MYMOON, Chapter 10:
When the yellow taxi comes to a complete stop in front of the football field, as per the address someone sent via LINE, Klai pulls out some cash and hands it to the driver before stepping out.
The petite figure clutches a fragrant jacket close to his chest, scanning the surroundings for the artificial turf football field with a number one sign, just like the one Panli had emphasized in a photo sent hours earlier.
Spotting the target artificial turf field, Klai doesn’t hesitate and hurries toward the entrance. However, two burly security guards standing at the gate slow his steps until he nearly freezes in place.
But in the end, Klaijai musters the courage to stop in front of the two intimidating men…
He swallows hard as their stern, suspicious gazes lock onto him.
Before he can say a word, one of them speaks first.
“There’s a match going on in this field. I’ve been instructed by the boss to screen spectators. If you’re not someone important to one of the players, I’m afraid I can’t let you in.”
The moment Phii Guard finished his sentence, Klai felt his heart wilt slightly. He was just someone returning a shirt to Panli… not someone important to the footballer. If Panli hadn’t asked him to return the shirt in person, Klai might have already taken a cab home, feeling dejected.
He wasn’t upset with Moon…
He was upset with Phii Guard’s words.
But since Klai had to return the shirt to its owner in person, he pushed aside his dejection and resolved to face the two guards still staring at him. Even though one of them was eyeing him from head to toe with a suspicious expression, Klai chose to stay calm.
“Uh… my name is Klai, I am here to see Panli.”
“I knew it…” the one with the suspicious look said. “You’re Khun Klaijai, right?”
“Yes, that’s me, Klaijai.”
“Man… this is the one, Khun Panli’s important person.”
“For real? I don’t want to get chewed out by the boss again.”
Klai watched the two guards bickering. The one on the left spoke with a confident expression, while the one on the right looked hesitant, unsure about making a decision.
“Definitely him. Khun Panli said… his important person, named ‘Klaijai,’ who he told us to let into the field, is super cute. So cute he wants to lock him up in a safe.”
Klai furrowed his brows slightly upon hearing this. He didn’t feel embarrassed because he couldn’t believe Moon would say such a thing, but part of him wondered why the guard would compliment him like that. However, noticing the serious expression and demeanor, Klai began to doubt that the guard had made it up. To confirm the truth, he decided to ask.
“Did Panli really say that to you?”
Even though he knew that if the guard answered…
“Yes.”
…he’d be insanely embarrassed now.;
The cheers from the crowd at Football Field Number One grabbed Klai’s attention effectively. The embarrassment that had just started to form faded quickly because now Klai was more curious about what was happening on the field. He figured the match must have started a while ago, based on the time Panli had mentioned for the game. But because the taxi driver had gotten lost for so long, Klai arrived later than planned.
Klai didn’t want to drive himself because he was afraid of getting lost.
But taking a taxi wasn’t any better.
The driver, who claimed to know the football field, had gotten Klai lost for ages…
Perhaps because the guard saw him standing on his tiptoes, craning his neck to peer through the iron fence, he chuckled softly before turning to open the gate they’d been blocking completely, nodding as if inviting him in.
“The match just started not long ago. I’ll take you in, KhunKlai…” “Thank you so much, bro,” Klai said, bowing politely to the other before following the tall guy inside.
Klai now believed that Football Field Number One was indeed screening its spectators. The number of cheering fans seated on both sides of the field wasn’t as dense as he’d expected, even though this stadium could hold far more people.
His thin lips pressed together lightly. When a group of women sitting by the field glanced at him curiously—some frowning, tilting their heads as if deep in thought—Klai suddenly felt nervous, almost wanting to leave the field. But just then, the voice of a male commentator, which he’d heard from outside, pulled him out of his anxiety.
In truth, it probably wasn’t the commentator that chased away his worries…
“Here we go! The two Pisut siblings are about to clash!!”
It was probably Sasina Pisut who made Klai still want to stay here.
Klai couldn’t help but smile when he saw the tall figure with golden blonde hair, styled to show his face, wearing a white football uniform. Moon looked insanely cool on the field.
And those yellow studded boots… They made Klai smile even wider.
Klai loved yellow so much, and he loved it even more seeing Moon’s favorite boots.
