YOURSKY, Chapter 15
“Hey, Fah…”
Muenfah, who was tying his shoelaces on the field, looked up at his close friend calling him. Real, dressed in soccer gear and ready to play, plopped down across from him in good spirits.
“What…”
“I told Hia and the guys that you’re bringing someone close to sit and cheer by the field today.”
Muenfah nodded and continued tying his shoes. “…”
“They’re all super excited, man.”
“Mhm.”
“…”
“I’m excited too.”
Real laughed. Muenfah had never invited anyone to cheer for him during a soccer match. Other friends swapped girlfriends almost every year, getting tons of support from their significant others, but Muenfah was the only one stubborn enough to never let anyone be there for him.
Yesterday, when Fah said he’d invited Rak to cheer at the soccer match…
Real secretly felt excited for him.
“But I didn’t tell them your ‘someone’ is a guy.”
“…” Muenfah looked up from his shoes and met his best friend’s eyes.
“Yeah… they’ll all find out eventually that he’s the one in my heart.”
“Good luck, man.”
“For the match?”
“Nah… for your love life.”
Muenfah gave a slight smirk before nodding to his close friend. Real patted his shoulder as a gesture of encouragement and then walked away. He had already prepared himself to face the questions that would arise after Theerak showed up. All his friends had always known that he liked women, and of course, he would have to explain this change to them. Muenfah knew well that explaining would be difficult for him, but this time he would try to make everyone understand—
understand that love has no fixed form understand that love knows no
division and understand that nothing could destroy the love that had blossomed…
Even though everything was still unclear at the moment, Muenfah felt it wasn’t too soon to introduce Theerak to everyone. Because, in the end, the person he wanted his friends to meet was love—eternal—the only one.
Muenfah couldn’t predict what the future held, so he held fast to the feelings he had in the present. He believed that both of them could sense something passing between them. That something was encouragement… The fact that they sought encouragement from someone meant that person must hold significant importance in their hearts. And Theerak, too, was overcoming something to come seek encouragement from him.
Theerak would be able to push past every feeling to reach him because the bridge leading to him was his unwavering love. Whether Theerak walked slowly or quickly, he would always be there waiting. However, all his thoughts came to a halt when a commotion erupted on the field. Muenfah glanced behind him and realized that a friend, as close as Real, was loudly demanding some kind of justice for their team. He shook his head, exasperated by his friend’s dramatic flair, then turned back to check his own shoes.
“Hey, Fah… I’m so damn annoyed with that Hia. Can you go deal with him?”
“What’s his problem?”
“Those engineering kids, hot-headed as hell… He’s saying we’re cheating even before the match starts.”
“I’ll go…”
“Yeah, hurry up…”
Muenfah sighed before standing up to his full height. Several women, friends of the girlfriends of his teammates, were staring at him. He felt a little uncomfortable while inwardly cursing his friends for letting outsiders onto the field. This football match was supposed to be supported only by the important people in their lives. The more people there were, the more chaotic it became.
…He didn’t like chaos at all.
“You guys are sneaky. Are you planning to take that Li guy back to play for your team?”
“Where? Who told you that, Hia ~?”
“Li told me himself that he’s going to play for your senior’s team, he is a first year.”
The tall guy threw the water bottle he was holding at his close friend. Muenfah wasn’t intimidated by this engineering kid in the slightest. “You think just because your dad owns the football field, you can yell however you want?”
“Good thing you’re here, Fah… Let’s settle this. What does it mean that
Li’s joining your team?”
“It means a senior like you got fooled by a first year.”
“…”
Many friends on Hia’s team shook their heads before walking over to sit on the sidelines. They’d probably lost faith in their captain, who’d been outsmarted by a junior. Muenfah nodded toward his little brother, who was laughing as he walked onto the field.
“You’re that protective of Li… to the point of coming to claim him back from Phii Fah?”
“I’m telling you, Li, if it weren’t for you… my team wouldn’t even come close to winning.”
“Hey, Hia!! What about the rest of us? Didn’t we help the team at all…?”
Muenfah sighed. Every time they played, Hia loved to make a big deal out of it. He was the son of the owner of this artificial turf field, and losing would bring shame to his father too, so Hia was determined to beat Muenfah’s team no matter what.
But this was the third year now and he still hadn’t won once.
“So, where’s… your cheerleader on the sidelines?”
