SOUTHBESIDETHESKY, Chapter 35: Beautiful Eye
Tonfah
“You really said that?”
“…I, I see.”
I looked at the person next to me, who tried to turn away to hide his blushing face, but it was probably not very effective because his ears were red too. I couldn’t help but smile affectionately.
Why are you so good at being shy?
I looked in the mirror and saw Hill and Ter sitting in the back seat.
In reality, after dropping off the younger ones here, we didn’t go anywhere else. We just took our stuff to the hotel and rested because we had just finished our mid-term exams. The accumulated fatigue and stress made me feel very exhausted. Actually, Phoon had told me to rest first, but if I didn’t hurry, there would be no time left. Waiting until the semester ends would be impossible.
Normally, after finishing exams like this, I would sleep like the dead, but this time, I couldn’t sleep.
Maybe because there’s no cat to cuddle.
It has become a habit to sleep while hugging Phoon. Without him, no matter how tired I am, I can’t sleep, even though I usually fall asleep easily, especially on stressful days. No matter how heavy the burden, just coming back to hug Phoon tightly and smell the faint, personal scent, it feels like all the exhaustion goes away.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“I’m good, really good. When I get back, I will tell you all about it in detail,” Phoon turned to say with a happy smile. I already thought it must be good, but seeing Phoon smile like this made me think it was well worth bringing him along.
“Okay, I’ll wait to hear it,” I said, reaching out to gently stroke his head. Phoon smiled sweetly back at me. I don’t know if other people’s cats like their heads stroked, but my cat loves it.
Because every time I feel affectionate, I like to stroke his head, but if he’s grumpy, he’ll pinch my cheek instead, or if he’s even grumpier…well, forget it.
I withdrew my hand, then started the car and drove off.
“Hey, Phoon, tomorrow’s your birthday, what do you want to do?” Ter asked.
“Uh…I don’t know, what should we do?”
“We’re in Japan, want to celebrate?”
“You always want to celebrate even when we’re in Thailand.”
“Tomorrow morning we need to go buy you a birthday present.”
“Actually, you don’t have to, it’s too much trouble for you.”
“That’s how it is, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s how it is. We’re here to travel, and you want to go buy me a present too. It won’t be as fun that way.”
“Alright, we’ll do it later then.”
“No matter what, you want to make sure he’s comfortable, right?”
“Absolutely.”
Tomorrow is Phoon’s birthday. I’m not good at surprises at all, so I don’t think there will be any surprises. Tomorrow, I’ll probably take him out for some fun and then treat him to a celebratory meal. As for the gift, I’ve already prepared it.
We stopped for dinner before heading back to the hotel. We didn’t stop anywhere else because the younger ones told us to go rest. We booked four rooms at the hotel: mine with Phoon, then Ter with Hill, Jo with North, and Arthit, who just went straight to sleep when he arrived. I don’t know if he’s had dinner yet, so I bought an extra set to take back.
I dropped off dinner for Arthit before going back to my room. This time, I didn’t sleep as soundly as before because this hotel is close to my mother’s house and it’s the best option. I didn’t want to stay somewhere far away.
I walked in to see Phoon sitting on the bed, looking through his bag. I took the opportunity to hug him from behind and steal a kiss on his cheek. The little one seemed slightly startled; I saw his ears slowly turn red before he turned to look at me.
“Tell me about today for me, please.”
“Sure.”
I slowly let go of the hug, sat in the middle of the bed, and Phoon sat opposite me. Then, he started telling me everything in detail, starting from when he entered the house.
“And North had a big argument with Daiki; he’s twenty years old, going at it with an eight-year-old, I don’t know why.” I smiled because Phoon made a big frown, “But having North and Ter there was good. I didn’t feel too uncomfortable.”
“Ter and North came along for that reason. They didn’t want Phoon to feel uncomfortable,” I said, “They really care about Phoon.”
“I know, so I really appreciate them.”
“It’s great to have friends like that,” I said. I genuinely felt thankful for Phoon’s friends who are good to him, including his mother, because Phoon is such a good person; he deserves all this, “Phoon is really kind, isn’t he?”
“Is that so?” Phoon asked back, not quite believing what I said.
“Really, you are very kind. There aren’t many people who would be happy when their parents remarry and also love their step-siblings like this.”
“Oh…really?” Phoon was silent for a moment, “It’s because of you and Fan.”
“Huh? Why is that?” I asked.
“Because I am like this, it’s because you and Fan taught me to be like this when he was young. I only hung out with you and Fan, because you are kind, Fan is also kind, so I…became kind like you said, I guess.”
