EASTTAGYOUREMINE, Chapter 14: The Only Thing You Care

   “Hill!!!” Phii Johan’s voice boomed across the parking lot calling for Phii Hill. Fortunately, there was no one else around, so we didn’t become the center of attention again. Honestly, I think Phii Johan looks even more handsome in person than in photos. I’m not sure if his messy hair and untucked shirt were because he was in a rush or if that’s just his style.

He looks handsome in a different way from Phii Hill.

Phii Johan, along with the other two, hurried over here. I guess the other two might be Tonfa and Arthit that were mentioned.

“Man, Jo was driving so fast, almost ran a few red lights.” one of them said.

“But we didn’t actually run any.”

“So, where’s this person you were talking about?”

“That’s why I had to ask Hill. When they called, I could hardly believe it. Did you really announce on stage that he’s yours? That’s an angle I never thought you’d take.” Johan said excitedly, causing Phii Hill to chuckle slightly, “Who is it?

Introduce your friend.”

Uh…I’m starting to feel out of place here.

   While I was watching to see if Phii Hill would reveal it or not, he glanced over here, implying that it was me.

   Oh gosh, he’s just going to say it outright again? Doesn’t Phii Hill feel embarrassed at all?

   “Really!?” Phii Johan exclaimed, his voice stretched long with a shocked expression. Tonfa and Arthit looked just as stunned.

Gasp, is it really okay to tell your friends?

And what if they don’t accept it like Phii Tun…?

“He’s cute.”    ?

Huh…!?

“Initially, I was really wondering what kind of person you were wooing. I even discussed with Fah and Arthit that if the person wasn’t up to par, we’d have to hold you back. But you’ve got good taste.” Phii Johan lightly patted Phii Hill on the shoulder.

This is another time I’ve received compliments from the older guys…

   So, all I could do was give a shy smile, raising my hand to scratch my cheek out of awkwardness.

   “But isn’t Hill supposed to be wooing a freshman? Why are you guys here together?”

“Oh…I was waiting for my friends.” I replied.

“So Hill just smoothly stayed with him, I thought it was weird, why would he come to wait for us. Ah, now I get it.”

“Then, why don’t you introduce yourself? I still don’t know you, I’m Johan, by the way, is this the one who complimented me over the phone that day?” Johan asked about that day when I was with Phii Hill at the restaurant and ended up praising Johan.

Phii Hill nodded in affirmation.

“I thought it was someone else, wow, so you’re only wooing this one, then.” The teasing from the friends started again. Oh man, can we take a break from this teasing? I’ve just been through a lot of it already!

   “My name is Tonfa, nice to meet you.” Tonfa smiled politely. This one seems more like Phii Hill in demeanor. He looks kind and gentle, but somehow, you can just tell he’s suited to be a doctor. If I had to guess, he’d fit perfectly into studying medicine, unlike Phii Hill who…tends to look more stern and sharp.

“My name is Arthit.” Arthit is slightly taller than Phii Hill, with an athletic build, the kind they call ruggedly handsome.    “And you, freshman?”

“Uh, I’m Easter, but you can just call me Ter.” I introduced myself, but for some reason, they didn’t respond right away, making me wonder if I missed something,

“I study in the Veterinary Faculty, first year.”

“Veterinary is close to our faculty. We’ll see each other often then, especially since first-years have labs in the medical building.” Phii Tonfa said. Do I have to go to the medical building for classes too? T^T    “Are you all…studying medicine?”

“Yes. Though Jo and Arthit here aren’t exactly the typical medical student type.” Tonfa said with a chuckle.

Then the voice of Phii Napdao called for everyone to regroup, why so soon? She said it would be fifteen minutes, right? Foam and Phoon still hadn’t shown up, probably lost, no doubt about it. When those two go anywhere together, they argue about directions all the time; Foam drives without paying attention, looking at girls or dogs, while Phoon gives confusing directions.

   Yeah…they probably took a detour around the mountain once or twice before arriving here.

   “Every time I hear Phii Napdao’s voice, I get goosebumps.”

“Why? Oh, because Tonfa is the vice moon, right? Then why aren’t you in the fashion show?”

“They only wanted the moon stars to participate and not runner up. That’s fine, I’m too lazy anyway.”

“Nong Ter, are you waiting for your friends? I can wait with you.” Phii Hill asked me.

“Uh…no, it’s fine, you guys can go ahead.” I said, feeling hesitant, making them wait for Foam and Phoon might take another year.

“Such polite language, unbelievable, our friend Hill has changed, I can’t handle it.” Phii Johan made a face like he was about to cry and covered his mouth turning to Phii Arthit.

“When he used to flirt with girls, we couldn’t handle it either.” Phii Arthit said.

“So what should we do? We can wait with you, you know.” Phii Tonfa offered.

“No, I’ll wait alone. You guys go ahead.” Phii Hill said.

“Wow, Hill, your friends came looking for you, and now I had to leave little Nené behind, just to pick up Tonfa and Arthit to find you.”

“Why the rush, I was reading and you threw the book away, buy me a round tonight. By tomorrow, if Hill really declared it on stage, it’ll be all over social media.” Phii Tonfa complained slightly while letting out a soft sigh.

“I’ll buy you a whole crate.”

“What the heck would I do with a whole crate? So, what’s the plan, Hill? You’re from the medical faculty, aren’t you supposed to lead the way? If not, Phii Napdao might have another outburst.”

“It’s fine, I’ll wait with Nong Ter first.” Phii Hill said. Why is he so insistent on staying with me? He could have gone ahead.

“Uh…then I guess we don’t need to wait anymore, it might take a while.” I said. Otherwise, this might never end. Foam and Phoon wouldn’t show up easily, and if Phii Hill is late, Phii Napdao would be even more upset about the fight earlier.

“Alright then, let’s go.” Phii Johan said, and we, four to five of us, started walking back to the star and moon group. I just listened quietly to the seniors talking while Phii Hill walked beside me, even when I walked slowly and the others went ahead. Phii Hill slowed down to keep pace with me.

Oh my, why does it feel so warm like this? My heart…T^T

“But Hill is still wooing Nong Ter, why do we tease like they’re already a couple?” Phii Johan asked.