🙂
Panli sprinted to block Phii Fah from stealing the ball. At that moment, Klai unconsciously held his breath, feeling incredibly tense. He secretly cheered for Moon to take the ball from Phii Fah, but he knew it wouldn’t be easy. Phii Fah was so agile, switching feet back and forth as if taunting.
His student shirt was hugged tighter as he sent encouragement to Moon, who was trying to steal the ball from his older brother. His long, narrow eyes were fixed on the round white ball, but in the next second, Panli shifted his gaze from the ball to the sideline… Where Klai was standing.
“Can he do it? … Can Panli steal the ball from Muenfah…”
Panli seemed to lose focus for a moment before looking back down at the round ball in front of him. He was about to take it from his brother, but the swift Phii Fah narrowly dodged with the ball.
“No way! Muenfah is too good at faking!”
Moon looked slightly frustrated, shaking his head a little while running on the field. Klai turned to the tall guard, who was giving him a faint smile.
“Exciting, huh?”
The one asked returned a sheepish smile before saying, “Yeah. Just now, Klai almost stopped breathing.”
“Then KhunKlai, you should go sit and cheer for Khun Panli by the sidelines,” the big guy said with a laugh, pointing at a long wooden bench where a group of cheering fans was seated.
Klai scanned the area for Phii Babe and Rak. That morning, he had called Phii Dom to say he’d return Panli’s shirt at the football field, and Phii Dom told him to sit with those two. When Klai spotted Phii Babe and Rak, he turned to give a respectful wai to thank the big guy who had gone out of his way to escort him into the field.
The small figure tried to hurry to the long wooden bench, but along the way, he overheard a conversation among a group of women sitting nearby.
“Panli is so handsome, isn’t he?”
“Really handsome… I asked Golf, and Golf said he’s single.”
“He’s probably single. I don’t see anyone cheering for him.”
“Such a pity Pure didn’t come to watch. If Pure saw Panli, she’d totally fall for him. He’s her type.”
“Take a picture for Pure to see.”
“Quick, Panli’s running toward the edge of the field!”
Klai didn’t want to be a bad person, but the overwhelming jealousy surging inside him was unstoppable. So, he pretended to stop and stand right there, blocking the view of the woman raising her phone to take a picture of Moon. Klai knew he could only block her this one time, as he’d have to walk over to sit in the empty spot next to Rak.
But because there’s only one moon,
And only one Sasin in the world,
Let Klaijai be a little possessive, just this once…
When he saw that Moon, whom he was so protective of, had run back to the center of the field, the woman who had raised her phone to take a picture lowered her hand and turned to whisper something softly to her friends. Klai silently apologized to the group of women in his heart before striding over to sit next to the chubby-cheeked one, who hadn’t taken their eyes off the field.
Even when Klai plopped down beside them, Rak didn’t notice. He glanced at the cheering sign in their hands, adorned with cute encouraging words and a picture of them, which made Klai smile with fondness. He decided to gently tap their arm with his finger.
“Oh, Klai…” Rak’s eyes widened slightly, seemingly surprised to see him there.
“Here to cheer for Phii Fah?”
Asking even though he already knew the answer…
Rak couldn’t be anyone’s special person… except Phii Fah’s.
“Yeah, yeah… Who’s you cheering for? Phii Dom, right?”
The person being asked swallowed hard. Klai hadn’t prepared an answer beforehand, and he couldn’t exactly say outright that he was cheering for Panli. So, the best response was to tell the truth.
“Uh… no.”
“Huh?”
“I’m here to return Panli’s shirt…”
“Return a shirt to Panli?” The person asking raises an eyebrow slightly.
“Yeah… Last week, my shirt got dirty, and I had to rush to an important class. I ran into Panli by chance, and he lent me his shirt.”
The furrowed brow relaxes immediately, and the person with chubby cheeks nods lightly. “Oh, so that’s it. But Klai, why don’t you stay and cheer for the game? It’s fun!”
Klai flashes a smile at the kind and adorable person before saying, “…I guess I’ll have to wait until Panli’s done playing, since he told me to wait.”
