NORTHHOWMUCHISYOURLOVE, Chapter 15 part 2
Phii Johan got out of bed. I followed because he mentioned taking me along.
“Do I have to go too?”
“Uh-huh.”
“But I have to go to work today, at the café.”
“…”
“Yes.” I nodded reluctantly. I mean, the café owner isn’t going to fire me, right? “Is Ter there?” I asked again, having heard that the guys wanted me to stay with Ter at the café downstairs.
“Yes.”
I had to reluctantly borrow Phii Joe’s scarf to cover the marks around my neck from last night. Lately, I’ve been wearing something like this all the time; the old marks have just started to fade. Luckily, the weather isn’t too hot. Otherwise, I might have fainted by now. Even so, wearing this is still hot.
Why doesn’t he think about me when he does things?
“I’m hot.” I muttered under my breath as we walked down to the parking lot.
“Who told you to wear it?”
“You did. Who made the marks? If I don’t cover them, it’s going to be bad if others see them. What would we do then?”
“It’s because I want them to see.”
The sweat shirt might cover up some of the marks, but not all, if you look closely, you can see them. Or if the shirt collar shifts, you’d see them too. What’s important is that the person who did it doesn’t seem to care at all, T^T
I opened the door of the luxurious car and sat in the passenger seat. It’s an Audi, still too fancy for me, and Phii Johan’s driving still scares me. Tiger mentioned that Phii Joe used to race at the same track as him, along with Phii Arthit. But recently, Tiger went to the track and saw that Phii Johan hardly goes anymore. Phii Arthit only goes occasionally.
So, the reason for this scary driving must be because he used to be a racer, right? T^T
Does he know that every time I ride with him, I have to pray? My heart almost jumps out of the window. When the fancy car pulled into the medical faculty’s parking lot, I stepped out with a sigh of relief. At least I’m still alive to meet Ter.
“What time is your class until?” I asked as I followed him down the walkway under the building. I noticed several eyes watching our way, probably looking at Phii Johan. Even though we’re in the same faculty, they’re not used to him yet.
“Eleven.”
“Oh, okay. Should I wait with Ter then?”
“Yeah, think about what you want for lunch.”
“Okay.”
I agreed before stopping at the stairs, where we would part ways since I needed to head to the coffee shop to find Ter.
“Study hard.” I said with a smile.
“Hmm.” I watched Phii Johan walk into the building. When I turned the other way, I saw several people looking at me. What’s this about? Why are they staring? As soon as I looked back at them, they averted their gaze.
“You’re here early.” Ter remarked as soon as I sat across from him, “Phii Hill said you might be late because Joe often is.”
“Really? Well, I’m here now.” I replied.
“Order something first.”
“I don’t have any money.”
“Poor you, I can treat you, I heard you have a lot of debts these days.” Ter said, shaking his head. I looked at him with the utmost gratitude.
“You are a true friend in times of need, a friend for life.”
“Just treating you to some snacks makes me your true friend?”
“I’m truly grateful.”
“Really grateful?”
“Yeah. Just two days, that’s all the gratitude I’ll need, I’ll forget it soon.” I said before opening the menu, probably just ordering a sweet drink would be enough, “Can we just sit here for a while?”
“Yes, today sunday’s class is small too.”
“It’s small now?”
“It is just second-year supplementary classes, some might be coming to work.”
“Really, second-year med students, scheduling all year?”
“Maybe not that many. Just some groups.”
“And what were you thinking, coming here to hang out instead of staying in your dorm?”
“I was feeling lonely. Didn’t want Phii Hill to have to come back for me, anyway, I have to come out to eat. Nothing to do, might as well wait here, and you’re here too.” Said Ter while plugging in his phone charger, planning to stay for a while, “You don’t want to be alone in Phii Joe’s room either, I know.”
“Ask me first, I might want to just chill alone.”
“You, alone? Heh, you’d definitely cry and whine.”
“Ter, you underestimate me too much.”
“So you can be alone then?”
“No, I’d definitely call you.”
