EASTTAGYOUREMINE, Chapter  19: Your Photographer

   “…”

“Your face is red.”

I thought I had looked away from the person standing there in time, but I was too late, he caught me. Because Phii Hill spoke up after seeing me tense on the sofa, pretending to take a sip of water and set it down on the table, I knew my face must be red, it was red from the moment I was at the door. The sight just now…

Huuuh, it’s too much, really too much.

It made me think of some old photos of Phii Hill I’ve scrolled through on the page. There was one from some sports event where Phii Hill jumped to dunk a basketball, and his sports shirt lifted, revealing his abs. That photo probably got the most shares on the page. I couldn’t imagine how loud the screams were. And it wasn’t even for the team scoring, it was for Phii Hill’s six-pack. After that, fans started demanding that Doctor Hill show off his six-pack regularly, but Phii Hill never complied with these fan requests.

That was just a glimpse.

Imagine seeing it up close like I did.

Anyone would die, right?

I’m one of those people now, not quite sure if I’m still alive.

Wait…

What are you doing?

I scooted to the edge of the sofa when Phii Hill sat down and slowly moved closer to me.

“You’re too close.” I said, lifting my hands to cover my face, ohhh, should humans have a self-destruct button? I can’t take it, huuuh, the faint scent of shampoo wafted to my nose, it’s too close.

“You were staring, I thought you wanted a closer look.” His deep, playful voice teased. Close, very close, maybe not as close as in those TV drama scenes where they’re about to kiss, but it was very close for me.

They said studying medicine would wear you down. Not true at all, this guy is proof that you can be a doctor and still look amazing. The workload is heavy, he stays up late studying, and doesn’t have time to rest. I wonder where Dr. Hill got this level of devastating handsomeness from.

I scooted back until I was almost falling off the sofa. Phii Hill then stopped teasing and backed off. Oh no, is my heart still in one piece? Seeing me embarrassed made him smile even wider, as if he was delighted by teasing me.    Phii Hill, what else do you want? You’re handsome, rich, smart, fit; oh, all the good qualities in the world have gathered here. And I wanted to ask why he wasn’t wearing a shirt, but it seems he’s waiting for his hair to dry before putting one on.

Phii Hill with his damp hair…

Another heart-stopping moment.

“Should I dry your hair for you?” I offered. Although his hair isn’t very long, in this cold weather, it’s better to dry it quickly. Otherwise, he might catch a cold. Hearing this, Phii Hill turned to look at me with surprise, like he heard something unexpected.

I just want to take care of him in return…sigh.

“Where’s the hairdryer?”

“It’s in the drawer under the vanity table.”

I stood up without waiting for him to get it, plugged in the hairdryer, and turned it on. In fact, I think I’m quite skilled at drying hair, ever since I started living with North. Because this good roommate of mine likes to wash his hair and then go to sleep, can people really sleep with wet hair? My hair isn’t long, so I find it bothersome. So, I end up drying his hair almost every day. Not for any particular reason, just to avoid mold growing on the pillow.

Phii Hill sat still and let me dry his hair with ease. His hair is so soft. The jetblack color indicated he’s never dyed it, of course, Phii Hill isn’t one to fuss over hair color.

And he smells good too, what shampoo does he use?

Ah, done. See, it didn’t take long. I don’t know why North is so lazy about it. I put the hairdryer back in its place.

“Put on a shirt.” I said. It might be his room, but with a guest around, he should put one on, right? It helps to keep the guest’s heart in check. Phii Hill chuckled once after I spoke, but he compliantly went to put on a shirt in the inner room.    It’s not like I’ve never seen Phii Hill without a shirt. I saw him during the school sports day. Back then, we didn’t know each other. Phii Hill was playing several sports, but he seemed to stick mostly to football. His shirt got muddy when he fell because someone tripped him, which drew shouts and jeers from everyone, but then the cheers turned into screams again when the coach told him to change his shirt.

