SOUTHBESIDETHESKY, Chapter 17: Hot, Coffee, and Peach Tea
“What’s up with that?”
“Chocolate for 17,000 baht.”
“Seriously, is that really that strange? What’s so unusual about chocolate worth 17,000 baht?”
…
This is something I didn’t really want to happen, but it had to happen…I knew they would find out, and most importantly, the one waiting to tease me the most is Johan.
“Isn’t 17,000 baht for chocolate strange? Does that mean anyone can buy it for you?”
“Come on, if a friend says they don’t like it, they don’t like it. Why are you pushing Fah about this? I already said I don’t like him, and the
17,000 baht for chocolate from France is just a gesture of goodwill,” Jo said teasingly, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
Johan, when you…I hardly ever see you tease anyone like this.
I let out a small sigh in secret. “Such an overflow of goodwill, Fah.” Hill…you’re just as bad.
“Sigh, is it too much for chocolate?” I asked, furrowing my brows. I’ve never courted anyone before. When I asked Tit to buy it, he didn’t say anything.
“It’s not. It’s normal,” Jo shrugged, “If you like him.”
“Oh.”
“Seriously Fah, what’s up with you?”
“I like him, so what?”
“That simple, huh?”
“Yeah, why?”
“How much do you like him?”
“I like him. I don’t know. Don’t know how to measure how much I like him,” I said quietly while my gaze didn’t leave the pile of work in front of me. In the end, I had to help Tit with his work because I’m soft-hearted; if I didn’t help, he’d surely end up studying with the juniors.
“When asked how much you like him, the answer is 17,000,” Hill said with a slight raise of his eyebrow, “If it was Jo, I wouldn’t be surprised, but since it’s you, I am.”
“I just wanted to buy it for him. It’s nothing.”
“You like him that much, Fah?”
“How much?”
I asked back. They fell silent. I looked up to see all three of them looking at me with slightly bewildered eyes.
“Where did you get seventeen thousand from?” Hill asked.
“Savings, I don’t really spend on anything anyway.”
“Do you regret it when you buy it?”
“No.”
“Do you normally buy chocolate this expensive?”
“No,” I shook my head before going quiet, “Ah…even if I say I like him enough to give something I’ve never had myself…that’s right, isn’t it?”
“Yeah…something like that.”
“Well, if he gets to eat something good, that’s good, isn’t it? Plus, he seems to like it.”
“You like him that much, Fah,” Jo said, “Enough to prioritize him over yourself.”
“Have you ever thought about what would happen if that letter disappeared?”
“…”
“What are you asking, Hill? Our friend is already wilting, there is not a letter for him this week,” Jo retorted.
Yes…no letter from that person for one week, when normally they would come every two or three days. I didn’t know what happened, but it had a considerable impact on me, like something was missing. I had secretly thought about what I would do if he suddenly disappeared, but when it actually happened, I didn’t know what to do either. Everything depended on him…whether he would send me a letter or not, but at least, if I could know something about him, it would be nice.
“Can someone really like someone they’ve never seen?” Arthit, who had been quiet for a while, raised his eyebrows to ask, “You don’t even know his name.”
“I’ve never thought about that,” I replied, “I don’t care about his looks or his name. As long as he’s the person from the letters, that’s okay.”
“So, you talk and feel like you get along?”
“Hmm…yeah.”
“You don’t even know his name. Aren’t you going to ask?” I shook my head.
“To be honest, there’s nothing stable between you two,” Jo said while raising his hand to his chin, glancing over at me, “If he decides to disappear, he could do it easily, right?”
“…”
Jo’s right about that…
“You say he’s cute, do you think you’re the only one who sees his cuteness?”
Jo’s words made me stop writing immediately.
“If his handwriting is that cute, imagine how many people would be all over him in person.”
“…”
“If one day he realizes that someone close to him is more tangible than someone through letters, he’ll disappear from you, and you won’t have any right to go after him.”
“I don’t know how much he likes you because I don’t know him, but you, Fah, you like him this much, are you just going to let things stay like this between you two?”
Johan is trying to mess with my head. And…he’s succeeding.
“Tonfah, someone’s here to see you.”
The call from a girl in the class made me turn to look, so I quickly got up and went outside the room. As soon as I stood up, my friends at the table looked at each other.
