EASTTAGYOUREMINE, Chapter  1: Cocoa & Chocolate Cake

   7:21 AM

   It looks like the sun has clocked in for work. The light and heat are piercing through my old curtains without any regard, but I don’t care about it. I’ve got my earphones in, listening to some chill music, even though my head feels foggy. I’m just staring at my screen with YouTube open and another tab for Facebook.    Oh, forgot to introduce myself. My name is Easter, or ‘Ter’ as my friends call me. I’m a first-year veterinary student, eagerly waiting to start my university life.

The term starts in a week. I moved into the dorm last week with my roommate, whom the dorm randomly assigned – that would be North.

   We didn’t know each other before, but North is an easy-going guy, too easygoing perhaps, so we became close pretty fast. Our dorm is the cheapest you can find, costing three thousand five hundred baht. Actually, the fan rooms are cheaper, but my mom was worried I’d die from heatstroke in the summer. North said he’s a local, but he doesn’t know the area at all because he’s from another nearby province. So how is he considered a local?

I chose to study veterinary science because I love animals. Dogs, cats, chickens, birds, snakes, I like them all, including shrimp, fish, pigs, cows, I love them a lot, especially to eat (?). Haha, and why did I come all the way to the north to study? Because of a little family issue. I’m originally from Rayong, came here with nothing but a mat and a pillow, no friends, didn’t know anything about the place, didn’t understand the northern dialect, and had no acquaintances.

It all started by getting to know North, then meeting friends at the faculty during registration. I relied on asking for directions and searching for information.    Let me tell you a bit more about myself. My name, Easter, comes from the foreign holiday Easter. My mom really liked it, so she named me after it. And I have a sister named Christmas ‘Chris’, we’re a year apart. I haven’t talked to Chris in a year. I’ve been cut off from the family, but not completely, my mom still worries about me and supports me, including with university matters, helping me find accommodation and covering all the expenses.

My mom was worried that it might be too far, but I told her that whether I study close to home or far away, I wouldn’t be coming back home often anyway. So she agreed reluctantly. I decided to apply for a scholarship offered by the university, which is interest-free, but I have to maintain a GPA of at least 3.25 every semester. Otherwise, I’ll lose the scholarship and need to complete the required community service hours. They also give me an allowance of two thousand baht a month, which I have to repay after graduation. It’s great for me because not only do I not bother my mom about tuition, but I also get this allowance to help ease her financial burden.

University life seemed like it would go well. It felt like a fresh start for me.

If only I hadn’t opened that page last night…

But it’s not the page’s fault, is it? Whose fault is it? It’s my fault for checking it out, but who could have known!

I was supposed to study in Bangkok, right? Here I am, trying to escape someone by coming to the northernmost part of Siam! Sigh. And now that someone is studying medicine, right next to my faculty!! What now? If I had known this a few months ago, I would have applied elsewhere. Damn it, should I transfer? No, no, my mom would kill me if I did that. Ugh, Ter, I never thought the person would come here, they’ve never even mentioned this university.

But I guess he doesn’t tell me everything, right? Yeah, it doesn’t matter anymore!

Why am I even getting upset about this?!

“Ter, you bastard, turn off the light.” said the guy groggy on the bed in a slurred voice. I pulled out my earphones and turned to tell him.

“Why turn off the light? It’s morning.”

“Uh, what time is it?”

“Half past seven.”

“Shit, that’s early. Where are you going today?”

“Nowhere. I haven’t slept yet.” Ever since waking up in the middle of the night, my blood pressure has been all over the place, and I’ve been wide awake.

“Really? Why? Was it because of the nightmare?”

“Partly, but I shouldn’t have opened my laptop to browse.”

“Ter, I don’t think that’s it.” said North, shifting a bit before getting out of bed to come over to me. “Tell me what you dreamt. It doesn’t sound good if you’re this worked up about it.”

“It wasn’t good, but it’s nothing.” Who would tell that kind of a dream, damn it.    “Hey, Ter, you have to tell me. If not me, then who else do you have?” He sat down next to me on a chair and looked at me seriously.

“What? Are you going to cut ties with me just because I don’t tell you?” There’s nothing to it, North, just let it go, please.

“You don’t have to worry, I’m okay, really, you’re my friend, I won’t abandon you.” North’s face got even more serious, his eyes were intensely focused.    Does he know? …Really? I thought he was just worried for no reason. How could he know? Is he like some kind of psychic who can watch other people’s dreams?

