NORTHHOWMUCHISYOURLOVE, Chapter 31 part 1
Chapter 31: Stay With Me
“What are you doing?”
“What?”
“What are we doing here?”
“Come see.”
“Acting like a bunch of psychos.” I said, letting out a small sigh while glancing at the two people standing in front of a shop at the flea market, choosing goods. Damn, I’m getting so annoyed; I really don’t like this hot weather, but what I dislike more is that my junior sneaked out to hang out.
With Ter, just the two of them…
Actually, we had a study session planned. My junior had an event at the faculty as well. I dropped him off at the faculty early in the morning, but it seems like the teacher wasn’t there, so he snuck out to have fun without telling me, and he even dragged Ter along with him.
And they came here by themselves, huh.
Hill and I were worried like crazy; we rushed out to find them just in time.
Is this really the time to go for a stroll at a flea market? With this scorching sun?
At first, when I found out they snuck out to hang out together, I wasn’t that bothered. I was just worried and planned to pick them up, but when Arthit asked,
“Why do you think your partners might have a reason to sneak out without telling you guys?”
“Damn, Arthit you are such a troublemaker.”
“Why do you think they came out?” Hill asked.
“To buy stuff.” I replied. There aren’t many reasons to sneak out without telling us; maybe they came to buy something to surprise us, “Is your anniversary coming up?”
“No.” Hill shook his head slightly, “It’s not yours, right?”
“No.”
“So what did they come to buy?”
“Maybe he just wanted to buy something.” I said, “or maybe he just wanted to go out, just the two of them.”
“Just the two of them?” Hill echoed my words.
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, maybe Ter is tired of you.” I teased. Hill immediately turned to give me a displeased look, “Maybe Ter thinks I don’t want to be with Phii Hill anymore.”
“Ha, more likely North is the one who’s tired of you.” I shrugged, not really caring about what he said, then looked over at the two younger ones. I just noticed that Ter was wearing North’s jacket, definitely given to him by North because Ter can’t stand the sun for long.
“He took off his jacket for Ter.” Hill said.
“Yeah, I just saw.”
“He’s such a manly man.”
“No matter how manly, he’s my boyfriend now.”
“Very impressive.” Hill said, slightly annoyed, “But thank North for taking care of Ter.”
“It’s nothing, just a small thing.”
“I’m thanking North. Not you.”
“I’ll take it for him then.” I wanted to go fetch them and bring them back right now, but another part of me was curious about why they came here, and if, like Hill said, they wanted some time with friends, we shouldn’t interfere, though I was still worried, “Are we going to keep following them like this, Hill?”
“I’m worried.”
“Me too.”
“Let’s wait a bit longer before we take them back.”
“I’m hot, why do we have to be at this market?” I started complaining again. I really hate the heat, to be honest. I knew Ter can’t be out in the sun for long, yet they still brought him here. Does Ter not think to stop or argue at all? Does he just go wherever North takes him? They both deserve a scolding, why are they so mischievous?
“What time is it?”
“Three in the afternoon.” I answered.
“The junior definitely plans to be back before five.” “Oh.” because our study session ends around five, probably thinking they could pretend they were still at the event, like when they’re sick and still go out to get gear, “What if I message them on LINE? What do you think will happen?”
“Let’s try it.” Hill said, before I pulled out my phone to type a message to the junior.
Johan: Where are you?
(Read)
I saw the junior take out their phone, look at the screen, and then show a shocked expression as they hurriedly showed it to Ter, who also looked uneasy.
They must be discussing how to respond, right?
North♣: Studying, sir.
North♣: Have you finished your break?
Johan: Just finished.
Johan: Can I call?
(Read)
They looked even more shocked than before.
“Are you messing with the junior?” Hill asked.
“Just asked if I could call.” I replied. Hill gave a small amused smile before shaking his head lightly.
North♣: I am studying, T^T
Johan: Really?
Johan: Send a picture.
