EASTTAGYOUREMINE, Chapter 22: The First Time I Saw You
“Can you tell me how Ter came to like me?” Phii Hill lifted his hand to prop up his chin, staring at me intently as if wanting to extract the answer. North, sitting next to me, was laughing with great satisfaction. Just wait until it’s my turn, North, remember that.
“I’m not telling.” I said while scooping rice into my mouth to hide my embarrassment, “You haven’t told me yet.” “Told you what?”
“The story about those five years.” I replied.
“Do you want to know now?”
“…” I stayed silent for a moment, recalling how the last time Phii Hill was about to tell me, I had said I wasn’t ready to know. But now things have changed for the better. I was now curious about how Phii Hill could have liked me for five years.
“Uh.” I nodded to indicate my answer.
“Sure, I’ll tell you then.” Phii Hill said, “but after Ter agrees to be my boyfriend.
Is that okay?”
“Cheater.” I muttered, frowning slightly. Is Phii Hill planning to ask me to be his boyfriend every day or what? T^T
“North, do you know why Ter won’t agree to be my boyfriend?” Phii Hill turned to ask North. The one being asked quickly swallowed his food to answer, why is he so eager to expose me?
“At first, he said he wasn’t sure about you, but after some time, I’ve seen that you’re pretty straightforward. I don’t know why he’s still playing hard to get.” North said before looking at me intently, “Stop playing hard to get already.” “You’re speaking as if you’re the expert.” I retorted, feeling genuinely annoyed at him. It’s not that I want to play hard to get, I just think we should take some time to get to know each other better. Even North himself once told me to take my time. Then, during our meal, we had some conversation. Most of it was North enthusiastically telling stories about me. I wanted to scold him so badly, but out of respect for Phii Hill, I held back. He was spilling everything right from the start, and it seemed like Phii Hill enjoyed hearing about all the stories I had shared with North, especially pleased to learn how much I’ve been thinking about these matters.
Just look at him…grinning so broadly it’s almost annoying.
After we finished eating, Phii Hill drove us back to the dorm.
“Thank you so much for the meal.” North said, giving a respectful wai, which Phii Hill acknowledged with a smile.
Wow, why do they seem to get along so well like a pair of flutes?
“Thank you.” I also expressed my gratitude.
“Alright, see you later.” Phii Hill replied with a kind smile, and then the luxury car pulled away.
“Who said Phii Hill was cold? He’s quite warm and friendly.” North remarked as we were heading back to our room.
“Ugh, you told him everything about me. You’re such a traitor. Just wait till it’s my turn to spill your secrets.” I said with a mix of irritation and a glare, which made North chuckle at my expression.
“Ha ha, don’t be mad.” North said while unlocking the door, “There’s no reason to hide anything from Dr. Hill.”
“From a ghost, you mean. Don’t you think I might be embarrassed?”
“Why be embarrassed? You’re the one playing hard to get here. He’s been clear about his feelings. Maybe it’s time for you to be clear about yours too.” North said. “You said yourself that we should take our time to observe.”
“Yeah, that’s right. But at first, I thought maybe he wasn’t really serious about you. But from what I’ve seen, he’s very serious about you. If you really love him too, there’s no reason to wait anymore.”
“Why wait any longer? You and Dr. Hill have waited long enough. Time has proven that Phii Hill isn’t going to change, no matter what happens…That was quite the sharp comment from me, huh? Maybe it’s because today I had good food, ha ha ha.” North said, laughing with pride at his own words. I made a face at him but when I thought about what he said, he was right, I couldn’t argue with that.
“You’re really good at giving advice, huh?” I said.
“I’m only good at advising others.” North replied with a sigh. I figured he must be hurting over something. Better not to ask; he probably doesn’t want to talk about it anyway.
“So, what are you going to do? Dr. Hill asks you to be his boyfriend every day.
Aren’t you going to soften up a bit?”
“You…I don’t know either. I am softening up, I’m just so weak-hearted.”
“If you keep being slow and Hill can’t wait, you’ll be shocked to death.”
“Shocked to death?”
“What if he proposes to you in front of the whole school, then you can’t refuse, man.”
