MYMOON, Chapter 8:
The sound of the khim stopped as Klai finished playing the piece. He smiled, satisfied, as he’d played it perfectly, just as he’d hoped. The beautifully carved wooden cover was carefully placed over his favorite instrument. Klai stood up, leaning down to lift the khim to take it to the music storage room. But as he turned, he came face-to-face with a junior from the Faculty of Fine Arts who was also helping Phii Dear with the Thai music performance.
“Need help carrying it, Phii Klai?” the junior asked.
“No worries, I can take it myself,” Klai said, flashing a smile.
“Let me help. You’re in a suit, so it’s probably not easy to carry,” the good-looking junior insisted, reaching out with both hands to take the khim from him. “Phii Klai, you play the khim so well.”
“Thank you… You’re really good at playing the saw too.”
The junior looked visibly shy before continuing, “Uh… when will you come to practice again?”
“Probably next week…” Klai tilted his head to look at the junior staring at him. “Is something up?”
“Uh… I…”
“Klai…”
The conversation between him and the junior was interrupted by a familiar voice. Klai smiled without turning to look at the person behind him, and when he did turn, it was Phii Dear, as expected.
“Yes, Phii Dear?”
“Finished with practice? Everything go okay today, ja?”
“Really good, actually. I played better today than ever.”
“Nice, nice… Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, okay?”
“Yes, khrap.” Klai flashed a smile at his close senior. Phii Dear furrowed his brows slightly while looking at the junior from their faculty, who was standing there holding a large khim.
“Where are you taking that khim, Mak?”
“I’m going to put it away for Phii Klai.”
“Oh… good, good. When I’m not around, I’m counting on you to look after Klai for me.”
“Got it.”
“You can go store the khim now.”
“Yes, Phii Dear.”
As the male junior walked away, Phii Dear gave a sly smile while looking at him. Klai furrowed his brows slightly, curious, before asking the other.
“Why are you looking at me and smiling like that?”
“You’ve got some serious charm, you know.”
“Huh?”
The small guy’s eyes widened. The senior’s words left him even more confused. Phii Dear chuckled softly and reached out to ruffle his hair.
“That kid, Mak, from earlier… he’s got a crush on you.”
“…”
“I overheard him talking with his friends during practice.”
“…” No wonder… the junior named Mak often sat and stared at him.
“He’s a good student, nice personality, and more mature than his age… interested, Klai?”
Klai let out a smile before saying, “I’d like to be interested, Phii Dear.”
“But the problem is, Klai already has someone he likes.”
The listener’s eyes widened before asking, “For real? Who does Klai like? A friend from the faculty?”
“Not a friend from the faculty…” Klai bit his lip slightly and rubbed his ear before continuing, “He’s… someone I know, that’s all.”
“Blushing this much… are you two dating?”
The person being questioned shook his head a little and said, “Not even close to dating, Phii Dear.”
“Don’t tell me…”
“Yes, I have a crush on him.”
“Hearing the words ‘have a crush’ makes me understand the feeling.
Even now, I still have a crush on my friend, haha.”
Klai laughed along with his fellow secret admirer. “People with crushes find happiness in their own way, don’t they, Phii Dear?”
“Exactly~ Just seeing him every day is enough. Let him be our motivation without even knowing it.”
Exactly… Moon probably doesn’t realize he’s my motivation.
LINE –
~
The notification sound from the LINE app grabbed Klai’s attention. He pulled his phone from his pants pocket and swiped the screen to read the full message his friend sent in the group chat.
Ppie: Klai, done practicing the khim yet?
Klai looked up at his senior. Phii Dear nodded as if he knew Klai had to go. “Phii Dear, I have a meeting with friends to revise some work today, so I’ll take my leave now.”
“Go ahead. See you later, Klai.”
“Okay~”
The small person waved goodbye to his senior and walked out of the Faculty of Fine Arts building. While hurrying along, he tapped his fingers on the keyboard to reply to his friend. glaijai: I’m done practicing. Heading to the faculty building now. glaijai: Pie, are you at the library alone?