“Oh…” I nodded in understanding, “Did you ask your mom about the gift?” I asked, and Phoon paused.
“Uh…I forgot.”
“…”
“I forgot, I was too busy talking about myself, what should we do?” Phoon started to look a bit flustered.
“It’s okay, we can ask later. We’ll be in touch anyway,” I said.
“…Okay.”
“Actually, I didn’t just talk to your mom,” I told the truth because I had actually talked with his mom for quite a while. Not just what I had told Phoon before. There just wasn’t time to go into details. The person in front of me seemed to get more interested immediately.
“So, what else did you talk about?”
“I think…your mom and Phoon are very similar.”
“…Really?”
“Yes, because you didn’t talk much, so I can’t say a lot, but I think that part of why you is so kind is because of your mom, since she seems kind and gentle too,” I said what I thought, and the other person listened intently, “Plus, they look very similar, especially the eyes.” “Uh…I didn’t know that.” Phoon said, making a thoughtful face.
“Yes, your mom’s eyes are really beautiful.”
Phoon paused for a moment before slowly looking up at me, his face showing confusion for just a second, then his sweet face started to turn red.
“So I told her thank you for giving you such beautiful eyes.”
“Thank you for giving such a beautiful and bright smile too.”
“Thank you for being gentle and strong, which makes you the same way. Thank you for enduring the hardship, thank you for deciding to keep this child more than twenty years ago.”
“…”
“And that’s why there’s Typhoon for me to love like this every day.”
…
Typhoon
“…” I stayed silent, not daring to look up at him because those words, which sounded like compliments, made my heart beat even faster than it already was, not to mention the words from earlier.
Having me for Phii Fah to love…
Ah…this is dangerous again.
“…Is that all?”
“About that, and then it’s the promise that I made.”
“Oh…” The promise that Phii Fah made must refer to what he told my mother about taking care of and protecting me. Thinking about it still makes me blush. The fact that Phii Fah said that to my mother is very significant to me, “Thank you for making that promise.”
“Then come here for a hug.”
“It’s your reward, you have worked hard.” I didn’t say anything before moving closer, being embraced by him, with my face resting against his chest while he leaned back against the head of the bed. He gently pressed the tip of his nose against my shoulder, making me feel a slight tickle, “You smell nice.”
“…I can’t smell anything,” I said truthfully; I’ve never been able to smell myself since I was born, “What does it smell like?”
“It’s the scent of you. I don’t know. There’s no perfume that smells like this.”
“There might be.”
“If there is, tell me, and I will buy it all out,” Phii Fah said softly,
“and I’ll also order them to stop production.”
“…That might be going too far,” I said my words stuttering, then I felt his large hand reach out to hold mine. I then held his hand with my other hand. Phii Fah’s hands were so soft, and his fingers were beautiful too, “Can you write with both hands?”
“Yes, why?”
“I want to be able to write with both hands too.” “It’s not necessary,” I said.
“Then why do you have to practice writing with his right hand?
Really, being left-handed isn’t that much of a hassle.”
“Hmm, when I write a lot and your hand gets tired, I can switch hands. Besides, it’s annoying because writing on the left side at a lecture desk is difficult,” I explained.
“Oh, right, that’s true. I hate lecture desks the most, it’s not fair at all. Not everyone in the world is right-handed, why make only one type of lecture desk?” I grumbled, because it’s true, it always makes things hard for me when I have to study in rooms with those desks.
“Once you start studying photography, you probably won’t encounter them much, maybe they won’t focus much on taking lecture notes,” he said.
“Do you know what they study in photography?”
“I don’t know, but I have friends who study photography. Should I ask them for you?”
“Please do, I want to know.”
“What will I get in return?”
“…Phii Fah, have you picked up Phii Jo’s business habits?” I asked, remembering that North once told me that whenever you ask Phii Jo for something, there’s always something in return. Lately, Phii Fah has started doing the same.
“Not to that extent. Just want a little profit,” Phii Fah said with a sly tone. I frowned even though the other couldn’t see, this one is the master of teasing. I tried to calm myself down for a moment before straightening up and turning to face him. No matter how many times…I never get used to it.
Because I was sitting on my knees, I was at the same eye level as Phii Fah. He gave a slight smile, as if waiting to see what I would do next.
“Ugh…I will look it up myself,” I said, embarrassed to the point of not being able to bear it anymore, intending to turn away but Phii Fah held me back. “Ah!” He easily made me sit on his lap, and before I knew it, our faces were only an inch apart.