(Read)
I saw the junior look even more worried, afraid that I would find out they were out having fun. It seems like they felt uncomfortable about lying too. How cute.
North♣: I was studying at first, TT
Johan: Hmm
Johan: Miss you.
“What?” Hill asked, turning to look at me, “You look all embarrassed.”
North smiled shyly, his face turning redder than it already was from the sun.
“Just saying I miss you.” I said.
North♣: Miss you too.
Hmm…did you really need to smile that adorably when typing “miss you” To send to me?
North♣: sends Tiger sticker
North♣: I’m off now.
Johan: Let me know when you’re done, I’ll come pick you up.
North♣: Sure.
Hill and I slowly followed the crowd, watching as the kids stopped at various shops but hadn’t bought anything yet, except Ter who got some snacks. I glanced at the person next to me who was secretly sighing.
“You want to go carry things for him, don’t you?” I teased.
“Yeah.”
“North is already carrying for him.” I commented, noticing North taking the bag from Ter’s hand. I don’t often see him like this. When he’s with me, he’s very clingy, but not because he wants anything, just being clingy for the sake of it.
He never throws tantrums when I don’t have much time for him, just tells me to take care and not overwork myself. He takes good care of me, from preparing breakfast, cleaning the room, the room is even cleaner than when we hire a housekeeper.
Suddenly, my phone rang with a call from Arthit. I answered it right away.
“What?”
(How’s it going, mister sugar daddy?)
“Nothing’s going on. Just watching.” (Watching how? Following secretly?)
“Yeah.”
(You guys are stalking Tiger now, huh?)
“At first, I thought it wasn’t, but looking at it, it seems like it.” I said, laughing a bit, “I can’t tell the difference between stalking Tiger and what we’re doing.”
(Why do we have to follow our own partners secretly? Do I have friends who are psychopaths?)
“Want to know what they’re doing?”
(And what did they end up doing?)
“Probably buying stuff.”
(To surprise you guys?)
“I don’t know, North might buy something for me, but Ter probably won’t buy anything for Hill.” I teased, and Hill, who was nearby, heard it too.
(Your wife doesn’t love you anymore, Hill?) Arthit chimed in teasingly.
“Dammit, if North doesn’t ask me to, I won’t even bother.”
(Are you guys arguing over whose partner will buy something? A battle of husbands’ honor?) the comment from the other end of the line made me laugh again, (If neither of your partners buys anything, I’ll be the one laughing.)
“Why did you call, anyway?”
(Just checking in, lonely with just Fah for company.)
“How far along are you with your studies?”
(The same, when are you coming back?)
“Don’t know, maybe in a bit.”
(Okay) then Arthit hung up, and when I turned back, the juniors had disappeared.
“They’ve gone into the plant shop.” Hill noted. “Plants?” I raised my eyebrows in surprise, confirming with him. It looked like they were browsing around the cacti section, but seriously, the junior hardly noticed anything. Me and Hill had been following them for a while without them realizing.
“You really want a cactus, huh?” I walked into the shop too, careful not to be seen by the junior, and overheard North asking Ter.
“Yeah, I want to take care of one, I heard from Dao that they’re quite cute.”
Dao?
Who’s that?
“What’s so cute about a cactus?”
“It’s cute, but I wonder if Phii Hill would give one.” Ter asked. I looked over at Hill; he probably wouldn’t mind. It’s just one cactus.
“I think you’ll get it, Phii Hill is super nice.”
“Isn’t Phii Joe nice?”
“He is nice, but he likes to scold.”
Oh, we’re being talked about…
“Does he scold often?”
“Yeah, he likes to scold. If he finds out we sneaked out to hang out, we’re definitely getting scolded.” North said, “Does Phii Hill scold you?”
“Sometimes, when I do something wrong.”
“But it’s not that scary, right?”
“Not really scary, he’ll talk it out. Is Phii Joe scary?”
“Very, I feel like I shrink to half my size.”
The two juniors chatted for a while before Ter bought a cactus, then they moved on to another shop.
