He said you should go away."
Lucas' chest tightened.
"Please," he said softly.
Sam shook his head.
Lucas slowly dropped to his knees.
won't take long," he begged.
Sam stared at him in shock.
But finally he closed the door.
Lucas remained there for a moment before standing slowly.
That night, somewhere else in the seminary, a phone screen lit up.
A familiar photo appeared on the screen.
Two seminarians.
Kissing.
And the message was already being forwarded.