“Mmm~” Then his thick lips gently pressed down, and his warm tongue slowly invaded with a gentle yet persistent touch, a kiss that was both tender and emphasizing the sensation as he often does. It wasn’t forceful but made my heart flutter in an indescribable way. I slowly closed my eyes, accepting those sweet sensations.
Every time our tongues touched, it sent a gentle warmth spreading across my chest. Our hands were clasped together, our warm breaths mingling, along with hearts that always beat strongly in moments like these.
Phii Fah let go of one of his hands and moved it up to press against the back of my neck, pulling us closer. The heat from his body made me feel even warmer.
It was both gentle and warm, almost melting me.
“Umm…” I heard a somewhat embarrassing sound when our tongues intertwined. My breathing quickened because my heart was racing too, but I could still catch my breath since the kiss wasn’t too intense, until he increased the passion of the kiss.
“Ugh…” He pressed my neck closer, his tongue exploring my mouth, alternating between nibbling my upper and lower lips. His other hand let go and started to wander again, the warmth from his hand beginning at the small of my back under my shirt, caressing all over my back. With that touch, I felt a hollow feeling in my stomach.
It wasn’t long before I started to struggle for breath, and as if he sensed it, Phii Fah slowly pulled away from the kiss, releasing both his hands. I slowly opened my eyes to see his beautiful eyes looking back at me.
No matter how many times I look,
It feels like there’s a galaxy in those eyes, Drawing my gaze irresistibly.
He leaned down to kiss my shoulder and neck. I felt a slight sting, indicating he had left another red mark on me. Fortunately, all the marks Phii Fah leaves are hidden under my clothes. Only sometimes does he forget himself and leave a mark in a visible spot, in which case I have to find something to cover it.
“I’ll ask my friend for you,” Phii Fah said with a satisfied smile.
“You…cheater, I said I’d look for the information myself.” “I’ll go take a shower and rest now, tomorrow I’ll take you out for a full day of fun,” Phii Fah stated. I nodded in response because Phii Fah looked tired, and I was also worried and wanted him to rest.
Before he let go of the embrace and went to shower.
Left alone on the bed, I pressed my lips together, still feeling the gentle touch from earlier. Every time after we kissed. I liked when he was gentle with me, and that feeling would linger for a long time. While waiting, I picked up my phone, remembering I hadn’t mentioned that I actually took some photos of my mother. It was a pity I didn’t bring my camera to her house, so I only used my phone camera to take the pictures.
There were pictures of my mother sitting on the balcony, both candid shots where she was looking out into the garden and ones where she smiled at the camera. I decided to post the picture where she was smiling on Instagram.
With the caption:
“The most beautiful smile in the world, :)”
And then Phii Fah’s words echoed in my mind:
“Thank you for giving him such a beautiful and bright smile.” Will I smile as brightly as my mom? But if Phii Fah says so, it makes me happy. There’s a picture too, I’ll post them gradually. Now, Phoon’s Instagram isn’t just filled with sky pictures anymore.
I decided to change my Instagram bio from ‘Sky Collector’ to
“Happiness Collector.”
Because from now on, my Instagram will have pictures of me, Phii
Fah, old pictures of Fan, pictures of Mom with Daiki, pictures of Aunt Prae with Fai, pictures of friends, photos capturing all the happy memories I have. I want to keep them in that memory space.
But I still love looking at the sky the same way, it’s just that from now on, my happiness isn’t just from looking at the sky. I’m happy to see myself smiling. So, I started posting some pictures of myself, which I’ve never done before. Fan…
Right now, I…am the happiest.
I looked at the picture of Daiki and North, which was amusing, especially since I secretly took it when they were fighting. If I post it on Instagram, what would North say? He’d definitely complain, saying the picture looks funny, and it really does.
This picture also caught Ter in the frame, who was trying to pick up the toys scattered around because those two were arguing, looking quite annoyed.
It would have been nice if Daotok and Foam were there too. Then Phii Fah finished showering. I was still damp, wearing a tshirt and long pants that matched, indicating he was ready for bed even though it was past ten o’clock. I went to grab the hair dryer.
“I will dry your hair for you.”
“Uh, okay,” Phii Fah said before sitting down on the bed. I turned on the dryer and started drying his hair, his naturally black hair. Phii
Fah hardly ever does anything with his hair, I’ve never seen him style it, I guess he doesn’t care much about it.
Oh, but I’ve seen Phii Fah style his hair once, in the picture from the university’s Star Moon contest.
“Phii Fah,” I called out his name after I finished blow-drying his hair, reaching over to put the hairdryer back in the drawer of the bedside table.
“Yes?”
“Tell me about the Star Moon contest for Phoon, please.”
“Why do you want to know about that?”
