MYMOON, Chapter 16:
Thriller…
Horror…
Oh no, Klaijai…
Animation…
But at least there’s one cartoon movie to give a bit of hope.
The types of films displayed on the automatic ticket machine made the small person swallow hard again. The genres Klai tried hardest to avoid were Thriller and Horror, because he was terrified of ghosts and didn’t enjoy watching anything that made him so tense he forgot to breathe. If he were watching alone, Klai would definitely choose the only animated cartoon available right now.
However, the person beside him, carrying his bright yellow cloth bag, was staring intently at the movie titles on the ticket machine without looking away. A staff member stood nearby, offering recommendations.
“This ghost movie looks interesting. Can you handle ghost movies?”
Ugh… Panli dismissed the cartoon option without a second thought. Klai shifted his gaze from the ticket machine, flashed a smile at the other, and replied, “Uh, sure… I’m super good at watching ghost movies.”
Moon chuckled softly. “If you’re that good with ghost movies, should we pick the scariest one then?”
“No way, let’s go with one that’s just moderately scary. Otherwise,
Panli might not be able to handle it.”
Klaijai… when you say something, think about yourself in the theater too.
If you end up blowing your cover… at least you’ll be a little less embarrassed.
“You can definitely handle it, right?”
“Mm, definitely. You don’t need to worry about me at all.”
Panli gave a small smile before turning to select seats on the glass screen. “Then let’s go with this one… Annabelle.”
“…”
“And let’s get the Honeymoon seats.”
Whoa… picking that movie, huh?
Just seeing the teaser had Klai’s legs shaking already.
Klai thought another challenge of being close to Moon was having to adapt to watching all kinds of movies. He wasn’t forcing himself for Moon’s sake, but rather thought… when you let someone become a part of your life, you should try doing things beyond what you usually like. If you really can’t handle it, then you can tell the other person so you can find a middle ground that works for both of you.
The reason Klai said he was great at watching ghost movies was because he was afraid they wouldn’t get to watch a movie
together today.
But trust me… once they’re actually in the theater,
Moon will definitely catch on that he’s terrified of ghosts.
Sigh… Klaijai, oh Klaijai, you keep blurting things out without thinking.
The tall figure handed some cash to the staff member standing by, then paid for their tickets by having the staff swipe his card at the ticket machine. Panli took the two tickets from the staff and nodded at Klai.
“Let’s go get some popcorn, KhunKlai.”
“Mhm.”
They hadn’t even entered the theater yet, but just seeing the abbreviated English title of the movie on the tickets made Klai’s limbs go weak. He followed the tall figure, who was holding his hand, as they walked to the popcorn and drink counter.
The two of them stood in line behind a teenage couple who were hugging each other’s waists. Klai stayed quiet, thinking that people who weren’t afraid of ghosts probably couldn’t understand how he felt right now. It was like when he wanted to conquer his fear by deciding to ride a roller coaster, even though he hated thrilling things. But the closer he got to the ride, the more he realized… It was going to be terrifying.
Klai definitely couldn’t handle it.
T________T
But when he glanced at their clasped hands, he looked up at the side profile of Moon again. Knowing that Moon would be by his side and wouldn’t let him face his fears alone gave Klai a surge of courage.
“What flavor popcorn does you like?”
“I like salty.”
“Then I will get all salty, okay?”
“You can mix it, Panli, in case you like other flavors.”
“I don’t usually eat popcorn,” Panli said, smiling at him. “If I had to choose, I’d pick the flavor you like.”
“I think this flavor’s the best… nothing beats salty popcorn.”
“Really?” Panli raised an eyebrow, smirking. “I can’t even beat salty popcorn?”
Klai burst out laughing before saying, “You don’t have to compete with popcorn. I already let you win a long time ago.”
“Puppy’s little rascal.”
Moon said, releasing their clasped hands and wrapping an arm around Klai’s shoulders instead, pulling him closer. Klai was so embarrassed by what he’d just said that he could only look down, smiling shyly in Moon’s embrace.
