NORTHHOWMUCHISYOURLOVE, Chapter 29 part 2
“North, do you think I’m just imagining things?”
“Imagining what?”
“You look radiant.” Skater’s words made me raise my eyebrows and look at him with surprise. Right now, we were sitting under the school building because the teacher let us out early, and we didn’t know where else to go.
“What’s with the glow?”
“Maybe because he’s happier. After dating Phii Joe.” Kyu remarked.
“You guys are imagining it.” I said.
“Really? So, how’s dating going? Is your love life happy?” Skater asked.
“It’s good, really good.” I replied, inadvertently smiling after being together for a while. Everything has been great for me. When he’s not stressed about work, he becomes more playful, talks more, loves to tease and prank.
The important thing is…he’s never gentle with me, not even once. It’s almost like we have sex every day. I’m not sure if my body is getting used to it, because many times, after he’s been too intense, I wake up with a sore hip and a slight fever.
People used to say that Phii Johan was a flirt, even my mom said so. She mentioned that you could tell he was a flirt just by looking at him, but the way he looks at me is different, even my mom couldn’t explain it, but she trusts Phii Joe. I wonder if they’ve talked about something without me knowing.
As for part-time work, Phii Joe won’t let me do it, he says he’s worried. I don’t want him to worry, but I also don’t want to just depend on Phii Joe. The money I’m using now is from my savings, and it’s dwindling every day. Maybe I’ll find a chance to discuss work with him again.
“Yeah, there’s a basketball match tonight between the medical faculty and the engineering faculty.” Kyu said, “Who are you cheering for, North?”
“Huh. If I say I’m cheering for the medical faculty, would that look like I’m a traitor?” I asked jokingly.
“Traitor, just leave our faculty then.” Duennao teased.
“Do I have to leave the faculty for that? I’m not cheering for anyone, just there to show support.”
“Are Phii Hill and Phii Joe playing for the medical team?” Skater asked, “With that lineup, will they win? I’ve seen clips from their freshman year during the inter-faculty games, they played really well.”
“Our seniors are a bit scared.” Nao said, “I heard from the basketball club seniors that they’ve planned well to defend against Phii Hill and Phii Joe.”
“And what about your football team?” Kett asked Nao. The last time I watched, they nearly lost, but the medical faculty team was strong, or rather, Phii Arthit was really good.
“Almost died, Phii Arthit isn’t even human, that beast! At first, we thought after thirty minutes, he’d start tiring since we planned to go after him heavily, focusing on just him, but even an hour in, he was hardly tired, and they kept substituting him in and out.” Nao said, looking frustrated, “But you know, it’s a team sport.”
“Do you lose like this when it’s one-on-one too?” Kett asked.
“If it’s Tiger, it’s probably a close match. But how do you even play football?” Nao asked back.
“One person shoots, the other is the goalie.” I said, “But Tiger is good at playing, or else he wouldn’t be captain since the first year.”
“Yeah, he’s skilled, really skilled.” Kyu said. Kyu also plays football, “Has he been this good for a long time, Nao?”
“He’s good, so good it’s annoying. Since middle school, I guess.”
“You’ve been with him since middle school?” I raised my eyebrows in question.
“No, just saw him play. In high school, we got to know each other because we were in the same football club. He’s good enough to go national, maybe.” Duennao said, then picked up some snacks to eat, “But he said he doesn’t really want to pursue football that much. Ha, if the national team ever contacted me, I’d be all over it.”
At first, I thought Tiger and Nao had some issue or something, because that day Tiger was drunk and called me. But from what I see, there doesn’t seem to be anything, or maybe there is but they don’t show it to outsiders like me, and…
“Speaking of, when do doctors like them find time to practice sports? Both Phii Hill, Phii Joe, Phii Arthit, they’re all good at sports. Does Phii Fah play too?” Skater asked.
“Phii Fah is good at tennis, from what I saw in last year’s clips.” Kyu said, “But I heard from the pub that there’s trouble in the medical tennis club, and Phii Fah might quit.”
“Really?” I raised my eyebrows in question.
“It’s just rumors. I don’t know if he’ll really quit.”
“What’s the issue?”