Ppie: I’m not alone anymore. Mai just got here.
Mamay: Klai, no need to rush. Pie’s almost done editing the work as you instructed, just a little bit left.
Ppie: Yeah, ~, really just a tiny bit left.
Ppie: It’s noon already. Wanna go grab some food at the cafeteria first? You’ve got two hours of class right after.
The latest message from his close friend made him pause mid-step. His empty stomach, unfed since morning, growled in response. Klai shook his head and tapped on the keyboard.
glaijai: The edits left aren’t much, right, Pie?
Ppie: Yup, just a little bit. Don’t worry, Klai. We know you haven’t eaten since morning, right?
Ppie: sent a sticker
A sticker of a cat with fiery eyes made Klai burst out laughing. glaijai: Don’t be mad, okay? I was rushing to practice the khim
today.
Ppie: I’ll forgive you if you hurry and go eat. glaijai: Okay, ~ glaijai: I’ll go grab food now.
Mamay: Klai, I’ll come down and eat with you. Pie can watch our stuff in the library since we’ve got my and Pie’s laptops here. Don’t want to lug them to the cafeteria. glaijai: Have you eaten yet, Mai?
Mamay: Already ate! glaijai: Then you don’t need to come down. Stay and help Pie with
the edits.
glaijai: I can eat alone.
Mamay: I can just sit with you. Eating alone is so lonely, Klai. glaijai: …I won’t be lonely. Don’t come down, Mai. I don’t want
you walking back to the cafeteria; it’s far.
Mamay: You sure?
glaijai: Sure, –
Mamay: Alright, once the edits are done, we’ll print the work together, okay, Klai?
glaijai: If the edits are done, Mai, have Pie send it to my email. I’ll
go print it at the building opposite the cafeteria. It’ll save time. glaijai: Mai and Pie, go wait in the classroom. I’ll catch up soon.
Mamay: Okay, sounds good.
glaijai: I’m grabbing food first. If I’m slow to reply on LINE, just
call me. The cafeteria’s super crowded at noon, probably really loud.
Mamay: Ok
Ppie: Got it. I’ll call you after submitting the work.
glaijai: sent a sticker
Prompted by his stomach’s loud grumbling, Klai quickly turned around. He headed back to the cafeteria. At noon break, he expected it to be packed with students, and the sight before him confirmed it.
Klai scanned for the food stall with the shortest line to save time. He strode to the omelet rice stall, pausing to check the recommended menu on the large sign.
“What’ll it be, dear?” the stall auntie asked.
“Um… omelet rice with chili paste and basil, please.”
“Coming right up, wait a sec.”
“Okay.”
He replied with a smile. Soon, a fragrant plate of omelet rice with chili paste and basil was handed to him. Klai took the aromatic dish and reached for his wallet to pay.
The petite figure stood holding his plate in the middle of the cafeteria. Almost no tables were free. But today, the round world seemed kind to this Klai. A group of students at a nearby table got up just in time, and he hurried to claim the long table.
Before digging into the omelet, Klai leaned down to savor its aroma once more. At that moment, he sensed someone sit down across from him. To be sure, he looked up.
“Can I join you?” Panli asked.
Right then…
Thump, thump, thump, thump
His heart had already given permission.
“S-Sure.”
Klai thought if they met more often, his heart wouldn’t race every time he saw Moon. Like now, his heart was pounding because he hadn’t seen Panli for two full days. It wasn’t because Moon had skipped his “job” of appearing at 5:30 p.m. that day. Rather, Klai had been tied up with open house planning meetings until late. By the time he left, Panli was gone. And yesterday, he had khim practice after class, so he didn’t stick around to see his usual Moon.
Even though he doesn’t see Moon every day, Klai never thinks of them any less.
And Moon continues to be his source of encouragement…
“Why is you eating alone, kha?”
“I just finished practicing the khim and walked over from the Faculty of Fine Arts building, so I stopped to eat alone. My friends are still working on their assignments at the faculty building.”
“Oh, I see.”