Muenfah was about to brush off his friend, but then a small figure in a white T-shirt and black shorts caught his eye, making him nod toward the entrance instead. “There… mine’s here.”
“Where…? That’s Babe, Dom’s girlfriend.”
“No, that one…” Muenfah frowned at his friend before grabbing the back of his neck to make him look straight at his stubborn one. “The guy in the white T-shirt, with a cute face.”
“Huh, that one?”
“Yeah, you see him now, you idiot… If you can’t, just gouge your eyes out.”
Phii Fah ~”
“Yes… stubborn one.”
“Ow, ouch, damn it, Fah…” Hia yelped in pain, rubbing the back of his neck after Muenfah let go and ran toward the owner of that bright smile. Muenfah had really changed a lot, just like Real had told him. But Hia never imagined the one who’d turned a tiger into a kitten would be that little boy.
“So… has our Muenfah changed like I said?”
“That kid’s his boyfriend or what?”
“Not yet… our friend’s still in the secretly-crushing-on-him phase.”
“You messing with me?”
Real laughed before saying, “If it’s true, will your dad give me this football field?”
“You jerk!! He wouldn’t even give it to his own flesh and blood like me… don’t even dream about it, you outsider.” Hia stared in disbelief at his close friend, who was fondly ruffling the boy’s hair. “Since when did Fah learn to look at someone so gently like that?”
“You don’t learn stuff like that… it’s instinct. It just depends on who you use it with.”
Hia pursed his lips, watching Real stand with his arms crossed, smirking as he observed Muenfah chatting with his key supporter. “And what the hell are you? Smirking like you’re in love with him too?”
“I’m a good friend, that’s what… Seeing my buddy happy makes me happy too. Not like you…”
“Whoa, hey… you jerk, dissing me and walking off like that? Come back here so I can stomp you, Real!”
Muenfah shifted his gaze from the little guy and glanced at his two close friends, who were chasing and kicking each other. Real and Hia had loved bickering since high school.
“Phii Fah… where should I sit to cheer for you?” the small guy asked while unrolling a large rectangular piece of paper. He squinted with a big smile as the paper reached its full length. “I’m super ready, you know!”
Muenfah couldn’t help but smile when he saw the cheer sign his stubborn little one had made just for him. On the white paper, there were neatly sized, pastel-colored letters that read, My Sky, Zoom ~ Zoom ~.
But what made him break into a wide grin was the picture of Theerak himself—smiling brightly and flashing a peace sign—pasted behind the text.
Theerak had edited a half-body photo of himself onto the cheer sign.
Muenfah’s smile turned into laughter at how adorable his little one was.
How many times bigger than his body must Theerak’s heart be to be this bold?
But it all showed that… Theerak did everything with his heart.
“Such a stubborn little one…” he said before reaching out to pinch those rosy cheeks in playful affection.
“Do you like this cheer sign?…If you don’t, I’ll put it away and just cheer with my voice instead.”
“Why would my stubborn little one think I wouldn’t like it?”
“In case you get embarrassed…”
Muenfah gave a faint smile as he saw the small guy speak with a shy grin. It was the first time he’d noticed a hint of insecurity in Theerak’s eyes. “And when you were sitting there making this cheer sign for me… were you embarrassed?”
No way! How could I be? I made it with all my heart to cheer for you. I want you to see it while you’re running on the field so you’ll have tons of energy.” the small guy explained, his mouth moving quickly before offering a shy smile. “But I didn’t expect the field you’d be playing on would be artificial turf like this… Now the cheer sign looks a bit too big here.”
“I’m not embarrassed at all. Every time I see this sign and your little peacesign picture, I’ll definitely score at least one goal.”
Theerak grinned so wide his mouth stretched ear to ear before nodding.
“My Sky, Zoom ~ Zoom ~, right?” he said, pointing at the text on the sign.
“Just like the sign, Phii Fah!”
“Yeah…”
“Rak, come sit here quick! They’re about to start… Otherwise, people might mistake you for a soccer ball that got kicked and rolled over.” Phii Babe called out.
“Ugh ~ when will you stop teasing me like this?”
“I’ll go get ready now, okay?”
“Yesss…”
Muenfah jogged back to the middle of the field to prepare. As he warmed up, several teammates pointed toward the sidelines. He figured they were probably scoping out someone’s girlfriend’s friend, like they did every year.