“Huh!?” I furrowed my brows at my roommate’s words, “Propose to me in front of the whole school? No way.”
“No way, what? We’re talking about Dr. Hill here. What do you think is impossible for him to do?” North’s words were right again; Phii Hill had once declared to the stars, “Ter is mine.” and even told thousands of people on a live stream that he would take care of me. Oh dear.
“I don’t think I can handle that, honestly, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed.” I sighed.
“But he doesn’t know you like him, right? I thought he knew.” He said. “No, he doesn’t know, but I think he might know now, Phii Hill is good at reading people.”
“Because you’ve never told him outright that you like him.” North said, “If you told him, he’d be really happy.”
“I’m not brave enough, North. If I had half of Phii Hill’s courage, that would be something.”
“At first, he said he wasn’t brave, didn’t he? But because he didn’t want to lose you again, he found the courage. You don’t want to lose him again, right? So be a bit braver.”
“…” I paused for a moment to reflect on North’s words, “Yeah, you’re right.” (The sound of a tuk-tuk, coal trucks, cars going up and down the bridge, cars turning left and right, jerking movements)
The atmosphere of welcoming new students was really lively. My seniors had arranged for us to gather in the cheerleading room, where there were lots of activities like teaching cheerleading songs for Sports Day, dance routines, and revealing the senior codes.
“It’s really tiring, but now it’s time to reveal the codes. Anyone who knows their senior code can go find them. Those who haven’t found their seniors will definitely be punished.” and then all the freshmen stood up and started looking for their second-year seniors in chaos.
As for me…
“Have you found your senior code?” Foam asked me.
“Not yet.” I replied with frustration, wondering where I would find the time to look for them.
“Me neither.” Phoon answered.
“Same here.”
So, the three of us hadn’t found our senior codes yet.
“Those who haven’t found their senior have to be punished, come stand in front.” Oh no, how embarrassing it is to stand here upfront. Even with nearly thirty people sharing the same fate.
“There are more of you than I thought. Come on, let’s see the faces of those who haven’t paid attention to the senior codes.” said the senior holding the megaphone, starting to question each of us about why we hadn’t met our seniors. “I’ve warned you, those who haven’t found their seniors will face the most humiliating punishment. Phiis from the entertainment committee, please bring out the equipment.”
Several seniors brought out a variety of costumes. I started to feel uneasy. What’s that? T^T, there were animal costumes, fruit costumes, women’s nightgowns, traditional Thai sarongs, and many more. Don’t tell me we have to wear those!
Noooooo!
And my hopes were dashed; God wasn’t on my side today. We had to draw lots to decide who would wear which costume. At least, I prayed not to get the spaghetti strap top or the sarong, please.
“Ha ha ha ha, Foam, little lady, going to bathe at which water hole?” I teased Foam after he was picked to wear the sarong, and to make matters worse, he had to wear a shower cap too, thankfully they didn’t make him take off his shirt.
“Damn it, all my dignity as a man is gone.” Foam muttered, looking annoyed. “Come on, don’t think too much about it. Look at Prem, he’s got the spaghetti strap top. He’s more stressed than you.” Phoon pointed out, indicating the unluckiest person of the day. Imagine a guy having to wear a tiny spaghetti strap top, especially over his student shirt, must feel so cramped.
“But at least you’re better off, Phoon, you got the pajamas.” Phoon was given striped pajamas, his hair tied into two buns, and his face made up with circles of red lipstick on his cheeks and black marks all over his face, like he’d been pranked by friends while asleep, but everyone was made up similarly.
“What the heck are you supposed to be, Ter, an eggplant demon?” Foam asked. I let out a heavy sigh as I looked down at myself. Yes, I had turned into an eggplant demon, forced to wear an eggplant costume. And I didn’t know if they ran out of budget or what, but I was covered in real eggplants hanging all over, making it quite heavy. At least being a cute strawberry costume would have been better. “Yeah, I’m stuck because of this leaf, but at least I’ve got my banana demon friend here, right Film?” I turned to hug my friend in the banana costume, poor Film, who was hung with bananas all over his body, “How much for a bunch of bananas?”
“A hundred baht per bunch, hey, quit it, don’t pull my bananas.” Film protested when Foam tugged a banana from him and started to eat it.