Klai tried to hold back a smile when he saw the other nod and give a small smile while looking at him. “So… is you eating alone?”
“No, khap… I’m eating with Chubby Cheeks, Phii Fah, and Phii Fah’s friend.”
Panli nodded toward the left. When Klai looked in that direction, he saw the owner of those chubby cheeks he adored, resting their cheek on Phii Fah’s arm, probably acting all clingy. But when Klai turned back to the person sitting across from him, he saw Moon, who had been staring at him for who knows how long, giving a faint smile.
“KhunKlai…”
“Yes, kha, I mean, yes?”
“Earlier, Chubby Cheeks asked me to tell you that…”
This kind of look…
…playful but filled with warmth.
“…”
“He misses you a lot.” Boom!
He never imagined… that Theerak words would be relayed through Moon, could be so powerful that it made his heart explode into pieces within him.
In truth… it wasn’t the longing from Theerak that attacked his heart. It was the messenger themselves who obliterated his little heart into ruins.
“I… I miss Theerak too.”
Yes… I miss Theerak so much.
But in his heart, +1 more person.
Klai misses you, Sasin, so much.
“I’ll go tell Chubby Cheeks, kha.”
Klai nodded before continuing, “So why did you come sit with me?”
“I don’t want to see people being all lovey-dovey.”
“Panli’s talking about Phii Fah and Rak, right?”
“Yup~ I’m allergic to Rak.”
Klai’s guess was spot-on; those two were truly head over heels for each other. “Rak smells so sweet, how can Panli say he stinks?”
The listener chuckled softly before asking, “What kind of sweet?” Moon said, sniffing the air as if catching a scent. “…I like the smell of your perfume, maybe?”
“Panli, you can smell my perfume too?” Klai asked, trying to keep his composure. Realizing Panli noticed his fragrance sent his heart into a shy frenzy.
“Yeah… it’s so fragrant. Just a slight movement from you and I catch it.”
“And do you like?”
“…”
Klai’s eyes widened in shock as he realized his question was rather ambiguous. He waved both small hands frantically before saying, “W-
Wait, I didn’t mean it like that, Panli!”
“…”
“I meant… do you like this kind of scent? If you don’t, I’ll sit a bit farther so it doesn’t make you dizzy.”
Moon gave a small smile, then lowered his gaze to his plate. Klai let out a quiet sigh, scolding himself for asking something so awkward in his embarrassment.
Panli kept his head down, poking at his rice with a spoon, before saying, “I like it… I like this kind of scent.”
And Panli’s equally awkward response made Klai’s freshly piecedtogether heart explode into pieces again.
“So…” Moon looked up, meeting his eyes, and asked, “What kind of scent does you like?”
“Uh…”
“Something like this?”
Klai’s eyes widened again as the other’s large hand, just released from the spoon, extended toward him, as if offering the back of his smooth hand for a sniff of his perfume. Klai was so flustered he didn’t know what to do. He wrinkled his nose and shook his head lightly to decline.
“Tricking me into sniffing… I’m not doing it.”
Panli burst out laughing and pulled his hand back. “Fine, no sniffing.
But you didn’t have to make such a cute face about it.”
Klai didn’t respond. He chose to lower his head and scoop rice into his mouth instead. Being complimented by his crush made him insanely shy:: flushed. But as something occurred to him, he looked up at the other.
“Panli… I’ve washed your shirt already. I brought it with me today, but the parking lot is really far, so I was thinking…”
“You can return it another day. I’m not in a rush.”
“I was going to ask Phii Dom to pass it back to you, but he seems busy lately, so I didn’t want to bother him.”
“Then you don’t need to have Phii Dom return it for you, KhunKlai.
Just give it back to me yourself.”
Klai tried to hold back a smile before saying, “I was thinking the same thing.”
“If we’re on the same page…” Moon said with a slight smile, continuing, “…then there’s no need to overthink it, right?”
Unable to hold back at Panli’s words, Klai let himself smile and nodded firmly. But when the other’s spoon scooped some basil pork from their plate onto his, Klai’s smile faded, replaced by a puzzled frown. As if sensing his confusion, the person across from him spoke up.