Back then, I didn’t like Phii Hill. I’ll admit he was handsome, very handsome, but I was indifferent. I heard stories from my female friends in the chat group almost every day about how smart, rich, and full of virtues he was, but I didn’t care because someone at that level wouldn’t look at someone like me anyway. Plus, I wasn’t that interested in romance at the time. Though I must admit, that moment when he changed his shirt on the basketball court did make my heart flutter a bit.

As for when I really started to like Phii Hill…

Well, that’s a story for later…

He came out wearing the same gray t-shirt and long pants, his hair slightly messy since he hadn’t styled it, which gave him a naturally handsome look.

And don’t you dare run your hand through your hair like that!!

Ohhh, why does just running his hand through his hair hit my heart this hard!

Phii Hill sat back down on the sofa next to me.

“Oh, there are snacks in the cupboard. Shall I get them for you?” he said as if he just remembered something.

“Nah, it’s okay, I’ll get them myself.” The fridge is right here. No need to bother someone else to get them. I pushed myself up from the sofa to head towards the fridge in the kitchen.

I stood up,

And then I was pulled back…almost falling,    But someone’s arms were already there to catch me.

Was this a trap to make me stand up?

So I ended up sitting on Phii Hill’s lap. When I tried to get up, it was too late because his arms were tightly around me. Before I knew it, Phii Hill shifted, stretching his legs along the length of the sofa, making my back lean against his chest.

“What are you doing!” I protested.

“I want to hug.”

“Couldn’t you have said something first?”

“If I had, would you have let me hug you?”

“No!”

“That’s why I didn’t say anything.” Phii Hill whispered, then leaned down to press his nose lightly against my neck, making me tense up, and he started to nuzzle my neck again like before.

“I missed you so much.” Phii Hill said in a whisper-like tone, but because he was so close, it wasn’t hard to hear.

“I…I see.” I said, asking him to stop messing with my neck. It’s not a joke. It’s really not a joke, sigh, T^T.

“I don’t need a stethoscope to hear your heartbeat, it’s so loud.” He teased, then chuckled a little in an endearing way, “You won’t have a heart attack, will you?”    “And whose fault would it be if I did?!” I couldn’t help but retort. He’s the one causing this and still has the nerve to tease, huh, sigh, spare me.

“Are you blushing? That’s cute.”

“…” I didn’t reply because I thought arguing would just make things worse for me. I had to breathe slowly, or else my blood pressure might spike. Stay calm, Ter.    “I won’t do anything, okay? Your heart is beating so strongly, I’m worried about you.”

“What can I do about it?”

“It’s okay.” His deep, soft voice reassured as he gently patted my head in comfort, and it actually worked. I don’t know why, but it made me relax, “I promise I won’t do anything inappropriate.”    “Then let me go.”

“Just another ten minutes.” He said, then rested his head on my shoulder and loosened his embrace a bit for me to be more comfortable, “This is nice, I wanted to see you, and now I have.”

Yeah, it’s really nice, as I said, I could wait until tomorrow to see him, but I really didn’t want to wait that long. If possible, I wanted to see him right now, I really need to thank Phii Johan.

“So, how have you been?” I asked a question I should have asked from the start.

“I missed you, Ter.” He said, lowering his head which made his voice softer, oh, not answering my question at all.    “No, I mean, how have you been?”

“Well…not that great, but there are some good things too.”

“Good things?” I furrowed my brows in curiosity, wondering what good could have happened while he was taken by Grandpa.

“Yes, very good.”

“What are they?”

“Grandma came back.”

“Back?” I echoed his words in confusion.

“This morning, the doctor said Grandma’s arm started to show signs of movement after nearly a year of being in a coma. Although he’s not fully conscious yet, it seems like he’s close.”

“So everything is okay now…all of it.”

I was slightly stunned by Phii Hill’s words. Phii Johan had mentioned that Grandma was hit by a car, not dead but in a coma. And now she’s starting to regain consciousness.

“That’s great, really great, congratulations.” I said happily, it was wonderful news that someone we were waiting for was finally coming back.

“Jo told you about Grandma being hit by a car, right?”

“…Huh?”

“Since you didn’t ask anything, I assumed you already knew.”