I must have looked very flustered.
Whatever.
I paused slightly when I saw who was standing outside, and a sense of disappointment arose without me realizing it.
“Someone asked me to give this to you.”
“…”
“Phii Fah?”
“Uh…yes. Who sent it?”
“He didn’t say, he just asked me to tell you to enjoy it.”
“Oh…I can’t, please apologize to him for me.”
“Ah, come on…just take it, my friend really likes you, you know.”
“I really can’t accept it, sorry.”
“…Okay.”
I averted my gaze and walked back into the room, not quite used to seeing the disappointed looks of others, the best choice was not to look, before returning to sit in the room as before.
“Wasn’t it him?” Jo asked.
I shook my head.
“You look so disappointed,” the other teased again, “It’s been a week since there’s nothing sent. What now?” I shook my head again.
“Normally, you accept things others send you, why not this time?
I’m getting hungrier,” Arthit said, making a sour face.
“I think it’s not right to accept,” I said.
“You’re just waiting for snacks from one person,” Hill teased. “What if he’s changed his mind about you?” Arthit asked.
I didn’t answer.
I don’t know why…but my feeling tells me it wouldn’t be like that.
Just like I wouldn’t be like that either.
“Something urgent might have come up,” Hill suggested in a calm voice, “Maybe he’s sick.”
…
Typhoon
“How are you feeling now?”
“I’m feeling better.”
“Good, take lots of rest. We brought some fruit for you.”
“Thanks.”
We talked for a while before excusing ourselves to go outside. Me, North, Ter, Dao, and Foam walked out of the patient’s room together, chatting along the corridor.
“Bobby, dude, why did you get hit by a car right before exams?” North said, looking worried. The person lying in the hospital room we just visited was Bobby.
Bobby is a friend of a friend of North, and importantly, Bobby is one of the cupids who deliver things to Phii Fah. Bobby had an accident and has been in the hospital for several days now, and the doctors only allowed visitors today. I rushed over when I heard the news because, in one way or another, he’s someone I’ve inconvenienced.
Bobby isn’t the one who directly delivers things to Phii Fah, but he’s one of the people in the chain of delivery. North has set up a very complex delivery system.
“The cupid’s got a limp, what do we do now?” North said with frustration, “We can’t have Arthit delivering letters to Phii Fah.”
“Yeah, that’s true…”
“Do we have to wait for Bobby to recover?” asked Ter, “Man, that’s going to take months.”
“Exactly.”
“We need to change the plan,” Daotok said, “Otherwise, our points will go down.”
“Hmm?”
“This is our rising period, and Phii Fah seems to really like the cat now. If it suddenly disappears, our score will definitely drop.” “Right, you’re correct,” North agreed, “But I can’t just find another cupid either. Do you understand the delivery process? It’s like a chain.
Now the chain is broken.”
“So what’s the latest we talked about?” Ter turned to ask. “There’s nothing special,” I said honestly, “But with finals coming up, I’ve stockpiled a lot of snacks. Haven’t given any yet.” “I wonder how Phii Fah would feel about this, it’s kind of a test of patience,” Foam said, “If Phii Fah gets anxious, that’s a good sign, right?”
“I don’t want to test him,” I said, frowning slightly, “Even if he doesn’t miss me, I feel uncomfortable not taking care of him, especially with the exams coming up.”
“That’s good,” North said calmly, sipping his blended green tea,
“Don’t test him then, let’s brainstorm what to do next instead.”
“Hmm…Is Tonfah a curious person?” Suddenly, Daotok asked. We all shook our heads, “Then we can place it somewhere and take turns picking it up.” “Oh…but where?”
“Somewhere where no one will see.”
“Where would that be?” North said, “People are everywhere, and if it’s on the building, the janitors will take it.”
“But if it works, it’s good, right? Like, the cat puts it down in the morning, and Tonfah picks it up in the evening.”
“And what if they accidentally meet? Isn’t it too risky?” Foam raised his eyebrows.
“No, Tonfah isn’t the curious type, right? If we agree that he has to go at this specific time, he won’t peek. Besides, if he really wanted to know who it is, he would have known long ago because he respects the person in the letters.”