“We just tease, it’s a blessing to see Hill woo someone, but we don’t mean to make you uncomfortable, Nong Ter.” Phii Tonfa turned to tell me. I just smiled back, indicating it was okay.    I’m not uncomfortable, really…

“I’m leaving my friend’s heart in your consideration, Nong Ter. Even if you don’t like him, at least pity him. It doesn’t look like he’s someone who falls in love easily.” Arthit said. That sentence made me inadvertently glance at the person beside me.

“Five years.”

   “The answer to the previous question…it’s been five years now.”    When they said Phii Hill doesn’t fall in love easily…

   Well…he’s liked me…for five years now.

   Gasp!

   Thump! Thump!

   Every time I think about it, my heart races!

   And when he looks back, once again, I find myself avoiding those eyes.

   But thinking about it, it’s still strange. Yes…I told him that I actually met Phii Hill when I was in high school, about two years ago, which means I’ve only liked him for two years, but Phii Hill said it’s been five years. That means…Phii Hill has liked me since I was in middle school, huh? That’s really young, what could make a third-year high school student like a second-year middle school student for so long that he keeps liking them even as he progresses to his second year of university?    And the important thing is, in my second year of middle school, what could I remember? Even after thinking about it over and over, I can’t remember ever meeting him.

   When we returned to the activity courtyard, Phii Napdao announced for everyone to line up again. Phii Meili looked a bit worried but relaxed when she saw me, which made me smile involuntarily.

Phii Meili must really care about me.

I truly appreciated it.

“How are you, Nong Ter? You okay?”

“I’m fine, thank you.” I gave a broad smile to the person who rushed over to check on me. I’ve never expected anyone to look after me, because I’ve always thought I could handle everything on my own, but when someone does look after you,

It’s a feeling of happiness that’s hard to describe.

And it makes you want to look after them in return.

Not just Phii Meili.

Everyone.

Yes.

Including Phii Hill…

“Is Phii Meili okay? About…um, Phii Tun.” I paused for a moment, referring to when Phii Meili had slapped Phii Tun. I was worried that Phii Napdao might say something about it. Phii Hill had already been warned.

“I got scolded a little, but it’s fine. Actually, he’s not a bad person, really. He probably just said those things out of anger without thinking. Don’t take it too seriously, I think he didn’t really mean what he said.” Phii Meili said to reassure me. I nodded and smiled in acknowledgment. Even if Phii Tun meant what he said, it’s okay.

People have a million different thoughts.

And we can’t care about everyone’s opinions.

I will try not to clutter my mind with it anymore.

“Then I’ll go first.” Phii Hill said after Phii Napdao announced it again because everyone seemed tired and unwilling to go to rehearsal. I nodded in acknowledgment, and Phii Hill left without another word.

“Permission granted, I guess.” Phii Johan teased, and Phii Hill gave a slight smirk before heading towards the stage.

“So, what’s up with you guys, Meili?” Phii Tonfa asked, probably referring to the conversation I had with Phii Meili earlier.

“It’s about Tun, remember?” Everyone nodded, indicating they remembered, “He said some things that were quite off-putting. After Hill declared he was interested in Nong Ter, Tun just kept on with his not-so-nice comments about gays.” Phii Meili explained briefly, avoiding the more offensive words.

“Oh, that guy has never really thought before he speaks.” Arthit said as if this was typical for Phii Tun.

“That’s bad, huh? So, what happened?”

“Hill gave him a punch. I can’t believe it, Hill’s got a heavy hand too, Tun might have had his jaw broken, oh, that’s an exaggeration, haha.”    “Wow, Hill’s really been doing some shocking things lately.”

“I can’t imagine it, him being so calm usually.”

If I hadn’t seen it myself, I probably wouldn’t believe it either.

“Don’t daydream, stay focused.” a voice from the stage called out, snapping me back to focusing on the photo shoot. Phii Meili didn’t forget to remind me when to take the photos, and I felt like we were going to take a lot of pictures today. From the individual shots since morning, we’ve taken countless, not to mention if any turned out good.

Rrrrrrrr

My phone vibrated in my pocket, but I was busy taking photos, my hands weren’t free.

“Phii Meili, could you please answer my phone?” I asked her for help, suspecting it was those two guys, probably done with their detour.

“My hands are dirty with sweets, ugh. It wouldn’t be appropriate, let’s ask Dr. Jo for help.” Phii Meili then asked Johan instead.

“No way, Hill would kill me. We just sorted things out last time.”

So, it turned into a game of hot potato, with no one wanting to answer my phone.    “Ton, can you help?” Johan then passed the request to Tonfa. Hmm, why are they passing it around like this?

“Don’t want to. What’s wrong with you guys?” Tonfa sighed slightly before reaching into my pocket for the phone, “You guys better behave, Hill’s watching, he might scold me for being too touchy with the junior.”    Wait, what the heck is this, –

   “He’s probably gone backstage.” Johan said.

“He might have seen, Hill might have put a tiny camera on the freshman.”

“Not that crazy like you, Tit, excuse me, Nong Ter.” said Phii Tonfah as he took my phone from my pocket and accepted the call.

Sigh, everyone talks as if Phii Hill is some kind of criminal mastermind.

Well…he might actually be.

“Hello.” Phii Tonfah spoke into the phone. I turned back to focusing on my photography to not miss anything, but eavesdropping seems to be a skill I was born with, even though my eyes were on the camera, my ears were tuned into their phone conversation.

“You can put it on speaker, Fah, I’ll talk.” I said before Phii Tonfah pressed the speaker button. All I could hear was the sound of the wind, probably because they were still riding, “Phoon, where are you now?”

“Ter, help, we’re lost. Foam has gone past the university entrance, he said he’d take a detour, but we ended up in some random alleyway.” Phoon’s voice was somewhat muffled by the wind, but I could catch the gist.

“Come on, you idiot, which alley are you in?” I asked. I’m not really familiar with the area myself.

“What alley? Hey, Foam, should we stop the bike and turn on the GPS?”

“No. Just trust me, Phoon.”

And there it goes…they’re arguing again.

“Nong Ter, take the shot now, you’re missing the moment.” Phii Meili reminded me, because I had lowered my camera to talk to Phoon. Oh, how chaotic, they haven’t even arrived yet and they’re already causing trouble.    “Alright, I can’t turn on the GPS, your internet is out, Foam.”