“Hey, Li!”
The sound of someone calling out made Klai look up. He saw a tall, good-looking guy holding hands with a cute guy who was about his height. Klai guessed they were probably friends of Moon.
“What’s up, CB couple? Here to watch a movie?”
“Yeah, B kept begging to see Annabelle, so I brought him,” the tall guy replied.
“I’m gonna pull your ears off, who’s the one who wanted to come watch this?”
Panli grinned before saying, “I was just about to go see this movie too.
Which theater are you at?”
“I just came out of the theater, already watched it.”
“Spill some scary details, how intense is it?”
“It’s pretty good, man, I’d give it a solid ten. Go for it, lots of jump scares. Bee screamed like crazy a few times.”
“Cee, you’re walking home alone for that.”
“Haha, why are you embarrassed? You know I’m scared of ghosts.”
“Because you keep telling our friends about it.”
“I tell them because I think you’re cute.”
“Can you two tone down the sweetness? It’s gross,” Panli said.
“Haha.”
“So, who’d you come to watch the movie with…” Bee said, glancing at him with a friendly smile, and Klai smiled back.
“I came to watch the movie with KhunKlai.”
“Oh, with KhunKlai, huh?”
“KhunKlai, these two are my high school friends…” Moon said, pointing at the two friends smiling at him, then continued, “This is Cee, we were in the football club together. And this is Bee, we were in the same class.”
“Nice to meet you,” Klai said.
“Nice to meet you too, KhunKlai,” Bee replied.
“KhunKlai, really?”
“Nah… it’s just Klai, but I added the ‘Khun’ in front of his name.”
“Since when did Panli start speaking so politely?”
“Why you teasing so much, Bee?”
Maybe it was the looks and smiles from the couple Cee and Bee, or maybe it was Moon introducing his high school friends to him, but Klai felt a flush of shyness, raising his hand to rub his ear, which felt warm.
“You’re carrying a cute bag these days, huh?”
“Shut up, don’t mention it.”
Klai looked at Moon’s smiling face as he talked to his friends, then glanced down at the bright yellow fabric bag that Moon had offered to carry for him.
When getting off the car, Moon offered to carry Klai’s cloth bag for him. However, Klai declined, thinking it clashed with his cool vibe. Dressed in a loose, short-sleeved student shirt layered with a light denim jacket, ripped black jeans, and his favorite burnt-brown leather watch, he felt the bag didn’t fit his look.
Klai imagined Moon carrying his yellow cloth bag and thought it would completely ruin Panli’s coolness. Another key reason for refusing was that he didn’t want to trouble him, and the bag wasn’t heavy anyway. Still, Panli looked a bit sulky and walked quietly while holding his hand, which was unusual. Softening, Klai gave in and let Panli carry the bag for him.
When handing over the yellow cloth bag to Panli, the sparkle in his eyes was brighter than the bag’s color.
“Carrying a cute bag and acting shy about it,” someone said, laughing.
“I’m not shy about carrying a cute bag. I’m worried the bag’s owner will get shy for me and take it back. If he doesn’t let me carry his bag again, I’ll convince Bee to ditch you and go travel far away alone.”
“Damn, don’t do that. I’m begging you, cause Bee would totally go for it.”
“Yeah, just have Panli suggest a travel spot, and I’m ready to run off.”
While Panli chatted with their friend, Klai smiled softly, glancing down at his shoes, feeling shy knowing how much Panli wanted to carry his bag. Klai didn’t understand why he felt embarrassed over something so small, but it was probably because Moon cared about every little thing related to him.
Klai felt warmth in his heart and was constantly grateful for Moon.
But when he looked up, he noticed it was their turn to buy popcorn. He gently rubbed Moon’s back, and Panli turned his attention from their friends to him.
“What’s up?”
“It’s my turn, Panli.”
“Oh…” Panli glanced securely at the counter staff waiting for their order before turning back to their friend. “I’ll go now, catch you later.”
“Alright, enjoy the movie!”
“Yeah.”