“It’s probably the girls who manage the club having some dispute over Phii Fah. Otherwise, why would he want to leave?” Kyu offered his opinion. “Being handsome is tough.” Skater said with resignation, “But having a handsome boyfriend is tough too, right?” He then turned to tease me.
“Exactly, it’s tough, tough. Wherever you go, people stare. This is what happens when your boyfriend is too good-looking, isn’t it, North?” Kyu continued to tease.
“You guys like to tease me, don’t you ever get tired?”
“Nope, your face is funny.”
“Alright, whatever makes you guys feel better.” I said, resigned.
“Back to the topic, why are doctors good at sports? What’s up with that, North? Do they work out? They look like they’re in good shape.” Skater asked again.
“I’m working out too.” I said, nodding in agreement, “Phii Joe goes to the gym, runs in the morning too.” Whenever he has free time, he usually works out or goes for a run in the morning. How else would he keep such a good physique? And he makes me run too, my legs are sore all the time now.
“Phii Hill works out too, Ter told me.” I added.
“Does he have a six-pack?” Kett asked.
“Why do you have to blush answering that, North?” Duennao started teasing, “Ah, just tell Kett you see it every day.” Nao’s words made me slap his arm. Why tease so hard, Nao?
“So, the answer is?”
“Yeah, he does.” I answered quietly.
“When do doctors find time to work out?” Kett asked.
“Well, everyone has to make time, right? Plus, working out is good for the brain, improves memory, so it helps with studying too, and it’s good for health. Otherwise, they’d just die from stress.” Kyu explained. I nodded in agreement.
After nearly half an hour of chatting and hanging out, I asked Duennao to drop me off at the gym where the basketball game was happening. Duennao wanted to watch too since he had no other plans. Meanwhile, Kyu and Skater went to watch a movie they had tickets for.
“Lots of people, man.” Nao remarked, scanning the crowd with his eyes. It was indeed very crowded, even for the university’s largest gym, making me wonder if I’d get a seat.
“Where should we sit?” I asked.
“Why don’t you go find your boyfriend first? There might be some empty spots around the court.”
“Okay.” I said, navigating through the noisy crowd. Normally, basketball games wouldn’t attract this much attention, but with Phii Hill and Phii Joe playing, it’s different. Look at all the cameras around. I recognized some of the photographers from various faculties; they’re definitely here to capture the match atmosphere for their pages.
Duennao and I made our way to the medical faculty’s side, spotting Phii Joe and Phii Hill in their medical faculty basketball uniforms talking with other team members and their coach, probably going over game strategies. I noticed Ter sitting nearby, so I walked over to him.
“Can I sit with you? Is there space?” I asked Ter.
“Sure.” Ter said, moving his bag to make room, “This is the athletes’ seating area. We’ll just have to squeeze a bit.”
“Have you been here long?”
“It’s been a while, just got out of class.” Ter said. After we separated rooms, I still see Ter often because he’s with Phii Hill, so whenever I visit Phii Joe at the faculty, I run into Ter too, “What about Kett and Kyu?”
“They went on a date. The couple wanted some alone time to be sweet together.”
“Oh, so they’re really dating?” Ter asked. “No, I was kidding.” I said, shaking my head slightly, “They just got a discount for two movie tickets, so they went together.”
“Oh, I see. Haven’t seen Nao much.” Ter said, turning to smile at Nao.
“Exactly, now that I’ve moved out from North’s room, I can’t go out as much.” Nao said, “But it’s for the best, moving out from North.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Feel sorry for good people like Ter, having to live with someone like you. Now Ter’s free from all the trouble.”
“Why? Ter loves being with me to death.” I turned to ask Ter.
“Uh, finally free from all the woes.” Ter’s words made Nao burst out laughing. Well, you two get along well, don’t you, “So, have you been behaving well with Phii Joe?”
“You ask like I’m a child.” I said.
“Do you dry your hair before sleeping? Don’t go to bed with wet hair.”
“North, you don’t dry your hair?” Nao made a face at me.
“I do dry it. When you’re not there to do it for me, I have to do it myself.” I said with resignation. I’m lazy when it comes to drying my hair. Normally, Ter would do it for me, “But it feels empty.”
“How so?” Nao asked.