“Who’s My Sky?”
“He even put his own picture on it… Gotta admits, it’s kinda cute.”
“What kind of guy is that adorable, damn…”
The tall guy started getting annoyed that his teammates were fixating on his stubborn little one. They probably hadn’t noticed when he was talking to Theerak by the sidelines earlier, which is why they were saying stuff like that.
“Whose kid is that?”
“Mine!”
“Huh?!!!”
Muenfah furrowed his brows tightly as his five friends warming up nearby exclaimed in unison. They blinked rapidly, glancing back and forth between him and the small figure holding a cheer sign by the sidelines.
“So, Fah, you like guys now?”
“You guys got it wrong.”
“See? We knew it…”
“I don’t just like him… I love him.”
“…”
“…”
He sighed at his teammates before heading to his position. While waiting for the match to start, he turned to look at the person by the sidelines to boost his spirits. Muenfah gave a small smile and nodded at the one waving the cheer sign back and forth. It was then that Theerak’s smile told him something.
Phii Fah will fight… fight against everything to keep that smile forever…
Theerak tried to hold the cheer sign as high as possible once the match began. His eyes widened in amazement as he watched Muenfah play on the field. The guy was fast and had excellent soccer skills. Theerak remembered the last time he watched soccer with his dad was when he was fifteen. After that, he never bothered with it again because he found it boring.
But today, his heart was pounding with excitement, as if he were the one playing, blood pumping nonstop.
“Number ten! Muenfah’s got the ball right now!”
“…Phii Fah, susuna!” Theerak let go of the sign with one hand and cupped it around his mouth, hoping his voice would carry louder.
Muenfah charged into the opposing team’s zone with speed. Theerak nearly stopped breathing when the other team rushed in to block Muenfah’s legs, but he effortlessly leaped over them and spun to dodge the player waiting ahead.
“Phii Fah, amazing!!!!…So cool!” The one who’d accidentally shouted in excitement nodded an apology to those nearby. Phii Babe tugged lightly at his shirt hem, and only then did Theerak realize he’d stood up without noticing. “Heh, got a bit too into cheering.”
“He’s going, he’s going… Muenfah’s on the move~”
“Will it go in or not… Will this shot make it?!”
Theerak held his breath along with the commentator—probably one of Muenfah’s friends. “Phii Fah… kick it in, please!”
“Will it go in?!”
“It’s in!!!!”
“Yay~!”
Now, cheerleaders from both sides were on their feet, roaring in support of Muenfah, so much so that the opposing team’s players had to calm their own supporters down.
“Oh, man~ This guy’s unreal!”
“Muenfah is in top form, never slipping… Even without the sidelines cheering like everyone else, he’s playing really well, isn’t he, Yod? ~”
“Yes, indeed!”
Theerak turned to look at the two commentators speaking through the microphone by the field, thinking that this year, Muenfah finally had his own cheer squad. He wasn’t competing without support like in previous years.
“He’s got it this year!”
“Really, Real?” The commentator, hearing the shout from an old friend, asked over the mic.
“Let Fah confirm it himself.”
Theerak watched the tall figure jogging over to the two commentators who were waving him over. Muenfah, catching his breath, nodded in confirmation, but the pair wouldn’t let him return to the game so easily.
“So, Muenfah… where’s your cheering section?”
“…”
Theerak leaned over and whispered to his older sister, “Phii Babe, what kind of football match pauses for a chat?”
“It’s a ‘whatever we feel like’ match… It’s just us friends playing, all for fun… We don’t care much about time or rules.”
“But didn’t Panli say it was serious?”
“It is serious in a way—no one wants to lose—but they also love doing silly stuff, like calling teammates over to tease them off-schedule like this.” Phii Babe said with a laugh.
“…”
“Or did Real lie to me?”
“No…”
“…”
“My cheering section is over there…” With the mic held close to Muenfah’s mouth, every word came out clear. He pointed toward him before saying, “Raise the sign for me, Theerak.”
“Woo-hoo ~”
“He’s got a cheer person this year ~”
The commentators’ teasing made Theerak’s face flush hot, but he had to lift the cheering sign high as requested. When Muenfah had said he wasn’t shy, Theerak now believed it—he really wasn’t shy at all.
“Alright, alright, that’s enough teasing—back to the match!”
“You two idiots wasted our time!”
“Why, Hia? Whether you play slow or fast, your team’s still going to lose.”