Klai waved goodbye to Bee, who smiled and waved back. The two of them then stepped up to the counter. Panli asked for his opinion before deciding to order popcorn and a drink, noting that he’d probably be the only one eating.
“We’ll take this set, please.”
“Sure.”
“Three hundred fifty baht,” the cashier said.
“Panli, wait, I’ll pay for it myself,” Klaijai insisted.
“Here you go…” Moon, who had somehow already pulled out his wallet, handed some money to the cashier. He turned to Klaijai with a sly smile. “Klaijai, you’re not quick enough.”
“Actually, I would’ve been quick, but my wallet’s in the cloth bag, and you wouldn’t give it back…” Klaijai retorted.
Panli laughed before saying, “We’re close enough now… we could just share one wallet.” Thud!
It wasn’t something hard hitting the floor, but Moon’s words struck Klaijai’s heart so forcefully that he was overwhelmed with embarrassment, his mind going blank. The smaller man pursed his lips, glancing at the cashier working behind the counter to mask his flustered state.
“Going quiet like that…” Panli teased.
Klaijai shook his head, eyes fixed on the female cashier scooping popcorn into a bucket. “No, I’m not embarrassed at all.”
A soft chuckle from Moon, who seemed to see through everything, made Klaijai break into a smile despite still watching the cashier place a soft drink cup in front of them.
“…”
Finally, unable to hold back his embarrassment any longer, Klaijai turned to wrinkle his nose at the other man before saying, “You little puppy…”
The one called a puppy burst into cheerful laughter. “Puppy hasn’t even done anything yet!”
Klaijai seemed to forget that it wasn’t the “puppy” making him flustered.
It was Panli who was making Klaijai blush…
His heart…
Couldn’t take it anymore…
Hic…
Klaijai let his heart silently wail in the movie theater for a while. His friend Moon’s warnings were no exaggeration—this horror movie was terrifying. Barely into the story, there were already several jump-scare moments that nearly sent him into shock. The booming sound effects alone were frightening enough, but Klaijai also flinched at the audience’s screams, which erupted even before the ghost appeared on screen.
The movie wasn’t even halfway through, yet Klaijai kept asking himself why he was there. Why was he forcing himself to endure this? And when the fear became too much to bear, when he couldn’t bring himself to look at the massive screen—knowing that a creepy doll ghost would soon appear—Klaijai turned to the person beside him, holding his hand.
And then Klaijai found his answer: the reason he endured the doll ghost’s jump scares…
“Pretty damn scary,” Panli whispered softly while watching the movie, showing no signs of fear or shock. Sometimes, he squeezed his hand a bit harder because he flinched a little too much.
When the terrifying sound effects roared again, Klai hugged the popcorn bucket, which was already more than half empty. Earlier, when Klai jumped in fright, the popcorn spilled all over the floor.
At that moment… Klai was super embarrassed.
He secretly noticed Panli holding back laughter.
But Panli comforted him by grabbing some popcorn from the bucket and feeding it to him.
“You okay, KhunKlai?”
“I’m fine, I’m still good,” he said, though truthfully… he was barely hanging on. But leaving the theater now would make his first movie experience hilariously memorable. Klai needed to tough it out to impress Moon.
At that moment, a strong hand let go of his, and a sturdy arm wrapped around his shoulders. Panli pulled him closer, his large hand gently rubbing his shoulder to comfort him. Klai shut his eyes tightly, certain the creepy doll was about to appear. And then, Panli rested his chin lightly on his head.
“I almost believed KhunKlai was good at watching horror movies.”
“…”
“If I’d known you were this scared… I wouldn’t have picked this movie.”
“It’s fine, Panli,” he replied, eyes still closed.
Moon chuckled softly before saying, “You sure you’re okay? Wanna leave the theater?”
“I’m still good.”
But as soon as he finished speaking, a deafening sound effect and the screams of others in the theater made Klai jump so hard his little heart felt like it was yanked out and tossed around by the creepy doll. He let out a whimper, causing Moon to burst into unrestrained laughter.