“Ah, uh.” Oops, Phii Johan told me not to let Phii Hill know it was he who told me, but it doesn’t seem like Phii Hill is angry about it. I’m not sure, though. I can’t see his face since I’m being hugged like this.

“The whole story is like this: After the day I promised I would contact you, I wasn’t lying, I didn’t plan to be irresponsible. No one knew about Grandma until Grandpa came to find me at our house in Rayong. When Grandpa found out about us, he got even angrier, and I was dragged here. Every day was filled with longing, guilt, and sadness.”

“…”

“Every day, for a full month, I was confined to my room studying. Grandpa’s goal was for me to be first in medical school, it’s not easy, you know.” “Harsh…” I accidentally said what I was thinking, “You didn’t go out at all?”

“No.”

“So you couldn’t contact me, right?”

“Yes, I’m sorry.” His voice filled with guilt made me even more worried, it wasn’t his fault at all.

“No, no. It’s okay, I thought I was really abandoned back then.” I said.

“After I passed the exams, I moved out, but why did you change your number?”

“Oh…well, I had a fight at home. Plus, there was lots of bad news on my feed, so I decided to change my number and took a long break from social media. I didn’t think you’d contact me after another month.”

“Was the fight bad?” Phii Hill asked, clearly concerned.

“It was tough, Dad was really angry, but I talked to Christy the other day, and she said Dad has calmed down.”

“That’s great.” Phii Hill said, tightening his embrace.

I didn’t expect it to turn out this way; between us, it felt like time was out of sync, filled with all sorts of chaos, but it all worked out in the end. Plus, Grandma has come back to her senses.

So, I hope Phii Hill’s family can be warm again. If there’s a chance, I should visit Grandma to thank her for the sweets she sent that day.

“Does that mean we understand each other now?” Phii Hill asked while still holding me.

“…”

“Then, I’ll keep courting you.”

“It’s been more than ten minutes…let go now.”

Ohhhhh, can we stop flirting for an hour, please!! What kind of doctor flirts at every moment we’re together!

And Phii Hill finally let go within the agreed ten minutes. I quickly got up to sit on the smaller sofa, my waist still feeling warm, my back too, but nothing was as hot as my face and ears now, sigh. Once the skin touched the cold air, I remembered how chilly it was today. When he was hugging me, it was so warm I forgot…

Ohhh, what are you thinking, Ter?

“You can walk around and explore if you want, I don’t mind.” Phii Hill suddenly said while he went to search for something in the fridge.

“Why do I need to explore?” I asked.

“Ter, you always like to explore new places, right? I saw you looking around the room earlier.”

He knows, huh. I’m the curious type. Well, if the room owner allows it, I’ll explore as I please. I opened the velvet curtains to a cloudy sky outside; it might rain…with the air this cold, will it rain even more? That might not be good; it could get too cold sometimes. But being this high up, the view of the sky is breathtaking, making me want to show Phoon how beautiful the sky looks from here, even if it’s just clouds.

   “The sky when it’s about to rain has its own charm.” That’s what Phoon once said.

   There’s no sky that isn’t beautiful for someone named Phoon.

   This room is luxurious, clean, and spacious, very livable. North, who loves cleanliness, would be thrilled. The bathroom is…lavish, with a bathtub too. I’m jealous, I’ve only bathed in a tub a few times in my life.

   I walked into the bedroom to peek inside. It’s simple, without much decoration, with a bed that looks soft and inviting, neatly folded blankets, and a tidy study desk, but it’s too bare for me. If it were me, I’d put lots of plushies or something around; this emptiness would keep me awake…out of fear.

   I turned to look at the drawer on top of the dresser…

   An ashtray?

   Does Phii Hill smoke?

   I don’t mind, really. I just didn’t think he smoked.

   “Do you smoke too?” I went outside to ask the person who was just standing there, Phii Hill turned at the sound of my voice.

“Oh…you can just throw that away.”

“Why?” I tilted my head, puzzled. Why would he want to throw it away?

“I forgot to get rid of it.”

“Oh…you’ve quit.”