“You jerk!!”
The whole field broke into amused smiles before the tense atmosphere returned. Muenfah’s team had taken the lead, so the opposing team started pressing harder, attacking relentlessly until the cheer squad could barely catch their breath.
“Here we go… The two Pisut siblings are about to clash!!”
“Can he do it?…Will Panli steal the ball from Muenfah…”
“No way!…Muenfah’s feints are too good.”
Theerak watched the game without blinking, so focused that he didn’t notice the new cheerleader sitting down beside him. It was only when the person next to him nudged his arm that he realized it was someone he knew very well.
“Hey Klai…”
“Here to cheer for Phii Fah?”
“Yeah, yeah… Who’re you here to cheer for, Phii Dom, right?”
“Uh… no.”
“Huh?”
“I came to return Panli’s shirt…”
“Return Li’s shirt?”
“Yeah, last week my shirt got dirty, and I had to rush to an important class.
I ran into Panli by chance… and he lent me his shirt.”
“Oh… so that’s how it is. But since you’re here, stay and cheer for the game with us. It’s fun!”
“…I’ll probably have to wait until Panli’s done playing anyway, since he told me to wait.”
“Cool…” Theerak shifted his gaze from the person beside him—who was now greeting Phii Babe—to keep cheering for Sky. “Phii Fah ~ Make this shot go in, pleeease ~”
“Here we go again, folks… Muenfah’s on the attack once more, relentless, oh man ~”
“It’s like he’s playing solo out there, haha.”
“In or out… in or out!!!”
“In!!!! Another goal ~”
“Oh, man… it’s gotta be that cute pics on the cheer sign that’s got Muenfah so fired up like this.
“Hey, Fah!! Just take the ball and play at your house alone, why don’t you? Don’t hog it all like that!” the opposing team’s captain complained loudly.
“Here we go, folks… the son of the football field owner’s starting to throw a tantrum.”
“Tantum your dad! Next year, kick those commentators out of the team, will ya? They’re driving me nuts.”
Theerak now understood why his older sister had talked about the scramble for sideline seats on the car ride—because the atmosphere throughout the match was filled with this kind of fun and camaraderie. That’s why so many people wanted to come watch. Not only did it keep you on the edge of your seat, forgetting to breathe, but it also gave you plenty of laughs.
“End of the first half! Everyone, head back to your team’s coach.”
“Who’s the coach for each team?”
“Me and you, duh…”
A water bottle was handed over by the person next to him. Phii Babe nodded before stuffing it into his hand. “During the halftime break… the cheer squad’s supposed to bring water to the players.”
“Oh, uh… I’ve never been here before, so I didn’t know.”
Theerak took the water bottle and walked over to give it to Muenfah, who ran up to him at the sideline. He scanned the crowd and realized that every cheerleader had indeed brought water for the player they were supporting, just like Phii Babe said.
“Water, Phii Fah…”
“Thanks.” Muenfah took it and only sipped a little. “The first goal was for a stubborn one… the second one’s for… Theerak.”
Theerak pressed his lips together to hold back a smile. “It’s the same person, Phii Fah…”
“…” Muenfah gave a faint smile before saying, “Who should I give the third goal to?”
Theerak thought for a moment, then grinned widely. “To us, me and you.”
“Alright then.”
“Zoom ~ Zoom ~, right, Phii Fah?”
Muenfah, drenched in sweat, nodded and handed the water bottle back to him. He jogged back onto the field as the whistle signaled the end of the break. The tall guy flashed him a smile and mouthed something silently.
It seemed they’d gotten used to this method because Theerak could read Muenfah’s lips:
“Our third goal.”
Theerak beamed and nodded back. He ran back to sit on the sidelines, waiting to see Muenfah’s third goal. He didn’t know if Muenfah could pull it off…
But he wanted to say thank you…
Thank you for the first goal… for his stubborn little one and the second goal… for Theerak.
But the second half wasn’t easy for Muenfah at all. Panli, now in full swing, showed off his skills, making everyone in the stands cheer loudly. Not long after, his best friend scored an impressive goal. Theerak jumped up and clapped in excitement, only to notice someone frowning at him. He quickly waved his hands to dismiss it and sent a sweet smile back to Muenfah.
