The morning light slipped through the curtains in Akira’s room, casting soft shadows on the walls. He lay curled up on his mattress, listening to the faint sounds outside, the chatter, laughter, and  conversation that went through his window.

He hadn’t always been this way. Once, going outside had been easy. He walked through the streets, smiling and nodding at strangers without a second thought, without worrying about other people's reaction.

But one day something changed. The sound of laughter had changed. Something as simple as a passing joke or a look from a stranger, he couldn't put his finger on it, but it felt like everyone was watching him, judging him with every look and laugh.

Over time, those faces and words turned into sharp beaks and chirps. People became like birds to him, and every conversation or comment felt like a peck at his confidence. To protect himself, he began wearing a hoodie and hat whenever he went outside.

The noise of the world overwhelmed him. It all sounded like a loud chirping that filled him with fear. So he retreated, his world shrinking to the quiet walls of his room.

But the silence wasn’t comforting either. Loneliness creeps in, filling the empty spaces. He longed for sunlight, for a voice that didn’t frighten him. He often paced around his small apartment, torn between wanting to escape and being too afraid to try. He hated it.

One morning, Akira woke to the insistent chirping outside his window, a sparrow, hopping along the window sill, tapping its beak against the glass. He pulled back the curtains and watched the little bird, fascinated by its boldness.

“You’re so bold,” he murmured, both amused and a bit jealous. The sparrow blinked at him, cocking its head as though considering his words. Akira wondered if maybe it understood him.

A glimmer of courage appeared within him. He looked at the door, took a step toward it, then hesitated. The thought of going outside scared him, but something deep inside ached to follow the sparrow’s lead, to step into the sunlight.

By afternoon, he couldn’t sit still. His eyes kept darting to the door. Outside felt far away, yet closer than ever.

He missed the sounds of life, even though they scared him. Maybe they didn’t have to be like chirps and pecks. Maybe, if he dared to go out, they could just be… people.

Taking a deep breath, Akira reached for the doorknob. Slowly, he opened the door, letting the warm, golden light spill into his skin. His heart raced, but he took a step forward.

The sunlight was warm against his face. He breathed in the cool air, feeling it fill his lungs and calm the tremor in his chest, he heard voices, soft and harmless, just normal sounds of life.

With a shaky breath, Akira lowered his hood and finally looked up. The chirping faded, replaced by the simple sounds of people talking. For the first time in months, Akira found himself smiling. He took another step, and then another, leaving the shadows of his room behind.

🐦 🐦 🐦

Note:

This story reflects Akira's journey with social anxiety and fear of judgment. The birds represent people, and their chirping symbolizes the constant noise of others opinions.

Prologue:

The war has ended, but the wounds remain. London in 1950 is a city between rebuilding and remembering, and beneath the fog laden streets, love exists in shadow.

Two men stand on opposite ends of a world that refuses to let them meet. One is Michael Fiennes, Hollywood's brightest star. The other is William Clark, a man whose life is surrounded by worn out libraries and empty classrooms.

In another time, another world, their love could have been simple. Instead, it becomes a quiet tragedy, and the love that never got to bloom.

---

Act 1: The Man On The Screen

William sees Michael for the first time in years, not in person, but on screen. He sat alone in a half-empty cinema, the film 'Me and You' playing out in black and white.

Michael's performance is mesmerizing. His voice fills the room, his eyes burn with emotions so naturally that they feel real. There's a scene, where Michael's character gently touches his lover's face, trembling as though the love would ruin him.

William's throat tightens. In that moment, he realizes that Michael is not just acting, he's also remembering.

Outside the theatre, the world is gray and cold. William wraps his scarf tighter, his breath clouding before him. You haven't changed, he thinks. Not really.

---

Act 2: The Reunion

A letter arrived weeks later. It says school reunion. William debates for days whether he should go or not. In the end, curiosity wins, or maybe it's hope?