“Normally, I clean the room, right? But when Phii Joe hires a housekeeper, I find myself free. I’m not used to it; it feels like something’s missing from my life.”
Because my mom made me do chores since I was young. If it was messy, I had to clean up quickly, or else I’d get scolded. So I developed a habit of being tidy. When I lived with Ter, I was always the first to clean, but now with Phii Joe, I hardly have to do anything, not even pay for rent, utilities.
“You don’t like being comfortable?” “Well, I like it, but I’m not used to it.” I said, “Hey Ter, can you ask Phii Hill for some work?” I asked, because Phii Hill seems easier to talk to than Phii Joe, so I told Ter to ask for some part-time work. If Phii Hill agrees, I might get a chance to work again.
“I asked. Phii Hill said no.”
“Come on, why?”
“He says he’s worried.” I said, looking annoyed when I got the answer from Ter.
“He won’t let you work, right?” Nao asked. I nodded in response, “Well, he can support you guys anyway.”
“It’s not like that, Nao.”
“I get it. You don’t want to be a burden, right?” Duennao said, “Then why don’t you just work for him instead?”
“How so?”
“Like, cleaning the house. You don’t need to hire a maid anymore, just hire you instead.” Nao’s suggestion caught my attention right away. That’s actually a good idea, I could ask for a salary the same as what the maids get.
After a while, Phii Joe came to sit next to me, and Phii Hill sat next to Ter.
“I think I made the right call coming here, love has completely blinded you guys.” Nao said, pretending to look like he wanted to cry. I wanted to tell him to go find Tiger instead, but I couldn’t say it.
“How’s it going?” I turned to ask Phii Joe.
“Tired, can we go back, Hill?”
“No, we play first.”
I glanced over at the engineering faculty’s side across the court, filled with familiar faces from both seniors and peers. As always, it was packed.
“Are you going to play soon?” I asked.
“In a bit.” “Who are you cheering for, North?” Phii Hill asked me, “Joe here is taking this very seriously.” I looked at the person next to me who just said he was tired.
“I said I can lose to anyone, but not to that bastard.”
“That guy?”
“Yeah.”
I looked a bit puzzled hearing what they were talking about, and Phii Joe seemed somewhat irritable. Observing the engineering team closely, I could guess why. Is Earth playing basketball too? Earth is a second-year senior in our faculty who talks to me sometimes, and Phii Joe doesn’t seem to like him much. So, I haven’t really interacted with Earth anymore.
Actually, Earth might not be after anything, but Phii Joe doesn’t like him, so I don’t really talk to him.
“Is he hitting on you?” Phii Hill asked.
“Not yet, but he’s annoying.” Phii Joe said, looking at Earth with a displeased expression, while Earth had been looking this way from the start.
“He likes your junior, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah.”
How do they know? Just by looking?
“How’s the fever?” Phii Joe asked.
“It’s gone now. I’m normal.” The other reached out to touch my forehead lightly before pulling back. If he’s worried about me, he should be gentle with me on the bed…
“If that’s the case, we can have more fun tonight.” Phii Johan leaned in close to whisper softly to me, making me immediately lean back a little, looking at him with a pout when I realized I was being teased again. Damn it, I really hate this sly smile of his.
“Uh…no, I can’t.” “Are you sure? You say that every day.” His deep voice whispered back, clearly pleased with my embarrassment.
“See, you like to tease.” I said, making a pouty face at him, turning away in embarrassment, because being too close made me move back a bit. Phii Joe really enjoys teasing me until I’m embarrassed, does he find it that amusing?
“Look this way.”
“Huh?”
“I want to kiss you.”
“Uh…no!”
“Look at me.”
“Phii! Are you crazy? There are so many people around.”
“Who cares?” Because the noise in the gym was loud, only I could hear Phii Joe’s soft whisper. I moved until I bumped into Ter, who seemed slightly startled, before Phii Joe pulled me back to him.
“Stop teasing, please.”
“No, just a little tease.” He said before leaning in closer. Normally, even when we’re alone, I’d feel a bit embarrassed, but being in such a crowded place made me really shy.
“No.”
Before the referee signaled for both teams to enter the court:
“Good luck.”
“What if I win, can I ask for something?”
“Huh?” I furrowed my brows in question, needing further explanation.