“Since I knew someone would be staying here with me.”

“…”

“Who does that mean?” I tilted my head, asking curiously again. Who is that someone supposed to be? Me? No way. I’m staying here? I didn’t even realize it.

My question made Phii Hill let out a small chuckle.

“It’s nothing.”

“What do you mean nothing?” I made a pouty face and walked back into the bedroom, placing the ashtray back where it was. I’ll throw it away later. Not sure if others feel the same, but seeing thick books lined up like that makes me uncomfortable, it’s an indescribable feeling. So I left the bookshelf as it was, not touching it at all.

What’s more important is the desk that seemed almost magical. I really wanted to know the secret to being the top of the medical class, but there didn’t seem to be anything special. After satisfying my curiosity by looking around, I went back outside.

I saw Phii Hill sitting on the same sofa, looking at his phone and secretly smiling to himself.

“What are you doing?” I asked before sitting down on the smaller sofa. What’s with the grinning all by himself?

“I won’t tell.”

“Come on, tell me.”

“Move over here.” Phii Hill said. Driven by curiosity, I had to scoot over and sit next to him. Then Phii Hill held up his phone screen for me to see.

“…”

This is my message, isn’t it!

Even though we aren’t friends on Facebook, we can still send messages, right? During those two days when Phii Hill was gone, I tried to add him as a friend, but he didn’t accept. So, I sent messages instead.

And out of concern, mixed with a little bit of feeling slighted, I ended up…

Easter Panupong: Hey, accept my friend request.

   Easter Panupong: Why can’t I reach you by phone?

   Easter Panupong: Are you okay? I can’t get through to Phii Jo either.

   Easter Panupong: At least you should let someone know something.

   Easter Panupong: Do you know that Phii Jo, Phii Arthit, they’re worried?

   Easter Panupong: Me too.

   Easter Panupong: It’s okay to be worried.

   Easter Panupong: I’m going to get mad if you don’t reply within two hours.    Easter Panupong: Joking, I’m mad now, don’t even think about making up with me.

   Easter Panupong: Here, I’ve called so much my fingers are cramping.

   Easter Panupong: Are you not there? When are you coming back?

   Easter Panupong: Are you still alive?

   Easter Panupong: Phii Jo said he went to your condo and couldn’t find you, did you sneak off on a trip?

   Easter Panupong: If you did sneak off, I won’t forgive you.

   Easter Panupong: When you get back, I’ll make you spill everything, just watch.

   Easter Panupong: And I’ll force you to buy me sweets.

   Easter Panupong: What did Grandpa say?

   Easter Panupong: Next time, take me to meet Grandpa, okay?

   And many more messages that I’m too embarrassed to read further, ohhhh. At that time, I was just worried, you know, T^T, so I went a bit crazy with my messages. Sigh, looking back at them now, I feel so embarrassed for some reason.

Aha! No wonder he was grinning so much.

“Oh, don’t read that!” I said, trying to snatch the phone, but I was too late. If I had gotten it, I would’ve deleted all the messages, huh.

“I’ve accepted the friend request.” Phii Hill said, chuckling in an endearing way, was he doing this on purpose to tease me?!

“What are you accepting now, I’ll unfriend you right away, just watch.” I said, making a grumpy face.

“You were the one who told me to accept it at first.” He said in that annoyingly sweet voice!

“That was then, this is now.”

“Why’s that, hmm?” Phii Hill asked before pulling me into another hug, whispering softly, “At first, you were worried, and now you’re not worried anymore?”

!

Heyyy!!

This is what’s really annoying, and why am I being hugged again!

Didn’t you say you needed ten minutes just a moment ago!

“You said ten minutes, you’re cheating!” I protested while trying to pry his arms off, but as usual, it didn’t work.

“I just felt like hugging, seeing how you missed me.”

“Wh…what miss! Don’t make things up!” I said, feeling the heat rise to my face and ears. What’s with all this teasing?

“You sent so many messages, and what about squeezing out stories for me to tell?”

“I…I don’t know! What else is there to tell?”

“Still haven’t squeezed it out of you yet. I won’t tell.”