Sounds good!” The person shifts their gaze away from him. Phii Babe, sitting nearby, turns to give him a smile while gently patting his shoulder in greeting. Meanwhile, their sweetheart cheers for Phii Fah with an endearing voice and gesture. “Phii Fah ~ score this one, please!”
“Have you been here long, Klai? Why didn’t you call me? I could’ve come out to get you.”
“I just got here, Phii Babe. I didn’t dare call since the match had already started. I didn’t want to disturb you. Plus, the kind security guard escorted me in, so I thought I’d look for you myself.”
“No need to be shy next time, Klai. If you need anything, just let me know, okay?”
“Thank you, Phii Babe.”
“You’re welcome…” Phii Babe smiles before turning back to the field as the commentator’s voice grows louder, signaling another exciting moment for the cheering crowd.
“Here we go again, ladies and gentlemen! Muenfah is on the attack again, relentless, oh my gosh, ~~”
“It’s like he’s playing all by himself out there, haha!”
“Will it go in… will it go in?!”
“It’s in!!!! Another goal, ~”
“Wow… it’s probably because of those cute posters in the stands, right? That’s what’s got Muenfah so fired up!”
“Fah!! Just take the ball and play at your own house, man. Stop hogging it and not sharing with us!”
“Oh, here we go… the son of the field owner is starting to throw a tantrum, folks.”
A tantrum, my foot! Next year, fire those commentators, I’m so annoyed!”
Klai laughs along with everyone in the stands. He can’t even remember the last time he was in such a lively, fun atmosphere like this. If he had to think back, it was probably during the sports day cheering event in his third year of junior high.
Right now, seeing Moon standing in the middle of the field, panting heavily, one hand on his hip while pointing at his senior, then halfwalking, half-jogging to rest at the sidelines as the time on the large digital clock was running low. Moon stood not far from his seat, still with a hand on his hip, observing the situation on the field.
“Boss! Play football, damn it! Not monkey-in-the-middle! Why are you chasing them like that?!”
It was the first time Klai saw Panli in such a serious and fierce mode. He shook his head, using one hand to lift the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. The sculpted abs of the tall figure made the cheerleaders near Klai gasp in excitement, as if they hadn’t expected Moon to have such an become available for user to read.
Panli, drenched in sweat, shook his head lightly before letting out a laugh when his senior, called Boss, argued back in a whiny tone.
“We haven’t even scored a single goal yet, Li!”
Klai watched Moon laugh heartily, then lowered his gaze to his shoes, feeling his face flush when he saw Panli casually push back the hair falling over his forehead.
Moon + Sports = So hot!
Klaijai felt his face burning…
End of the first half! Everyone, go find your team’s coach.”
“Who are the coaches for each team?”
“Me and you, duh…”
As the announcer finished speaking, Klai glanced at Phii Babe, who handed a water bottle to her boyfriend before saying something to her younger brother.
“During the halftime break… the supporter has to bring water to the player.”
“Oh, uh… I’ve never been here, Rak, so I didn’t know.”
Ah… Klaijai didn’t bring any water for Panli.
Because he didn’t know either.
If he had, he would’ve brought an electrolyte drink for Moon too.
Klai watched as the boyfriend took the water bottle from his sister and walked to give it to Phii Fah, who was jogging to the sidelines. But then Phii Babe, sitting nearby, scooted closer to Klai and offered him the only remaining water bottle.
“Klai… take this water to Panli.”
“…”
“I come to cheer for Dom every year. I’ll bring a new one for him next year. Dom won’t dare whine to me.”
Klai looked at the water bottle in Phii Babe’s hand, then turned to see Phii Dom jogging toward his girlfriend with a beaming smile. He gently pushed the bottle back to its rightful owner, saying with a smile, “Phii
Dom might not whine, but he’d definitely feel secretly hurt. Because
Phii Dom probably wants encouragement from Phii Babe too.”
“…”
“Thank you so much, Phii Babe.”
“But…”
“Trust me, okay? I’ll tell Panli about his thing myself.”
Phii Babe, who wanted to cheer for her boyfriend but was also worried about him, nodded before standing up to bring water to Phii Dom. The kind older brother flashed a smile at him, and Klai nodded back, returning a smile to his brother.