“Can I?”
“Oh, sure. But what is it?” Phii Joe didn’t answer my question. He stood up from his seat and walked down to the court. As both teams lined up to enter, the screams were deafening, forcing me to cover my ears because the gymnasium echoed with the noise.
The medical faculty’s basketball uniforms are pretty nice, with the faculty’s color and “Medicine” written on the back, along with each player’s number.
“Phii Joe’s basketball shoes are beastly.” Nao remarked, “Phii Hill’s are nice too. Since when did you start checking out other people’s shoes?”
“Probably got it from Tiger.” I said.
“Doesn’t he buy you shoes or clothes sometimes?”
“Nope, I refuse, but some things I do want.”
“You don’t accept them? He might actually want to give you stuff.” Nao said, “You don’t have to be too considerate, you’re dating, right? It’s okay to accept some things.”
“Would that be right?” I asked hesitantly.
“Yeah, I mean some things, when he genuinely wants to give.”
“Hmm, I’ll think about it.” I said, hearing the whistle signaling the start of the game. I immediately turned my attention to the court. At first, it wasn’t too exciting, but after a while, it was clear that Phii Joe and Phii Hill were indeed skilled players, each scoring a basket.
I just noticed that Earth was marking Phii Joe. Phii Joe gave him a displeased look before giving a mocking smile, stepped back one pace, and then shot from half court.
The whistle blew, followed by screams echoing throughout the gym. People sitting close by were screaming loudly for Phii Joe. Is everyone on this side just fans of the medical faculty? “You, you’re so skilled, how did you shoot from half the court?” Nao said excitedly, “It’s like you were annoyed by being marked by Phii Earth, so you just shot it. And quick, too, you barely took a stance.”
“Impressive, I just found out he’s this good at basketball.” I said, stunned. The game went on with both teams scoring intermittently, but the medical faculty was leading by a lot. Phii Hill and Phii Joe were doing most of the scoring, making them the primary targets of the other team, so they were closely marked by one or two players each, making it tougher to play.
Ten minutes passed, and the first quarter ended with the referee’s whistle, then came a break where they gathered around the coach to talk. After that, they went back on the court, and the cheering, shouting, and screaming were even louder. The match between the medical and engineering faculties was probably the most intense.
Phii Earth, who was still closely marking Phii Joe, started looking my way more often. I looked back, not fully understanding, but then looked away. The second quarter ended with the score getting closer, and Phii Joe began to show signs of fatigue.
When he’s like this, he looks so sexy…
Phii Joe wiped the sweat off his face with the hem of his shirt, revealing his beautifully defined abs, which prompted even louder screams from the crowd before he casually let his shirt fall back down.
“Scream, Dr. Joe, I want him, I want him, show us those six-packs again!”
“Dr. Hill, show us some too, I want to see!”
“You guys, when he’s all sweaty, he’s so damn sexy, I’m about to faint.”
“I love it when Dr. Joe brushes his hair back, so sexy, the epitome of hot, I surrender, I’ll offer myself as his wife.” “But they both have boyfriends, right? Both Phii Hill and Phii Joe, what a pity.” “I’ll be a fictional wife, I surrender. Really, I’ll do anything, please step on me.”
“Watch out, their partners are sitting right there.”
“Oh, crap, I guess I was speaking a bit too loudly.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the comments I heard. It happens a lot when the girls scream for Phii Joe, and then turn to see me sitting there. They get embarrassed. It seems like everyone in the university knows we’re dating. There are some who aren’t thrilled and grumble about it, but as I’ve said, I don’t really care.
“What good deeds did you do to deserve such boyfriends? I want one like that too.”
Teased again. Me and Ter could only turn and give each other shy smiles.
“I’ll take Phii Tit or Phii Fah, just one for me, can you share some of that good fortune?”
“How happy must you be with such a handsome boyfriend? Waking up to see him, going to sleep seeing him. When he says he loves you, it must feel heavenly.”
“Yeah, can I pay to just look at a doctor for an hour? If I were rich, I’d hire him to sit and smile at me, I’d go crazy just from his smile.”
“Which doctor?”
“Any of them, as if I can choose, but they’re all handsome, can I just take them all?”