“My phone isn’t ringing.”

“Oh, great.” I said, exasperated, what’s with these two?

“Give me directions, I’ll go pick you up.” Tonfa offered, which made me pause for a second, such a kind soul, really. I guessed right.

“Uh…who’s this?” Phoon asked through the phone, sounding confused, since it was my phone, he must be puzzled about who’s speaking.

“This is Tonfa.”

“…” The line went silent, leaving us to listen to the sound of the wind for a moment before Phoon spoke again, “Are you Ter’s senior?”

“We just know each other.”

“And where’s Ter?”

“Nong Ter is busy right now. Should I come pick you up? You can tell me how to get there.” Phii Tonfa said, contemplating the distance for a while before responding.

“Yes, I’ll come to pick you up then.”

“Thank you, Phii Fah.” I said in appreciation, even though we’d just met, Phii Tonfa was very kind. He agreed to pick up my two friends. Indeed, picking them up would be better than just giving directions since they don’t know the way. It’s easier to guide them with turns on the way there and then follow back.

“Okay, Jo, lend me your car.”

“Should I go instead?”

“It’s fine.”

“Why?”

“You probably don’t have that much kindness in you. Don’t go if you’re just going to complain when you get back.” Phii Tonfa retorted, causing Phii Arthit and Phii Meili to burst into laughter.

“Haha, true, let our kind-hearted Dr. Fah go. Drive safely.” Phii  Arthit said, and then Tonfa walked off, borrowing my phone as well.

“He’s really kind, isn’t he?” I said to Phii Meili while photographing the stars and moons on stage.

“Yeah, well, Hill seems kind too, but, you know, appearances can be deceiving.”

Phii Meili remarked, though I didn’t quite understand what she meant. Isn’t Phii Hill genuinely kind?

I didn’t respond, as the stage music kept looping along with Phii Dao’s voice, both criticizing and praising, quite harshly, I might add. Phii Napdao was tough; it made me not want to volunteer for the moon position. If anyone was off-beat or not to her liking, she’d make them start over.

And importantly, I still felt a bit flustered as a photographer when Phii Hill walked out to the front of the stage.

Oh…I’ve said it before,

No matter what, I always fall for that look in his eyes, T^T

“You’re squeezing the camera too hard, the lens is going to break, doctor.” Phii Meili teased after seeing the photos I took of Phii Hill, “Last time, he didn’t even look at the camera with another photographer.”

“Nong Ter, can I ask secretly how you met each other?” Phiii Johan asked me.    “We’re waiting for the page’s interview tomorrow, then you’ll know. We don’t disclose information to outsiders.”

“It might be too late for that, but wait for what the page says then.”    Rrrrrrrrrrr

The sound of a phone?

Phii Johan picked it up and answered.

“Hello?”

(Jo, it’s Pim.)

   “Pim…Oh, uh, what’s up?” Johan’s voice hesitated a little, as if he couldn’t quite remember her.

(You don’t remember, do you? Never mind, where are you?)

   “At the star club event, in the activity courtyard.”

(Are you with Hill?)

   “No, Hill is at rehearsal.”

(Oh, can I talk to Hill then? Could you go ask the stars?)

   “Why don’t you call Hill yourself?”

(I don’t have Hill’s number.)

   “Probably won’t happen, so what’s up? I’ll tell him when he takes a break.”    (It’s about Mild. She’s been crying since she got back to the dorm. I’m her friend. I heard there was some drama at the pageant. I guessed it might be related to Hill. Could you help? Mild hasn’t stopped crying.)

   “And what does that have to do with Hill?” Phii Johan started to sound slightly irritated.

(I saw the clip, where Hill said there’s someone else he cares about more.)    “There you go. That’s why I asked what it has to do with Hill.” The voice on the other end became even more annoyed, and Phii Johan, who seems playful, sometimes gets easily irritated too.

(Hill made Mild cry, at least he should apologize. Mild almost hurt herself, thank goodness there were many friends to stop her)    Huh? Am I hearing this correctly?

   Phii Thanmild tried to harm herself!?

   “Sigh. I really don’t like women who are always seeking attention.”    Oh my, Phii Johan is being too straightforward. Phii Hill is direct, but this is blunt.

(Huh? What’s that?)

   “I’ll tell him later.”

(Thanks, and Lin says the person Hill likes is a photographer there, right?)    Hmm? He means me? Uh…I’ve got a bad feeling about this. This Lin must be someone here. Otherwise, they wouldn’t know about this.

   “Uh…” Phii Johan hesitated, glancing at me for a moment. I made a confused face in return, deciding to take a break from taking photos, “Ah, yes, why do you ask?”

(Hey, I am not saying anything against the freshman, but…if that freshman wants to talk to Hill, it’s fine, just let Mild come to terms with it first, okay?

She’s in a bad state.)

   Wait, what does that mean?

I have to wait for Phii Thanmild to come to terms with what?

(But…hic, sob, it’s better not to talk to Hill at all, hic, sob, can you let Hill go, please? It took him so long to get better, I tried so hard, why come back now!!

Why come back!! Sob)

   This voice…it’s Phii Thanmild.

The sound of sobbing mixed with shouting indicated she had lost control. Me and Phii Meili exchanged bewildered looks. What Phii Thanmild said made no sense to me.

Why come back…?

(Mild, Mild, calm down first. It’s alright. We’re here for you, Mild. Sorry,

Jo, we’ll hang up now. Don’t forget to tell Hill to check on Mild, okay?)    And with that, the call ended amidst everyone’s surprise, except for Phii Arthit, who seemed completely uninterested, shaking his head in disgust after listening.

“What’s her deal? I didn’t think Mild could be this bad.” Phii Meili said, “Many from the faculty’s stars are on her side. Look, Lin is already spreading the news. Just by crying, she earns sympathy points?”

“Then Nong Ter, you should cry a little.” said Phii Meili teasingly.    “I’d need some time for that, Phii Meili, how can I just start crying out of nowhere?” I replied with a chuckle.

“If you cry, it would really shake things up, Dr. Hill would definitely be overwhelmed.”

“People are strange, really, I don’t like it at all, Arthit. When girls demand attention, cry or even threaten self-harm, what’s worse is that their friends always take their side without question.” PhiiJohan said with exasperation.