Klai looked down at the student shirt in his hands and let out a sigh, knowing full well he couldn’t go buy water for Moon in time during the break. He stood up to his full height and looked toward the field. At that moment, he saw the tall figure with a bright smile running toward him.
Klai walked toward Panli as well, until the latter stopped in front of him. Though Klai had heard the phrase ignorance is not a crime, he still wanted to apologize to Moon. But then, his eyes caught sight of the water bottle in Panli’s hand.
Someone had already brought water for Moon, huh…
“Panli…”
“What’s up? About the shirt, I’ll return it after the match, KhunKlai…” Panli gave a small smile, raising an eyebrow slightly before continuing, “Having fun cheering at the game?”
“Yeah, super fun. But I might not have cheered for Panli too loudly because I didn’t want to bother the people sitting around me…” His thin lips pressed together as a flush of heat traveled from his ears to both cheeks. “But I’ve been sending you support the whole time, you know. In the second half, I’ll cheer for you even harder. Let me figure out a way to cheer for you first, though. I don’t have a cheering sign like your girlfriend does.”
The listener chuckled before saying, “Just having you sitting by the field…” A large hand reached out to lightly pinch his nose before pulling back. “That’s already more than enough encouragement.”
“…”
“But the reason I haven’t scored a single goal yet… it’s not because you aren’t cheering loud enough. It’s because Phii Fah’s team is just too good. As for my team, when we miss a shot, we sulk like kids.”
Klai laughed, then gave the other a thumbs-up. “But Panli is the coolest on the field.”
“I don’t think it’s on the field… maybe just in Khun Klai’s eyes, huh?”
Klai admitted he couldn’t hold back his smile. He nodded lightly, as if agreeing, but then his smile faded when he remembered something. “Panli… I didn’t know we were supposed to bring water for the players, so I…”
“Klai…” Moon called out in a calm, steady tone. Klai shifted his gaze from the water bottle in the other’s hand and met those long, narrow eyes. Panli flashed his usual charming smile before saying, “…With me, you’ve got to break all the rules.”
“…”
“Others have to bring water for the players, right?”
“Yeah…”
“Then I’ll take you to break the old rules…”
A water bottle in a strong hand was held out in front of him, a bright smile spreading across Moon’s face. “And create new rules of our own.”
“…”
“This footballer wants to be the one to give water for the cheer person himself.”
Klaijai shook his head lightly, letting out a relieved sigh. He admitted to overthinking when he saw Panli holding a water bottle, assuming someone else had given it to Panli. But once he realized…
Sasin was still the same kind-hearted person, unchanged.
The gratitude in his heart matched the swelling of his heart, growing bigger and bigger.
“Thank you, Panli,” Klai said as he took the water bottle.
“My pleasure.”
“…”
“If next year… you come to cheer for me again…” Panli smiled before continuing, “…use our rules, okay?”
Klai nodded eagerly, making an OK gesture with his hand. “Deal!”
“I’ll head back to the field now.”
“Mhm…” Klai replied, watching the tall figure step back slowly while smiling at him. Klai raised his hand, making a peace sign, and said, “Fighting, Panli!”
Panli laughed, delighted by his words, before saying, “The encouragement’s here… I’ll give it my all, Klaijai!” Klaijai… will try to fight too.
To let Moon know something.
Klaijai just needs a little time, Moon…
The small figure walked back to the long bench and sat down. His almond-shaped eyes glanced at the water bottle in his hand while thinking of ways to send encouragement to Moon. The chubby-cheeked one was waving a cheering sign back and forth, sparking an idea in his head.
His slender hand reached into his pants pocket to pull out his phone, opening a cheering sign app Klai had downloaded during his first year. Luckily, he hadn’t deleted it after using it.
At the Freshy Night concert, Klai typed a sentence into the app, selecting the font size and color. Though his phone screen wasn’t very big, Klai thought Moon might still see his cheering sign.
‘Panli, susuna!’
The yellow text on his phone screen made the phrase stand out. Klai held his phone horizontally, waving it back and forth so the tall figure running on the field could see.
And it seems Moon noticed his cheering sign, because Panli, warming up on the field before the second half begins, gives Klai a thumbs-up and a bright smile. Klai returns a sweet smile and cheers for the other.