“See, that’s why we’re here together, there’s Wi-Fi, it’s easy.” What Ter said was right. I’m okay with any situation, but I can’t be alone because I’m extremely afraid of ghosts, so I can’t sleep alone, not even during the day. I don’t like being in unfamiliar places alone.
“And how long do we have to stay?” I asked.
“Until the seniors finish class, we’ll go eat, I was thinking about watching a movie afterward, then back to the dorm.”
“Are you going to the movies? What movie?”
“I don’t know yet, I’ll check at the theater, wanna come?”
“Are you inviting me? I’m shy.” I said, pretending to be shy, “Let’s go, just make sure I sit between you and Phii Hill.”
“For what?”
“Hey, I’m also your friend, right? You don’t even consider me?”
“Cut it out, please. You don’t have to go.” Ter said with a sigh, just as the server approached. I ended up ordering a green tea and a sandwich. Speaking of which, Phii Joe hasn’t had breakfast yet today, right? His classes are too early, he must be starving by now.
“Have you ever gone to the movies with Phii Joe?”
“No, why?”
“But you’ve kissed?” Ter looked at me, puzzled. “Uh, yeah, see, I’m still confused about what world we’re living in. We didn’t even have a proper conversation before, no dinners, barely any movies.” I said truthfully, this is quite different from other couples.
“Invite Phii Joe to watch with you. The horror movie you wanted to see is playing now.”
“Really? Are you going?” I asked, excited. I’ve been waiting for this horror movie for so long. I’m scared of ghosts because I love watching and listening to ghost stories, which makes my imagination run wild.
“No, I’ll end up not sleeping again. Remember last time, we had to sleep with the lights on until almost morning.”
“Oh, come on, then why invite me?”
“We can go together, but watch in different theaters.”
“Nah, then how would I sit between you and Phii Hill?”
“Enough, consider it me asking nicely, North.” I chuckled at Ter’s bored reaction, teasing him until he seemed annoyed or jealous.
“Invite Phii Joe. Have a normal date for once, don’t you guys go out because he is never free?”
“Probably.” Phii Johan hardly seems to have any free time. Before this, we didn’t see each other because, well, we just didn’t, like I said.
“You were going to tell me something?”
“Oh.” I recalled that I promised Ter yesterday that I would tell him everything. I hesitated again, wondering if I should tell because…um, it’s, uh, quite embarrassing. Just thinking about it makes me embarrassed.
“It’s like…I’m going to tell you everything. Are you okay with that?”
“Okay, totally okay.”
“Really? Don’t tell anyone, I trust you, you know?” “North, let me remind you, I’m not like you. Whatever anyone tells me, I keep it a secret. Unlike you, when you told me about you and Phii Hill, I specifically told you not to tell anyone.”
“I didn’t tell anyone.” I said, tilting my head with a puzzled look.
“Yeah, but you told Phii Hill right away, you bastard, spreading rumors like that.”
“Phii Hill isn’t just anyone.”
“Asshole.” Ter swore at me again in frustration while sipping his cocoa. I’ve tried to keep everyone’s secrets. Right now, the only secret I’m keeping is Tiger’s, and Duennao will never know…I hope. I’ll try my best.
“I’ll tell you. Do you remember the day with that bastard Day, when I didn’t go back to the dorm?”
“Ah.”
And so, I told Ter everything, because I had thought he would be the one to listen to me, and having a friend you can trust to listen is good.
“…”
“You, that’s complicated.”
“Isn’t it?” I said, picking up a sandwich to eat.
“Shit, but I’m thrilled, my ship is sailing fast, I’m confused, blink and we’re at the Pacific…”
“…”
“So, that red mark on your neck then…”
“…” I quickly covered my neck when Ter pointed at it.
“It’s like…shit, but the good part is that he likes you, right? And you’ve opened up. Why not just start dating, given how things are going?” Ter said, furrowing his brow in thought, “It’s hard to say, I think, because there’s the money issue too, but you’ve already borrowed fifty thousand, right?” “Right.” I nodded, “Got it really fast, like borrowing fifty baht.”
“Absolutely amazing, rich because you earn your own money, just like you.”
“Like me? I just do some part-time work.”
“It’s still admirable, I like that you make your own money, it inspires me to try part-time work too.” Ter suddenly complimented, making me accidentally put down my sandwich.
