EASTTAGYOUREMINE, Chapter 7: Through a Lens
“Ter, hey, Ter, come here quick!” I heard my good roommate’s voice from outside the bathroom. What’s so urgent, I’m in the middle of a relaxing shower! “What is it? I’m showering!” I shouted back, my voice echoing in the small bathroom, not sure if he could hear me from outside.
“You’ll regret it if you don’t come, I’m telling you, it’s hot news.”
“Alright, alright, I’m almost done.” I quickly dried off, put on some comfortable clothes ready for bed, then hurried out to North. “What’s the big deal? What’s going on?” I asked.
“Here, you said it wasn’t a date, huh? Look at this, holding hands.” He pointed at his computer screen.
Hill Ratchakit – added a new photo – 24 minutes ago
#OwnerOfMyWatch
It was a photo from when we held hands at the temple in the morning. I didn’t even know when he took the picture because I was looking away, trying not to pay attention to him. And there was my old watch in the shot too, from that angle, you could see both our shoes.
Hey, hey, hey!!! What’s this “Owner Of My Watch” business?! It’s obvious it’s a guy’s hand, so there’s no doubt it’s not one of the three girls everyone suspected. Even though they still don’t know who exactly it is, but this…goodness, isn’t this too much? We haven’t even cleared things up from last time!
Hmph. And holding hands too…
So, he really meant to flirt with me, right?
Are you serious, T^T
“Act cool, Ter. Now explain this picture, it’s worth ten points.”
“Well…he asked to hold my hand.”
“And you let him? Look here, then you say you were not okay with it. Oh, come on.”
“I really wasn’t okay with it, believe me.”
“How can I believe that? With all this evidence. If it was any clearer, he’d have to post a picture of you.”
“No way. Don’t post it, or how am I supposed to survive his fans?”
“See, that’s why he hasn’t posted yet, waiting for things to settle before going public.”
“Going public my ass. No way.”
“Sure. No way, we’ll see. You said the same last time.”
“Oh, come on, help me out here, what should I do?”
“Do what? You don’t have to do anything. Just sit tight, and Phii Hill will come to you soon enough, guaranteed.”
“Guaranteed at your place! Stop teasing.” I couldn’t help but snap at him. He’s just joking around, but this is serious, “What should I do about this?”
“Just stay cool. Why are you taking it so seriously?”
“He might just be pretending to make me let my guard down.”
“You’re so pessimistic. You’re biased.” North said. You don’t understand, it’s more complicated than that, “Open up a bit. It won’t hurt.”
“North, it’s not that simple. Opening up isn’t easy, especially for someone who’s been hurt before.”
“You’ve been hurt before? Why? Can you tell me?”
I didn’t answer, staying silent for a moment before deciding to use his computer to scroll through the comments. Of course, everyone was shocked that the person Phii Hill was talking about was a guy. Some didn’t believe it, saying Phii Hill just wanted to stop people from flirting with him. Others were upset because it wasn’t who they were rooting for.
I stopped reading the comments because they turned into meaningless arguments among the fans, especially the three girls. The admin of the Cute Boy page had also shared and played up the issue.
Could this be considered a good thing, that he didn’t post a photo of my face? At least I’m still the dark horse. That’s good, I guess. I don’t know what will happen next, to be honest, I’m secretly not confident. I’m not sure…if what I’m afraid of really happens…
I probably wouldn’t be able to handle it…this time it would be worse than before.
It’s not wrong, is it…if I want to build a wall to protect my heart…
Sigh, things have escalated to this point, I can’t keep it to myself anymore. Maybe I can tell North about it now. At least there’ll be someone to vent to and give advice. I turned to look at North, and he looked back at me.
“I used to like him back in middle school.” I finally decided to tell him.
“There you go. You never told me.”
“Sorry, I didn’t really want to talk about it. Honestly, I didn’t even want to think about it.”
“Alright, I understand. So you’re okay to talk about it now, right?”
“I’m okay, things have gotten to this point, I’m confused. Don’t know what to do next.” North nodded in understanding and looked ready to listen. I took a quiet breath before starting, “But he…liked my sister.”
“Oh, that’s fate.”
“And as for me, who liked him, I was stuck with hope and an impossible love for almost two years. It was torturous, but I found happiness in it.” I held my breath, trying not to let my voice shake, because every time I talk about this, it hurts, “When my sister confessed she liked him, what could I do? I had to help her.”