“Panli, keep fighting!”
As Klai says this, several women sitting in front turn around to glance at him before whispering among themselves. But Klai pays no mind. He’s used to this kind of thing by now. The only person he should care about is Moon, and the only thing he should do right now is cheer for Panli with all his heart.
The second half kicks off with fierce intensity. Panli showcases exceptional football skills, his footwork just as impressive as his older brother’s. If Phii Fah’s team were to pick the most formidable opponent, Klai thinks it would undoubtedly be his Panli.
With Moon… you can’t underestimate him.
“Here we go, ladies and gentlemen! The battle of footwork between the Pisut siblings is heating up once again!”
“Panli’s on the move! He’s stolen the ball from Muenfah, folks!”
When Panli gains possession of the ball, he skillfully weaves through the opposing team. Moon slows his pace as he nears the opponent’s goal. From a fair distance, Panli strikes the ball with his right foot, sending it soaring past the goalkeeper’s hands and straight into the white net.
“Wooo!”
At that moment, everyone leaps to their feet, roaring with cheers and clapping loudly, as the talented Moon scores for his team. Klai watches as Moon runs toward him, stopping at the edge of the field and pointing both index fingers at him. Teammates rush in to hug Panli in celebration.
Klai laughs and smiles at the heartwarming scene. He raises his hand, giving a thumbs-up to the grinning Panli, who nods in acknowledgment before jogging back to the center of the field with his teammates. The clock is still ticking, and the second half isn’t over yet.
The petite figure sits back down, waving his cheering sign back and forth. Once again, the group of women in front glance at him before nodding to each other subtly, as if confirming who he’s here to support.
Even though Klai’s initial purpose was to return Panli’s shirt,
If you asked Klai again right now,
Well…
Yes… Klaijai is here to cheer for Panli’s football match.
🙂
The second half remains as thrilling and exciting as ever. Klai is exhausted from all the cheering, but when the match ends, the score on the large board confirms that Phii Fah’s talented team has won. Still, Klai believes that regardless of the outcome, the players from both teams and all the fans are filled with joy.
The smiles on everyone’s faces say it all.
🙂
Just a moment ago, Klai returned the shirt to Panli. The latter asked him to wait in the field because he wanted to put the shirt in his car. Klai thought Panli might have something to say to him, so he stayed and waited for Moon alongside the owner of the chubby cheeks, who was now endlessly praising his favorite, Phii Fah.
“Did Klai see that last goal Phii Fah scored?”
“I did.”
“Super cool, right?”
Klai chuckled softly when the other nodded after finishing, as if wanting him to agree with the statement. “Yeah, super cool.”
“Phii Fah, you know… he never brags about how good he is at football. But when I got to watch him play, he’s just amazing.”
Klai nodded, giving a smile to the chubby-cheeked friend. “If Phii Fah heard you praising him like this, he’d probably be thrilled.”
“…” The chubby-cheeked friend raised a hand to rub the back of their neck, embarrassed. They were probably imagining Phii Fah’s expression upon hearing the compliments.
“Chubby Cheeks!”
“What the—Dog Face!”
The loud call from behind startled the chubby-cheeked friend. No need to guess—Klai knew it was Moon. He secretly smiled at the nickname the friend used for Panli.
How did his Moon become “Dog Face”?
The tall figure, still in his white football uniform and carrying a branded black backpack, stopped in front of the two of them. Panli reached out to lightly push his friend’s head. Klai quickly moved to support the back of the friend’s head as they nearly fell backward. The chubby-cheeked friend turned to nod in thanks for saving them before glaring at Moon.
“You Dog Face! If I’d fallen off the chair, I’d tell Phii Fah!” Klai could now guess how the nickname “Dog Face” came about.
It was probably because Moon loved teasing his friend.
“What are you bragging about to KhunKlai? I saw you talking nonstop, Chubby Cheeks.”
“I wasn’t bragging. I was praising Phii Fah to Klai.”
“That’s too much. Did you even ask him if he wanted to hear it? You need to stop praising Phii Fah sometimes…” Panli turned to meet Klai’s eyes, giving that familiar subtle smile. “…because maybe KhunKlai wants to praise someone else too.”