“Now I’m embarrassed, you beast.”
“Embarrassed and then cussing.”
“Why the sudden praise?”
“Well, have I praised you for this before?”
“Thanks, I’m so embarrassed I could cry. Order something, I’ll treat you.”
“Pfft, save your money for tuition.”
“Ouch.”
“And to go back to my question, why not just start dating?” Ter repeated his earlier question.
“Oh…” I paused for a moment to gather my thoughts, “How should I say this? For me, I might not overthink things usually, but when it comes to relationships, I do think about it.”
“How so?”
“Well…if we’re going to date, there should be a lot of things like now, what he likes, what he doesn’t, I still don’t know. I’ve heard he studies hard, works hard too. If we’re going to date, we need to take care of each other, so I want to get to know him better.”
“Plus, I’m not very confident yet. I’m okay with anyone, I can get along with everyone. But can he be with someone like me? Like when I dated Ja, Ja was selfcentered, moody, and annoying, but I could handle it.” “And when you said your heart was broken, you just didn’t care?” “That’s different, that was a case where I fell for her, and she might have been playing me. But in the case of actually dating, it’s different. If I have a boyfriend, I want to take care of him, not hurt him. So I want to know more, take time to learn. If we date, I’ll be more serious than this.”
“Oh, more serious than this, and if it fails?”
“It’ll be a total disaster.”
“You’re really serious when you date, aren’t you?”
“Of course, we’re not kids anymore.”
“A role model, oh, right, about that, I wanted to discuss something with you. Initially, I was thinking about you staying with Phii Johan. Then this idea came up.”
“What idea?”
“We might…not live together anymore.”
“Why…”
“North, I don’t want to leave you.”
“Ter, don’t make it so dramatic, tell me in detail.”
“Actually, Phii Hill has wanted me to move in with him for a long time. But I didn’t go because I was worried about you.”
“Oh, am I going to be a thorn in Phii Hill’s side?”
“And Phii Hill said Phii Johan wants you to move in with him too.”
“No way.”
“No way, right?” Ter said, “Honestly, I’m not that serious about moving in with Phii Hill. I do want to go, but…we’ve been living together for so long.”
“Exactly, Ter. You can’t abandon our little dorm.”
“It’s the first dorm I stayed in after moving from home. You were my first friend in university. If we separate rooms, we might not see each other as often anymore. Just thinking about it breaks my heart.” Ter said, looking a bit sad. I felt the same; we’ve been together for a semester.
“Then just tell Phii Hill you won’t move.”
“I told him. But I don’t know. He didn’t seem very pleased. If Phii Hill talks to Phii Johan, that’s it.”
“Why?”
“Heh, he already bought the shop where you work and had you kicked out. Recently, he bought all the shops. If he just buys the dorm…”
“…”
“No, no way.” I said, raising both hands to my temples. That would definitely be bad, buying the dorm and kicking me out wouldn’t be hard at all. No. I want to stay with Ter, and I won’t move into a tiger’s den, nope.
“No, Ter, no way. You have to convince Phii Hill, okay?” I held Ter’s hands, pleading until he raised his eyebrows in surprise at my actions.
“North, calm down first.”
“Ter…”
“North, you don’t want to move in with Phii Johan that much? I heard his room is really luxurious.”
“Uh…yeah, it’s luxurious, even has a kitchen area, the bathroom is spacious, unlike our tiny room and our makeshift bed, the whole room only has a microwave, a fridge, and an electric skillet.”
“Which is broken…can’t even warm up leftovers properly.”
“Just like our makeshift bed.”
“You’ll have to continue sharing a pillow with me, Ter.”
“Goosebumps, alright, I won’t leave you anywhere. I’ll tell Phii Hill again, can you give me a good reason, help me think of one.” “The reason is I don’t want to leave you.” “Phii Hill told you to go live with Phii Joe, it’s more comfortable, more convenient, and I agree on that part, your quality of life would improve.” Said Ter. I let go of his hand in frustration.