“…” I went quiet, not responding. What does he want me to squeeze out? Back then, I just typed without thinking much, huh, now Phii Hill seems to be getting too bold.

“Hmm, what do you say?” he asked, tightening his embrace and whispering even closer to my ear, making my heart beat even faster! T^T, this is definitely molestation.

“I have nothing to say, just let go.”

“And if I say I am going to treat you to snacks then?” his deep, soft voice spoke again. Even though my heart was already in disarray. No mercy at all!

Sighhhhhh. I didn’t mean to force anything, Y^Y.

“Huh. If you don’t let go, I’ll make you spend all your money buying me things!” My words made the person behind me chuckle a bit.

“Then I could support your spending habits for another ten years.” Phii Hill said.    “Are you planning to be with me for only another ten years?”    Arghhhhh!!

Does the medical faculty teach flirting too? How can he be so good at it?!    I didn’t know what to argue back with because whatever I said, he’d flirt back until my heart nearly stopped!! So I could only sit there quietly, looking down, while Phii Hill still wouldn’t let go of his embrace. I don’t know why he likes to hug me so much.

Rrrrrrrr

My phone rang, and when the other person realized there was an incoming call, he finally loosened his hug a little so I could pick up my phone.

It was North calling…

I answered.

“What’s up, North?”

(Ter. Where are you?)

   “Uh…” I was embarrassed to say I was with him somehow, “Why?”

(Are you coming back to the dorm today?)

   “Yeah, I’ll be back.”

(Oh, good, I was worried you wouldn’t come back, I can’t stay alone, you know.)

   “I told you not to watch horror movies, why watch if you’re gonna be scared?”    (But it’s fun, come back soon, I’m freaked out, Fah’s even creepier in the dark.)

   “Okay, okay.”

And then I hung up.

“Was that your roommate?” Phii Hill asked immediately after I ended the call.

“Uh, yeah.”

“How is it living together, is it okay?”

“Yeah, it’s manageable.”

“And how about the room condition?” He must be asking about the living conditions, right? Honestly, it’s not bad, but I feel it’s bad when I come to his room. His room is so spacious and airy, but mine is cramped and doesn’t get much air flow because it’s in the middle of the building.

“It’s not bad, I can live in it, it’s comfortable.” I said, thinking that it’s only been less than a month, so my stuff isn’t that much, but after half a year, both my books and North’s things would probably overflow the room. We’ll see about that later.

“After a while, the room might get full, you know.” Phii Hill said, “Interested in moving in together?”

“Huh, what? Move in?” I raised my eyebrows in confusion, “With you?”    “Yes.”

“Are you crazy? No way.” I quickly refused. That’s insane, how could I do that?

“Why not?”

Would it be strange to say I’m too scared to live with him?

   “I don’t have money to pay for the room.” I came up with another excuse, which was true, there were dozens of reasons I couldn’t move in, but the main one was I’m too scared to live there.

“It’s okay, I’ve already bought it.”

“Live for free?”

“Yes.”

“No way, that’s too much.” Even though living for free would be great for a broke student like me, it’s just not right, I feel bad about it.

“It’s not a big deal.”

“Everyone wants to take care of the one they love the best, right?”    One heart attack down…

   Ohhhhh, huuuuuu, he really knows how to hit every mark, poor Ter is going to die!!

   “No…no way, how can I leave North behind, he can’t live alone.” I said, finding a reason to tell him. I could sense that even with my refusal, if my reasons weren’t strong enough, my belongings would definitely disappear from my room by tomorrow.

And he’s going to move here.

Why are you so dictatorial?! T^T

“Is it Nong North?” Phii Hill repeated the question, “I’ll take care of it myself.” He said in his usual nonchalant tone.

“Take care of what? Wait, what are you going to do to North? Hey, if you really make him angry…” I quickly said, worried that Phii Hill’s “take care of” might mean something drastic like kidnapping or worse, oh no, don’t do anything to North, T^T.

“I won’t do anything bad, do I seem that cruel?”    Well, yeah!

