MONSTERNEXTDOOR, Chapter 12: Coincidences Can Happen Many Times, To The Point Where Sometimes One Might Think That Fate Is Just Playing A Prank.
Finally, the package arrived. I took the small box with excitement, eager to give it to someone in the next room, so I opened it while still in the elevator. Inside the box was a Luffy keychain, just the right size to hold.
Would he like it?
When I got back to my room, I put the keychain into a bag, wrote a note on a pink Post-it, and stuck it on before walking out to hang it on his door handle.
I stood there, proud of my work for a while, before going back to my room to flop down on the bed and roll around.
“Young-master, do you think he’ll like the keychain?”
Come to think of it, I’ve never asked Phii Godt if he likes “One Piece” or not, but seeing him read, I just assumed he did, which started to make me a little worried.
“Do people need to learn this much about each other to become close, young-master?”
With young-master, guessing what he likes is incredibly easy. If young-master turns away, I know he doesn’t like something to eat. If young-master likes something, he’ll eat it, or if he doesn’t want to talk to me on any given day, he’ll retreat into his shell.
But I can’t see what Phii Godt likes or dislikes, and it’s hard to guess from his tone of voice.
I’ll ask him later.
I went into the bathroom, took a shower, got dressed, and then stood in front of the mirror, staring at my brown, curly hair, and the corners of my mouth twitched into a small smile. The touch from Khun Godzilla’s hand was still vivid in my memory, and when I compared my hand to his, Phii Godt’s hand was indeed much bigger than mine, just as I had imagined.
How can Godzilla be so warm when he’s supposed to be a monster?
My feelings towards the being next door have started to change again. From thinking I wouldn’t care, I’ve become more curious about his story. From keeping him in the friend zone, within days he’s moved to the brother zone. And when he ruffled my head, I inadvertently put him in the important person zone.
Khun Godzilla, who has broken through my double-layered walls, and this third wall, I hope it won’t collapse easily because if the wall of important people falls, I don’t know what will happen after that.
There might only be two choices: either to retreat or to advance, and right now, the scales seem to tilt more towards retreating.
Maybe it’s because of the deep-seated fear that if I let him into my world, Phii Godt might change, might not be the same person he is now.
And my fear has several reasons. The first one is:
Humans can change all the time.
It’s not like Phii Godt will always be like this. I’ve seen changes too many times: friends from primary school, friends from high school, neighbors, relatives from my father’s side. At first, they seem to understand each other, but in reality, no one has ever tolerated the monotony of my life. Especially not Phii Godt. If I force him into my quiet and seemingly boring world, I’m not sure he’d be able to handle it.
And if he can’t, what would I do then?
I shook off those thoughts and turned my attention to reading instead, making the most of my time like every day. When the clock struck ten, I heard voices talking outside the next room.
“Huh. Who hung this paper bag here?”
“Hey, Biu, don’t touch it.”
“Is it just one?”
I heard Phii Wan’s voice, Phii Godt’s voice, and a woman’s voice, probably Phii Biu. The three of them chatted for a while before it went quiet, and not long after, I heard the bell ringing from the next room, so I rushed to open the glass door to talk to Phii Godt.
“Is it the Luffy keychain?”
“Do you like it? I wanted to find something to give in return, but I didn’t know what to get. I thought you might like Luffy.”
“Godt is grinning like a monkey’s butt now, Nong Diew,” Phii Wan shouted, interrupting with a chuckle alongside Biu. After that, Phii Godt swore back at his friend in a flurry. Meanwhile, I just looked down at my hands, feeling a small sense of joy hearing that he liked it.
“I like it, I like it a lot, thank you.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I’ll hang it on my bag, take it everywhere.”
I laughed at the person who was so excited about the toy.
“Such a toy lover.”
“Wow, you’re really good at loving toys.”
“Shut up, you guys,” Phii Godt argued with his friends for a while before I heard him close the balcony door. Now, all that was left was the sound of the jingling bells and the breeze brushing past my face at night.
“Wan and Biu are staying over tonight.”
“Okay.” It must have become routine for him to report his friends’ comings and goings, probably because he was afraid I’d get annoyed if they were loud again.
“I’ve already eaten. Have you eaten?”
