It's amazing, how two short words can completely change your life.
Forget Miguel.
Hearing his partner speak those two words made Miguel feel as if his world was falling apart around him. Seeing his partner passionately kiss a girl he had declared "off-limits" just a few days prior made his heart shatter into a million pieces.
Tulio and Chel were so absorbed in each other they didn't even notice Miguel, and he had no intention of staying until they did.
Forget Miguel. Fine, he thought. Forget Tulio.
He turned and left. As he walked down the countless steps leading to the temple, those words echoed in his mind. Forget Miguel, forget Miguel, forget Miguel.
He wandered around aimlessly for a while, trying to get as far away from the temple as possible. He stopped when he found himself on a ledge overlooking the city and sat down. El Dorado, the fabled city of gold, spread out below him. It was truly magnificent, but there was one building he didn't want to look at. And yet, he found he couldn't look away. It was the building his partner was in.
His partner, his best friend, the person he loved more than anything in the world, more than gold, than his own life.
But Tulio didn't return his feelings. If there had been any doubt about it before, now there wasn't.
Miguel thought about how happy he had been a few hours before, and how quickly his happiness had been crushed.
After the conversation with chief Tannabok, he decided he wanted to stay in El Dorado. He knew convincing Tulio to stay would be a challenge, but he had no doubt he could do it. That is, until he heard those fateful words.
Fine, Miguel thought angrily. Tulio could go back to Spain if he wanted, but Miguel wouldn't go with him. Not that Tulio would care, one way or another. He had more gold than he had ever dreamed of, and a pretty girl.
Miguel imagined the two of them, living like royalty, happily married, raising their children, and felt a tear roll down his cheek. He would never be a part of that.
"Lord Miguel?"
Miguel wiped the tear away before turning around to find the chief standing behind him.
"Lord Miguel, the feast starts soon and your presence is required," the chief said.
Miguel frowned. The feast didn't start until after sunset, surely there was still more than enough time… He looked around and realised it was, in fact, almost sunset. Just how long had he been sitting there, he wondered.
He shook his head and turned back to the chief with a strained smile. "You go on," he said, "I'll be with you in a minute."
The chief frowned slightly but said nothing, nodding politely and walking off, leaving Miguel alone again.
Miguel stared at the city below him and sighed. This was their last evening together. In the morning, Tulio would leave, and he would never see him again. The moment he turned his back, Tulio would stop thinking about Miguel and focus on the future. It wouldn't be soon, Miguel knew, before he, and the city of gold, became but a distant memory in the corner of his mind.
But Miguel would never stop thinking about Tulio. He would always remember the good times they'd had, as well as the bad ones, he would cherish those memories and keep them close to his heart until the end of his days.
He just wished he'd had a chance to tell Tulio how he felt about him. The closest he had come was when they were in that boat, convinced they were going to die. "Tulio, there's something I want you to know," he had said. "I…" but in that moment he felt something soft and warm under his hand. He realised it was sand, which meant they had washed up on a shore and they weren't going to die. They were both so relieved they forgot about the whole thing for a while. Later, Tulio asked him what he had been about to say, but he brushed it off as nothing important, so Tulio let the matter slide. He never asked him about it again, and Miguel didn't have the guts to bring it up.
And now he would never know. It's for the best, Miguel told himself. After all, Tulio was happy, he didn't need him. Time would numb the agonizing pain he was now feeling, and heal the gaping wound in his heart. But, he knew there would always be a scar, and he would never feel complete again.
Two tears rolled down his cheeks, but he made no move to wipe them away. He stared into the distance for a moment, then turned to leave. It was time to get ready for the feast. As he was walking away, his back to the setting sun, those two cursed words echoed in his mind.
Forget Miguel.