“I was clapping for Phii Fah… I’m only cheering for Phii Fah.” he whispered softly before sitting back down. Next to him, Phii Babe and Klai, who were sitting on either side, chuckled under their breath, making him curious enough to ask, “What are you two laughing about?”
“We’re laughing at someone who’s scared of getting sulked at… He wants to cheer for his friend but is worried the other will feel jealous. Tough spot.” Phii Babe teased.
“W-Wait, I just…”
“Phii Fah was staring at you hard just now. Probably wants you to cheer for him alone.” Klai added.
“Ugh… can’t we share a little, Phii Fah?” As soon as he said it, Klai laughed and reached over to ruffle his hair.
“How can you be this cute, Rak? I really want to steal you and stuff you to my house.”
“Does your house have crispy pork basil rice with fried egg and a Charlie
Brown blanket?”
“Yep, got it all.”
“Then no need to steal me—I’ll follow you myself.”
Klai laughed and pinched his cheek once. “So adorable.”
The one being complimented smiled back before turning to cheer for the player on the field again. Right then, Muenfah had possession of the ball once more. Theerak hurriedly grabbed his cheer sign, held it up high, and shouted encouragement with all his might.
Here he comes! Muenfah’s coming, everyone!”
“Panli’s right behind him too!”
“Can he do it… Can Panli steal the ball?!”
“Not yet… Muenfah’s holding the ball at the corner, looking for a way out!”
“Did you see that dodge just now, Yod?”
“I don’t know anymore… because Muenfah made it through!”
Theerak felt his breath catch as he saw Muenfah get closer to the opponent’s zone. “Phii Fah… susuna!” And in the next second, Muenfah smashed the ball into the goal with full force.
“Yay!!! It’s in!”
“Woohoo!! Fah, you’re amazing!” Theerak jumped up, holding the cheer sign as high as his arms could stretch. Muenfah, still on the field, turned to meet his eyes and smiled.
The tall figure in the middle of the field raised three fingers with one hand, then pointed to himself with the other before pointing at Theerak. The body language Muenfah used made Theerak unable to hold back a grin, letting it spread across his face.
Three fingers mean… the third goal.
Pointing to himself and then to me means… us.
Our third goal.
It was at that moment his heart started pounding again, even though he wasn’t near Muenfah. This made Theerak realize that Muenfah had quickly gone from a close friend to someone truly important without the other even noticing. Now, he accepted that Muenfah was a significant person in his life. Theerak thought that someone who could influence his heart must be important… because no matter how near or far they were Our hearts would always respond to him.
Like right now, beating so hard…
#However Many Thousand Skies
“Thanks so much to all the cheerleaders today!”
“Yeah… We hope we managed to put at least a few smiles on your faces…
See you next year~!”
The crowd clapped for the announcer and the players from both teams who’d brought smiles all day before gradually leaving the soccer field. Still, some cheerleaders and a few players lingered behind.
“No next year for me, damn it… So embarrassing. I’m going home, and my dad’s definitely gonna bash my head in.”
“Get over it, Hia… Just because your dad owns the field doesn’t mean you’re gonna be Wayne Rooney.”
“Yeah, great consolation.”
Muenfah plopped down on a long wooden table while several friends sprawled out on the grass, exhausted. He’d just parted from his “naughty one” to hang out with his old friends. Among the close friends he’d studied with since high school, Real was the only one he saw often—because Real was his business partner. It wasn’t easy for them to gather like this with their different schedules, so Muenfah wanted a little more time with his old, close buddies.
Naughty one… Can you sit and chat with Babe and Klai first? I’m gonna catch up with some friends for a bit.”
“Sure, Phii Fah… I have to wait to go back with Phii Babe anyway… She’s waiting for Phii Dom to finish talking with his friends too. It’ll probably be a while before we head back.”
“Okay… Wait for me, alright?”
“Got it…”
Muenfah smiled faintly as he watched the small figure chatting with Klai. His “naughty one” was sitting on the other side, quite a distance away. He couldn’t hear their conversation, but Muenfah could guess that Theerak was probably praising him to Klai, since Theerak loved saying “Phii Fah” over and over.
He could read lips…
“Is that smirk because you want to mock a loser like me, or what, Fah?”
“Let my smile comfort you.”
“No, no… Don’t use your flirting tricks on me.”
“…”
All the friends burst into laughter before Hia continued, “Do you like him that much?”
“Enough to turn into love.”