“You were the bridge between him and your sister then.”
“Yeah, and why didn’t those two just date? I could’ve moved on, it was incredibly painful, until he graduated and left school. It took me a year to get over it, then he comes back to ask me out, here we are. At first, I didn’t even know he studied here.”
“You’d naturally have some bias then. Did he ever talk about middle school with your sister?”
“He never mentioned it, like nothing ever happened.”
“Hmm, that’s strange, did he show any signs back in middle school? Like, maybe he had feelings for you too?”
“I think not, he’s usually kind to everyone, including my sister.”
“At first, I thought he was serious about you. But now, knowing this, I’m starting to doubt, could he be faking it?” “I’m also at a loss for what to do.”
“And you’ve already moved on, right?”
“Hmm, I think so too.”
“Then just reject him.”
“I already rejected him. But he’s so shameless, he said he wasn’t asking me out, just letting me know.”
“Then there’s nothing you can do but accept it. He probably won’t come back if you think rationally. Who wants to be hurt repeatedly…But since you can’t do much about it, you just have to let him keep flirting with you.”
“Shit. That won’t do, I’m the one in trouble here.”
“So what are you going to do? If he won’t listen to your rejection, maybe he’s serious about you. These things take time to prove.”
“Prove what? No, I don’t want that. Is there really no other choice for me?” I started to argue against what North was suggesting. I can’t just let it go like this.
“If you’re sure you don’t feel anything, then what’s the harm?” That’s the thing,
North, I’m not sure, that’s why I came to you for advice! “Just endure it for a while. If he’s just teasing you, he’ll eventually stop. But if he’s really serious, you’ll find out soon enough. Then you might consider opening up.”
“Is that so?” I asked uncertainty, but North’s reasoning made sense. There really didn’t seem to be any other option.
“Let it be like that. Let him do whatever he wants. Don’t care about it, or he’ll get more encouraged. Just stay cool.”
“Alright, alright.” I responded. I’m trying not to care, but as you can see, it’s really hard!
Sigh…I sighed again. After venting to someone, I felt a little less burdened. At least now I have someone to consult with. I picked up my phone to play a game to take a break from thinking about this.
Ding!
A notification from chat.
Peerapat Preem: Nong Ter, this is Phii Preem from the club.
Easter Panupong: Yes, Phii Preem?
Why is Phii Preem messaging me? Is he going to ask me to have dinner with the club president again? No way!
Peerapat Preem: I’d like to ask for a small favor, your photos on your FB are really nice, I was wondering if you could help us take some pictures of the club activities.
Easter Panupong: Okay, but I’m not good at photographing people.
Peerapat Preem: That’s fine. Just need to send the photos to the teacher.
Easter Panupong: Someone else might do a better job, I think. Peerapat Preem: We don’t really want outsiders taking photos, we’re worried about them posting the photos elsewhere too.
Easter Panupong: Oh, alright then.
Peerapat Preem: Thank you, please bring your camera tomorrow.
Easter Panupong: Okay. 🙂
Peerapat Preem: Oh, and could you also take some pictures of the rehearsal for the second-year stars and moons’ fashion show?
!!!!!
I really don’t want to go…Sigh. I could only think while wiping my camera lens, taking photos for club activities is one thing, but photographing the stars and moons, especially with Phii Hill as one of the moons and Phii Thanmild as one of the stars, that’s not okay at all.
And the watch, I can’t wear it anymore, what a stroke of bad luck. I’ve worn that watch for years, and even after taking it off, there’s still a faint mark on my wrist. If I want to get used to it, I’ll have to buy a new one, which is quite a hassle since this watch feels like a part of my body.
North was turning around annoyingly on the bed, not waking up even though it was past nine. He might be irritating, but his life isn’t easy either, especially since he’s about to start a part-time job, and I was thinking of joining him for that. After cleaning the lens and checking my gear, I slung my camera over my shoulder, ready to take photos. Lately, it feels like I’ve been taking a lot of pictures.
Today, I’ve been assigned as the photographer again.
Come on, keep it up, Ter, this too shall pass!
When I arrived at the club, it seemed I was a bit late; everyone had already started working. I looked around for the team leader since I didn’t know where to start taking photos.