“KhunKlai, you’re done, aren’t you?”
Klai looked up at Panli, who was smirking, and swallowed hard. “Uh,
Panli… I will admit it. I’m really scared of ghosts.”
“Yep, I believe you now.”
“But I want to watch movies with Panli, and I want to get used to watching all kinds of movies. Like, if Panli likes horror movies in the future, I want to be able to watch them with you. But now I know…”
“Let’s get out of here, okay? You don’t have to keep enduring this.”
“But I still…”
“If you can’t finish watching, it’s fine. I care more about Khun Klai’s feelings than the movie,” Moon said, gently stroking his cheek with one hand. “This movie must be even scarier than that. Even I, who’s not afraid of ghosts, think it’s creepy. How can KhunKlai, who’s terrified of ghosts, handle it?”
“…”
“And you’ll have to go back to your condo alone. Even if you close your eyes the whole time, you’ll still remember the sounds haunting you.”
“But I want to keep trying…” Klai didn’t want his fear to ruin their first movie date. So, he decided to face the horror of the haunted doll a bit longer.
“Then I’ll help you,” Moon said.
Klai wasn’t sure how Panli would help him overcome his fear, but he trusted he’d get through it. Slowly, Klai opened his eyes to the big screen, covering them during some moments. When a daytime scene brought some light into the theater, he let out a relieved sigh, though the movie’s atmosphere remained eerie.
Klai hugged the popcorn bucket tightly with both arms. The sound effects started to build suspense, and in the next moment, a large hand moved to shield his eyes from the terrifying scene. Klai looked up at
Moon, who didn’t take his eyes off the screen. Sensing he was being watched, Moon whispered softly, “I bet something’s about to jump out and scare us.”
“…”
“Once this part’s over, I’ll move my hand, okay?”
A sweet smile appeared amidst the creepy atmosphere. Klai nodded, though he knew Moon, focused on the movie, couldn’t see his response. And true to his word, the overly dedicated ghost appeared, startling the audience into screams. Even Klai jumped at the loud sound effects, causing a bit of popcorn to spill from the bucket.
But it was a bearable kind of fear.
“The ghost is gone. You can look now,” Moon said.
Because Moon was always there to protect him.
“Thanks, puppy,” Klai said.
“You’re welcome,” Moon replied.
Panli glanced away from the big screen for a moment, flashing a bright smile. At that moment, Klai was certain that Moon’s smile could chase away all the fear in his heart.
Only you, Sasin Pisut, could do that.
“Wow, you ate so much popcorn,” Moon teased.
The smaller figure, clutching the nearly empty popcorn bucket, sighed softly. “Don’t tease me, puppy.”
“Sorry, puppy won’t tease KhunKlai anymore.”
Moon didn’t tease with words, but the chuckle in his throat still made Klai feel embarrassed. Klai wanted to dump the remaining salty popcorn from the bucket, put the empty bucket over his head, and walk through the mall. He wasn’t shy about others—just shy around Panli.
Passing a trash can, he quickly tossed the entire popcorn bucket. Klai wasn’t going to hold onto it and let Panli tease him anymore.
“Are you still scared, KhunKlai?”
“Not anymore.” By the time the movie ended, Klai had recited several prayers. Not to ward off the ghost doll, but to pray he’d survive until the movie was over.
“If you get scared tonight, call me, okay? I’ll come sleep over.”
The ghost doll wasn’t the only thing that made his heart race suddenly—Moon had the same effect. Right now, his little heart was pounding hard.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Klai stayed quiet to hide his shyness. He rubbed his ear as he stepped onto the escalator. Panli stepped down to the next step below him. They were heading to find a good restaurant for dinner before going home, as Moon had complained about being starving when they left the theater.
“Being all quiet like this…” The person on the lower step looked up at him, smirking before saying, “You’re definitely planning to clean your room when you get back, right?”
“Silly puppy… Klai’s just thinking about what to eat.”
No matter how much Klai liked Panli, he wouldn’t let himself give in completely. But his heart? It had already surrendered fully.