The reunion hall smells like freshly cleaned floors and an old fruit drink that's been sitting out for too long. William keeps to the edges, unnoticed by people, until a familiar voice cuts through the noise.

"William?"

Williams turns, and there stands Michael, in an immaculate charcoal suit. His face, framed by perfect curl, is older now, but the smile is the same.

They sit at a corner table, away from the laughter and crinkling glasses.

"You never wrote me a letter." Michael says suddenly, his tone accusing.

William stares at him, confused. "Why would I have?"

Michael doesn't answer. Instead, he studies William as though he's searching for something he lost. "You haven't changed. Still quiet, still..." His voice trails off.

William finds himself remembering, too. His school days were spent pretending not to notice the bright boy in the hallways. A boy who never seems to struggle, never seemed to see him.

Michael drains his drink. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

---

Act 3: Stolen Time

The nights that follow feel like borrowed moments. They meet in secret places, dimly lit cafes, a quiet park where fog is enveloping around their feet. The first time Michael kisses William, it's behind the theatre after midnight.

William pulls back, breathless. "Michael, we can't-"

"Don't say it," Michael cuts him off, his voice hoarse. "Don't ruin this moment."

Their love is quiet, full of words that left unsaid. Michael teaches William to smoke cigarettes under the stars. William reads him poetry, words soft as whisper.

"You remind me of lilacs," Michael says one evening.

William blinks. "Lilacs?"

Michael nods. "Beautiful, but within reach. Here for a moment, then gone beneath a passing breeze."

William turns away, afraid Michael might see the emotion in his eyes. That he would let himself be ruined for this love.

"And do you know how lilacs make me feel?" William suddenly said.

"As if someone tried to capture beauty in bloom, only to see it wither and die in their palm."

---

Act 4: Where the Spotlight Turns

The danger finds them faster than expected. A journalist spots Michael and William leaving a cafe together, their hands brushing as they part ways. The headline appeared the next morning.

"Hollywood Star Caught In a Controversial Company"

Michael is summoned by his studio the next day. William watches from the window of his classroom as the world turns on Michael, the newspaper slandered him, even his film contracts vanish.

Monica Clarke, Michael's "public lover", is forced to stage another charade¹, standing beside him at galas, smiling at the cameras.

But the smiles are thin, it was obviously forced. William knows the truth.

Michael begins to break. The next time William sees him, his knuckles are bruised, and there's a pang of emptiness in his gaze.

"Maybe they're right." Michael says, his voice is low.. "Maybe I'm nothing, but a disaster waiting to happen."

William shakes his head. "Don't say that."

Michael smiles, heartbroken. "Do you know what they're calling me now? 'Perverted', and that I'm 'wrong'. You know what hurts the most? That I believed them, William. For a moment, I believe them."

William pursues his lips and reaches for him, and for the first time, Michael flinches.

"Don't.." Michael whispers. "You deserve better than me."

---

Act 5: The Breaking Point

Michael stops coming to William's apartment. He stops answering his letters. The last time they see each other, it's on a foggy afternoon at Westminster Bridge.

"Michael, please." William begs. "Let's leave. We can go somewhere, France, America, anywhere."

Michael stares at him, as if he's trying to memorize every detail. "William.. do you really think that we can run? That the world will let us be happy?"

"We can try." William insists.

Michael steps closer, his voice breaking. "I love you."

William's chest aches. "Then stay."

Michael touched William's face gently, his fingers trailing down his cheek. Then, with a shaky breath, he stepped back, his hands trembling.

"I love you more than yesterday but less than tomorrow." His voice wavered as he closed his eyes, as if shutting them could shield him from the pain. "Goodbye, William."

---

Epilogue: If Only The Stars Had Known

Two months later, William reads about Michael's death.

"Tragedy Strikes: Hollywood Star Michael Fiennes Killed in Car Crash."

The papers say it was an accident. But William knows better. He remembers Michael's empty eyes, his shaking hands. The truth sinks in his chest, he didn't want to acknowledge that fact.