“Your plate has vegetables and egg.”
“…”
“But it’s missing meat.”
“…”
“Take care of yourself, okay, KhunKlai?”
Klai was certain Moon didn’t know personal details about him, so how did he know Klai often neglected his meals? “Thank you, Panli.” “Same as always… Can I trade your thanks for you promising to take good care of yourself instead?”
“Sure… I will take good care of myself.”
“Very good.”
Moon gave a smile that made his heart swell before lowering his head to continue eating. Klai had once wondered why Panli always approached him first. But thinking back to the day Panli drove him to his condo, Klai realized Moon was someone who kept his promises, doing exactly as he said.
‘But if I see you first… I’ll go say hi to you myself.’ He didn’t know what the future held.
But for now, Moon had never broken a promise…
Klai shifted his gaze from Panli when someone plopped down beside him. Seeing Panli turn and give an annoyed look, Klai immediately knew it was his friend.
“Seeing your friend and you make that face, huh, Li?”
“I am fed up with picky friends like you.”
“What, ~… I’m not here to meddle, man.”
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“Well… haha, fine, I admit I’m just being nosy.”
“You dumbass!”
“We’ve been watching you from that corner for ages,” Panli’s friend said, narrowing his eyes at him. “…Just found out you’ve got a friend in aviation too.”
“KhunKlai is a junior of your close friend, Phii Fah. I only got to know him recently… so I haven’t introduced him to you guys yet.”
“Ohhh…”
“Oh, what’s with that long-ass ‘oh’? Keep it up, and I’ll shove my heel in your mouth.”
“Damn, you’re brutal!”
Panli sighed before turning to Klai. “KhunKlai… this is Boss, my high school friend. He’s in the architecture faculty.”
“Nice to meeeet you!”
“I dare you to say that again.”
“Nope, you’ll beat me!”
“…”
“But seriously, why do you talk so politely… so unlike you, Panli, huh~”
“I’m still the same Panli… I just choose who to be nice to.”
“Damn, that’s clear as day!”
“Unlovable people like you guys get my rough side.”
“Ugh, I’m hurt!” The one called Boss said before turning to Klai with a friendly smile. “Your name’s ‘Klai,’ right?”
“Yes.”
“KhunKlai, you don’t need to be polite with him. These guys are sinners with bad hearts. Just a nod is enough,” Panli said.
“Hey! You’re going too far. I haven’t even gotten to know KhunKlai, and you’re already slandering me like this!”
“I’m telling the truth. I never slander anyone.”
“I’m done talking to you. I’ll talk to the cute one instead,” Boss said, looking at Klai again. “Small lips, sharp nose—who brought you here?”
“I did, you dumbass! What a stupid question!”
Klai blinked rapidly, looking back and forth between Panli and their friend. The situation felt like Panli was being provoked. Someone named Boss kept trying to talk to him several times, but Panli was clearly blocking it, probably because they were worried their friend might accidentally speak rudely to him, like that time at the condo.
“Li… let me talk to your friend for a bit. It’s not every day I meet someone cute.”
“KhunKlai, are you full yet, kha?”
Klai glanced down at the plate of food in front of him and shook his head. “Not yet. I’ve only had two bites.”
“Really, kha?” Panli looked left and right before continuing, “Should we move to another table then?”
“Damn, you jerk. If you’re gonna be like that, I’ll leave myself, Li.”
“Then go.”
“You’re not gonna stop me even a little?”
“What’s so important about you that I’d need to stop you?”
“Shitty friend! You never spare my feelings.”
“Get going already. You’ve been disturbing Khun Klai’s meal for long enough.”
“Fine, fine.”
Klai raised his hand to wave goodbye to the person who seemed about to leave the table. But when Boss saw him wave, they plopped back down in their seat and flashed him a smile.
“Seeing this, I don’t even want to leave anymore.”
“…” Klai pressed his lips together, his slender hand frozen mid-wave. Then, a hand from across the table reached over and gently grabbed his, holding it.