“You’ve experienced that, Jo.” Phii Arthit mentioned, “Remember that time at the club?”

“Yeah, it was so embarrassing, she was yelling at me loudly, the whole club was watching, and it wasn’t just her yelling, she brought her friends along to join in, even though we had agreed that I wasn’t exclusive.”    “Ha ha ha, serve you right, so what happened in the end?”

“She scratched my face with her nails, I went home and told my aunt it was a cat scratch, damn, but when I gave her ten thousand, she went completely silent.”    Hmm…Phii Johan isn’t to be underestimated. I can’t help but laugh imagining him getting his face scratched.

“So, in the case of Thanmild, if we give her money, do you think she’ll quiet down?” Phii Meili asked.

“We could try, tell Hill, this one might need a hundred thousand.”

“I doubt it, she doesn’t seem like she’s after money. I really don’t understand her.” Phii Meili sighed. We turned our attention back to the stage where the rehearsal was ongoing. Phii Meili said there was no need to take photos now, nothing much was happening at this time, and she asked me to rest and wait for the final shot, which would conclude my work as a photographer for the day.

But I might have to become the unofficial photographer again, as Phii Meili said she would nominate me for more gigs, considering it as extra work.

Just a moment ago, Phoon called to say they were almost here. That’s a small relief. Not long after, Phii Napdao announced a break, complimenting that the rehearsal walk had improved significantly, and it wouldn’t take as long as initially thought.

Phii Hill walked over with other star club members, sitting down in the rest area where Johan and Arthit were seated, so others naturally followed suit. Phii Hill sat down next to me, which naturally drew teasing comments from the senior stars.    “Wow, he won’t let anybody sit next to the junior, looks like Meili will have to move.” one of the seniors remarked, since Phii Meili was sitting on the other side of me.

“Except for me, I suppose.” Phii Meili said with a laugh.

I secretly glanced at the person sitting next to me, who returned a smile as always. Sigh, why does everyone have to sit here? When there’s too much teasing, it’s hard to know how to react.

And then I found myself moving closer to Phii Meili without realizing it.

It’s just…embarrassing…somehow.

“Is it hot? I told you not to stay in the sun too long.” Phii Hill asked while gently patting my head. I had to dodge slightly because I was afraid of more teasing.

“It’s not hot.” I replied, and as expected, the fear of being teased…well, it was too late again.

“Aww, so sweet. We were walking in the sun too, Hill.”

“Our friend actually cares about others, huh?”

“He only cares about one person, I bet.”

I gave a dry smile to the seniors who were teasing, but Phii Hill seemed uninterested.

“Hey, Hill, there’s trouble. Just now, someone named Pim, I think, called and said Mild was crying a lot.” Johan informed, causing the others to turn their attention, “She even threatened to harm herself.”

“Ugh…that’s over the top.”

“But it’s concerning, you know. If something happens, you’ll be in trouble, Hill.”    “Wait, but I think Hill isn’t at fault here. He can’t be responsible for everyone who likes him, right?”

“I know, but it might escalate into a big issue.”

“I’ve been there, man. My ex once threatened to kill herself, it was quite stressful.”

“And what did you do?”

“You have to talk things out slowly. Some women are quite sensitive.”

“Yeah, and now she says the freshie  should not talk to Hill yet, wait for Mild to come to terms with it.” Johan added.

“Can people who cry demand whatever they want?”

“That’s what they call unfair, think about others a bit.”

“Your friend, calm down, you’re getting too heated on behalf of Hill.” one of the seniors tried to calm another who seemed very involved, “So, what will you do, Hill? Ah…but we already know the answer without asking.”

“…”

“Whatever.”

 

EASTTAGYOUREMINE CHAPTERS HOME

EASTTAGYOUREMINE, Chapter 13: That Day

   As soon as that sentence ended, it seemed to ignite all the chaos in the competition crew.

   Including…my heart.

   Just a moment ago, I felt like it was going to explode completely…

   Oh my god, that crazy brother, that crazy doctor, who told you to say something like that in front of so many people, oh my goodness!!

   My heart, my heart, oh my god, my heart can’t take it anymore, oh, T^T

   It felt like I had been splashed with cold water and my circuits were shorting out. I reached out with my cold, trembling hand to grab Phii Meili’s hand again to keep from falling, even though my hand had no strength left.

   “[Scream], oh my, doctor, you can’t do this, my heart is so faint.” Phii Meili pulled my arm into a hug and acted all shy, “Nong Ter, I’m melting, I can’t handle this.”

I’m the one who’s melting, help me, my legs are all weak!! T^T

   “Doctor, [scream], how can someone be this straightforward, oh my.” Phii Napdao said with a loud, screeching voice. Despite that, she couldn’t stop the teasing.

I was surrounded by Phii Mot and almost all the staff below the stage, not unlike Phii Hill who was surrounded by stars, moons, and satellites from all departments in this chaotic competition scene.

“Nong Ter, why didn’t you tell me, oh my. I can’t believe it, we’re this close, and

I thought you were out of reach.” Phii Mot said while gently tapping my shoulder, and before I realized it, all the seniors were teasing me big time.

“Hey, let me see. Is this the junior everyone’s talking about? Oh my, he’s so cute,

I’ll just give him to Dr. Hill.”

“Is it this freshman that Dr. Hill said he cares more about than Mild? Wow, even the medical star has to step back now.”

“Freshie, let me pinch your cheeks a bit. You’re so adorable, the camera loves you, [sigh].”

“It’s a blessing for my eyes to see the person Dr. Hill likes. I can’t believe I’m seeing this in this lifetime.”

I could only give a dry smile to the staff who were mostly friends of Phii Mot, teasing each other. Honestly, every word they said made me embarrassed too, oh my, how did it come to this?

   “Did the doctor suddenly say that because he doesn’t want others to bother the freshie?” Phii Mot asked Phii Meili.

“Probably, right? He was trying to keep the attention away, but looked at us. Our satellite divas are really something. Dr. Hill, will you die before you ever date Nong Ter?” I turned to where Phii Meili was looking, feeling a bit embarrassed at the mention of ‘dating Nong Ter’, not sure how she said it, sigh.

The friends of Phii Hill were still teasing each other, but the real chaos came from the satellite divas rushing from backstage, surrounding Phii Hill with screams, making him cover his ears.