The taller guy laughed, pulling his phone from his back pocket. He tapped on the glass screen and said, “Whatever you want to eat, go for it.
Today, this puppy’s carrying the wallet for you.”
“What do you like to eat?” Klai asked, reaching to gently ruffle his soft hair. “Japanese, Chinese, Thai, or Italian…”
“I’m good with anything.”
“No special favorite, Panli?”
The tall guy, whose hair was being played with, shook his head slightly while texting someone. “Nope, I can eat anything.”
“Such an easy-to-please puppy.”
“If I were hard to please, this puppy would be afraid you might abandon me.”
Klai burst out laughing. Suddenly, he felt the urge to tease this clingy puppy. He wrapped one arm around the thick neck and the other around the head, pulling the taller guy to lean down and rest his head against Klai’s chest. Since they were on different steps, Klai could do this. He gently pressed his cheek against the golden-blonde hair. Klai admitted he wanted to tease this puppy so much he could make him cry.
Panli’s words and teasing were getting cuter every day.
Klaijai had tried his absolute best to endure it.
Good thing they’d already leveled up to being close confidants.
Otherwise… Klaijai wouldn’t have been able to playfully “attack” this puppy like this.
While Klaijai was squeezing the “puppy” with playful enthusiasm, he heard a soft chuckle in Panli’s throat. Panli was still tapping away at his phone before saying in a teasing tone, “It’s so green and feisty.”
“Yep, feisty,” Klaijai replied, pulling back from the hug since the escalator they were on was nearing the walkway.
Moon slipped his phone into his back pocket as usual, then reached out to grab Klaijai’s hand as they stepped off the escalator. Panli led him by the hand for a short while before letting go and switching to draping an arm around his shoulder instead.
“Can this puppy get a turn to ‘attack’ you, hmm?” Panli asked with a grin.
“Nope, only I get to ‘attack’ the puppy,” Klaijai shot back.
Panli let out a soft laugh before nodding. “Fine, I’ll let you win. But you’ve got to go easy on the puppy, okay? Don’t want the puppy getting bruised.”
Klaijai wrinkled his nose at the widely smiling Panli. “So feisty.”
Moon reached over to pinch his nose, as he often did, before asking,
“What should we eat?”
“How about Japanese food, Panli?”
“Sure thing.”
“Fuji!” Klaijai said, pointing at the Japanese restaurant ahead.
“Alright!”
Once inside the restaurant, the two of them took ages ordering because they kept asking each other what they wanted to eat and what kind of food they liked. He and Panli picked out dishes together, and now they were sitting, chatting aimlessly while waiting for the food to arrive.
“Honestly, I’m still a pretty useless confidant,” Panli said. “I don’t know much about what you like or dislikes.”
“…”
“Like the fact that KhunKlai is scared of ghosts… If we hadn’t come to watch that movie together today, I wouldn’t have known.”
“It’s not just you who’s a useless confidant, Panli. I’m the same,” Klaijai admitted.
“Then let’s take our time learning about each other, okay, KhunKlai?”
Klaijai nodded firmly. “Yeah. And if we make little mistakes along the way, let’s forgive each other, alright, Panli?”
“Right…” Panli replied with a smile, then continued, “When it comes to food, I’ve figured out what you like and dislikes. But for general stuff, like…”
“…”
“What does you especially like? I still don’t know.”
Klai furrowed his brow, thinking about what he liked most. If it was his absolute favorite… “I really like the moon.”
Maybe it was the hidden meaning in his words or the way Panli grinned widely while idly rubbing the face of his watch, but something made Klai feel so shy he had to lower his eyes to stare at the empty plate in front of him.
“…”
To cover his embarrassment, Klai looked up to meet the other’s gaze.
“And what does you especially like?”
Moon gave a small smile before dropping his head onto the dining table. One of his large hands reached out to gently hold Klai’s, his warm breath brushing over the back of his hand. Then, in a soft, almost pleading tone, he said, “My senior just messaged me saying there’s another issue with personal work. KhunKlai, I’m getting such a headache.”