I turned to look at the lunch box on the table, shaking my head slightly.
“Not yet.”
“Waiting for me?”
“There was someone fussing about not eating together, so I waited.”
“I was wrong, I’m sorry, it’s Biu’s fault, she made me sit and eat with her.”
“No problem, I’m not mad.”
“Go get your food and eat, I’ll be here.”
“Alright, just a moment.”
I went back into my room to grab the lunch box and sat down to eat on the balcony, listening to him go on about his friends from the faculty, enjoying the typical chatter of someone with many friends. From what I’ve heard, Phii Godt has five main close friends: Phii Beert, Phii Wan,
Phii Bell, Phii Biu, and another person named Phii Ton, whose name I’ve never heard before.
“Why have I never seen Phii Ton?”
“Ton doesn’t come to my room often, which is good.”
Is he loud?”
“No, those loud ones are usually not close. Ton is kind of… crazy.”
“Are you saying I’m crazy too?”
“Wait a minute, wait… you’re going to get it.”
Well, it’s true though.
From what I’ve observed of his friends for a while, no one is as crazy as Khun Godzilla.
I finished eating and excused myself to go back to my room to throw away the trash and wash my hands. Everything should have been like every other day: throw out the trash, wash hands, grab some water from the fridge, go back out to chat with Phii Godt, then come back to sleep.
If it wasn’t for something hidden behind the fridge.
At first, I wasn’t sure what it was because I only saw a bit of its leg sticking out, but when I leaned in to look closer, the long brown legs made my hair stand on end.
A spider!
What do I do, what do I do?
I hate spiders. If there’s a spider like that in the room, there’s no way I can sleep.
And it seemed like the spider knew I didn’t like it; it slowly moved out from its hiding spot. From what I thought was just a small one, when it fully emerged, it was the size of a hand, and I nearly fainted. I ran to the balcony without thinking twice and called out to the person next door in a trembling voice.
“Phii Godt!”
“Huh, why are you trembling, what’s wrong?”
“There’s… a spider in my room…”
He was silent for a moment.
“Ha, are you playing the ‘I’m scared’ card? Come on, you’re not kidding.”
Scared? What nonsense!
“It’s really a spider! I’m really scared of spiders!”
“Oh, what do we do then? Can’t you just chase it away with a stick or something?”
“No… I don’t dare,” I said in a pitiful tone to him. Just looking in its direction was scary, let alone chasing it away with a broom. What if it got angry and bit me?
“Then what should we do, should I chase it away for you?”
If you’re not scared…” I clung to the balcony with both arms, my eyes glancing toward the top of the refrigerator where the huge spider still sat. If it didn’t leave, I was the one who had to go. We can’t coexist, no way!
I heard the sound of the glass door opening from next door, accompanied by Phii Godt talking to his friends.
“Hey, Wan, Biu. Are you guys scared of spiders?”
“Huh, why ask? If it’s small and clear, I’m not scared, but if it’s big, then bye-bye.” “You, Biu?”
“It depends on how big it is.”
“Diew, is the spider really big?” Phii Godt shouted to ask. I turned to gauge the size of the spider on top of the fridge.
“Hand-sized.”
“Damn, hand-sized, is that a spider or what the hell?”
“You come with me, Biu.”
“Where are we going?”
“To chase the spider away for the junior!”
“Oh, then why do you need the mask?”
“That’s my business, get up, I’ll open the door for you!”
Sigh! I hate spiders so much!
I hurried back into the room, which meant passing by the fridge to get to the door, and that problematic spider was huge. So, I had to muster my courage, sticking close to the wall on the other side, silently praying for mercy.
Don’t jump at me.
Don’t jump at me.
Don’t move.
Damn, it moved!
I quickly opened the door, and Phii Biu and Phii Godt rushed in. I saw Phii Godt wearing an Ultraman mask, but this wasn’t the time to care about his Ultraman mask.
“Where is it?”
“Behind the fridge.”
Phii Biu, the only woman in Phii Godt’s group, calmly walked to the fridge without any fear, plastic bag in hand ready to battle the big spider.
I saw Phii Godt following her, and then Phii Biu shrieked.