“[Scream!] Doctor! You can’t do this to me, Doctor, why, what’s wrong with me, why don’t you choose that one?”

“Rada, step back now, don’t touch my Dr. Hill.”

“You back off, stop it, Pound, did you just sneakily hold the doctor’s hand?” “Who’s your doctor? Dr. Hill belongs to everyone! Wait, no, he just revealed his heart’s owner, so the divas have to back off now.”

“I won’t back off, I’ll fight, please, doctor, give me another chance.”

“My friend the doctor is overwhelmed, stars, please help calm them down, Dr.

Hill can’t take it anymore.” one of the senior stars could hardly contain her laughter. Even so, Phii Hill just smiled, not showing any signs of anger.

“Divas! Girls, that’s enough, I know you’re shocked, but it’s not just you, soon the whole faculty will be shocked.” Phii Napdao said before turning the siren function back on to stop the chaos, and the satellite divas finally stopped pulling at Phii Hill.    It seems like the one really overwhelmed isn’t him, but his own kind, with their beautiful outfits from this morning, styled hair, and wigs that took hours to set, all messed up from pulling at each other, and then Phii Hill had to straighten his uniform again.

   Should I feel sorry or not…

   Nah, no way.

   Feel sorry for yourself first, Ter!! T^T

   “Wait, let’s clear this up first. Doctor Hill, you have declared your interest in

Nong Ter, right? Where’s Nong Ter? Oh, there he is, hiding his head behind Meili.

Meili, you’re really blocking him out.”

“Mean mother, he’s just smaller.” Phii Meili said in a huff before pulling me to the front, oh my, Phii Meili, don’t do this.

“But they haven’t started dating yet, I understand that correctly, right? And what’s this about thieving cats?” asked Phii Napdao.

“It’s Jijo and Junior, who were flirting with Nong Ter, like Meili mentioned before.” explained one of the moon team members, pointing towards Phii Jijo and Phii Junior.

“Really? I thought Meili was just joking. So, what do you say, Jijo, Junior, let’s clear this up. Was what Meili said true?” Phii Junior didn’t respond, just smiled slightly and gave a small nod.

“Wow, what’s this? Hill, you’re blocking others’ chances, yet you said if you’re not officially dating, you can’t block others, right?” Phii Jijo spoke up, but she didn’t seem angry, just teasing.

“Oh, is this a battle over the boy, Jijo? How bold of you to challenge Doctor Hill.

You never learn from your flirtatious ways.” said Phii Napdao.

“Yes, Phii Dao. We’ve warned him. Give it up, we’ll drown our sorrows in liquor later.”

“Why are there only people from his team? What about my team? Junior, what do you say? Are you giving up?” Phii Jijo seemed to start rallying her allies, turning towards Phii Junior who stood not too far away.

“I’ll pass. I’m not in the mood to fight Hill. It would be a wasted effort. Just look at Nong Ter, he’s already lost in his own world.” Phii Junior said, looking over at me.

And Phii Hill, who sent a sweet smile my way.

   With that unreadable look in his eyes, as always.

   Gasp!

   What’s with that look!

   “Junior has already backed out, so you should drop this, what do you say, Jijo?”

“He has no right to block others if they’re not dating.” argued Phii Jijo.    Uh…this seems to be getting out of hand.

“Then how about letting Nong Ter say something?” suggested by Phii Napdao. That made me shake my head immediately. Are you crazy? With so many people around, where would I find the courage to speak?

“The freshman can’t handle it anymore, Phii Dao, my hands are shaking, I’m about to explode. So, let’s just leave it at that for now. Doctor has claimed the freshie, but if anyone wants to flirt or get involved, go ahead because they’re not dating yet. Jijo, isn’t that right? It’s chaotic enough right now.”

“Wow, that’s an easy cut-off, isn’t it, Meili?”

“Yep. Why bother arguing with Jijo? She’s nonsensical, and you just asked to flirt. When it comes to dating, I’ll make it grand for you.”

“Actually, I really want to ask more and scream, but tomorrow, the Cute Boy page is interviewing the doctor. Let’s just wait a bit. Those of us who know, don’t tell anyone yet, wait for the page’s interview to finish, then our fan club will get a lot of donations from the page. They say the donation goal is almost reaching ten thousand.”

“But you’ve got to hand it to the doctor for making such a public declaration. It shows how serious he is. Nong Ter, you should consider Dr. Hill, but honestly, there’s no need to think too much. He’s handsome, rich, has a good personality, and is smart. Plus, he’s genuinely in love. A perfect guy like Dr. Hill isn’t easy to find.

Where can you buy a man like him? I’m ready to pay.”

“Let’s take a break for now. Why am I so tired after just one rehearsal? Must be from all the screaming.” Phii Napdao said as she walked off the stage, followed by others. “Remember, don’t spread this news yet. If anyone recorded it, keep it to yourselves. I’ll find and slap anyone who posts it. Let’s wait until tomorrow, or we’ll miss out on the money from the Cute Boy page.”

Many staff members returned to their posts and served water as part of their duties. Meanwhile, I was dragged by Phii Meili to the seating area for a rest. Phew, good, I could use a little time out.

“Hey Nong Ter, do you want some smelling salts?” Phii Meili handed me some. I took it and thanked her quietly, “Dr. Hill is like, let’s not even talk about him. It’s good that Thanmild isn’t here. Otherwise, there would definitely be a scene.”

“…A scene, really?”

“Well, maybe. So, what are we going to do? The doctor has made his intentions very clear.”

“Yes, but we haven’t seen each other for nearly a year, and we’ve only just met again a few days ago.”

“Hmm. Even though you’ve known each other for a long time, you’ve only recently started to understand each other. No need to rush. I believe the doctor can wait.”

“He says he can wait, but then he makes such a big public announcement. He’s really crazy.” I muttered, lowering my voice at the end of the sentence.    “Well…who wouldn’t want to claim their prize like that, right?”

“Phii Meili…please stop teasing for a moment, let me rest.” I said, slightly pouting.

“Oh, so cute, I’ll stop teasing for a bit.”