“KhunKlai… no way. Don’t wave bye-bye to him.”
Klai fell silent, lowering his eyes to his hand, which had been pulled to rest on the dining table, held by Moon’s larger hand. Panli seemed to have forgotten they were still holding his hand, as they turned to argue with their friend while still gripping it.
“Not yet, not yet…”
“Not yet what, Li’s friend?”
“You’re still not leaving, you jerk!”
“Alright, I’m going, jeez. So damn fierce.”
Klai wanted to wave goodbye to Boss, who turned back to flash him one last smile, but since his hand was still being held by Moon, he could only return a smile instead. Then Moon turned to look at him. Panli furrowed their brows slightly before letting his hand go. Their large palm lightly tapped the back of his hand, as if in playful punishment.
“Why did you hit me?”
“Didn’t want to, but it’s because you were waving bye-bye to that Boss guy.”
“Well… Boss was about to leave, so I did that.”
“Don’t let him get too full of himself, thinking you has a thing for him.”
Klai let out a laugh before saying, “We just met for the first time. How could I have a thing for him?”
“Exactly. Those flirty types think they can win anyone over,
KhunKlai.”
“…”
“That’s why I don’t really want my friends talking to you. They’re all so flirty—almost every single one of them.”
Klai gave a small smile while looking at Moon, who spoke with a serious expression and tone, before saying, “Including you, Panli?”
“No way, KhunKlai. Absolutely don’t include me!”
“…”
“I’m not a flirt.”
Klai chuckled softly and nodded firmly. “Alright, I’ll believe you.”
“See? Boss only sat here for a moment, but he’s already ruined my credibility.”
“Not at all…” Klai didn’t know where he found the courage, but he dared to gaze deeply into those eyes before saying, “I believe in what I see more than what I hear. So, no one can change the good Panli in my eyes.”
Moon bit his lip, then wrinkled his nose slightly, as if playfully holding back something. Klai melted completely seeing Moon make such a cute face.
Not only are you super cute, but you’re also great at making others feel at ease.”
That compliment… it made him insanely shy.
“Let me take a third bite of my rice first.”
“Go ahead.”
Klai scooped rice into his mouth. He tried to chew without smiling, but he couldn’t manage it. All he could do was stare at his plate and let himself smile. Bzz~
But a buzzing sound pulled his attention from the plate in front of him. Klai reached into his pants pocket, pulled out his phone, and glanced at the name on the screen.
‘Pie’
Klai hurriedly chewed and swallowed the rice before answering the call. The person across from him must have noticed his rush and handed over the water bottle he’d been holding. Even though the large bite of rice was thoroughly chewed, it still went down his throat with some difficulty.
This bite of rice is so hard to swallow.
T____________T
“Drink some of my water first, KhunKlai, or it’ll get stuck in your throat.”
Klai glanced between the water bottle and Panli. “…”
“If you don’t mind that I’ve already taken a sip, you can drink my water, KhunKlai.”
Klai had never once thought of being bothered by Moon, but he was just stunned by the other’s kindness and attentiveness. He reached for the bottle, took a sip, and quickly answered the call.
“Hello, Pie.”
[I’ve sent the work to your email, Klai.]
“Okay, I’ll go print it out.”
[You’re printing it at Communication Arts building, right?]
“Yeah, yeah.”
[Alright then… No rush, Mai and I will head up to reserve seats first.]
Klai checked his watch. “Okay, we’ve got a little over an hour left.”
[Yep.]
“Then I’ll finish eating first.”
[Sure.]
His thin lips pressed together as he watched Moon take a swig from the same bottle. Klai shook his head lightly, slipping his phone into his pant pocket.
It’s just sharing a water bottle, Klaijai… Why are you so shy?
“Are you going to print some work, KhunKlai?”
“Yeah, I’m planning to print the report at Communication Arts building since it’s close to the cafeteria.”
“That place’s cheaper than others too. I print there all the time.”
“Oh…”
“I’ve got some work to print today as well.”
Can I come with you?”
“Sure.”
Moon is so kind, always making time for us.