That’s crazy.

“North…”

My heart softened a bit. North was being very serious. He must be worried about me. Of course, when your friend suddenly screams in the middle of the night and can’t sleep all night, anyone would be concerned.

“Is there a ghost?”    “Huh?” What?

   “Is there a ghost in our dorm?”

“Wait. What are you talking about?” I was confused. What ghost?

   “You were screaming like you were possessed, saying you had a nightmare, and then you stayed up all night. What else could it be if not that you saw a ghost!”

And he wasn’t joking. His face was still tense. “Hey, tell me, Ter, if you see one, we’ll move out right away. You don’t have to worry about me being scared, because I’m already scared.”

“Hah, North, well, then let’s move out now. Right now, because it’s been staring at you since earlier.”

“HEYYY!!!” North jumped out of his chair, quickly moving to my side. You screamed louder than I did last night.

“I was kidding, hahaha.”

“Is that funny? Damn, I almost had a heart attack.”

“Fell over and hit your head?”

“I nearly peed myself!”

Then he ran into the bathroom. Hahaha, that’s how we became close so quickly, as I’ve mentioned, but in the end, North wasn’t really worried about me.

“Hahaha, oh my, is Phii North about to wet himself? Aren’t you an electrical engineering student?” I teased him, changing my voice.

“Shut up, nong.” North came out of the bathroom. “So, there’s no ghost, right?”    You’re not done with that ghost nonsense yet?

“No ghost, I was joking. You thought too much. No ghost or spirit or anything, and even if there were, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Okay, as long as you’re fine.” He said, patting my shoulder.

“Yeah, I think so…maybe.”

“I wanna ask you something?” I turned to ask North, who was about to go shower. He paused for a moment before answering.

“What?”

“What if there’s someone you really hate, and you don’t want to see their face.

What would you do?”

“Just avoid them, I guess.”

“And what if you run into them by chance?”

“And does this person I hate, do they hate me back?”

…That’s right. I never considered whether he hated me. I’ve only been thinking about how much I hate him.

   “I…I don’t know.”

“If they don’t hate me, then I’d just act like I don’t see them. Don’t look, don’t talk.” North said, “But if they hate me too, then they probably won’t show their face to me either, unless they want a fight.”

True, North. If he hated me as well, even if he knew I was studying here, he probably wouldn’t care.

Hate me? …

Why would he hate me? I haven’t done anything wrong. But what he did, that’s what deserves hate!

“But hating can come in many forms, right? There’s hating just because you don’t like their face, hating because they did something bad to you, or hating because you loved them before.”

“Hmm?” I tilted my head, puzzled, wondering why he suddenly said that.    “If it’s hating because you once loved them, I’d suggest not seeing them, not knowing about them, it’s best if they don’t see you at all, just live separately.” Then he walked into the bathroom, “I see you’re stressed, and now you’re asking me this, so it’s about love, isn’t it?”

“No way! It’s not love, it’s pure hate.” Love? What love?!

   “Hahaha, okay, okay, if there’s something to talk about, come to me. I’m going to shower now.”

And there goes my dear roommate, making me overthink again. I’ll admit it, I…once loved him too, but, ‘once’ means ‘once.’ There’s no way I still love him or feel anything, I’m sure, really sure!

   So in my case, we should just live separately. Do not interfere. Not let him see me, so I need to make sure he doesn’t know I’m studying here, right?

   Sigh, looks like it’s going to be troublesome…

   I’m getting sleepy now, better go back to sleep…

   Rrrrrrrrrrr

Just as I was about to get up to go back to bed, my phone started ringing, showing ‘Foam’ on the screen.

“Hello.”

(You picked up quickly, are you awake?) Foam is my close friend in the faculty. Even though we’ve just met, I think his personality is okay; he’s easy to talk to. Right now, the closest ones are Foam and Typhoon. We usually go out together, just the three of us.    “Not really, haven’t slept yet.”

(Oh, you’re not sleeping? Something wrong?)

   Huh! Both North and Foam now. Is not-sleeping that strange? Maybe I was just playing games.

“Nothing much, just on the computer.” I wasn’t lying, I really was on the computer.

(Our seniors are meeting up this evening, remember?)