“Do you scold him often?” Hill asked, “He seems scared now.” “Sometimes I have to.” I said. I picked up the habit from my dad; because Gene often acts like a child, Dad had to scold her or she’d be unruly all the time. It’s the same with North.
“But North said he likes kind people.”
“He really does.”
“Yeah, Ter once said North likes kind people, so you’re not really his type.”
“Beast, I can be kind too.”
“Really? At first, you were all about bossing him around, weren’t you?” I fell silent, giving Hill a look of exasperation, unable to argue back. I get tired of arguing with Hill because I usually can’t win, “If it weren’t for North, who would put up with someone like you?”
“He doesn’t have to put up with me.” I said, thinking back to what North had once told me. He said he never had to endure me; he understood everything. If he understands, there’s no need to endure, “He said he understands.”
“Then who could understand as well as North does?”
“No, there isn’t.” I said, “Even if there is someone else, it wouldn’t be him. I wouldn’t want them.”
“Take good care of him.”
“I know.”
“When someone said they like kind-hearted people, I think of Fah. If you don’t like the junior, and they hang out with us often, he might like Fah.” Hill remarked as we continued to follow the junior.
“Kind-hearted to the extreme.”
“Meaning?”
“Fah is excessively kind-hearted.” I said truthfully, “But Fah is a good person, I won’t say anything bad about Fah.”
“Because Fah works for you?” “Yes. If I graduate, it’ll be thanks to Fah.”
“Even with someone as bad as you, Fah is still kind.” Hill said with a slight sigh, “But anything in excess isn’t good.”
“Yeah.” I nodded in agreement, as if Hill knew something about Fah from the start. I didn’t know how he found out. At first, I wasn’t paying much attention, but recently we’ve talked about it and agreed it’s best not to get involved.
Before noticing the juniors sitting down to rest near a bench. We walked around to sit on a bench facing the opposite direction.
“Man, I’m tired, we haven’t found it yet.” Ter started complaining.
“Exactly, isn’t this place too big?”
“And what if we find it? The seniors will find out anyway.”
“We’ll have to sleep somewhere else, so we have time to do something.”
North’s words made me and Hill look at each other, what did he mean by sleeping somewhere else? I absolutely wouldn’t allow that.
“Where? Phoon’s room? Phoon lives alone, right?” Ter suggested.
“That’s good, but how should we ask the doctors for permission?” North asked back.
“Just say we’re staying over with a friend, would they allow it?”
No!
Suddenly, Hill nudged me to look over. I followed his gaze.
Assholes…
Why the hell are they staring at our boyfriends?
“I’ve seen them looking for a while now.” Hill said with a displeased look. Hill is super possessive, and he was clearly irritated. I wasn’t any different; I was starting to get annoyed too.
I could hear the kids talking about other things, having a great time.
Can’t they stop smiling so widely that others notice? Before the kids got up from the bench to continue walking around, I noticed those guys were about to follow.
“Damn it. Next time, I’m locking him in the room.” I said irritably, why are they looking at someone else’s partner? “I’m going to get my boyfriend.”
“Calm down.”
“Are you telling me to calm down?” I turned to ask Hill. You’re just as hotheaded as I am. You’ve got no right to tell others to calm down.
“Stop glaring, Joe.”
“You too, Hill.”
I tried to hold back from punching those jerks talking about my boyfriend, and Hill was doing the same. It wouldn’t be good to cause a scene here.
“Who do you like?”
“I like the one in the white shirt, he’s cute, his cheeks look pinchable.” He must mean Ter, who’s wearing North’s white jacket. The word ‘pinchable’ really ticked Hill off.
“But I like the other one, his eyes squint when he smiles.”
Shit…
“I just want to go help him carry stuff, he looks so delicate.”
“Yeah, they both look so soft.”
“And they’re both fair-skinned. I wonder if they’re even whiter under their shirts.” That last comment snapped my patience.
“Watch your mouth.” My words made those two turn around with confused looks.
“What?” He asked back with a confrontational look, though his voice trembled slightly.