William goes to Westminster Bridge that evening. The lilacs are blooming purple in the crevices². He picks one and tosses it into the river, watching it disappear.

"Why didn't you stay?" he whispers. His voice is swallowed by the wind.

Years pass, but William never forgets about that day. He teaches his students about Shakespeare, about love and loss. But he never speaks of Michael and their quiet love.

When William dies, decades later, a nurse finds a yellowed letter tucked inside an old book of poetry. It reads:

"Michael-

You once said I was like a lilac. But you were the stars. You're beautiful, distant, and a transient thing.

If only the stars had known how much I loved them.

Yours,

William."

She places the letter back into the books, whispering softly to herself. "What a tragedy..."

Outside, in the hospital garden, the lilacs bloom again.

-✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧

[1] Charade: An absurd pretense intended to create a pleasant or respectable appearance.

[2]: a narrow opening in a wall

Epilogue: Reunion

Two months after their meeting on Westminster Bridge, William sit at his desk, grading the paper with a heavy heart. The memory of Michael's trembling hands and whispered goodbye refuse to leave his mind. He hasn't heard from him since that night as well.

Then, a knock at his door breaks the silence. Frowning, William stand up. When he opened the door, his heart skip a beat.

There stand Michael, drenched from the rain, his curls plastered to his forehead. His eyes, although tired, hold a fire that William thought he had lost forever.

“You came back,” William whispers, his voice trembling.

Michael nods, stepping inside, his hand shaking. Afterward, he explained, "I couldn't stay away. I tried, William. I tried to do what the world always wanted, but it's you. It's always been you."Michael mumbled, his eyes locking with William's.

William closed the door and pulled him into a tight embrace, as if the months of longing and heartbreak had finally been paid.

---

Act 6: Different Path

Michael explain of how he left Hollywood behind, cutting ties with the people and contract that demand him to deny who he truly was

"I sold everything." Michael say as they sit together in William's apartment. "I don't need a spotlight anymore. All I want is a quiet life with you."

At first, William hesitated, not sure if this love could survive. But when the day turns into a week, they find peace in a ordinary moment. Like sharing breakfast and walking hand in hand through the park of london.

The world still whispers everytime they saw Michael and William, but the couple learn to drown it out.

---

Act 7: A New Beginning

Years later, they move to a small cottage in the countryside, far from the prying eyes of the city. Michael wrote his memoir and dedicated it to William.

"This memoir was made specifically to dedicate to the man I cherish, the one who taught me that love is worth fighting for."

As for William, he continues to teach, inspiring a new generation and the courage it takes to live authentically, without worrying about the judgment of others.

...

In the spring, their garden is filled with lilacs.

One evening, as the sun set and the sky was painted with golden hues and lavender. Michael pulled William close to his chest and whispered in his ear. "Do you remember what I said about lilacs? They're beautiful, aren't they? But they fade quickly in the wind."

William smiled, his fingers gently caressing Michael's knuckles before he answered, "You're wrong about that. Lilacs bloom every year, just like us, Michael. No matter what happens, we'll always return."

Michael chuckled, his eyes crinkling with joy at William’s words. He placed a hand on William’s waist and leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. William didn’t pull away. Instead, he leaned in closer, his heart filled with contentment.

It's not a dream, the past is his nightmare and now he's awake.

Final: The Stars Have Known

When the time comes for Michael and William to leave this world, they go together, peacefully in their sleep, arms around each other. Their story doesn't end there, though.

The lilac garden they planted had become a cherished place, carefully maintained by the locals. Many couples in the countryside, and even those from the city, would come to see it, drawn by the beauty of the flowers and the story of their loves, passed down from ear to ear through tales of their 'forbidden love.'

On their shared gravestone, a sign reads:

..."*They, who loved in shadow, but lived in light*."...

And as the lilacs bloom each spring, their love lives on, not just in memory, but in the hearts of those they continue to inspire.