“Hey everyone, listen up.” Phii Napdao’s voice rang out again, making me and Phii Meili turn towards the source of the sound immediately, “We’ll create a little buzz, even if not the whole university knows, but we’ll make them curious by working together. We’ll use the hashtag #RealDoctorMrHill on social media.”    “Wow, we’re going all out with the hashtag? Just the issue of who owns the watch has already filled Twitter.” Phii Meili grumbled while picking up a glass of sweet water handed out by the staff, drinking it as she heard the moon team teasing and questioning Phii Hill from a distance. I didn’t dare look, so I just sat with my back turned, continuing to sniff the smelling salts.    “Hill, I just saw Fern crying as she walked off the stage.”

“Really?” That must have been Phii Hill’s reply.

Phii Fern…?

   “Wow. You really don’t care about anyone else, do you, just care about Nong

Ter, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Holy cow, our friend is the real deal. We really should start using that hashtag like Phii Dao said.”

“This has to reach Johan’s ears, let Johan close his pub to celebrate us tonight.”

“Hey, but our friend Hill isn’t free tonight, right? Doesn’t he have to take care of someone important?”

“Yeah, try inviting Nong Ter too. We’d like to get to know him.”

“No.”

“Are you jealous? With friends and all. We won’t hit on Nong Ter, you can trust us.”

“I’m not taking him to a bar.”

“But you could take him to a fancy restaurant. If it’s about spending money, I’d rather buy him a drink, it’s much cheaper.”

“Hill, I’m calling Johan and his gang now, Johan’s bringing Fah and Arthit too.” Hmm? …Johan is coming too? And those other two are Phii Hill’s friends, right?

   “You guys are making this into a big deal.” said Phii Hill.

“It is a big deal, man. Johan was in bed with some girls, but he said he’s hurrying over to see who you’re trying to woo. He left the girl confused in the room, and by the sound of it, he’s in a big rush, betting he’s flooring the gas pedal.”

Oh my god, why are more people coming? T^T

Rrrrrrrrrr

When my phone vibrated, I was slightly startled because I was focusing on eavesdropping. I pulled out my phone from my pocket to check it.

There was an incoming call from ‘Phoon’.

I answered it.

“What’s up?”

(Where are you?)

   “Near the club, why?”

(Me and Foam came to your dorm looking for you. Your roommate North said you weren’t there. We’re bored and had nothing to do, so we thought we’d come find you. Now, I’m riding on Foam’s bike near the university. Can we come to the club?)

   Shit! Should I tell them their timing is perfect or not?

   On one hand, I didn’t want them to come because if they did, they’d definitely find out what’s going on, but on the other, having friends around would make me feel more at ease.

   But I couldn’t tell them not to come. They’ve already come this far on their bikes.

   Sigh, whatever, I guess I can’t hide anything anymore.

   “Yeah, yeah, you can come in. I’m at the activity courtyard where the stars are practicing for the fashion show.”

(Oh. You’re at the activity courtyard? Okay, Foam, Ter is at the activity courtyard. Turn the other way. What are you doing there anyway?)

   “I’m…taking photos.”

“Are your friends coming?” After I hung up, Phii Meili spoke up, her mouth full of snacks. I nodded in affirmation, “Once your friends get here, everyone will know.”

“I guess it can’t be kept a secret anymore.” I said truthfully.

“True, do you want some snacks? They handed out a lot earlier. Not sure why they spent so much budget money on snacks.” Phii Meili complained slightly before handing me a small packet of snacks. The staff holding bags full of snacks were still walking around distributing them. It seemed like the star club had an enormous snack budget compared to the packed lunches.

“You’re really not taking the junior with you? I think Jo would want to come along. He might even close his club for three days and nights.” The gossip from the senior stars wasn’t stopping. Even though I didn’t turn to look, from what I heard, Phii Hill must have been a bit annoyed with his friends.

“Don’t just talk about bedding the freshman, would Hill join too?”

“What, for good news like this, we should celebrate a bit, right?”

“If you just want to drink, just say so. We’re in if someone’s treating.”

“If Johan wants to foot the bill, let’s go, Hill, this is your chance, man. Once we start drinking, the mood takes over, you might not even need to woo him, just take him upstairs and screw his brain out.”    Hold on a second…

   I don’t know who said that last sentence,    But isn’t that going a bit too far?

   “What are you afraid of at your level? No need to woo and waste time and money. If it were you fucking them, no woman would get mad. They might even be happy.”

With women, huh?

   Does that mean I, as a man, should be even happier?

   Hey…

   I’m starting to not really like Jo or what the seniors are saying.

   Even if it’s just in jest,

   Should they really say stuff like that?

   And it’s just making me think back to that day.

   “Shut your mouth already.” I heard Phii Hill say, but even so, I didn’t want to listen anymore; I’d rather go wait for Foam and Phoon.

I stood up amidst Phii Meili’s confusion, and it seemed like Phii Hill was about to say something more, but then Phii Meili stood up and slammed the table, startling me.

Bang!!

“Dog’s mouth! How does wooing Nong Ter waste time? Are you Dr. Hill, to say such things? How do you know he wouldn’t be angry? Are you looking down on us?” Phii Meili said loudly, clearly furious. I turned to see the moon team members who were sitting not far away looking completely shocked.

“Meili, calm down. We were just joking around.”

“Joking? Is that funny? Is saying ‘take them upstairs’ something to be said!?”

“What, Meili? We’re just joking around, no need to take it so seriously, right? But it’s true, isn’t it? Any girl would fall for Hill, and now that he’s gay, shouldn’t we be even happier?” It seemed like there was only one senior from the Moons Stars club talking like this, and from the voice I heard, the offensive words came from that person alone.

“Tun, you animal! You’re such an asshole, let me teach you a lesson.” Phii Meili seemed genuinely furious to the point where she couldn’t control herself anymore.

She looked like she was about to go confront this guy named Tun.

“Phii Meili, calm down.” Although I was angry, having a fight in the middle of the star club event wasn’t a good idea. Phii Hill hadn’t done anything yet…

Thud!!!

Phii Hill delivered a solid punch right into Tun’s face, making him stumble back. Amid the gasps from everyone around, including mine and Phii Meili’s, who were equally shocked.

“Hey, what the hell, Hill!!” Tun wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, spat on the floor, and stood up, shouting angrily at Phii Hill.

“I should be asking what the hell you’re doing.” Phii Hill replied. Not with a loud shout, but with his usual calm and cool tone.