“Soon, Nong North will probably have to move somewhere else anyway.”

“How do you know that?”

“Hmm?” Phii Hill fell silent as if he was thinking for a moment, “Just a guess.”    A guess? Like, just assuming? You can assume that North has to move? I was still puzzled by his words, but once I realized, I hurried to tell him to let me go already; it had been too long. And Phii Hill finally complied, probably because he saw I was getting tired. So, I scooted away a bit and took another bite of the desert. When you’re feeling down, sweets are the best, right?

   But out of the corner of my eye, I felt like I was being secretly photographed.    “Don’t take photos!” I immediately covered my face with my hands, what are you playing at!! Why take a picture when I’m eating, why do people always want to capture my embarrassing moments? It’s been like this since Foam and Phoon!

“It’s cute.” Phii Hill showed me a photo of me with my cheeks puffed out while chewing, ugh, where’s the cuteness in that, it’s unbearable to look at, and he still dares to laugh about it!

“Delete it.” I snatched his phone, which Phii Hill let me do without resistance, and quickly deleted the photo.

He still has that calm face, just wait, I’ll get my revenge.

I grabbed a cookie and stuffed it in the mouth of the person sitting next to me, then took a photo back. Phii Hill didn’t protest.

Instead of getting a candid shot…

I ended up with a picture that looks incredibly good!!

The picture of Phii Hill was very clear, focusing only on his handsome face holding a cookie, as if inviting someone to eat snacks together. I was both annoyed and jealous that I didn’t take a photo like that. So I handed the phone back to him resignedly.

But I still get heart palpitations when I take his photo.

Sighhhhh, good thing my hands weren’t shaking too much earlier. Otherwise, I would’ve been caught for sure! T^T, I need to take a break for an hour this time.

Ever since he hugged me, I moved to sit on the smaller sofa.

“You took a great photo, can I post it?” Phii Hill asked. I nodded in response without much thought. It’s his photo, why wouldn’t he be able to post it, especially since I’m not even in the picture, come on, unlike last time when he didn’t ask when my photo got included.

Soon after Phii Hill posted the picture, I checked to see how people were reacting to the photo I took.

Hill Ratchakit has added a new photo – 5 minutes ago

   Not smiling at the camera, but smiling at the photographer:)    Ohhhhh!! I’m going to die from this caption, huuuuh, smiling at the photographer, what’s that supposed to mean!! I sneakily looked at the caption’s author who was now comfortably watching TV. He has no mercy on my heart at all, T^T

   And before long, the page shared this photo too, very prompt indeed.

Cute Boy & Girl – MU has shared Hill Ratchakit’s photo

   Wondering if the person who took this photo is still alive?

   To respond…I don’t even know if I’m alive myself anymore, …

   As I scrolled through the comments on the page:

: Ohhh, smiling at the photographer, come on, I’ve never seen him smile like this before.

   : Kill me now, the photo was taken at the condo too, don’t tell me they’re living together, SCREAMING!!!

   : How sweet can this get? Someone answer me why hasn’t the page interviewed him yet, I’ve donated thousands already!

   I’m going to faint, like a hundred times, I’ve been dead since the watch incident.

   : Doctor, enough already, my heart can’t take it, waiii //waving a white flag and smiling while playing a song of congratulations

   : I’ll donate another two thousand, can you interview the doctor tomorrow, I’m sooo curious!

   : But the more I see them close, the more I can’t handle it, huuu, he’s my doctor, waiii

   : Can I be a mistress, I’ll take even a piece of his heart //gets slapped    : But isn’t he said to be in a relationship? There’s a chance, super biased towards myself, LOL

   : Living in the same condo, so jealous, why are you so fortunate? Please share what kind of merit you did, #I surrender I want a doctor like Hill as my husband

   : Super jealous, I want to be the photographer too

   And many more comments that I’m getting too lazy to read through, there are both good and bad comments, the bad ones criticizing and judging. I’ve been quite concerned about Phii Hill’s fans, not to mention the fans of the seniors who also like him.

   But it seems Phii Hill himself doesn’t care about that at all.

   

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