“Here, you won’t go hungry, bananas are still edible. But Ter, you’re stuck with useless eggplants, they’re not even tasty to eat.” Foam said.
“I’m full of nutrients, you know.” I argued back, feeling the tightness from the bun hairstyle they made me wear, and the stickiness on my face from the makeup, which included red lip circles on my cheeks and cat-like whiskers drawn in black.
“Everyone, line up. We’re going out to show off our outfits.” I almost swallowed my saliva when I heard we had to go outside, “Those who aren’t dressed up, come along too, to support your friends.”
“We’ll start dancing in front of our faculty, then we’ll go around the faculties on this side.” which meant all the health-related faculties like Medicine, Pharmacy, and many others, “Actually, I’d like us to go around the whole university, but it might be too tiring. Last year, my batch went around the entire university, though.” “Sigh, I’m stressed.” Phoon sighed.
“I shouldn’t have forgotten to find my senior code.”
“Ter, stay close to me, okay?” said the banana devil. I nodded, sticking with the same group was the best.
Because of the loud drums in front of our faculty, people nearby came to watch, take pictures, and some even filmed Jo. Should I be happy for bringing joy to everyone? T^T
And then, it was time for the show…
Sound of a heron standing in a rice field, looking at the shrimps, crabs, and fish, and then…
“Dance more energetically, the strawberry junior dances well, come on, one more time.” I felt increasingly embarrassed as more people came to watch, and passersby started to pay attention too.
“The one in the bear costume is so cute, and has a nice waist, screammmmm!”
“That junior in the robe is doing great!”
“Dance more!”
We heard comments from the audience as we moved to the courtyard in front of the Medical Faculty. Oh no, please don’t let Phii Hill be there. I’m so embarrassed. “Can I take a photo with you?” a voice came from behind me; turning around, I saw a small girl with a phone asking for a picture.
“Me?”
“Yes, the eggplant junior.”
“Uh…sure.” I gave a broad smile for the photo. I couldn’t believe someone actually asked for a picture, but being called ‘eggplant junior’ wasn’t the best thing.
“All freshmen, repeat after me.” one of the cheerleading leaders announced through the megaphone when we stopped in front of the Medical Faculty, “Shiny white doctors.”
“Doctorrrrrrrrs.” and everyone shouted back, especially the girls. I’ll just say it quietly then.
“Was your class hard today, ladies and gentlemen?”
“Was your class hard today, ladies and gentlemen?”
“If your class was hard, come watch us dance to relieve your stress!” “If your class was hard, come watch us dance to relieve your stress!” They shouted so loudly that it echoed through the entire medical faculty building. Oh no, this is bad luck. Don’t call the doctors like that. What if they actually come down to watch, what then? T^T. Not long after, many people started to gather, either leaning over the balcony from the upper floors or coming down to watch from below.
“Hey, the vet students are dancing again this year, and the outfits are even more spectacular than last year!”
The drums started to play, signaling the beginning of the performance. Ugh, I’m exhausted, the costume is heavy, and each dance move is so embarrassing.
“Your doctor is here.” Phoon whispered, making me whip around to look immediately.
Phii Hill!
How did he get here so fast? I didn’t see him before. He was standing there with other doctors, identifiable by their white lab coats. Phii Hill gave me a slight smile before he started to chuckle when the music began, signaling us to start dancing. Oh no, don’t look, don’t let him see me as the eggplant demon, please no, T^T, ughhhhhh.
“Hey, the doctors are coming down to watch, so we’ve got to show off a bit, right?” The voice boomed through the megaphone along with the drum beats. It was probably just playful banter between faculties. At the orientation, there was also a lot of teasing back and forth.
But it didn’t have to be right now! T^T
“Repeat after me. Even if you’re a vet doc, you can still heal my heart, right?” This seemed to make the girls quite shy, unlike the guys who were all stiff and reluctant to speak.
Right, who would dare to say that, T^T.
“Guys, you say it too.”
“Say it and dance. I’m watching your lips. Right now, only guys speak, and do it loudly.”
“Even if you’re a vet doc, you can heal my heart, right?”