I nodded slightly in agreement. I had thought about it many times; if Phii Fah really wanted to know who the letter writer was, it wouldn’t be hard, but Phii Fah chooses not to investigate because he thinks of others first. If someone says they don’t want to be known, Phii Fah won’t pursue it.
“It should be okay, but won’t it be too much trouble for Phii Fah to go pick it up?”
“Are you that considerate of him?” Foam raised his eyebrows to ask.
“Well, yeah.”
“Let’s pick somewhere close,” Dao said, going quiet as he seemed to be thinking, “Is there any place around the medical faculty where you can put something without anyone seeing?” We went quiet…how could there be such a place?
“Uh…what if it’s the coffee shop in the medical building?”
“North, what are you talking about, how could that work?”
“I know the owner, we can ask him to join our plan.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. If not, do you have any other ideas?” North’s question made Ter go silent, “The shop owner is nice, she’ll definitely help us. Plus, your stuff will be safe; if you leave it somewhere else, someone might take it.”
“Hmm…it might be good,” I said, still not entirely convinced,
“Otherwise, I can’t think of anything else.”
Since we can’t entrust the delivery to someone anymore, this might be the only way. Leaving it somewhere else would be risky; it could get lost or seen by others, and the janitors clean the medical building thoroughly every day.
We went to the coffee shop in the medical faculty building that North told us about. At first, I was surprised to see a coffee shop in the building, but it seems like it’s doing quite well.
“North, with this many people coming into the shop, will it be okay?”
“That’s why it’s good; with lots of people coming and going, no one will be suspicious. You can just casually buy coffee or chat with the shop owner.”
North introduced us to the shop owner. Her name is Phii Gib, and she’s as nice as North described, and she’s quite close to North. When North started explaining our plan to Phii Gib, she widened her eyes in surprise.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes,” I said with a dry smile.
“Wow, not ordinary at all, are we? You’re Typhoon, right?” Phii Gib reached out and pinched my cheek playfully. I’m not used to getting my cheeks pinched, so I felt a bit stiff, “You really look like a sleepy cat.” “Uh…”
“So, you want me to keep your stuff, and wait for Dr. Fah to come and get it, and if Dr. Fah leaves something, I should keep it until you come to pick it up?”
“Yes…would that be too much trouble?”
“Not at all, actually, it’s exciting. I’ll get to play matchmaker, and besides, it’s Dr. Fah we’re talking about. I’ll get to see him more often this way.”
“She’s a fan of Phii Fah,” North whispered.
“I’m a fan of all handsome guys,” Phii Gib said, giving North a light pinch on the cheek, “So, what’s the story? Tell me, do you like each other? And why the letters?”
“It’s complicated,” I said with a dry smile. Phii Gib pouted slightly but didn’t ask any further questions.
“Oh, okay. No need to ask, just know that I’ll help. Wow, I’m kind of jealous, Nong Ter is dating Doctor Hill, Nong North is with Doctor
Jo, and now the cat Phoon might be Doctor Fah’s boyfriend too.” My heart skipped several beats at those words from the person in front of me.
…Boyfriend?
Boyfriend!?
“And what about Doctor Arthit’s boyfriend?”
“…?”
“I think it must be fate, so the next one must be Doctor Arthit’s boyfriend,” Phii Gib said playfully, pointing back and forth between Daotok and Foam.
Foam furrowed his brows, looking surprised, but Daotok kept a blank face, seemingly uninterested in Phii Gib’s teasing.
“I think it’s better if Fah comes in the morning, since Fah studies around here, right? He’ll come early so fewer people will see, but actually, Fah often stops by to buy coffee from my shop in the morning, and then Phoon can come in the evening, sit around, support my shop a bit, it’ll look natural. Really, no one would suspect. Who would bother noticing something like this?”
“It’s true. Who would suspect? It’s like you come here every day, and there are lots of people from other faculties too, just say that Phii
Gib’s coffee is so good you have to come every day.”
“Say what? It’s actually very delicious,” Phii Gib retorted, making me laugh, “So, have you agreed with Fah already?”
Oh, right. We’ve made all these plans, but we haven’t talked to Phii Fah yet, and we don’t even know if he’ll agree.
“It’s like we’re starting over from one,” Daotok said, putting down his hot coffee. We were still at Phii Gib’s coffee shop, sitting down again to discuss what to do.