“We’ve always lived together, eating, gaming, doing laundry. When we’re sick, we’re together, we go everywhere together, I’d be heartbroken.” I said, making a frustrated face at Ter. Seriously, Ter is one of my best friends, even though we’re in different faculties. If we separate rooms, we’d drift apart.
“Drama queen. Well, yeah, I’d be heartbroken too. Anyway, go talk to Phii Joe about it.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to talk to Phii Hill? I definitely don’t want him pushing me.”
“Right.”
“I think, if he sees me being stubborn, he’ll be even more displeased, he’d be so annoyed.”
“Then you’ll talk to Phii Hill too, okay?”
“Hmm, okay, we can talk after class. Do I need to squeeze out some tears?”
“You don’t have to go that far, but can you even cry?”
“Hold on, what do you take me for? Even lunatics can cry.”
“I’ve never seen you cry, no matter how stressed out you were, I can’t imagine it. When was the last time you cried?”
“Oh…” I thought, “High school, probably senior year or the year before that.” I remembered, it was a blurred memory and just thinking about it gave me goosebumps.
“Why did you cry?”
“Mom.”
“Your mom hit you until you cried? Why? Did it hurt so much you went to cry alone in the corner of the room?” “No, I cried while she was hitting me. I didn’t want to cry, it’s not even like I was trying to cry. Just the pain made the tears come out by themselves. Since my tears were already flowing, I just let myself cry, hoping she would feel sorry for me.”
“Did she feel sorry?”
“Not at all, man. Why are you crying! Are you a man or not! Stop it! She said, and then she hit me until the stick broke.”
“What did you do to get beaten like that?” Ter said, looking at me with pity, but he was secretly laughing, I could tell.
“I told her I was going to work with friends, but I sneaked off to the game shop all night.”
“Oh, yeah, you deserved it.”
“Yeah, it’s good. Sometimes she’s too harsh, but she raised me alone, maybe that’s why.”
“I can see that your toughness comes from your mom.” Ter said, “The fact that you don’t overthink things, is that from your mom too?”
“Yes, even when my dad died, she didn’t cry. She said he had gone to a better place. Don’t pity the dead, pity those who are left behind.”
“Wait.” Ter burst out laughing, “Did she really say it like that?”
“Yeah, I couldn’t fully mourn my dad.”
“Your mom didn’t even mourn, right?”
“Exactly, and dad probably wouldn’t want us to mourn either. Back then, our family…wasn’t as bad as it could have been. But why are we talking about my dad anyway?” I said, realizing how we got onto the topic of my dad.
“Yeah, that’s true. So, how did Phii Johan come to like you?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Come on, you don’t know?” “No.” I shook my head slightly, “Yeah, I forgot. Never asked.” “Really? Don’t you want to know?” “I do want to know, but I forgot, when you asked, I remembered, yeah, why does he like me?”
“You’ve never met before, right?” I shook my head to answer, “Think about it, maybe you’re like him in some way.”
“No way, I’m not that innocent.”
“Hold on, that sounds like you’re insulting me.”
“No, no, I’m just saying there’s no way. I remember the people in my life, I’ve never met Phii Joe or anyone like him.” I said. Thinking back, I really hadn’t met him before. The first time was when Phii Joe came to pick up Ter to meet Phii Hill, and the next real encounter was at the bar.
“Are you sure about that? Absolutely sure?”
“Ter, you’re making me doubt myself.”
“Come on, you’re still not confident?”
“Once you’ve said it, I start to doubt a bit, but as far as I remember, there’s nothing. Really nothing.”
“Have you ever crossed paths?”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t know about that. Who remembers that kind of thing? But can people like each other just from passing by?” I wondered.
“You never know, maybe just a bit of interest, and after looking at each other, you might like each other.”
“Really?” I furrowed my brows, not quite convinced, “I doubt it. I’m not special or anything, even if I’m good-looking.”
“Pfft, how can you still compliment yourself?” Ter made a face, “What did you do in your past life, in case there are small details that might have led you to meet him?” “Me? Hmm…” Why do I need to reminisce about the past so often? “Monday to Friday, just regular school. On Saturdays, I helped mom sell vegetables at the market. Sometimes I’d skip out and go to a gaming cafe, I didn’t have any extra classes. In the evening, I’d help my mom; some days I had part-time work. In the mornings, I helped Uncle Bai next door sell soy milk at the market entrance.”