“Even if you’re a vet doc, you can heal my heart, right?”
Why do I have to say this in front of Phii Hill? T^T. I sneakily glanced over. It looks like Phii Hill is having a great time, even pulling out his phone to record me, nooooo, ugh, this is really the most embarrassing punishment, isn’t it?
“Damn, why do I have to do this? Just now, someone called me ‘sarong junior’.” Foam said, almost in tears, while trying to dance to the beat, which seemed quite challenging.
“I understand, I was just called ‘eggplant junior’.” I said sympathetically.
“Oh dear, Hill’s eggplant junior.” Phoon teased.
“Please, you in your pajamas don’t even talk, want to swap outfits?” “No way, seeing you in it would stress me out, watch out for your eggplant falling off, Ter, there’s a ball on your shoulder.”
“Shit.” I couldn’t help but curse, then I stopped dancing to tie the eggplant back with the straw rope. If it fell off, it would be even more embarrassing.
“Why did you stop dancing, eggplant junior?”
Shit…
“Come to the front.” Shit, I’m doomed…
Nooooo. I tried resisting as hard as I could when my evil friends dragged me forward.
“Ter, they told you to go to the front, let’s go.”
“Phoon, you beast! Don’t pull me, nooo.” I protested, why did it have to be me, just for stopping for a moment, boo hoo.
“What’s your name? Let’s see your name tag.” and despite all my efforts, I was eventually pushed to the front, “Nong Easter, code 034, the eggplant junior who couldn’t find his senior code and even tried to slack off by not dancing.” “Why didn’t you dance?” And then the senior handed me the megaphone to answer, oh my God, I was so embarrassed, in front of so many people, why in this outfit, and now being called out? T^T
“Uh…” I took a deep breath. I didn’t know what to say; why did I feel like I was being ganged up on? T^T
“Okay, okay, we won’t tease you anymore, let’s head to the Dental Faculty next, thank you to the doctors for watching us.” I didn’t look at Phii Hill because I was too embarrassed, and I quickly walked towards the next faculty.
“That was exhausting.” Foam complained after the seniors’ punishment session was over, and we finally returned to our faculty to change. It was almost evening by the time we finished, “And how do I take off this sarong? Why did they tie it so tightly?”
“There’s a safety pin at the back.” I pointed out, also wanting to get out of this outfit as soon as possible, but let’s wait till we reach the changing room.
“Uh…junior.” a voice called from behind, making me turn around. There were three senior guys, and one of them was the one who asked me, “Can I take a picture with you?”
“Me?” I pointed to myself, not expecting a guy to ask for a photo.
“Yes, the eggplant junior.”
Oh no, so I’ve officially become the eggplant junior, T^T. The senior gave a wide, kind smile.
“Sure.” I said, dragging my eggplant-laden self over to stand beside him for the photo, while his friend took the picture. “Thank you, your name is Nong Easter, right?”
“Yes.” I nodded in confirmation, “You know me?”
“I heard your name mentioned at the medical faculty’s courtyard.” He said, “I’m
Knight, from the dental faculty.”
“Oh, nice to meet you.” I didn’t know what else to say, so I just left it at that.
Why would this dentist want to take a picture with me and even introduce himself? “I wanted to take a picture when you were dancing in front of our faculty, but I was too late. You looked cute.”
“Thank you.” I gave a somewhat awkward smile, unsure how to react to compliments.
“Uh, I have to head back now. See you around, I’ll tag you on the photo on Facebook.” And with that, he hurried off. I didn’t even get a chance to ask how he knew my Facebook profile; he was quick.
“Who was that, Ter?” Phoon and Foam, who were waiting for me, asked.
“He just wanted to take a picture.”
“Oh, since you’re wearing that costume, everyone wants to take photos like never before. Is it that strange?” Foam questioned.
“This costume is super cursed.” Phoon remarked.
“It’s terrible, it’s hurting my soul.”
And so, we, the bunch of oddballs, finally made it to the changing room at the faculty. Those who didn’t have to change had already left. It was just us and the seniors packing up the equipment.
“Hey, hey, look at this.” someone’s voice called out, drawing everyone’s attention in the room, and they all turned to look. I, who was in the middle of changing, couldn’t move.