“No way… Klai didn’t come to cheer for anyone today. He just came to return your shirt.”
“How do you know KhunKlai only came to return my shirt?”
“You’re the one who told me, right, Klai?”
Theerak turned to ask him. Klai was about to nod in agreement because he had indeed said that to Theerak. But then, the tall figure, who was now looking away as if sulking and uninterested in their conversation, made Klai break into a smile.
A slender finger reached out to lightly poke the thick arm, urging the other to join the conversation. Moon reluctantly turned to look, but his face was grumpy, not showing even a hint of a smile.
“Besides returning the shirt to its owner… I also came to cheer for
Panli, you know.”
The bright smile that appeared on Moon’s face at that moment… It made Klai completely forget the sulky expression from earlier.
“Ugh… acting all pouty like a sulky puppy, when all you wanted was for Klai to say he came to cheer for you.”
“Talk too much, and those chubby cheeks of yours might get pinched off…” Panli said, reaching out to pinch Theerak’s cheek until the other lightly tapped the thick hand, signaling it hurt too much.
“Ouch, ow…”
“Panli… stop it right now.”
No matter how much Klai loved Moon, he couldn’t bear to see the cute Theerak in pain. A slender hand reached out to smack Moon’s hand with a light slap. The latter finally let go of the soft cheek. Klai used his hand to rub the smooth, white cheek that now had a red mark.
“Panli…” He turned to look at Moon with a stern gaze before saying,
“…you left a red mark on Theerak’s cheek.”
“It’ll fade… I pinch those cheeks all the time.”
“Panli…” He turned to Moon with a stern look before saying, “…my beloved’s cheek is all red!”
“It’ll fade… I pinch his cheeks a lot.”
“You dog-face! Even if the redness fades, the pain etched in my heart will never go away!”
Klai tried to hold back a smile. He found Rak’s expression and behavior utterly adorable. No wonder Panli couldn’t resist teasing him. “Does it hurt a lot, Rak?”
“A ton, Klai,” the clingy one replied, placing a hand over Klai’s, which was gently rubbing his cheek, while giving him a pitiful look.
“There, there, it’ll be okay soon, right?”
“Mhm…” Rak responded, flashing a smile that would warm anyone’s heart.
“Clingy… so clingy with everyone, huh, chubby cheeks?”
“Right now, you, dog-face, have no right to talk… You hurt me and still have the nerve to yap!”
Klai laughed at Rak’s endearing words. Then, the one who caused the adorable one’s displeasure reached out, grabbed Klai’s hand, and nodded as if inviting him to stand up.
“Dog-face, where are you taking Klai?”
“I’m taking KhunKlai to eat with me…” Panli said, giving him a pleading look not unlike Rak’s best friend, before continuing, “Wanna come eat with me?”
With that level of pleading… how could Klai say no? “Uh, sure.”
Panli grinned widely before pulling him to stand. Klai, being the good boy for the clingy one, stood up beside him obediently.
“As for you… you stay here and wait for Phii Fah, got it? No being naughty elsewhere, understand?”
“Don’t understand…”
“Chubby cheeks!”
“Fine, I get it… always scolding me.”
“Where’s Phii Babe, Rak?” Klai asked, worried Rak would be lonely sitting alone.
“Phii Babe stepped out to talk on the phone about work with a friend.
She’ll be back soon… Go on, Klai, don’t worry about me~”
“Yeah, KhunKlai, no need to worry about chubby cheeks. His favorite person will come for him soon.”
“Of course…” Maybe it was the tone and expression of Rak that made Panli feel so mischievous, as he reached out and lightly pushed his head again.
“Hey! Dog-face, you are at it again!”
Klai looked at Panli, who was laughing with delight. “I’m heading out, okay?”
“Go… I’m sick of your dog-face. Always teasing.”
“We’re heading out, Rak.”
“Alright, see you later, Klai!”
“Okay.”
Klai waves goodbye to the chubby-cheeked person who flashes him a smile before following the tall figure holding his hand, leading him out of the football field. In the past, Klai’s heart would have raced being held by Moon like this. But now, he’s built up a bit of immunity, so his heart doesn’t pound as much. Still, it feels warm every time we hold hands…
“KhunKlai… can I stop by the shower room to clean up before we go eat?”