“Hmm, your life sounds pretty ordinary.”
“I told you, I’m not someone special.”
“You never met anyone, like regular customers at your part-time job?”
“Nah.” I shook my head in denial, “The part-time job place didn’t have anything special.”
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?” I turned towards the voice of someone who had just approached our table. It was a woman with long, light brown hair, wearing a student uniform with a fairly tight skirt, probably a senior. She didn’t look too pleased.
“You got out of the car with Phii Joe earlier, right?”
“Yes.”
“Would you like to talk with me for a bit…is that okay?”
“Sure.” The woman slowly walked out. I stood up intending to follow, but Ter grabbed my wrist first, clearly showing worry on his face.
“This won’t be good, North.”
“Yeah. It’s fine.”
“You. You don’t have to go.”
“It’s okay.” I said before gently removing his hand.
“Should I tell Phii Joe?”
“No need. Don’t tell Phii Hill either, I’ll be back soon.” I placed Ter’s hand back on the table and gave it a light squeeze to reassure him. But why am I comforting him? “Are you really okay? Should I come with you?” “It’s fine, trust me, I’ll be back.”
“Be careful, call me if anything happens.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I agreed and walked out of the shop. I saw the same woman waiting. I followed her to the back of the faculty building where there weren’t many people. I saw three other women already waiting.
“Is there something wrong?” I asked as I stopped in front of the four women, all of whom were rather beautiful.
“Little brother…what’s your name again? You’re a freshman, right? What faculty?”
“Yes, North, Electrical Engineering.”
“Oh.”
“Um, Engineering, huh. At first, I heard Joe’s new person was from that department. Didn’t expect it to be a guy. Oh, I’m Jia, I’m Joe’s girlfriend.” Said the woman who had come into the shop to fetch me.
“Oh, sure.” I nodded slightly.
“Wow, saying you’re his girlfriend doesn’t affect you at all, huh? So confident?”
“That’s right, thinking you’re the new one and you can just push aside everyone else? Don’t be too confident. Johan is most serious about me.”
I furrowed my brows because I didn’t understand what all the older sister was saying. After a while, a bunch of curses were thrown at me. Am I being picked on here? Is this what you call a scolding session? Is this how girls usually pick a fight?
“Hey. Say something!” Phii Jia approached me and shoved me back slightly.
“Are you all picking on me?”
“Yeah, so what? I told you to stop messing with Joe. You’ve been riding someone else’s boyfriend’s car. Aren’t you ashamed?” Why don’t you tell Phii Joe to stop messing with me instead? I haven’t done anything.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“Yeah, why? Got a problem?”
“Sister, let me tell you, if you were a guy, I would’ve punched you for pushing me like that.” I said in a calm tone, but as I’ve told you, I’m pretty hot-headed. Now, I am starting to get heated. I’m not the type to just take it.
“I don’t know how girls usually fight, but if you’re just here to scold me without doing anything else, it won’t work on me.”
“…”
“Do you want to do something about it? Normally, I only fight guys.”
“Hey! I’m a woman, you coward, would you hit a woman?” Phii Jia shouted in my face, her face red with both anger and fear.
“Do I look like a good guy to you?”
Phii Jia seemed to reach her peak of anger, raising her hand as if to slap me.
“Go ahead. I’ll hit back, just warning you.”
I said, and that made Phii Jia lower her hand while her friends intervened.
And I wasn’t joking. I’m not so good that I’d just stand there and take it when someone picks a fight with me. It’s just that I’ve never had a woman start a fight like this before. Don’t bring gender into this. She’s the one who attacked me first.
I wouldn’t want to imagine what your pretty face would look like after I hit it, Phii Jia. You wouldn’t dare come to classes for days after that.
“Using just brute force. People without brains, how could Joe like someone like that?” one of Phii Jia’s friends said.
“Hold on, your friend was about to hit me first, remember?”
“Whatever, he’ll just dump you soon anyway.”
“Exactly, who would want someone like that?” “…” “Do you know?”