“Woo ~” Muenfah kicked at the crotch of Hia, who was lying flat in front of him. “No, no! I don’t have a wife yet—let me keep it intact for now.”
“Why does it have to be him?” Ko, another friend, asked.
“I don’t know why it has to be him… I just know that if it’s not him, I won’t love anyone else.”
“Take note, Hia… Learn to be as steady as Fah here.”
“I’ve never asked anything of you guys…” Muenfah said in his usual calm tone, but because of their long-standing bond, his friends could tell that this time—this time it was more serious than ever. “This time, I’m asking for something.”
“Spit it out!”
“Just believe that it’s love.”
“…”
“A love that’s real, in my heart.”
“…”
Muenfah knew it was hard to believe, but if everyone had seen his efforts over the past two years, he was confident they’d believe without him having to beg.
“The one who makes us believe is you, Fah…”
“Yeah… We’ve believed since the first hour.”
“For real… A guy like you—if you’re not interested, you don’t even glance.
But with how you’ve shown it… your eyes say it all.”
“We believe you, dude!”
“We believe you’re head over heels for him too.”
Muenfah laughed and nodded to all his friends. “Thanks, guys… Thanks for understanding me.”
Can I hug him instead of a thank you?”
“You jerk!”
“Hold on, Fah… Call me clearly. My name’s Hia—you’re so mad you’re messing up my name.”
“Haha.” Real laughed as he saw Muenfah glaring at their friend.
Dom, who had been lying down, sat up and said, “Before you get past Fah, you’ve got to get through me first, Hia. I’m protective too.”
“Tough luck for me… With that cute face, I just want to squeeze him hard until he cries.”
“There you go again, you jerk!”
“Stop provoking Fah, will you? Or this football field’s going to catch fire.”
“Wanna compete to win him over?”
“Compete with your dad, maybe… I’ve been guarding what’s mine for so long.”
Hia held back a grin before saying, “But I’ve got gears, man… sometimes I might be more interesting than you.”
“…”
“Trading gears for the kid’s heart like this…”
“Having gears—do they even work?” Ball asked.
“Damn… asking that just ruins the whole engineering kid vibe.”
“…”
“Yeah… they’re pretty rusty too, but right now there’s no one to scare off, you jerk.” his friends burst out laughing. Hia shook his head slightly, forced to accept the truth, before turning to Muenfah, who was watching someone on the other side of the field. “So what do graphic design kids have?”
Muenfah shifted his gaze from the little guy and shook his head. “No gears, but probably still scared of the wife.”
“Damn!! That works ~”
“Woo-hoo ~”
Muenfah wasn’t embarrassed by his friends’ teasing cheers, but he was worried the little guy might wonder what they were talking about to make so much noise. So he cut the conversation short by asking about next week’s beach trip plans.
“So, what’s up with the beach trip?”
“Changing the subject like a prooo.”
“You jerk!”
“Okay, okay, then I’ll take the lead and explain this trip… So it’s a day trip—leave in the morning, back in the evening—and after checking everyone’s days off, it’s gotta be Saturday since we’re all free.”
“…”
“I brought a sign-up sheet too. Whoever’s going, put your name down. Closer to the date, I’ll call to nag again. Anyone who signs up and doesn’t show, I’ll cut them out of the inheritance.”
Real shook his head as he took the sign-up sheet from his friend, thinking Hia loved making things complicated. A simple beach trip turned into a field trip sign-up. “Who’s going? Tell me now, I’ll write it down…”
“Dom… Babe’s going, right?” Muenfah turned to ask.
“Yeah…”
“Real… then add his name too.”
“Sure thing.”
“Add Klai too…”
“Who’s Klai?”
“My little sibling.” Dom answered.
“Oh, right… Add Panli and Nong Rak too. Today I managed to score a goal thanks to them, otherwise I’d have been totally embarrassed.”
“You really rely on Li’s good karma, huh, Hia?”
“Business talk done, right?…I’m gonna go check on him first. He’s been waiting too long.”
“Go ahead, dad…”
“Not dad.”
“Then what are you, Fah’s buddy?”
“Pa.” Muenfah said before getting up and walking away. All his friends exchanged glances, thinking that Muenfah had really changed a lot.
“That’s because he loves him so much.” Goh said.
“When I first told you guys that Fah invited someone important to cheer on the sidelines… did you all think it was a girl?”