“Nong Ter, how are you, are you better now?” I turned around to see Phii Bua waving at me and approaching. I smiled in response.
Easter Panupong: Yes, I’m sorry for worrying you.
“It’s okay, as long as you’re better now. You were gone for a few days, and I was really worried, so I had Hill take you to the doctor. So, about yesterday when you went out together.” Phii Bua leaned in closer, whispering, “Did you see the photo
Hill posted? Do you know who it might be?”
“…Uh, no. I left early.” I had to lie in this situation. If I said we went sightseeing together, that would clarify things.
“Oh, so you mean he went to take you to the doctor, and then he went out with someone else, right?” Phii Bua pondered with a thoughtful expression, “But skipping work to go out, that’s really infuriating. He has no responsibility towards his work, while everyone else is working so hard.”
“…That’s right.” Phii Bua’s words felt like a knife stabbing straight into the heart of this Ter, oof, it hit me hard.
“What are you two gossiping about now?” Phii Pim’s voice came from behind.
Both I and Phii Bua turned to greet her.
“Uh, I was just here, about to ask about the photo shoot.”
“Oh, so you’re going to have Nong Ter take the photos?” Phii Bua asked.
“Yeah, my camera isn’t that great anymore, and I saw that Nong Ter’s photos on
FB were good, so I thought I’d ask him for a favor.”
“That’s great, can you help out? We’re all pretty busy, so we can’t go take photos at the star and moon walk rehearsal.”
“Do I have to take photos there too?” I asked to make sure.
“Yes, take photos of all the couples from every department. Oh, and there was another thing suggested yesterday, to also do video interviews where they talk about the star and moon competition.” “What!? I have to do interviews too?”
This is getting worse. What’s this all about? Taking photos was already a mouthful!
“Just a little, there’ll be another senior to do the informal interviews, just small promotional stuff. Nong Ter, you just need to be the cameraman.”
“Uh…okay.” I reluctantly agreed, gritting my teeth. Looks like I’m stuck now, sigh, what kind of fate is this for Ter, T^T
“But the interviews are on another day, right?” Phii Bua turned to askPhii Pim. “Another day, yes. Today we’ll just take photos of the rehearsal. I’ll have Mei Li help out.” Phii Pim turned to smile at me, “Meili is a friend of mine, she oversees the star and moon competition, so I asked her to assist you with the photography.”
“Oh, that’s good then.” Sigh…just having a camera can be this troublesome, huh? “I’ll go get Meili, Ter, wait here for a moment.” Phii Pim said before she walked away.
“Then I’ll keep Nong Ter company while we wait.” Phii Bua said, “It’s a bit tiring, having to take all these photos. Actually, we do have someone who takes photos, but last year, he posted them elsewhere, ruining our surprise.”
“Why did he post them?”
“I don’t know, it’s a picture of Hill too, taken during the moon contest and club activities. That person must really like him, so they posted it on the Cute Boy page. Too bad we have to take it again; if we use the same person there is a guarantee they will post it, but it would be a spoiler.”
“Oh, so this time when I take the photos, I have to send them to the club, right?” “Send them to Pim, she’ll select and edit the photos herself. And Nong Ter, you will get paid for your skills, it’s not free, right?” “Not that much, really. I don’t have any great skills.”
“Come on, I believe Nong Ter can do it. Keep up the good work.”
“…Okay, I’ll do my best.” Sigh, I wonder if I can handle it…After chatting for a while, the team leader and another woman approached. It must be Sister Meili, but she looks more like a tomboy than a lady.
“Hey, what did you say, Bew? Is this the junior you mentioned? Oh, he’s cute, just like I’d want to pinch.” Sister Meili smiled with a mischievous grin before reaching over to gently pinch my cheek. Ugh, I’m not a kid to be pinched.
“How many times have I told you it’s not Bew, it’s Bua!”
“Okay, okay, whatever. Anyway, what’s your name, junior?”
“It’s Easter, but just call me Ter.”
“Okay, Nong Ter, today we’re going to take pictures of the rehearsal walk, right?
We’ll do it in the morning; it’s too hot in the afternoon to walk. We’ll handle the club’s work in the afternoon. We’ll start walking at half past ten, we still have plenty of time.”
“That’s good, Meili, take good care of him, if anything happens to my junior, I’ll blame you.” Phii Bua said in jest.