“What is it?” another senior asked.
“Why is it so hard to take off?” Phoon complained while helping Foam to remove the eggplants from me, “They’re all tangled together. Can we just cut through the straw strings?”
“No, he said to take it off carefully, so they can reuse the costume.”
“Madman, how are you going to reuse it? The eggplant will have wilted by then.”
“I don’t know, but he said not to cut it.” I said with a sigh, glancing at the banana devil…who was struggling just as much.
“Isn’t that Dr. Hill, the one coming this way?”
Huh! I turned around abruptly when I heard that name, is Phii Hill coming…? “Yes, yes, still wearing his lab coat. Probably just came from the lab, but why is he here at our faculty now?”
“Or maybe…”
“That doctor who said in an interview he’s wooing someone in the vet faculty, screammm, he must be here to find that person.” a woman from the equipment section squealed, causing everyone in the room to get excited.
“Hey, are we about to find out who it is? Should we follow him sneakily? Is there anyone else still at our faculty?”
“I don’t know, but there are some people studying upstairs.”
“He’s here, shall we go say hi?”
“Let’s do it, let’s go say hi.”
“Dr. Hilllll, are you looking for someone?” That woman walked out and called out to Phii Hill. I couldn’t see what happened because I was still stuck here.
“I’m here to see Professor Kesarin, is she in?” I heard Phii Hill’s voice from near the doorway.
“I think she’s still here, she takes forever to go home.” and then I saw Phii Hill and that woman stop in front of the room, with Phii Hill wearing his lab coat and holding a thick stack of documents.
“Uh, thank you.” Phii Hill said before scanning the room, his eyes met mine for a brief moment with a slight smile, then he walked away. I doubt anyone else noticed that smile just now.
“You’re so lucky, what’s with standing that close to Dr. Hill?” “Just a bit, he even thanked me just now, did you hear that? Ugh, I’m embarrassed.”
“You’re imagining it. He was just being polite.”
“But being close to him felt so nice. I wonder what cologne he uses to smell so good all the time.”
“Stop it. He’s got someone special already. Move on, you all.”
“I just want to be his imaginary girlfriend, that’s all. But he wasn’t here for that person, what a letdown. I was gonna sneak a peek.”
“Exactly, I’m really curious to know who you are in our faculty.”
The seniors’ conversation made Foam and Phoon exchange a big teasing look.
“Isn’t it really you? Aren’t you jealous? With such a hot boyfriend.” Phoon whispered teasingly.
“We’re not even dating yet. Focus on getting these eggplants off me.” I said quietly, worried about others hearing.
“He said your boyfriend smells nice too, if it were me, I’d be insanely jealous.” Foam added.
Oh, come on, what’s with you guys, always teasing. Sigh, but as far as I know, Phii Hill doesn’t wear cologne. I haven’t seen a single bottle in his room. “Seriously, aren’t you jealous?” Foam pressed on, making me frown at him. If you ask if I’m jealous, maybe a little, knowing that the doctor is liked by many. But I trust him too.
“How about this, if the doctor comes down again, shall we ask him about that person?” the same girl continued, seemingly making a big deal out of Phii Hill’s recent walk-by.
“Would the doctor even tell?”
“If he doesn’t, it’s fine. We’ll just chat with him anyway. Just being able to talk to him makes us happy.”
“Uh-huh. You mean you like him without expecting anything in return.” “Yes. Just go ask him yourself. It’s not wrong, right? Just being near her is enough for me, so, for now, I’ll be her imaginary boyfriend.”
“You never know, it might be me. I’m in the same vet faculty after all, maybe the doctor secretly likes me but is too shy to say it.”
“You’re imagining too much. Nothing in the doctor’s interview matched you at all.”
And finally, the eggplant costume was successfully removed, thanks to the kind help of Foam and Phoon. Even though the costume was off, I was still itchy from the leaves.
“Did you hear that, Ter? You should do something, you know.” Foam said. Why does everyone say that? Ever since North, what am I supposed to do, T^T.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Anything. The doctor has been clear about his feelings for you.”
“I don’t know what to do, should I just walk up and say that person is me? That’s crazy.”