“Yeah, dude… since when has he ever liked guys?”
“And when you first saw Theerak, were you all shocked?” Dom asked.
“I think Hia should speak for us on this one…”
“Damn it, you jerks always shove the tough stuff on me…” Hia went quiet for a moment before continuing, “It wasn’t exactly shock… more like I was wondering when he started liking that kid and why I had no clue.”
“…”
“We’re grown up now… it’s not like when we were kids, judging friends for being different. If he does something that stands out from the group…”
“…”
“And especially when it comes to love, we don’t have the right to dictate how someone else should love. Who he loves is his business. All we can do is be happy for him… that’s it, really.”
“…”
“As for what’s ‘appropriate’… I think some couples get pressured by that word. And the ones putting on the pressure are the people around them who don’t accept it. Some say they’re not a good match, they don’t look right together, all that stuff that chips away at love… But if two people truly love each other, that word means jack shit. Fah’s made that word disappear from my mind completely.”
“…”
“To sum it up simply, from friends like us… Fah’s not ashamed and even brought the kid to meet us. He respects the person he loves that much, and he values us too, which is why he introduced him. He’s gone this far—every friend should respect and honor his love too.”
“Oh wow, Hia ~ I’ve known you forever, and this is the first time you’ve spoken so well… Everyone, write this down on paper, and mark the date and time too.” someone teased.
“Write what on paper?”
“That today, you finally grew a brain.”
“You bastard!!!”
“Haha!”
“I’m happy for Fah that you guys are this open-minded…” Dom said.
“We’re friends… why overthink it? Our job is to cheer him on when he needs it, and if he’s hurting, we take him out to drown his sorrows in booze. Being a friend isn’t that hard… unless the friend’s a total pain in the ass, then it’s a little stressful.”
“Like you…”
Hia kicked Real’s leg once before turning to look at Muenfah, who was chatting with the small guy on the sidelines. Something clicked in his mind, and he quickly pulled his phone out of his pants pocket. Hia called the staff in charge of the club’s broadcast system—someone who worked for his dad— and told them to play a song.
“I’ve got your back, Fah…”
“What’s that, dude?”
“Just wait and see.”
As the melody started playing, Muenfah immediately looked up and stared in their direction. Hia smirked and high-fived Real when they saw Muenfah flip them off while the small figure turned his face away.
“Damn it… he’s embarrassed, haha!”
“How could he not be? That song’s so cute.”
Muenfah quickly lowered his hand to his side as the small figure turned back to talk to him like before. He wanted to rush over and smack the heads of those who’d planned to tease him like this. Just a moment ago, he and his “naughty one” were chatting comfortably, but once the song began, it fell into silence…
“Just talking, just meeting your eyes, time slips away and disappears. Everything stops the moment I find you, only you are clear while everything else blurs in my heart. Every time we’re close, you and I feel a pull holding us back, but neither of us dares to say goodbye, as if it might be our last day.”
Muenfah smiled while looking at the small figure beside him, who was bowing his head and pressing his lips together. Those faintly blushing cheeks prompted him to move his hand—previously resting at his side—closer to the other’s hand.
…Not touching much, not locking eyes deeply… just placing their hands close together.
“Maybe it’s you and me, Fall in love, baby, something connects us, little by little it forms a faint picture, and that love is starting to take shape, settling in my heart and yours.”
“Naughty one…”
“Yes, Phii Fah?”
“Keeping these feelings, one day I’ll surely confess my love to you.”
“Phii Fah, can I come cheer every year?”
“It won’t be long before we have good times together, you will do it Rak?”
“Of course I can.”
And silence returned… but it was a silence born from smiles.
They smiled at each other…
“Bye-bye, Phii Fah.”
“See you…”
Theerak waved goodbye to Muenfah one last time before the car pulled away from the soccer field. Phii Dom had left his car there to drive the two of them back, so on the return trip, Theerak had to sit alone in the back. He felt like something was becoming a little clearer—a feeling he could sense was growing… and it might grow even more.
LINE ~
M.FAH: Travel safe, Sea.
Theerak: Don’t come back too late, Sky. M.FAH: Got it.
Theerak: Phii Fah… that song earlier, what’s it called?
M.FAH: “Love Is Taking Shape.”
Theerak: Thanks, Phii Fah.
Theerak smiled…
Thank you for letting me know it’s really starting to take shape, .
TBC