“Uh, shower?” he replies, slightly flustered, glancing at the tall figure’s side bag.
“Yeah… after playing football, I always shower before doing anything else…” Moon says, turning to look at him before continuing, “I don’t want to go eat with you while I’m all sweaty and smelly.”
Klai wrinkles his nose as if sniffing the air, then replies honestly,
“You don’t smell, Panli.”
“But I usually smell better than this, right?” Well… Moon usually smells really good.
“Don’t overthink it, Panli. I’m fine with it.”
“Just give me twenty minutes, Klaijai… I’ll shower as fast as I can!”
It’s probably those pleading eyes that make him nod in agreement.
“Mhm.”
When they reach the shower room behind the football field, Panli leads him inside. The atmosphere feels like a locker room from a high school sports series.
The spacious room has lockers lining both sides of the walkway, with a long wooden bench in the middle. Looking straight ahead, there’s a large sliding door in the distance. Klai guesses that’s where the showers are.
“KhunKlai, wait for me here, okay?”
“Mhm…”
Klai nods absentmindedly and sits down on the long wooden bench. He scans the spacious room again, thinking that the shower room probably doesn’t get much use. The lockers and other items look barely touched.
“Wait just a sec, KhunKlai.”
The tall figure speaks while gently ruffling his hair, then grabs a black bag and heads toward the sliding door. Klai watches until Panli disappears behind it, then pulls out his phone to pass the time. He doesn’t use social media much—mostly just keeping up with news on Facebook. If there’s nothing interesting, he checks Twitter for updates on newly released translated literature at bookstores.
But lately, Klai has been using Twitter more than Facebook.
Because news spreads really fast on Twitter.
Ring~
However, his slender finger, scrolling through a list of books, froze when a call came in from his close friend. Klai didn’t hesitate and quickly answered Storm’s call.
“What’s up, Pieu?”
[I want to bang my head against the dorm wall.]
“Huh? What’s wrong, Pieu?” Hearing his friend’s upset tone, Klai spoke gently.
[Do you remember the Cargo class where the professor said each group would work with another?]
“Oh… the one where the professor said we could choose a group to work with, right?”
[Yeah, yeah. But last week, the professor changed their mind and said they’d assign the group pairings themselves.]
“Ahh, I remember.”
[Just now… the professor posted the list of paired groups for the project on Facebook.]
“The class’s Facebook group?”
[Yeah, yeah.]
“Why didn’t I get a notification? Usually, I get alerted whenever the professor posts something.”
[Good thing you didn’t get one… You’d have a headache otherwise. But you’re gonna get one anyway.]
“…”
[Our group is paired with New’s group. You know, New, Thot,
Orn—the usual crew.]
“Whoa…” Klai let out a soft gasp, hardly believing his ears, before trying to come to terms with the news. “…If the professor assigned the groups, we probably can’t change it.”
[Exactly. That’s why I’m so frustrated. This professor won’t allow changes. Last time, Win tried to switch groups because of issues with a friend, and the professor chewed him out.]
“We probably can’t do anything but accept it, Storm. We just need to do our part as best we can… and hope that group can separate work from personal issues.”
[…]
“When we’re working, we should forget any past conflicts and focus solely on the task. Once the project’s done, we go back to keeping our distance as usual.”
[I think those guys are just as stressed about this as we are.]
Klai gives a faint smile before saying, “Has Mai found out yet?”
[She knows, she knows! Mai even messaged me saying she’ll set up the LINE group herself since she still has New’s contact. Then we can have you assign tasks to everyone after the professor posts the project details tomorrow.]
“Sounds good… Once Mai sets up the group, she can invite me to join.”
[Got it! I’ll go talk to Mai some more then.]
“Okay.”
[Sorry for bothering you on a holiday like this, Klai. But this couldn’t be handled over LINE—it had to be a call.]
Klai chuckles at his close friend’s serious yet exasperated tone. “No worries at all. You can call me anytime.”
[Alright, cool!]
After hanging up, the petite figure lets out a soft sigh. Just thinking about dealing with those three makes Klai feel exhausted already, but he’s confident this project will go smoothly. He’ll do his part to the best of his ability.