I didn’t pay attention to the chatter from the upper stands when Phii Joe approached me with a neutral expression. Just looking at him, I could tell he was in a bad mood.
Uh-oh, what’s wrong?
“What’s the matter?” I asked concernedly.
“Why do you have to look at other people?” “Huh?” I furrowed my brows, looking puzzled at him. Phii Joe only said that before throwing a towel over my head. I pulled it off and looked back at him, “Were you looking?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to.”
“Just look at me.”
“Understand?”
“Yes.”
I nodded slightly to indicate I understood, then bowed my head to hide my blushing face. Phii Joe is very possessive, which I’ve never felt uncomfortable about; rather, I found it endearing.
The person in front of me walked away as it was time for the game to continue. Just watching, you could tell Phii Earth was no match for Phii Joe, barely able to keep up with him. The medical faculty kept scoring until they ultimately won.
“Did they win big?” Duennao asked.
“Seems like it.” I replied, “It’s sports day soon, are you lazy to go to the stands?”
“Come on, did your boyfriend get to walk in the parade?”
“I don’t know.” I shook my head, turning to look at the court where both teams were lined up, listening to the referee.
“But somehow I don’t want him to walk.” I muttered to myself, and no one heard it.
Then, Phii Joe and I went back to our room. He seemed very pleased with the win. I glanced over and saw Phii Earth looking quite displeased. I started to wonder if there was something between them.
“Phii Joe.” I called out to him after we got back to the room.
“Hm?” “Are you going to be in the parade for the Sports Day event?” “Why do you ask?” He said, pulling me to sit on his lap, a position he often likes. I’m not too fond of this because it usually leads to more than just sitting, “No. Just curious.”
“What if I said yes?”
“Really?” I asked, my face falling a bit, “Where in the parade? Holding a banner?”
“Yes.”
“For the faculty?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“With a girl?”
“Probably.” I immediately made a pouty face at him and lowered my head to hide my expression.
“Really?”
“What’s the matter?”
“…” I leaned my forehead against his shoulder, my hands gripping his shoulders, “I don’t know.”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t like it.”
“What’s wrong, my dear?”
“…”
His strong hands gently pulled me back to lift my chin, wanting us to make eye contact, but I avoided his gaze.
“Look at me.”
“You’re a cheater, I told you not to tease me.”
“I’m not just teasing, when I say I want to kiss, I really want to kiss.” before his lips pressed down on mine, kissing me intensely, his hot tongue intertwining with mine. I responded to the rhythm of the kiss, my heart starting to beat rapidly amidst the embarrassing sounds of our kissing. It went on for a while without stopping, then his large hands, growing restless, began to roam under my shirt, slowly unbuttoning it.
“No…no, you pervert.”
“Then can you tell me what’s wrong?”
“It’s just, today everyone was looking at you, everyone likes you, and you were even going to walk in the parade with someone else.”
“Are you jealous?”
“Yeah…jealous, very jealous.” My words brought a satisfied smile to his face, “I really don’t like it when others look at you.”
“Forget about the others, as long as you only looks at me, that’s enough.”
“Because I; Phii Joe only looks at my North too.”
I bit my lip tightly, feeling something tug at my heart because of those words. If he wasn’t only looking at me, he probably wouldn’t have noticed me looking at someone else, because it was just a fleeting glance and not intentional.
And why should I care, anyway? Since Phii Joe’s eyes are only on me, and my eyes are only on him…
“Okay.” I agreed, silently thanking him in my heart, even though he’s told me not to say thank you so often. Everything he does is on purpose for me, “Then, can you not walk in the parade with someone else?”
“Hmm?” He seemed to be waiting for me to do something, recalling the condition he mentioned earlier about asking for something. So, I leaned in to kiss him first.
“Mmm.” I pulled away from the kiss when I felt like I was running out of breath. I could tell my face must be bright red, my lips feeling a bit numb, “So, you won’t walk in the parade, right?” “Of course not.” “Yes, thank you.”
“Now, I want my reward for winning.” He said with a slight smile that made my heart skip a beat. I couldn’t trust that smile.
“Uh…what’s that?”
“Nothing much.”
“Just…”
“My North might not go to class tomorrow, that’s all.”
😉
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