🙂
“KhunKlai… which way did your friend send the file?”
Klai, who had just chosen the cover paper and handed it to the shop owner, hurried over to Moon, who was seated at a laptop. Though the shop was crowded with students, they didn’t have to wait in line. The shop owner, who seemed close with Panli, let them use his personal laptop.
The petite figure weaved through the crowd to reach the person who had just asked him. Klai grabbed a small piece of paper and a pen nearby, wrote down his email address, and handed it to Panli.
“My friend sent the file via email… here’s my email.”
“Okay.”
Panli took the paper and furrowed his brow slightly while looking at Klai’s real name spelled in English. Klai figured Panli was probably curious about his name, just like others. Back in high school, classmates often wondered why he had a name that sounded feminine. They’d say his name felt outdated, more like a character from an old story than something modern. Klai was used to hearing this, but because he knew the true meaning of his name…
And because it was the name his mother had carefully chosen for him…
Klai loved his name deeply.
“Klaijai…”
“…”
“Is that your real name?” Panli asked, turning to him with a curious expression.
The person standing beside him nodded hesitantly. “Yes… actually, my mom gave it to me as both my real name and nickname. But most people just call me ‘Klai.’”
“It’s super cute.”
The first person to ever compliment his name smiled and turned back to type on the keyboard to access the email for him. It was the first time Klai had heard someone outside his family praise the name ‘Klaijai.’ Hearing Moon’s words, his heart didn’t race as it usually would. Instead, it felt something else—a warm, pleasant feeling that caught in his throat.
“Thank you, Panli.”
“I’m just logging into the email… no need to thank me,” Panli said.
“That’s not what I’m thanking you for…” Klai met Moon’s curious gaze. “Thank you for saying my name is cute.”
Panli grinned widely and said, “Well, ‘Klaijai’ is really cute.”
‘…’ The only person who sincerely praised his name… it could only be Moon.
“Has someone actually said that this name isn’t cute?”
“Well…”
“Do you still remember that person? I’ll go deal with them.”
Klai laughed when he saw the other’s serious expression before saying, “I don’t remember anymore.”
“Really forgot, or are you just afraid of trouble, kha?”
To be honest, I’m afraid of trouble.”
Panli gave a small smile before saying, “From now on, if anyone says this name isn’t cute… I’ll go punch them in the mouth.”
“No one would dare say that about me anymore, probably because they’re scared of getting punched by you, Panli.”
“I’m not a brute, KhunKlai. I just don’t like people who keep making others feel bad,” Panli said while opening a work file for him. “Those kinds of people need to be taught a lesson.”
“Don’t go teaching anyone a lesson if it means you’ll get hurt.”
“…”
Klai said that because he was genuinely worried about the other. There’s only one moon in the world, and even the sun could never replace his original moon.
“Do you understand, Panli?”
“Noted, kha.”
“Good job.”
“Someone hot-headed like me… talking to you seems to cool me down.”
Klai laughed, then raised his hand to touch the golden blonde hair. His slender brows furrowed slightly before he said, “Your head doesn’t feel hot at all.”
“See… acting cute again, huh? No wonder your friends love chatting with you, KhunKlai.”
The slender hand that had touched the blonde hair returned to his side, and he sent a smile to the other. Just now, Klai had let himself act on what he wanted to do. He felt like his true self, without forcing anything, every time he got closer to Moon.
It’s like every action and word between the two of them comes straight from the heart.
“I’ve already ordered the print for you, kha. Shall we go pick it up at the shop?”
“Okay.”
“When people compliment you for being cute, do you ever get shy?”
Klai turned to look at the person walking beside him, then said with a laugh, “Of course I get shy.”
“I’ve noticed several times, and it seems like you don’t get shy much.
You’re usually pretty calm.”
“If I’m quiet, it means I’m shy.”
“Oh…”
“…” Klai looked at the person smiling softly while gazing at him.
“Do people often compliment you on being cute?”
“Pretty often.”
“Just compliments, right?”
