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But it’s 1983, and you wouldn’t dream of telling anyone you are gay. Least of all the guy you are in love with. It could mean the end of the most beautiful friendship you’ve ever had. You’d rather be near him, without the acknowledgement of your love, than lose him forever.
There are signs he maybe feels the same way. When you’re on the bus, he always sits right close. He phones you when you’re not together, even though he has to walk a mile to get to a phone box. He says he gets really bored when he’s not with you. But you keep up the charade, talking about the girls you are supposed to fancy, and other laddish stuff.
You are out together for a walk one lunchtime, and the rain comes on real heavy. You run for shelter under a railway bridge, and come to a halt next to one another. Out of breath, he puts his hand on your shoulder, leans against you, and smiles. You laugh to relieve the tension. This is the happiest you have ever felt in your whole life... So it stops there, you don’t want to spoil it.
But the pressure is building. A week later, you are out walking again, but you have to leave to go to work. He says he doesn’t want you to go. You don’t want to go either, but you really need the job. He tells you he has a song that makes him think of you. ‘No More Blue Horizons’ by China Crisis. You ask him why, but annoyed at your leaving, he says it doesn’t matter.
You tell him that your song for him is ‘Rip It Up’ by Orange Juice, because the words describe how you feel about him. He should check it out, but you really have to go to work now. Not on the best of terms, you part, praying that after he’s listened to the lyrics, he won’t disappear from your life.
Some people may think this isn’t a proper love song. But oh, it is. It so is.
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