Phii Hill wasn’t one to yell.

   He wasn’t the type to shout loudly at anyone.

   He was good at controlling his emotions.

   And I…

   I had never seen Phii Hill use physical force to solve a problem even once.    “Hey, hey, calm down. Hold Tun back!” someone shouted, and Phii Jijo, who was nearby, quickly stepped in to restrain Tun who was about to retaliate.    “Why are you stopping me! I’m going to hit back, what the hell is this about, coming out of nowhere and punching me! Let me go!” Tun shouted like a madman, but for some reason, Phii Hill, who was standing there with a calm face yet his eyes burning with anger, seemed much more intimidating.

“You’re in the wrong here, Tun, and you still have the nerve to try and hit Hill back.” Phii Jijo said while holding Tun back.

“What did I do wrong! He’s the one who’s wrong, he hit me first. Why are you siding with him, Jijo? Just because you lost Hill to him, you’re willing to be his underling now?”

“You piece of shit, you want another punch?”

“What, Jijo, are you getting angry because you lost? Just because of one gay guy, you all are swarming around, even Nie is the same, makes my skin crawl. You know that, right?” Then Tun turned to look at me, “With these types, just sleep with them, give them money, and they’ll be satisfied!”    Huff!

With that sentence, it looked like Phii Hill’s heavy fist was about to hit that dog’s mouth again.    However,

Smack!!

Phii Meili!

Phii Meili, who was just standing next to me, had somehow walked over to Phii Tun, and her hand swung hard across the face of the speaker, making his head turn.

“That’s enough, Tun. I know you’re angry, but some things shouldn’t be said.

Apologize to Nong Ter right now.” Phii Meili turned and gave me a small nod, indicating for me to go over. So, I walked towards them reluctantly.    Phii Hill moved closer to me, reaching out to gently squeeze my hand, his expression showing the utmost concern.

“…” Phii Hill didn’t say anything before letting go. There was no need for many words, but I think I understood Phii Hill’s feelings.

   He felt guilty…

   “What’s happening? What’s all the noise?” Phii Napdao approached. She was visibly shocked, covering her mouth when she saw the scene, “What, did you guys fight?”

“Yes, Mae, Tun was being a dog’s mouth.” Phii Meili explained.

“Hill punched me, Phii!” Phii Tun still shouted loudly as if he couldn’t control his emotions, before trying to shake off Phii Jijo again, which drew everyone’s attention.

“Oh, I said no using force. Otherwise, you’ll be removed from your star and moon position. What’s the story here?” Then Phii Meili recounted everything truthfully. Phii Napdao furrowed her brows, asking everyone if it was true, then told Phii Jijo she could let Phii Tun go.

“Come here, Tun.” Phii Napdao said sternly, “If this is true, Hill was wrong for using force, but the real fault lies with you, Tun. Learn to watch your words, that’s the worst. Apologize to Nong Ter.”

I looked towards Phii Tun hesitantly. He grimaced before grinding out an apology.

“Hmm, good. This time, we’ll let it go, but really, fighting can lead to severe punishment. You could be removed from your moon position. But I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything this time, just a warning. Don’t let it happen again, understand?”

“Yes.” Phii Hill agreed easily.

“…Yes.” Phii Tun seemed to accept as well.

“This kind of attitude won’t do, Tun. I’ll call you in for a talk later. We need to discuss this with the competition committee, this behavior is unacceptable for someone of your position.” Phii Napdao scolded, and Phii Tun nodded, admitting his fault.

“Alright, disperse. Tun, go see the medical team to get your wound treated before you go. We’ll resume rehearsal in fifteen minutes, go on, don’t crowd around.” With Phii Napdao’s directive, the situation seemed to come to an end. Everyone started to disperse, including Phii Tun, who was still visibly struggling to manage his emotions as he walked away.

Without anyone saying anything further, I decided to slip away with the others. I wanted to deal with my own negative feelings first. It’s not like I wasn’t affected; being insulted like that naturally made me feel bad.

I’d rather go somewhere to calm my mind.

I walked out to the parking lot, hoping to wait there for Foam and Phoon.

Sigh…

I slumped down onto a seat under a tree, staring blankly at the dozens of parked cars. I don’t smoke, so there was nothing to help distract from the discomfort in my heart, all I could do was sigh, hoping it would lessen the gloom inside.

“Absolutely disgusting.”

   “Do you know that?”

   “Guys like these, just sleep with them and leave.”

   “Give them money, and they’re satisfied.”

   The words laced with contempt from Phii Tun…somehow echoed back into my mind.

Why does just one thoughtless comment from someone…pierce so deeply into my heart?

Or perhaps…

   Is it wrong…to love someone,

   When I’ve never asked for anything like that,    And never wanted a single penny?

   “How much compensation do you want, in exchange for not meddling in my grandson’s life anymore!!”

   The old, gray-toned memories returned amidst the emptiness in my mind once again. The image of my father in anger, Christy crying, the pained faces of the person I love, the image of brokeness, and the image of Phii Hill’s face full of tears.

   The words, so cold yet full of authority, from the tall man in a gray coat. His dark hair styled with sophistication, his face marked by the passage of time.

   His left hand reached into his wallet.

   Before slapping down a thick wad of gray banknotes on me with force, causing the bills to flutter everywhere.

   Yes…

   That day.

   The day Phii Hill graduated.

   And it marked the end of everything between us.

   “Nong Ter.”    Hic!

The soft, deep voice from behind startled me out of my crazy thoughts, and I turned to find Phii Hill sitting down next to me.

“Sorry.” His deep voice carried a gentle tone.

“I didn’t say anything.” I tried to keep my voice as normal as possible, “I should be the one thanking you for stopping it.”

“Just now, Meili…said, it’s good that everything is clear now.” Phii Hill said with a faint smile, “Because ambiguity hurts a thousand times more.”

“But after seeing Tun act like that…I’m not sure if my clarity was the right thing.”    Phii Hill is worried if his clarity was the right choice.

   And I, on the other hand, am worried if my own feelings are correct.

   Ha.

   I must be going crazy…

   “But anyway, it’s already happened.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Ha…Do your best at what?”

“With the problems that will come up after this.” and Phii Hill once again showed a gentle smile, the sadness in his beautiful eyes gradually fading.