“I just want to know, please tell me.”
“Hmm…at first, the seniors picked me for it. I wasn’t very keen on going, but the seniors pleaded for help, so I had to go. Initially, I thought I wouldn’t make it through.”
“…you wouldn’t make it?” I raised my eyebrows in confusion. What made him think he wouldn’t make it?
“Back then, there were Hill, Johan, and Arthit too.”
“Wow, all of them?”
“Yes, but Johan and Arthit didn’t want to join. Those two don’t participate in any activities; they’re not even in the senior junior code club.”
“…” That sounds like Phii Jo and Phii Arthit alright.
“I didn’t really want to do it, but I had to help the faculty. In the end, it was between me and Hill for the moon title, and we got the same number of votes.”
“Oh…”
“At first, they said we should have another round to decide, but I refused. I thought Hill was more suitable for the role, so I let Hill have it. He was complaining big time about why he had to do it, saying he was lazy.”
“…” So, there’s such a thing too…
“But Hill is very responsible, so he had to take on the role, and he did it well too.”
“Was you the runner-up then?”
“Yes.”
“What does the runner-up have to do?”
“I hardly do anything, these kinds of promotions, they call for the faculty moon.”
“Oh…can I be the moon too?” I asked playfully, thinking about myself when I first joined the faculty, “Actually, when I was at the faculty, some seniors asked me, but I declined, and so did Ter.” “Do you want to be the moon?” Phii Fah raised his eyebrows to ask.
“Just asking, that’s all.”
“You can’t be.”
“…”
“Because I won’t let you be,” Phii Fah said, poking my furrowed brows with his finger, revealing a smile.
“I’m jealous, you know that?” Jealous…really?
“Uh…I see,” I didn’t know what else to say. In truth, I’ve never seen
Phii Fah jealous or possessive, so I never thought he’d be possessive over me.
“Your face is red again,” Phii Fah teased me a bit. Feeling the heat on my face, I tried to calm myself down, “You can go shower now, so we can go to sleep.”
“Phii Fahyou can go to sleep first, it’s only just past ten,” I said.
“Go shower, let’s get ready for bed together.”
I like the word ‘together,’ like sleeping together, eating together, things like that, it sounds like something we should do together.
“If you aren’t here, I can’t sleep.”
“…Uh, okay,” I nodded in understanding, then hurried to grab some clothes and headed to the bathroom. Honestly, can this be called being clingy? I know I’m weak to this, but really, I’m completely weak when it comes to Phii Fah, damn it, Typhoon.
I took a while to shower before coming out of the bathroom, hanging the towel on the drying rack. I saw Phii Fah playing with his phone, but as soon as he saw me come out, he put his phone down and pulled me into a hug like he often does.
Before I could say anything, Phii Fah made me lie down and straddled me. I was a bit surprised before his thick lips kissed me again, but only for a moment before he pulled back, moving to hug me from behind instead.
It was a goodnight kiss…
“Goodnight,” Phii Fah said softly.
“Goodnight,” I replied.
“I love you Phoon, you know.”
“I love you Phii Fah too.”
Just the simple words of goodnight and love every night, they might seem ordinary, but I love this unchanging simplicity. I want this kind of simplicity to stay with me forever. His large hand still held mine, and the embrace from the other person always made me feel comfortable and safe. Before long, his warm breath was by my neck, and after just a moment, I could tell that Phii Fah had fallen asleep.
At first, I was surprised at how quickly Phii Fah could fall asleep, but I remembered that he had told me he was naturally a good sleeper. “If you aren’t here, I can’t sleep.”
…So, does that mean even someone who falls asleep easily like Phii
Fah can’t sleep without me?
Thinking about this made me smile unintentionally; I was happy about that because, without Phii Fah’s embrace, I couldn’t sleep either.
Looking at my phone, it was about half past nine. Maybe in another half hour, I could sleep, to wake up early for more fun tomorrow. Lying there, thinking about various things, I easily drifted off to sleep
…
I woke up around half-past five. This is my usual wake-up time. Every morning when I wake up, I find Phii Fah still holding me just like when we went to sleep. When I wake up like this, I usually just lie there waiting until it’s time to get up because if I get up, Phii Fah wakes up too. I once observed that if I get out of bed, after a while, the arm that was around me starts searching for me, and if it doesn’t find me, Phii Fah wakes up immediately.
Feeling a bit stiff, I turned to the other side, secretly watching the person sleeping soundly. I’ve always watched Phii Fah sleep ever since we’ve been together, and I’ve never gotten bored of it.