“Guys like you don’t even have the right to look at my wife.” “Huh? Wife?” The same guy asked back, looking tense, while the other one stepped in to stop the situation.
“Sorry. Didn’t know he had a partner.”
“Get lost.”
“Alright, alright.” before the two of them walked away from us, “Just a bunch of troublemakers.” I said, irritated. They were just all talk, and hadn’t even done anything yet.
“I’m going to find the junior.” Hill said, letting out a small sigh, not of relief but to control his anger.
“Yeah.” I agreed, let the two walk by themselves for a bit, otherwise, they’ll attract more attention.
“Don’t go and get all heated at your junior.”
“I wasn’t planning on getting heated at the junior at all.” I said.
“Your look is pretty scary right now, did you know that, Joe?”
“And what about you, do you realize how you look like you’re about to kill someone?”
♣♣♣
“How about a photo booth or something like that?” I proposed an idea. Ter and I were discussing what to do for the doctor, wanting to make a handmade gift. Not for any special occasion, just because he’s given me so much already.
“That could work, you already have a lot of photos.”
“Right.” I love taking pictures when we’re together for Instagram, we could use those, right? Thinking like this, I started missing Phii Joe. I felt so guilty for sneaking out with Ter and lying about being at an event. I’ve never lied to Phii Joe since we started dating, this was the first time, and I felt really bad about it, T^T
Ter also felt uncomfortable lying to Phii Hill. We were both in such a rush to buy things and get back quickly. “Will he still be studying?” I asked casually.
“Probably, why?”
“Nothing. Just worried, you know, if he gets some rest too. With this hot weather, Phii Joe definitely doesn’t like it, it’s good he’s in an air-conditioned room.” I said, thinking aloud, “Did he sneak some coffee again? I made him one cup this morning.”
“Huh?”
“Do you realize how much you’ve changed since you’ve been seriously dating Phii Joe?”
“Really? How so?”
“You think too much now, I mean about Phii Joe. You think about everything.” Ter said.
“I’m just worried. If he’s okay, then I’m fine.”
“My friend, you’ve got it bad.” Ter teased, “I’ve never seen you like this before.”
“And is that bad?” I asked back.
“No, it just shows how much you love him.”
“Have you ever been like this?”
“Me? Yeah, I have. I am now, I miss Phii Hill too. Let’s hurry up and buy what we need then go back.” Ter said, turning to look around. “They’re gone now.”
“What?” I asked, turning to look.
“Just now, while we were sitting on the bench, two guys were looking at you weirdly, I just happened to see.” Ter told me. My eyebrows shot up in surprise, “Good that they left, it was creepy as hell.”
“They were probably looking at you more. You’ll get people asking for your Line soon enough.”
“Don’t say that.” “Phii Hill will get jealous.” Phii Hill gets super jealous. He can be really scary when he gets possessive, and I’ve heard stories of people who got too close to Ter mysteriously disappearing.
Phii Joe is the same way.
“Yeah, just looking at Phii Hill, he doesn’t like it. But I don’t like it either when people look at Phii Hill.”
“I feel the same.” I said, I used to think I wasn’t that jealous, but when I was with my ex, no one ever really looked at her like this. But when I’m with Phii Joe, there are always people looking, trying to hit on him, “I feel possessive. He’s my boyfriend after all.” I said, letting out a small chuckle at my own words.
“Really possessive, huh?” Suddenly, someone’s voice spoke from the side.
Phii Joe…
How did he get here…?
“Uh…” I was so shocked I couldn’t do anything, and the shopping bag in my hand was taken away, it looked like Phii Hill was there too. Ter also seemed at a loss for what to do, “How did you guys get here?”
“Two naughty kids snuck out to have fun, huh?” Phii Joe said with a slight smirk. I felt like a child caught sneaking out by their mom, yeah, but that’s exactly what happened.
“Sorry.” I said immediately, my face falling. I didn’t look at Ter, but I guessed he was in the same state.
“…”
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