Eww, it’s huge, really huge, super huge, I can’t handle it!”
“You came in, so you have to deal with it.”
“You deal with it, Godt. You’re bigger than me.”
“Damn, Biu, it’s moving.”
“What do I do? What should I do?”
“What are you guys yelling about?” Phii Wan pushed the door open and entered the room, looking at me hiding behind the door before turning to the tall man and woman who were arguing by the fridge about who would be brave enough to catch the spider.
“Wan, it’s too big. I’m going to faint.”
“Just cover it with a box, a box.”
“What box? What do you expect me to find now!”
“Are you going to let it escape?”
“Catch it then, here, take my plastic bag.”
“Damn, Biu!”
I stood watching the two arguing over who would catch the spider for a minute, sighing, then turned to look at Phii Wan standing beside me.
He seemed to be waiting to see who would actually catch the spider.
“Are you scared of spiders?”
“Yes… if there’s one… in the room… I can’t stay…”
I said with a drooping voice. I can handle lizards and cockroaches, but this one, I really can’t deal with.
“Hey, Biu, it’s going to hide under the bed!”
“Wait, wait, I’m still psyching myself up.”
“Damn it, bring the bag here!”
Then Phii Godt climbed onto my bed and lunged at the spider that was about to disappear behind the bed.
“Damn, too late!”
Crap.
I was on the verge of tears. If we couldn’t find it by tonight, I definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep in this room again.
Everyone in the room fell silent as they searched for a good while but there was no sign of the spider emerging from behind the bed. I looked at Phii Biu and Phii Godt, who were bending over and looking under the bed, and I felt both sorry and grateful.
“Phii… I’ll… sleep at the café… it’s better.”
Finally, I decided that if the spider was going to stay in this room, I would indeed sleep downstairs at the café.
“Can’t you sleep here at all?” Phii Wan turned to ask. I nodded weakly until Phii Biu came over and patted my shoulder. She was taller than me, pretty, wearing a faculty jacket and long jeans, and she gave me a smile.
“Then go sleep in Godt’s room.”
“Hey,” Phii Godt exclaimed.
“Why not, the junior is in trouble, just for one night, tomorrow we’ll inform the housekeeper to come catch it,” Phii Wan added in support of the woman in front of me. I felt embarrassed, trying to refuse, but Phii Wan covered my mouth and shook his head at me.
Is this whole gang a bunch of dictators or what?
“Yeah, just one night, with me and Wan here. Don’t worry, right?”
And so, in the end, I had to take my stuff and go sleep in Phii Godt’s room.
What should I call it, a coincidence maybe? After living here for so long without seeing a spider, and suddenly when I do see one, it appears.
Phii Godt’s door was pushed open, revealing the interior of his room for the first time. Unlike my room, which was cluttered with lots of small items, Phii Godt’s room looked spacious and had very little in it. The furniture was all the original stuff from the dorm, with just an acoustic guitar leaning against the wall next to the bed, student pants and shirt draped over a chair, and a messy pile of sheets on the study desk.
I slowly sat down on the floor, feeling uneasy and anxious, this being the first time I had to leave my room to sleep in someone else’s, not knowing how to behave. I didn’t know where to look or what to touch, so I just stared at the balcony where wind chimes hung. Meanwhile, Phii Wan was setting up the bedding; I saw him lay out a cloth on the floor and tap it lightly, before Phii Biu and Phii Godt followed into the room.
“Only one name? I’ve never seen it.” Phii Biu sat down in front of me. Meanwhile, Phii Godt walked past and sat outside on the balcony. Since we left my room, Phii Godt hadn’t said a word to me.
“Yes…”
“Sleep on the bed with Godt, me and Wan will sleep on the floor.”
I looked at Phii Biu, waving my hands to refuse. I felt embarrassed.
“Just… just let us share the room… that’s enough… I can sleep on the floor.”
“It’s okay, me and Wan always sleep on the floor. Right, Wan?” The beautiful-eyed woman turned to talk to Phii Wan, who had just flopped down onto the sheet they’d laid out. His response was a long yawn.
“Sleep on the bed then. Our backs are stiff.”