LINE notification sound
Klai picks up his phone when the LINE app chimes. His slender finger swipes the screen to accept the group chat invitation. Once inside, he sees all the members are already there.
MaMay: Everyone’s here now.
MaMay: Tomorrow, once the professor posts the project details, Klai will assign the tasks.
Newz: ok
Klai looks at New’s short reply and shakes his head lightly. Though New doesn’t seem thrilled about working together, Klai feels relieved that she at least responded.
The other group probably feels the same as his.
Just focus on doing your part well… and when the project’s done, everyone goes their separate ways.
Klai exits the chat when he sees there’s nothing more to discuss, then turns around as he hears the sound of the sliding door opening.
At that moment, he sees the tall figure towel-drying his damp, goldenblonde hair. Moon is wearing a navy shirt with a small white leaf pattern and black jeans. Klai wouldn’t feel a flush of warmth at all if Moon had buttoned his shirt properly before leaving the shower room.
But with not a single button fastened, his chiseled chest and toned abs—the ones that made the crowd in the stands go wild—are on full display. Panli walks over and sits down beside him.
Klai averted his gaze from the other person, pursing his lips tightly before lowering his eyes. The rising heat surged from his ears down to his toes in an instant.
Klai wasn’t thinking anything naughty…
He was embarrassed because he’d never seen someone so openly bold like this.
“Who were you chatting with on LINE just now? The notifications kept going off.”
“Uh, just a friend,” he replied without meeting the other’s eyes.
“A friend, or… ~”
“Yeah… a friend.”
The soft laughter and the faint, pleasant scent made Klai want to bolt out of the bathroom. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep his composure. Without even looking in the mirror, Klai knew his ears and cheeks must be bright red.
“KhunKlai, yesterday when I went to buy football boots, I happened to see this…”
Lured by the mention of something, Klai, still embarrassed, turned to look at Moon. “What is it?”
Panli pulled something out of his black backpack. A small notebook with a bunny sitting on a crescent moon, legs dangling, was held out in front of him. Klai let out a smile and looked up to meet Moon’s eyes.
“A notebook… when I saw it…”
“…”
“I thought of you, Klaijai.”
“…”
“So I bought it for you… I hope you likes it.”
“I love it…” he said, smiling at Moon.
“Does you usually write anything in notebooks?”
“I usually carry a notebook with me all the time because I like jotting down important tasks in it.”
“Oh… that’s perfect then.”
“…”
“From now on, you can bring this notebook to class.”
Klai nodded shyly, “…”
“And whenever you see this notebook, you have to think of me, okay?”
Klai laughed before saying, “Is this considered a trade-off, then?”
“No way… whenever you see a notebook, you have to think of me.
That’s something KhunKlai should do every day.”
“…”
“But the real trade-off is…” Panli pulled the notebook he had offered back to his chest, then flashed a sly smirk. “KhunKlai, you have to give me those sparkly eyes first.”
The smaller figure raised his eyes slightly, then said, “S-sparkly eyes?”
“Yup… sparkly eyes, like the bunny sticker KhunKlai sends me on
LINE.”
Moon must really love that sparkly-eyed bunny, huh.
Klai thought… if he could mimic that bunny as closely as possible, maybe Moon would like Klai a little too.
The small figure never imagined that one day he’d have to compete with his favorite LINE sticker, but to impress Moon, Klai decided to do as requested.
Klai took a deep breath, then locked eyes with Moon, who was smirking. At that moment, Klai blinked rapidly twice, giving those sparkly eyes to the other.
Panli burst out laughing, his large hand moving to lightly pinch Klai’s nose, as he often did, before handing over the notebook and saying softly, “It’s green…”
“Thanks, Panli.”
“Can we swap the thank you for another round of sparkly eyes?”
Klai was always a good boy for Moon. He shifted his gaze from the notebook he’d just received and gave Moon those sparkly eyes again.
“Last time, okay?”
“Okay,” Panli said, laughing, before looking down to button his shirt. Klai stole a glance at Moon, who had a smile plastered on his face, and thought…
I never thought… we’d be this close.
And I can’t believe… Klai could make Moon smile.
🙂
Leave a Reply