“That you’re picking a fight with me because deep down, you feel like you’re about to lose, and you might lose Phii Johan?”
“It only lowers your self-worth, you know. Especially when you’re as beautiful as you are. I suggest you stop doing this. You study medicine, right? If your record isn’t good, it will be bad for your career.” I warned her about what I just thought of, then sighed to cool down, turned around, and walked out, hearing her shout insults behind me.
“How did it go?” Ter asked immediately when I returned to sit at the table.
“Hot-headed, that bitch, not at all like a man should be, sigh.” I sighed thinking about it before taking a big gulp of green tea, “My green tea has gone completely flat.”
“Was she looking for trouble?”
“Yeah, like in a soap opera.”
“What did she say?”
“Told me to stop interfering, hah, tell your person that I’ve never interfered.”
“What did she insult you with?”
“Lots of stuff, too lazy to listen. She just insulted me, and couldn’t do anything to me anyway. So, I asked if she wanted to try something, but normally, I only hit guys.”
“You threatened her back?”
“Not threatened, if she hit me, I’d hit back.”
“Wow, that’s awesome. You…
“You’re really something, aren’t you?” I raised my eyebrows, “What am I supposed to do? Be a punching bag? She picked the wrong person to mess with. And her reasons were completely ridiculous.” “I was also worried that some of Phii Joe’s flings might come to pick a fight with you. I’ve experienced that too, but not to the extent of being called out to be insulted. Just some snide remarks.”
“And what did you do back then?”
“Well…nothing. Didn’t know what to do.”
“Oh, poor you.”
“Aren’t you angry now?”
“Not exactly angry. Just got heated up as usual, but I’m actually quite calm about it now. If she were a guy, I would’ve punched back when she pushed me. Plus, I even warned her. That was pretty cool.”
“She pushed you too? Why so hard?”
“Yeah, that. I don’t like it. Who would like being picked on?”
“Are you mad at Phii Joe?”
“Nah, why would I be? He hasn’t done anything to me.”
“A little sulky then? His ex came to bother you.”
“Not at all, it’s nonsense. I’m not sulking, but I’m not that good-natured either. I’ll tell Phii Joe about it.”
“Tell him what?”
Phii Hill?
And Phii Fah too.
Phii Hill sat down next to Ter, while Phii Fah took a seat at the head of the sofa, since we were all in the lounge area. Did they finish early? Why haven’t I seen Phii Joe and Phii Arthit?
“Can I tell?” Ter asked.
“Yeah.” I nodded while sipping my now melted green tea.
“That girl…long brown hair, petite, what’s her name again? Do you know her name?” “Jia.” “Right, Phii Jia, she just picked a fight with North, even pushed him.” Ter said, making a face at Phii Hill. Phii Hill raised an eyebrow slightly before looking at me.
“She pushed you?”
“Well, yeah, but I didn’t fall.”
“Phii Fah, do you know her?”
“Sort of, Jia from the Pharmacy, right?” Oh, she’s from Pharmacy. I thought she was studying Medicine. “What did Jia say?” Phii Fah turned to ask me.
“She just cursed at me, all sorts of things, told me to stop messing around.”
“Has Joe not cleared things up yet?” Phii Hill said, slightly irritated.
“It’s been settled. Joe must have talked to everyone about it. It’s just that the other side won’t accept it.” Said Phii Fah.
“Oh, where is Phii Joe then?” I interjected.
“Joe and Arthit were called by the teacher, they haven’t been let go yet because they’ve been frequently missing classes since the beginning of the term. We got tired of waiting, so we came down first.” Phii Fah explained, with an aura of kindness quite different from Phii Johan.
“Okay, it’s fine, right?”
“It’s fine.” I replied.
“Who would dare to do something to North?” Ter said, “You even threatened to punch her.”
“Really?” Phii Fah said, letting out a small chuckle.
“Uh, well, she came looking for trouble with me first. I’m not just going to stand there and be a punching bag.” I said, “But I didn’t do anything, and I already warned her.” “You’re really something.” Phii Fah said, looking at me with affection. Why is he so gentle, even more than Phii Hill? T^T
“Don’t worry too much, everyone Joe has ever been involved with comes looking for him themselves. He tells everyone from the start that he’s not serious looking for a relationship. If they can’t handle it, they shouldn’t continue, but some people still persist, like they don’t understand.”