“I will take very good care of him, not even letting an ant crawl on him, but a crab might walk on his shoulder.” Phii Meili mimicked a crab walking on my shoulder. I smiled to cover my embarrassment. I didn’t feel bad; in fact, I found it funny because the seniors were quite lovable.
“Hey, what were you gossiping about with Nong Ter?” Phii Pim asked.
“Oh, you can’t miss out on any gossip, can you? So manly.” Phii Bua teased, “It’s about Hill’s latest photo, have you seen it, Meili? I tell you, it’s the best.” “I’ve seen it. It’s no ordinary photo. And the person with him is a guy too.” Gasp, why did the topic shift to this? Can I excuse myself from here?
“Really? I didn’t even notice, thought it was one of the girls chasing after him.” Phii Pim said.
“You should get your eyes checked; it’s clearly a man’s hand. Girls must be devastated. He’s handsome and a moon of the faculty, but in the end, the one he likes is a guy.” Phii Meili said with relish, not knowing that she was talking about me. Uh…why am I starting to feel embarrassed?
“And have you found out anything more?”
“Our star and moon group was gossiping, Hill got pressed for information repeatedly, but he didn’t open his mouth at all, just saying he hasn’t won him over yet. Who would believe that? Holding hands like that and not melting a bit, if it were me, I’d be swooning just from the way Dr. Hill looks.”
Actually, I almost melted just from the way he looked at me too…
“If it were me, I’d be dead from that wallet scene. Not choosing Dr. Hill is stupid, I’m telling you. We keep staring, those star and moon group girls are so annoying, staring back too.”
Oh…does that mean I’m the stupid one now? Sigh, don’t scold me. I have my reasons.
“But really, we don’t know who it is, can’t even guess. If we knew who it was, I’d go ask for some of that good karma, maybe I’d get a handsome boyfriend too.” I’m not someone with good karma, Meili, you can believe that.
“Hill is really hard to read, huh? Known him for years, and he’s never looked at anyone like that.” Phii Pim sighed.
“Exactly. We don’t know if that person was wearing the watch or not. If they were, someone should have noticed, maybe there’d be some clues.”
“Uh…it’s almost ten o’clock, should we go?” I interjected into the conversation. If they kept gossiping like this, it was going to be a long day. If they investigate this much…one day someone might come at me with a knife to get answers, thankfully I didn’t wear the watch.
“Oh, right, sorry for getting carried away, let’s go, Nong Ter.” Mei Li linked arms with me and gently pushed me forward.
“Then we’ll continue with our work. Good luck, Mei Li.”
“Alright, alright.” Mei Li waved back at them before leading me to the rehearsal area for the star and moon walk.
“Come on.” Mei Li beckoned me into the room. I took off my shoes and followed her in. This must be the dressing room because there were lots of costumes, and several people were getting their makeup done. It looked a bit chaotic. I walked in slowly, scanning around to see where he was.
Not here.
“Even though it’s just a rehearsal, you still need to put on makeup for the photos, right? Come over here, let’s get some behind-the-scenes shots.” “Should I take photos now? They aren’t done with their makeup yet.”
“Yes, take photos. It’s for behind-the-scenes, come on, take a picture of this one, this is Fah, the star from the Agriculture Faculty, Fah, smile for the camera.” Mei Li said, and the girl named Fah, who was getting her makeup done, turned to smile.
So I raised my camera to take the shot.
“Let’s see.” Mei Li leaned in to look at the photo I just took. I showed her, “Wow, this looks good, nice lighting, Fah looks great on camera, let’s take another one.” I took another photo as instructed by Mei Li, “Beautiful, you’re rocking it, even though you haven’t finished with the mascara.”
“Oh, Mei Li, who are the ones practicing the walk today?” Fah asked after posing for me.
“Napdao, but I haven’t seen the boss yet.”
“Napdao, huh? Oh no, today’s going to end at midnight for sure.” Fah said, looking gloomy and moaning.
“Not really. If you walk well, you can finish on time.”
“Someone like me, Napdao, isn’t easy to please. Last time, I walked so much my legs hurt and became Arthit.”
“Come on, I’ll help check too. Go shoot somewhere else, add some lip color, Fah, this one looks too pale, might not show up from a distance.”