“What does you mean…”
“I mean, just compliments without anything more…” The playful glint in his eyes turned serious before he continued, “…not flirting.”
Though curious about Panli’s question, Klai chose to answer honestly.
“There’s been some flirting, yeah.”
“Flirting too?”
“Mhm.”
“Does it happen regularly, KhunKlai?”
Klai paused as they reached the shop’s entrance before replying, “Regularly? I don’t really pay attention to these things, so I don’t quite remember if it’s been regular.”
“Then when was the last time someone flirted with KhunKlai?”
Klai furrowed his brow, thinking. “The last time? Well, it’s not exactly flirting, but a senior told me a junior has a crush on me.”
“I’d count that as flirting. That kid’s probably about to make a move.”
“If you count it… then it was just around eleven this morning, before we came to eat at the cafeteria. I only found out then because the junior helped me carry my khim to store it. I had to practice for the open house performance.”
“So the latest was today, KhunKlai?”
“…” Klai blinked rapidly, watching Panli’s wide-eyed, surprised expression. Panli probably didn’t expect someone as plain and unexciting as him to have people flirting with him.
Klaijai does have people interested in him, Moon.
But this Klaijai is only interested in you, Sasithorn…
“…So popular.”
Moon’s comment made Klai break into a smile. “Not popular at all… Honestly, the junior didn’t flirt with me. The senior just mentioned it. I’d need to hear it from the junior’s mouth to be sure they like me and are serious about flirting.”
KhunKlai doesn’t need to wait to hear it from the junior. I’m sure it won’t be long before that kid comes to flirt with you for real.”
“But…”
“The report’s ready.”
Our conversation came to a halt as the shop owner interrupted. Panli reached out to take the report for me, grabbing his own work and rolling it into a cylinder before pulling out money to pay the shop owner.
“Panli, how much is my report?”
“I’ll cover it since KhunKlai let me come along to print.”
“No way, I feel bad.”
“You didn’t finish what you were saying earlier.”
“Earlier?” Klai thought back before saying, “Oh, I was going to say…
I probably won’t get involved with that junior.”
“Why not? Is the kid too wild?”
Klai laughed softly before saying, “No, that’s not it.”
“Then why?”
How could he say… it’s because his heart already belongs to Moon?
“How much was the report, Panli? Don’t try to change the subject.”
“This time I’ll pay, but next time you can cover for me.”
Wanting there to be a next time and many more, Klai nodded. “Okay.”
“Let’s go wait for the elevator.”
Klai walked with Moon to the elevator. Both of them were quiet before glancing at the person beside us. Our eyes met by chance, and Klai couldn’t help but smile. Panli smiled too.
So why won’t you be interested in that junior?”
Why is Panli so curious? Klai met the inquisitive gaze, and those eyes compelled him to speak the truth. “Because… if I already have someone in my heart, no matter how many others come along, I won’t care.”
“…”
Oh no, Klai…
What did you just say?
T____________T
Klai quickly looked away, focusing on the numbers above the elevator door instead. He hoped Panli wouldn’t realize that someone was secretly in love with him.
And he prayed Panli wouldn’t figure out that it was Klaijai himself
Who was hopelessly in love with his moon…
“Being devoted to one person is really wonderful, isn’t it?”
Klai turned to the person beside him. Moon’s bright smile eased his worries.
“I’m happy for the person in your heart, knowing you feel so steadfast toward them.”
Klai fell silent, offering Moon a faint smile. He wasn’t afraid of Panli misunderstanding, thinking he already had a crush. He knew their relationship could never go further than… one person wanting to get closer to the moon every day. Klai never hoped to possess the moon.
If Panli assumed he had someone in his heart, that was fine.
Because, in the end, their relationship could only ever be, at most, a friendship.
I hope that if one day they realize how loyal I am to them… they’ll be as happy as you are, Panli.”
The truth was…
Moon didn’t need to be happy for that person.
Because that person was Moon himself.
Moon, Klai’s moon… you can be fully happy.
Because this Klai will remain steadfast and loyal to you, ‘Sasin,’ and you alone.
🙂
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