Why did Moon suddenly change the topic like that?
Klai tended to switch topics when he was…
Wait… was Moon feeling shy?
“Panli… look up at me first.”
“Ugh… KhunKlai.”
Yup, that’s it.
Moon was definitely shy.
What did Klai say to make him this shy?
Reflecting on their conversation, Klai hadn’t expected much from the response. But now, he was starting to hope a little. If the answer wasn’t about someone close, like him, Moon probably could’ve answered without reacting like this.
“Puppy, answer my question first.”
“KhunKlai, have mercy on this puppy. It’s a tough question.”
Klai chuckled softly before saying, “Nothing’s too hard. Panli, my clever guy, can definitely answer.”
Panli kept his face on the table, acting just like he did the first time they ate together. He gently rubbed the back of Klai’s hand with his thumb, then spoke in a quiet voice.
“Right now, I like you especially,” Moon said.
At that moment, Klai’s heart swelled so much it felt like it might burst.
Though he wasn’t entirely sure what “like” meant in Panli’s terms, just knowing that Moon “liked you especially” sent his heart soaring to the moon.
Even if, in the end, Moon only liked him as a close friend and their feelings didn’t grow beyond that, Klai wouldn’t feel regret. Because he believed the feelings they shared right now… Were already the best.
This was enough for Klai.
Knowing how hard it is to shake off shyness, Klai, an expert in being shy, wanted to help Moon, who was just learning to be shy.
“So, does you like the sea or the mountains more?”
He changed the topic to give Panli a moment to breathe. Just knowing that his daily teasing made Panli “like” him was enough. Klai didn’t need any more answers beyond that…
For now, he’d let time help their relationship grow naturally.
Klai didn’t know how far time would take them.
But for now, he only knew that… both of them felt comfortable and happy being together in this moment.
Panli looked up, meeting his eyes, still holding his hand. “I like both,” Panli said.
“If you really had to choose, what would you pick?”
“I can’t choose. I have fond memories of both.”
Klai smiled. He’d never met someone who refused to pick one and gave an answer that forced him to let them have both.
“I like the sea,” Klai said.
“Then I’ll take you to a place with mountains sometime. You’ll see that mountains are just as great as the sea.”
Keep going, Klai. Time to step up and make Panli feel more than just “like.” “Nothing could be as great as my Panli,” Klai said.
“You little rascal,” Panli said with a wide smile, gently pinching his nose.
Panli always made him feel the meaning of “thank you.” Thank you for making him unafraid of the long road ahead.
Because he knew Panli was walking by his side.
Thank you for making him unworried about the winding path.
Because he knows Panli is there to guide the way, Thank you for giving him hope to reach the moon, Klai.
Because he knows Panli helps shorten the distance,
Thank you, my Moon:)
After finishing dinner, he and Panli stopped by a bookstore to stroll around for a bit. They talked and shared so much about their likes that they learned almost everything about each other in just a few hours. Klai had never talked this much with anyone before.
Panli was the first.
And probably the only one Klai wanted to talk to this much.
Even though they’d already discussed so much about their personal preferences, they continued the conversation after getting in the car. The traffic jam on the road was no longer boring because, even after being stuck for an hour, they kept talking endlessly.
“Panli, you probably like singing more than playing music, right?”
“Actually, I like them equally,” Panli said. “But lately, my seniors have been asking me to sing at the bar instead of the regular singer.”
“Like that day when you sang that sappy song?”
The person asked smiled faintly and nodded. “Yeah, that’s right.”
“You sang so beautifully that day, you know.”
“I can sing beautifully today too,” Panli said. “Want to hear,
KhunKlai?”
Klai smiled and said, “Of course, puppy.”
“Then let me pick a song first,” Panli said, pulling out his phone to scroll. “This one’s good. I like it.”
The moment Moon looked up and met his eyes, a melody with piano accompaniment started playing. Klai had heard this song before. Back then, he thought he’d never have the chance to experience something like the song described, because someone who could make his life feel like that… had never come along.