“Sure.” and then Phii Meili took me to shoot other sections, including a satellite beauty contest. Normally, if you just walk normally, the stars and moon would just wear school uniforms, but satellites can’t do that, they have to be extravagant, right? I saw the girls choosing their outfits big time.
“Nong Ter, come shoot this beauty quickly.” Phii Meili called me, “Here’s
Fondao, the nurse star.”
I turned to look; Phii Fondao is one of those chasing after Phii Hill, right? She’s so pretty…She’s slightly taller than me, and even without makeup, she’s stunning. “Are you the one taking photos today?” Phii Fondao smiled at me. Oh, such a beautiful smile. I like it.
“Yes, may I trouble you for a bit?” I bowed slightly.
“Not at all. We’re the ones troubling you. Make sure to take pretty photos of me, but don’t make me look fat.” Phii Fondao said jokingly.
“Oh, if she’s fat, who in this world could be thin? She won’t look fat from any angle.” Phii Meili retorted, “Alright, let’s get to shooting. She’s going to post these on IG for promotion.”
“My IG isn’t an advertising space, you know. If you want a promotion, there should be an ad fee.”
“You’re crazy, promoting her would promote you too. Come on, pose for the camera.” I raised my camera to shoot Phii Fondao. She slightly tilted her body and posed with a small, charming smile. This girl really knows how to pose. Have I complimented her too much?
“Wow, these photos came out nice too, can you send them to me right away? I’ll post them on IG now.”
“Sure.” I managed to send the photo via Wi-Fi to my smartphone. Shooting people is quite okay, I guess. Next time, I should find someone to shoot with. “Okay, posted, I’m off, need to do my makeup.” Phii Fondao smiled at me and Phii Meili, then headed to the makeup area.
“Now we just have to shoot the moon, right? Let’s go to the other room.”
“Are the moons in another room?”
“Exactly, how could girls dress up with men, but trans women don’t count, they’re considered half women.” Oh, I forgot about that. Indeed, the whole room was full of women, why didn’t I notice? So it’s not strange that Phii HIll’s not in this room.
I followed Phii Meili to another room. Oh no, I really don’t want to go in, can I take ten minutes to brace myself? But Phii Meili didn’t seem to care about my reluctance, she quickly slid open the glass door, and the cold air hit my face. “Hey, the handsome Meili is here, and she brought someone to take photos!” Phii Meili opened the door and shouted cheerfully, causing all the moon guys to turn and look our way in unison.
“Hi, the handsome guys! Miss Meili is here, bringing my little brother for some photos!” Miss PhiiMeili shouted cheerfully as she opened the door. Everyone in the room turned towards her without any prior notice from Miss Emmy.
I’ll scream and make a fuss!!!
I couldn’t help but scan the room for someone I knew, at least to know where they were so I could avoid them.
“Have you arrived?” came a deep, soft voice beside me out of the blue, Mr.
PhiiHill! He always catches me off guard. I nearly jumped out of my skin. “Dr. Hill, you’re so cruel, not even wearing makeup, oh my God, but just setting your hair makes you so dashing, it’s like you’re draggin my heart along!” Miss PhiiMeili said, shaking her arms and giving a big, shy smile. He’s really handsome, even without much effort on his hair. But with it styled, his aura just gets even more lethal. What is this? When I style my hair, I don’t look this good.
“Did you bring him for photos?” Phii Hill asked Phii Meili.
“Yes, yes, this is Nong Ter, he’s in the same club, you probably know each other.”
“We do know each other.” Mr. PhiiHill turned to me with a gentle smile. Ugh, I’m going to die, can I even take photos with my hands shaking like this?
“Great, let’s have him take photos of you, Hill first then.”
“The light is better over there,” Phii Hill pointed to the back before leading the way. I followed helplessly, with Phii Meili trailing behind.
“Wow, the light is really beautiful, we’ll definitely get some great shots!” Phii Meili was so excited she shook my arm to hurry up. I looked at him through the camera lens…It’s not good for my heart. If I have to keep photographing him, I’ll need a break every ten minutes, or my blood pressure will spike for sure.
Why does his smile have such an impact on my heart?
“So you’ve become my photographer, have you?” Phii Hill smiled so much his eyes crinkled. Is he looking at the camera like that or at me…
Oh my God. I can’t do this, I need a tripod, my hands are shaking too much!!
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