“Joe isn’t really at fault, I think.” Said Phii Fah. I nodded in understanding. I remember when it was like with Phii May, she had also said she talked to Phii Joe about not getting too involved in each other’s business.
“It’s much better now.”
Suddenly, Phii Johan and Phii Arthit, who knows when they arrived, joined us. Phii Joe sat down next to me before Phii Arthit went to sit beside Phii Fah.
“Joe.” Phii Hill called out with a tone of displeasure, and Phii Joe immediately furrowed his brows.
“What?”
“Jia, the pharmacist.”
“Who’s that?”
“You don’t even remember her.” Phii Fah said.
“Why?”
“She came looking for trouble with the junior.”
“Huh?” Phii Johan raised an eyebrow in confusion before looking over at me, “Is that true?”
“Yes.” I nodded, wait a minute…why does Phii Johan have such a scary look? Ugh, I’m scared, really scared, can I move to sit next to Ter? You can feel the atmosphere around us changing.
“Tell me.” “Uh…Well, she told me to stop messing around with you, and she scolded me too.”
“She even pushed him.” Phii Hill said.
“I think if it’s nothing serious, you should tell Joe about it.” Phii Arthit chimed in. “There won’t be anyone named Jia in the Pharmacy faculty anymore.”
“Joe, you are making the junior scared of you now.” Phii Fah remarked after noticing my worried frown. “Stay calm, it’s like what I told you yesterday.”
“Did you talk to Jia?” Phii Hill asked.
“Yes.”
“How did it go?”
“It’s cleared up.”
“Does she understand?”
“I think so.”
“Can you calm down first?”
“I am calm.”
“Really calm, huh?” Phii Arthit added, “He’s fine, right?” turning to ask me. I nodded, still a bit confused.
“Uh, yes. I’m really fine.”
“I’m really not angry at you, Phii, it’s just this small thing.”
“Wait here.”
Phii Johan said that before walking out of the shop, leaving everyone at the table bewildered. I watched him leave, it seemed like Phii Joe went out to take a phone call.
“Just like what you said, Arthit.” Phii Fah said, glancing outside at the person who had just left. “See, I told you.” Phii Arthit said, “That hot-headed beast. You can tell just by looking. Since we’ve known each other, Joe has always been so calm, it’s the creepiest thing. And about Jia, is that true?”
“It’s true.” Phii Hill answered.
“It’s chaotic, gives me a headache just thinking about it. This girl came after Joe herself, right?” Phii Arthit said, “If I remember correctly, he never approaches anyone first, does he?”
“Almost never.” Phii Hill said, “Probably never, actually.”
“Maybe when he’s drunk.”
“Joe gets drunk too? I’ve seen him drink crates of beer without getting drunk.” Phii Fah remarked. Wait, who in their right mind can drink crates of beer without getting drunk? That’s not possible, right?
“Even the person being picked on isn’t as hot-headed as he is, right?” Phii Tit said.
“Me?”
“Yes, be careful, my friend’s case is more severe.”
“Huh?”
“What are you gossiping about me?” Phii Johan said as he sat down beside me again. Phii Fah and Phii Arthit immediately shook their heads as if they intended to tease him. Phii Joe didn’t say anything, just made a disgusted face. Then there were some small talks on the table, and soon we all dispersed.
“So, are we going to watch a movie?” Ter asked me as we walked to the parking lot.
“Well, what do you want to do?”
“Ask Phii Joe.”
“He still seems to be in a bad mood.” I said, glancing at Phii Johan walking ahead, “Let’s ask later.” After finishing my conversation with Ter, I got into the car on the passenger side. The atmosphere in the car was quiet as usual, but I felt uneasy.
“Uh, Phii?”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Ah, no. I’m fine.”
Phii Johan reached out with one hand to touch my face and gently stroked my cheek.
“Next time something happens, you tell me first, got it?”
“Okay.”
“I only have you.”
!!
Just me?
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