“Sigh, it’s so complicated,” North said with annoyance, “The point is how we’re going to tell Phii Fah that we’re changing how we send the letters, right?”
“Hmm. Just tell him once, the first time.”
“Can’t we leave a message?” I asked, “Phii Gib said Phii Fah stops by for coffee often.”
“Oh…yeah,” North squinted at me and gave an annoying smirk, “You write the letter and leave it here, in case Phii Fah comes tomorrow.”
“We’ll have to leave it to fate whether Phii Fah comes or not,” Ter said casually, “Make sure you coordinate well with Phii Gib, okay?” “Hmm…just a bit,” I accidentally exhaled after sipping some sweet drink.
“Are you not feeling well?”
“My throat hurts a little.”
…
Tonfah
To…you
I apologize for not contacting you for so long; the person who was supposed to deliver things isn’t available anymore. So, I’ve asked Phii Gib for help. I hope it’s not too much trouble for you to come to the shop every morning for your things. If it’s not convenient, that’s okay, but I still want to keep talking to you like before. It’s almost exam time, so please take care of your health, the weather has changed a bit. I haven’t been feeling too well myself. I’ve ordered you a hot coffee too (because Phii Gib said you come in the morning), the morning should be perfect for hot coffee, but please don’t order more, one cup is enough.
“Did he leave anything else besides this?”
“No, just the hot coffee he asked for, here,” Phii Gib said, handing me the cup of hot coffee. I gave a small smile as I took it.
I folded that piece of paper and put it in my pocket.
Why do I feel this warmth in my heart right now?
Oh…right.
Because of him.
Because he’s back.
🙂
“Doctor.”
“Yes?”
“Do you want to find out who he is?” “No,” I said, shaking my head.
“Hmm, good, then I won’t feel awkward. If you get curious and start pressing me for information, I’d be in big trouble,” Phii Gib said cheerfully, “But I can give you a little hint.”
“What is it?”
“He’s a very nice person.”
“Oh…”
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“I already knew that.”
“If you want to meet him, just wait for him in the evening,” Johan said while still staring at the white paper in front of him.
“No, thanks.”
“Why don’t you want to know that much?”
“He doesn’t want me to know, so what’s the big deal?” I said, “Shouldn’t I think about his comfort first? If he finds out I’m trying to find out who he is, he’ll definitely feel uncomfortable.”
“You could at least ask a little about him, so you’re not completely clueless.”
“I’ve asked,” I said. I had subtly asked him a bit about himself because I wanted to know more about him, but he didn’t respond, completely ignoring my question, making it clear that he didn’t want me to know any details about him.
“And he didn’t answer?”
“Uh-huh, it’s fine, I’m okay with it like this.”
“Well, it’s up to you then. And what’s that? Buying stuff to fill up the place?” “No.”
“Then what?”
“He’s sick.”
“Oh, he’ll recover until the next life for sure.”
…
Typhoon
“Uh…” I looked blankly at the white bag with the pharmacy logo on it. After I sent the first letter (through the coffee shop), I was still waiting to see if Phii Fah would reply, and in the end, he did reply and even sent something back.
Great…we’ll be able to talk like before.
“Are you sick?” Phii Gib asked after seeing me with a mask on.
“A little.”
“Take care of your health then.”
“…Oh, thank you,” I reached out to take the white bag in front of me, chatted with Phii Gib for a bit, and then took the bag back to my dorm. The bag was quite heavy.
When I opened it, I found it was full of medicine…all medicine, along with a folded piece of paper.
To…the sick one
I wasn’t sure what your symptoms are, so I bought medicine for every possible condition. Take care of your health, please:) I took out all the medicine to look at it. There was a handwritten note from Phii Fah, detailing which medicine to use for which case, very detailed, explaining how to observe your symptoms so you wouldn’t take the wrong medicine.
I think many times when I’ve been sick, I might have taken the wrong medicine, but not this time for sure.
It’s like having a clinic right at my fingertips, as long as the medicine doesn’t expire. I’ll be taking the medicine from this bag for a while, definitely.
He even wrote a note at the end:
(Don’t worry. I asked my aunt, who is a pharmacist, for advice on what medicine to buy and asked about the specifics of use.)