“But…”
“Come on, consider it as thanks for looking after Godt.” Phii Biu smiled, patting my shoulder before she went to lie down on the sheet next to Phii Wan, then picked up her phone to play with it.
Now, in the square room, there was the sound of the TV and the conversation between Phii Wan and Phii Biu. The room’s owner had been sitting quietly on the balcony for quite some time.
Not knowing what to do, the first thing I did was place my personal items on Phii Godt’s bed, clearly dividing the space. Since Phii Godt is big, I didn’t want to encroach on his space, especially since he’s my neighbor whom I’ve never seen face-to-face, worrying that he might be displeased if we shared the bed like this.
Sigh
I really hate spiders.
My legs walked over to stop beside Phii Godt, and I sat down next to him, looking at the other person who was hiding his face under the Ultraman mask, but Godt couldn’t help but laugh. Phii Godt’s neck was stiff; he hadn’t looked at me since we entered my room. Probably because he was afraid our bedtime chat promise would be broken.
Honestly, I was both scared and anxious, and I was sweating with nervousness, but what could I do? Today was out of necessity, and it was quite the coincidence that the spider appeared in my room despite my cleaning it weekly.
“Thank you…,” I looked down at my hands, tightly clasped together.
“Are you worried?”
“A little… I feel more embarrassed for you.”
“If you’re not okay with it, just say so, I can go sleep downstairs.”
“No,” my hand grabbed his arm instinctively before I quickly let go. “I’m… okay… you don’t… have to worry.”
After nearly a month of talking on the balcony, this was the first day we sat side by side. At first, it felt a bit strange to hear his deep voice so clearly like this, but it was a good feeling, one hard to describe.
“The… promise…” I spoke softly, squeezing my hands tighter.
“Let’s make it void for just one day.”
“…Oh.”
“I want to respect what you want to do.”
“Okay.”
“But… do you expect a lot from me?” Phii Godt’s deep voice, when heard up close, seemed even more pleasant.
My eyes were unfocused, looking at his red string wind chime with a goldfish pattern, different from mine, but despite the different designs, the sound they made was just as melodious.
“Yes… I think… you’re the only one I can trust… that’s why… I don’t want you to change.”
The person next to me nudged my side gently.
“Really, huh? With such a small body, you think about so much.” Phii Godt leaned back against the half-opened glass door before shifting to sit more comfortably with one knee up. “People change all the time. It depends on how they change. I know I might change in the future, but even if I do, there’s one thing I think I’ll keep doing the same. That’s wanting to be part of your world.”
“My world… it’s not… suitable for you.”
“Maybe so, but if I’m with you, any world would be worth living in, right?”
I turned to look at him, Khun Godzilla, who was hiding his face behind an Ultraman mask. There was a moment when I wanted to see his expression when he said those words, but I was also afraid to see his eyes.
“You talk as if… you feel something for me… more than just senior junior.”
“And if that’s true?” My eyes widened in disbelief at what he had said, “If it’s true, would Diew push me out of your life, or would you want to keep talking to me?”
“But it…”
“…”
“It’s in the third clause of our agreement, you know that well, we’re not supposed to think beyond that, right?”
My lips were pressed so tightly they hurt, not because I was surprised to hear that he thought of me as more than just a brother.
Because I felt more than that too.
“And you, Diew, do you still think of me as just an older brother?”
“…”
“If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine, I’m not forcing you, just do what makes you comfortable…”
My hand grabbed onto his sleeve, holding it tight as if afraid it would slip away.
“I… I’m afraid you’ll disappear… afraid you’ll… stop talking to me.”
“I’m not going anywhere, I’ll be here bugging you every day.” His warm hand gently touched my head before adding weight and ruffling my hair like that day, the warmth spreading through me, clearly indicating I liked his touch.
“You are… someone important to me.”
As my words ended, Phii Godt turned to look at me for the first time. I stared into the dot eyes of the Ultraman mask, and realizing I was being watched, I looked away towards the balcony.
“Is something… funny?” I asked him. I knew my body’s reactions were slow; thinking and speaking was exhausting, which is why I rarely spoke much in front of others.
“Not at all.”
“You must be laughing… inside.”
“Not at all. I’m just happy.”
“…”
“Finally got to see you.”
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