“Sigh, you’re hopeless.” Foam sighed heavily. Phoon looked at me with sympathy, and for some reason, I felt annoyed by his gaze.
“Alright, how about you pretend to push me when the doctor walks by?” the same girl suggested.
“You’re crazy, that joke’s so old.”
“Oh, can’t I? Hey, your boyfriend’s here, let me mentally prepare for a moment.” The woman said, then let out a big sigh.
So, when she said ‘boyfriend,’ she meant Phii Hill, right?
“Doctor, how’s it going? Was the professor there?”
“She was.” I, who was still packing up, turned to see the same scene as before. That woman was talking to Phii Hill at the doorway, with the other girls secretly standing behind the wall for support.
“Ter, are you going to give in?” Foam asked. I glanced at him once before going back to packing my things.
“That’s good. It would’ve been bad if she wasn’t there, and what documents did you bring for the professor?” “It’s the first-year lab documents.”
“Wow, the doctor helps with the first-year labs too? That’s impressive, I thought the second years did that. We’d like to do labs with the doctor.”
I don’t know why that woman is so good at starting conversations, they must have known each other before, I guess.
“I let someone else handle the second-year ones.”
“Oh, that’s too bad, and are you heading back now?”
“Yeah, I’m about to leave.”
“Right, right, you live at the condo near the big roundabout, right? Can I catch a ride back with you? I can get off halfway, my friend isn’t available to drop me off today.”
“What a shameless, bold-faced person, how can she be so daring?” one of the friends hiding by the wall whispered in irritation, which I overheard because we were also about to leave.
“She’s got the guts, man, chances to talk like this with Jo don’t come by easily.” “Hey!” I exclaimed in surprise when suddenly Foam pushed me towards Phii Hill and, uh…someone probably named Fai. I stumbled and almost bumped into Phii Hill.
“…” Phii Hill looked at me, confused. I was at a loss for what to do, oh my God, Foam, could you please coordinate with me first?
“Uh…Nong Ter, is there something you need?” Fai asked. I thought I heard a soft whisper from those two suggesting I should just speak up. Now, what am I supposed to say? Boo hoo, T^T
“I mean…” I turned to look at Phii Hill.
“I’m hungry.”
I was just stating the facts…yes, indeed. Right now, I’m starving, how was I supposed to know what Emmy was referring to when she said to speak up? Meanwhile, PiiFai looked utterly confused, and the two guys behind me sighed loudly as if they were deeply disappointed in me.
“Sure, I’ll take you to get something to eat.” Phii Hill said in a soft, deep voice, reaching out to gently take my hand and leading me away from there immediately, amidst Phii Fai’s bewilderment. When I turned back, I saw Foam and Phoon walking off in another direction. I guess they must be heading back.
“Anything special you’d like to eat?” The person holding my hand asked.
“Uh…ramen.”
“Okay.” The tall figure turned to smile sweetly at me, before leading me towards the medical faculty area.
“You look especially cute today, like an eggplant.”
“Stop teasing me.” I said, my voice slightly sulky.
“I’m not teasing, I’m stating the truth.”
“Did you take a picture? Delete it.” I said, feeling embarrassed. Why would you take a picture?
“No way.”
“And here…” Phii Hill stopped walking and turned to look at me, “You’ve got a rash all over.” His large hand gently touched my neck where it was itchy from the eggplant leaves. I didn’t even realize I had a rash.
“Let’s put some ointment on it first.” The tall figure in the gown said as he led me into the medical building and then into the nurse’s room. There’s a nurse’s room here too? And Phii Hill even has the key, “Wait here a moment.” Being in the nurse’s room with Phii Hill in his doctor gown, it really felt like I was with a real doctor.
But Phii Hill is a real doctor…
I sat down on the chair with ease, thinking it would be good to get some ointment before I end up scratching my skin off.
“Don’t scratch, okay?” Phii Hill lightly tapped my hand that was scratching my neck, “It’ll get worse.”
Phii Hill sat down on the chair, dipped a cotton swab in ointment, and gently applied it to the rash on my neck. Watching him put on the ointment, it reminded me of the first time we met.
The very first time we met…
I fell for him so hard…
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