If your condition doesn’t improve within one day, I recommend seeing a doctor, and if there’s an emergency, you can call me. Phii Fah went to get advice from his aunt too? Honestly, I don’t question why Phii Fah bought medicine for me, but knowing this made me think he’s even more adorable.
Plus,
He left his number…
So cute…
Really cute.
If it weren’t for the fact that it’s medicine…I would have eaten it all!
“Are you better now?” Ter asked, “That was fast.”
“I’m better, the medicine is good.”
“What medicine?”
“I won’t tell.”
“Right.”
“Ter, if someone gives you their number, what does that mean?”
“I don’t know, they probably want you to call them.”
“Really?”
“Why the big smile, did Phii Fah give you his number?” “Yeah,” I nodded slightly.
“Really? Through the letter?”
“Yeah, I said I wasn’t feeling well, and Phii Fah gave me his number, in case of an emergency, I could call.”
“He’s good at taking care of people.”
“…”
“Phoon, are you okay?”
“I don’t know,” I said with a muffled voice in my throat. I couldn’t tell North about this, or he’d tease me mercilessly. I buried my face in the bag on the table.
“He probably wants to take care of you through the letters too,” said the person next to me. I turned to look at him while still with my face buried in the bag, “He gave you his number because he trusts that no matter what, he could find you.”
“I don’t know who you are, where you are, but if you need me, I’ll come.”
To… you
I’m better now, thank you very much, really. Thank you for paying attention to the details too, there’s plenty of medicine left. I’ll keep it in case I get sick again. I hope you’re not tired of sandwiches because this time, it’s a sandwich I made myself. I tried it and thought it was edible.
I hope it makes for a good breakfast.
“He changed it to come in the morning today,” Phii Gib said. I turned my attention to the speaker, “Maybe he’s worried the sandwich might get hard, so he didn’t dare leave it overnight.”
“How early in the morning?”
“Since I opened the shop, around 7 a.m., I think.”
Then I’d have to wake up even earlier to make the sandwich…
“Then please leave this with him,” I said, handing the bag in my hand to the coffee shop owner along with some money, “And treat him to something he likes too, please.”
“Sure thing.”
“What do you like?”
“Me? Probably peach tea.”
“Okay.”
“Why?”
“Dr. Fah asked me to make you a drink you like.”
“Oh,” I waited at the counter until the glass of peach tea was served. “Doesn’t the doctor know what you like?” Phii Gib asked. I shook my head in response, “That’s a pity, isn’t it? When you know everything Dr. Fah likes, but Dr. Fah doesn’t know anything about you.”
“Well, I’ve never told him,” because I’ve hardly ever mentioned in the letters what I like or dislike.
“That’s why I say it’s a pity. It seems like Dr. Fah wants to get to know you.” “Really?”
“I don’t know why you don’t want Dr. Fah to know it’s you…but in a relationship where one knows everything and the other knows nothing, the one who knows nothing is kind of pitiful. They have to trust a lot, you know.”
“…”
“You know, but he doesn’t. Even though he likes you that much, how must he feel not knowing anything about you?”
“…Yes.”
“Sorry, I was just talking. If I’ve overstepped, I apologize.” “No, not at all,” I smiled and shook my head slightly before walking back to the dorm.
It’s true what Phii Gib said, if it were me…I like someone but know nothing about him. I would feel quite lost, not knowing when he might disappear. I’m confident I wouldn’t disappear, but Phii Fah…Phii Fah knows nothing.
Phii Fah once asked me a little about myself…but I didn’t answer, after that, he never asked again.
But thinking like this makes my heart swell.
I talk as if Phii Fah already likes me…
But I can think that way, right? Since our relationship has become like this.
I’ve been troubled for a long time, what Phii Gib said is right… Phii Fah knows nothing about the person in the letters, that person could disappear anytime, there’s no information, Phii Fah has no way to contact him unless that person contacts first, would it be an unstable relationship for Phii Fah?
Suddenly, my phone rang, startling me as I was deep in thought. I quickly grabbed my phone to check and saw it was an unknown number calling.
I answered hesitantly.
“Hello?”
(…Is this Typhoon?)
“Yes…who is this?”
(Are you Rati’s son…right?) “…Uh, that is…”
(I’m Rati’s new wife…Are you free to talk? I’d like to meet you.)
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