   “Really? I totally forgot.” I tried to remember, what was the meeting about?

(I knew you’d forget. The seniors set it up, but didn’t announce it on the Face group. You have to come; they’re going to talk about the study loan scholarship too, yours included.)

   “Okay, okay, but I’m super sleepy, haven’t slept at all. What time is the meeting?”

(Four o’clock.)

   “Then I’ll sleep first, wake me up around three in the afternoon, will you?”

(We’re planning to go to Merry Me. Do you want to come along?)

   “Merry Me, what’s that?”

(It’s a place to hang out, read books, they’ve got snacks and stuff, it’s near our university.)    “Why go there?”

(Just to hang out, read, or whatever. We’ve got nothing to do in the dorm while waiting for the evening meeting.)

   “Next time would be better, I’m really sleepy. Haven’t slept at all, sorry.”    (Hey, that’s even more reason for you to come. If you manage to fall asleep, you won’t answer your phone no matter what. Last time was a close call. You can sleep at the cafe; we can wake you up there.)

   “You can sleep there? Nah, that’s too much, I’d feel bad for others.”

(Well, it’s a 24-hour place for reading books anyway. Who would fall asleep while reading, right?)

   “Is it crowded? I feel a bit shy.”

(There are private booths on the second floor.)    So, you want me to go there, right?

“Yeah, sure. If you’re promoting the place this much, you should get paid, huh?

Are you picking me up, or should we meet there?”

(Just pick me up. I’m waiting under your dorm, Phoon already reserved a table.)

   “Wow, that was fast. Okay, I’ll shower quickly, wait a bit.”

(Sure, go ahead.)

   If you’re already waiting downstairs, why bother asking me to come? I guess I can’t say no now. Not long after, North came out of the bathroom. I showered after him.

   “Oh, I thought you’d go back to sleep.” North asked, slightly puzzled, while toweling his hair.

“A friend invited me out, and I’ve got an appointment with my faculty today too.” “Oh, you think you can manage without sleep?”

“I’ll manage. I’ll find somewhere to nap later.” I told him and headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower, then changed into my university uniform thinking I might as well go straight to the faculty.

“I’m off.” I told North, who was playing on his phone on the bed, ready in his outfit. He’ll probably go out soon too.

“Take care, see you.” He looked up from his phone to reply.

“See you.” I said before closing the door and rushing downstairs, where I found Foam waiting on his bike.

“Ready?” Foam said, handing me a helmet before we rode off to the shop.

@Marry Me [open 24 hr.]

   The shop was exactly as Foam described, a place for reading books. There were counters like any other coffee shop, but tables for reading, and bookshelves scattered around with textbooks, novels, and comics. People were actually reading, some doing work, others with laptops plugged into the shop’s outlets. How does this place not go bankrupt with people staying long and using electricity?    It fits the concept they’ve advertised by the counter: Time for Work Reading and Coffee. But when I saw the prices of the food, tea, coffee, and desserts, I realized where the shop makes its profit…

“Ter, what do you want? Order something.”

“Do I have to order something?”

“Yeah, you can sit here for free if you buy something.” Foam said, and he had a point, but then I glanced at the prices on the board. The only thing I could afford was…

“A bottle of plain water, please.”

“Twenty-five baht.” The waiter handed me a small water bottle. That’s crazy.

Even at 7-Eleven, it’s just five baht.

   “Really, you bought plain water? I thought you’d get some cocoa.”

“Cocoa’s almost a hundred baht per cup, while back at the dorm, it’s twenty-five. It’s insane. I rode my bike almost a kilometer to get here, why is there such a price difference?” I muttered softly as I walked up to the second floor, where I found Typhoon reading a detective novel. The table we had reserved was a low Japanesestyle table set on a slightly raised platform, like we had to climb a few more steps to sit down. It’s better than having people on the floor at the same level as those sitting at normal tables.

“This table is perfect; Ter, you can sleep here, spread out your blanket.” Foam said. I forgot to mention I brought a small blanket to sleep on.

“He is sleeping here?” Typhoon asked.

“He was playing games or something on his computer, and didn’t sleep at all.” Foam answered for me. I then adjusted a small partition for some privacy, spread out my blanket, and placed a cushion as a headrest. Thankfully, there weren’t many people around. Sleeping stretched out like this would be embarrassing if there were more people, but no one’s really watching me here.