“This man has only empty hands to reach for the stars for you, to go find them, as long as you’re by my side.” Until Panli came into his life.
The hope that was like a flickering candle began to shine brighter…
“Can you give me your hand? I’ll take you across water and sand, to a faraway place we’ve never seen. You don’t need to worry or fear anything. Trust me, even if I have nothing to prove it, I… just need…” “No matter how high the sky may be, hold my hand as tightly as you can. As long as Theerak keeps walking without stopping, we’ll walk together. Even if the storms come crashing in, even if we face a steep cliff… no matter what unexpected challenges we encounter, don’t let go of my hand.”
“…”
Klaijai smiled at his dear Moon, who was singing to him with such earnestness. He reached out to pat the other’s head encouragingly, and Moon grinned widely, still singing.
“Alright, let me pick a song first,” Panli said, pulling out his phone and tapping on it. “This one’s good. I like it.”
The next moment, as Moon looked up and met his eyes, a melody with piano accompaniment began to play. Klaijai had heard this song before. Back then, he thought he’d never have the chance to experience something like the song described, because someone who could make his life feel like this song… had never come along.
“This man has nothing but empty hands to reach for the stars for you.
I’ll go find them, as long as you’re by my side.” Until Panli entered his life.
The faint hope, like a flickering candle, began to shine brighter…
“Can you give me your hand? I’ll take you across the waters and sands, to a faraway place we’ve never seen. You don’t need to worry or fear anything. Trust that you’re with me. There may be nothing to prove it, but I… just ask…”
“…”
“No matter how high the sky is, hold my hand as tightly as you can. As long as Theerak keeps walking without stopping, we’ll keep walking together. Even if waves crash or we face steep cliffs… even if something unexpected happens, hold my hand and don’t let go.”
“…”
Klai smiled at Moon, who was earnestly singing to him, and reached out to pat his head encouragingly. Moon grinned widely, still singing.
Klai wasn’t sure if Panli chose this song to convey meaning through the lyrics or simply liked its melody. But whatever the reason, it made Klai feel warm and smile with all his heart.
“Even if something unexpected happens, hold my hand and don’t let go.”
As Panli finished the final verse, the smaller man pulled his hand from the soft hair and clapped. Moon flashed a bright smile before saying in a playful, pleading tone, “Can you reward this puppy with another head pat?”
The one being teased laughed softly, then rewarded the “puppy” by gently patting his head. “The puppy sings so beautifully.”
“Does you like this song?”
“I love it… I really love it.”
Panli gave a small smile and nodded lightly, seemingly satisfied with the answer. “I’ll sing it for you often, okay?”
“Mhm,” Klai replied, making an OK gesture. Moon laughed and grabbed his hand to hold it.
In that moment, as Panli held his hand, Klai thought of the song’s line…
Even if something unexpected happens, hold my hand and don’t let go.”
And because of Moon’s smile and the firm grip of his large hand, Klai recalled another line…
“As long as Theerak keeps walking without stopping, we’ll keep walking together.”
Let’s keep walking together forever, Moon.
A pearl-white Benz sports car pulled into the condo’s parking lot. Once the car stopped, Klai unbuckled his seatbelt to get out. Panli handed him a yellow cloth bag that was resting on the armrest. Klai took it with a smile and said, “Thanks, puppy.”
“LINE me when you get to your room, okay? So I won’t worry.”
“Okay.”
“Klaijai…”
“…”
“Good night,” Panli said.
Even though Klai had heard Panli’s “good night” countless times, he never built immunity to it. He still felt shy every time.
“Good night to you too,” Klai replied.
“You’re welcome,” Panli said.
The smaller figure got out of the car, and as always, Moon turned on the car’s interior light, rolled down the window, and waved goodbye. Klai flashed a sweet smile at Moon one last time before the window slid shut. He watched as Moon’s car drove away from the condo.
And, as always…
Even after Moon was gone,
He left behind a lingering smile for Klai.
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