I don’t know how much time passed. I heard a knock at the door, which forced me to carefully remove the arm that was around me. It seemed like Phii Fah was still asleep. I tiptoed to the door to avoid making noise, peeking through the peephole to see North and Ter. When I opened the door, I saw Phii Hill and Phii Jo leaning against the balcony waiting as well.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Let’s cook.”
“Huh?”
“Cook, that’s what,” Ter repeated.
“I know, but why do you suddenly want to cook?”
“I don’t know either,” North said, shaking his head slightly,
“There’s a supermarket that’s open, let’s go buy some ingredients.”
“And where will we cook?”
“Can we use your room?” Ter asked. I immediately furrowed my brows.
“Why does it have to be my room?”
“Because Phii Fah is kind.”
“…Really?”
“Ter’s room won’t work because Phii Hill doesn’t like loud noises, and my room is out because Phii Jo doesn’t like others entering his room. Of course, Phii Arthit’s room is not an option, so it has to be yours,” North whispered. I sighed without realizing it, guessing it was because these two wanted to go shopping. The seniors had no choice but to join in, I suppose.
“Alright, are we going to buy them now?” I asked, and both nodded in agreement.
“Should we tell Phii Fah?” Ter asked.
“Yeah, he looks tired. I don’t really want to wake him up,” I said, “But let’s try asking him first. It’ll be troublesome if we go without telling him. Come in first,” I turned to tell Phii Hill and Phii Jo, and the four of us walked in to sit on the sofa in the room. The two doctors had just woken up, but they still looked good as always. Meanwhile, I was about to go back to the bedroom.
Suddenly, someone hugged me from behind, making North and Ter look surprised. On the other hand, Phii Hill and Phii Jo didn’t look surprised at all. Before I could react, Phii Fah reached out with one hand to tilt my chin towards him and kissed me gently.
!!!
“Why aren’t you in bed?” Phii Fah, still groggy, asked. He probably hadn’t noticed the people waiting. Out of habit, he kissed me as a way of saying good morning, like he does every day.
“Morning,” I said.
“Uh…yes.”
I was flustered, feeling both embarrassed and shy, turning to look at the people waiting. North and Ter were avoiding eye contact with me.
Meanwhile, Phii Jo and Phii Hill looked surprised.
“Wow,” Phii Jo started to tease, and Phii Fah looked up, a little surprised to see who was waiting but not really shocked.
He should be shocked! He just…uh, kissed!
“Why are you here?” Phii Fah asked.
“We wanted to invite you to go shopping,” Phii Hill answered,
“Want to join?”
“Do you want to go?” Phii Fah turned to ask me instead. I nodded in response, “Let’s go, wait a sec.” Before Phii Fah took my hand back into the room to change clothes, showing no sign of being affected by what had just happened.
“Uh…Phii Fah, uh, just now…”
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
“Everyone saw…”
“The morning kiss, you mean?” Phii Fah asked with a smile. I wanted to protest but couldn’t, “It’s okay, don’t think too much about it.”
“How can I not, it’s embarrassing.”
“Are you sulking?”
“Yes, I’m sulking, a lot,” I pretended to be upset, before Phii Fah scooped me up and placed me on the bed in a straddling position over him. I lightly hit him because I was startled.
“What are you doing?”
“Making up.”
“Who makes up like this?”
“I do,” Phii Fah smiled, “Who made you get out of bed?”
“It was North and Ter knocking on the door.”
“Yes.”
“…Yes?” I gave a puzzled look to the person in front of me, feeling both embarrassed and confused. I had explained it, so why just say
‘yes’?
“Because I already know.”
“I had to get out of bed because they knocked on the door, so you can’t tease you by doing that!”
“I wasn’t teasing at all, I really didn’t see them.” “Really?” I asked again, and Phii Fah smiled.
“Really, I never tease you.”
“Number one teaser, that’s you Phii Fah,” I said, frowning at him, which earned me a gentle pinch on the nose.
“Then let’s say that one didn’t count. We’ll have to do it properly.”
“Properly?”
“Yes, a real morning kiss.”
“Uh, I don’t think so.”
“A morning kiss, please.”
“…”
“Please.”
See! I told you I’m weak to this.
I tried to gather the little courage I had because when it comes to kissing or anything like that, I’m rarely the one to initiate. When Phii Fah asks me to do something like this, I usually get too embarrassed to act. With both arms on his shoulders, I slowly leaned in closer.
Every second our faces moved closer at a slow pace before I closed my eyes, and our lips touched.
After just a brief moment, I pulled back out of shyness, and Phii Fah smiled in satisfaction.
“Good morning again.”
“Ah…Good morning.”
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