“Wow, just bought a bottle of water and now you’re going to sleep? That’s quite the deal.” Typhoon teased, seeing me with just my bottle of water.

I laughed slightly after his teasing about charging my phone, might as well get my money’s worth.

And then I slowly drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

“Ter, sorry, I need to go with Typhoon to get something he forgot at the dorm. Can you watch our table alone?” Foam shook me awake, and I glanced at the clock. Almost an hour had passed.

“No problem, ride safe.” I said, then closed my eyes to sleep again, too tired to think much.

“Will he be okay alone?” Typhoon asked.

“He should be fine, there aren’t many people here. We’ll be quick.” Foam replied.

“We’ll be right back, Ter, call if you need anything.”

“Okay.” and I drifted off to sleep once more.

A slender figure was sleeping with fluttering eyes, since this was a reading area, it was generally quiet. He could hear the rhythmic breathing, the sweet face not showing much expression was cute, but it would be cuter if he smiled, though sometimes being grumpy might be even cuter.

A faint smile graced the handsome face of the tall man. If there were a woman here, she’d probably faint from the excitement. He gently placed the tray of items he had just ordered, careful not to wake the person in front of him.

   If I stayed, it would surely get messy…

   But the older man couldn’t resist reaching out to stroke his cheek and brush away the hair covering his face.

   The scene before me was so captivating that I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I could watch all day if the other party allowed it…

   I should leave soon. But not before taking out my phone to capture the moment. What for? Well, for what indeed? What should I use it for? The tall figure walked downstairs to chat briefly with the staff before exiting the shop.

   …

“Ter, Ter! Wake up!”

Foam’s voice shattered my dream. I had such a nice dream, too.

“What is it? I was sleeping so peacefully.”

“You ordered this stuff and didn’t eat it, that’s not cool, man. Look, your cocoa is about to melt.” Foam showed me the cup.

Huh? When did I order something?

   “Did you order this?” I asked, rubbing my eyes to see clearer.

“Funny. You did. We came back, and it was already on the table, did you sleepwalk or something?”

“Really? I don’t remember ordering anything, I was fast asleep.” Seriously, I’m still a bit groggy. Did someone deliver it to the wrong table?

“Hmm, this is delicious.” Foam and I turned to see Phoon, who suddenly made a blissful sound, digging into a chocolate cake with relish, then passing some towards me.

“Try it, it’s really soft.” Encouraged by my friend’s praise, I decided to taste it. Even though I was still worried it might not be ours. Hmm, it’s delicious. Not only is it the chocolate cake I like, but it also tastes amazing. I might become a fan of this shop’s chocolate cake.

“Your food is ready.” A female staff member brought the food up to our table.

Both of them frowned at me when they saw the food. What’s with that look?

My gosh! It’s my favorite, grilled pork steak, and a lot of it. Plus, there’s an overflow of french fries.

“Did you order this? You’re crazy, this is super expensive.”

“Huh, it wasn’t me. Wasn’t it you guys?” I asked back, confused, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the pork in front of me.

“You ordered it, right, Phoon?”

“Hey, not me, I can’t afford it, this bill would make me poorer by almost five hundred baht.” Typhoon said, lowering his voice at the end of the sentence.    “Then is it the wrong table? We didn’t order this, including the cocoa and the cake.” I turned to tell the waiter. He probably thought, “Oh, you say you didn’t order, but you’ve almost finished eating it.” The waiter quickly checked the food orders on his tablet.

“Table fifteen upstairs should be served three items: cocoa with extra whipped cream, soft-topped chocolate cake, and a grilled pork steak set with extra fries. That’s correct, right?”

“It’s correct, but we didn’t order it.” I said.

“But the order has been checked and paid for already. Enjoy your meal.” The waiter smiled and walked away.

“What’s going on? I’m confused.” Foam turned to us with a puzzled look, and the three of us couldn’t figure out why or how this happened. In the end, we decided to eat it since the food was already paid for.

“Maybe there was a mistake, like they wrote down the wrong table, and the person who ordered it left, so it worked out like this.” Typhoon suggested. It sounded plausible, especially since it was all paid for. Otherwise, we’d have to wash dishes until our hands rotted.

Hehe.

   Sorry to whoever ordered it, but I’m really lucky today, got to eat all my favorite things for free.

   

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