“What kind of problems? Do you mean like with Phii Tun?” I asked.

“Partly, but I’m sure there will be even bigger problems coming up soon, I think.” Phii Hill said with a slight raise of his eyebrow, not seeming too troubled at all.

“And what about the effort you mentioned?”

“I just don’t want you to be troubled, that’s why. So, please bear with it a bit longer, okay?” he said while ruffling my hair gently as if I were a child. I frowned slightly, showing my displeasure before brushing his hand away.    “Don’t treat me like a kid all the time. You never tell me anything.”

“I’ll tell you when you become my boyfriend.”

“Are you asking me to punch you?” I said with a stern face.

“Not really, but if you want to know badly, you could just…become my

‘boyfriend’.” Phii Hill said with a playful smile.

!!!

   What kind of person is he?

   He’s so damn infuriating!!!

   Before I could say anything more, I heard the sound of a car speeding into the parking lot. Soon, the screeching of tires was loud enough to hurt my ears. Finally, a luxurious red sports car came to a halt, and three men got out in a hurry.

   “Hey Hilllllll!!”

If I remember correctly,    That’s Johan…

   

   EASTTAGYOUREMINE CHAPTERS HOME

EASTTAGYOUREMINE, Chapter  12: Eye to Eye

   I was dragged by Phii Meili to the front of the stage and told to get the camera ready, then left standing alone after she said, “Nong Ter, wait here for a moment,

I’ll go ask over there how they plan to proceed.”

The background music played in a soft, slow rhythm.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed standing alone in front of the stage area, I found a seat nearby and started to watch everyone lining up for the rehearsal. Phii Napdao was explaining the details of who should walk after whom since not everyone was present today; apart from Phii Thanmild who had just left, there were still some people skipping rehearsal. Phii Napdao decided they would walk individually for now, without pairing up as Moon and Star of the Faculty.

This gave me some time to think about what Christy said…about asking who Phii Hill likes, and before that, when Phii Hill mentioned he had liked me for five years. Maybe I haven’t been very observant as Christy suggested, but there have been times when I’ve tried to convince myself otherwise.

Because maybe I’ve been too scared as Phii Meili pointed out, but at least…on that day, he could have said something. Not just disappear after the incident. I understood he might not have been able to come to me, because even if he came to my house then, he wouldn’t have found me…but I waited for a message from him the whole week, and there were no responses to my calls, so finally, I closed my Facebook account and changed my phone number.

Who wouldn’t think they’ve been abandoned in that situation…

Next time, if there’s an opportunity to ask…that day’s events would be my question.

I just want him to explain why he suddenly disappeared.

And after that…just tell me he loves me again, that would be enough.

Because I have to heal the wounds you’ve left for nearly a year…and the ironic part is that one year feels almost meaningless. Every time I look at you, my broken heart still…

It’s not something that can be controlled, even if it’s your own heart.

Sigh…

I let out a big sigh, why does it feel like there’s smoke filling my chest?    “Oh…just give me a moment, just a second. I’d like to introduce the junior who will be taking photos today. Oh, where has our junior, Nong Ter, gone?” Phii Meili’s voice boomed from the speakers. I turned around to see her standing on the stage with a microphone in hand. She soon looked my way, signaling for me to come quickly, “Come here, come here, up on stage.”

I jogged up onto the stage at Phii Meili’s urging. Even though I was nervous, letting her keep calling my name would make it worse.

“Ah, do you see him? Everyone around the stage, pay attention. This is NongEaster, or Nong Ter, our emergency photographer for today, but might become our permanent photographer. He’s quite good, just so you know. I am introducing him in case we work together again. Now, for those who came to flirt with him…there’s Junior and Jijo Jo, from Engineering and Law respectively.” Phii Meili paused, the audience started to murmur at the last part. I caught Phii Junior giving a wry smile to those looking over.

“And one more person who wishes to remain unnamed…that person wants to say, stop flirting with Nong Ter, I’m warning everyone, he’s practically someone’s husband now. Junior, you can’t compete, and Jijo, don’t bother, that’s it, conversation over.” Phii Meili pulled me in to link arms with her, her voice softening at the end, leaving me to just give a sheepish smile to the onlookers.

Why does Phii Meili seem so moody and unpredictable?

“Oh, Meili, how could you do that?” Jijo complained as we stepped off the stage.    “What? That’s why I said no flirting. It’s annoying to see everyone trying to take him. Let’s just say he’s mine now, end of story.”

“Is Junior trying to flirt with Nong Ter too?” Jijo Jo raised her eyebrows in question.

“He asked for my Line, pretending to invite me to take photos, ha. Not subtle at all.”

“Does the junior need someone to take photos with? Are you looking for models?” Jijo asked me, and I nodded in response, “Then great, I can be your model. I guarantee lots of likes.”

“Sorry, the freshman already has a regular model to pose for him.” Phii Meili pointed towards Phii Hill, who was standing not too far, though he seemed not to be looking our way as he was talking with Phii Napdao, “That one, he’ll get more likes and shares than you could ever, Jijo.”

“How could Hill be a model for the freshman? He doesn’t usually like having his photo taken.”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care about you Jijo Jo, I’m tired.” Phii Meili waved it off before pulling my hand to walk away in another direction.

“So, what do I have to do to get your attention, Meili?”

That statement made both me and Phii Meili turn abruptly. It sounded like Phii Jijo was lamenting something.

Phii Meili didn’t respond, just gave a quick pout in the direction of the voice.    “Hey. They briefed us that for the first part, we should take individual shots, make them perfect. Then in the middle, they’ll start walking in pairs, which might be tricky to capture. I’ll tell you more about that later. For the finale, they want wide-angle shots, really wide, capturing the sunset. “

“Wow…then I’ll go to the front of the college to take the shots.”

“Around five or six in the evening, when the sun is setting, Nong Ter, go find a wide angle to shoot from. I’ll tell everyone to gather, imagine the background with the sun setting, and our stars and moon lined up in front. Oh my, it’s going to be majestic.”

“I’ve never photographed the sunrise or sunset before.” I expressed my concern. “It’s not hard, just focus on our stars and moon first, or you can focus on Dr. Hill, he’ll be leading.”

“Don’t tease, others might hear.”

“No worries, lovers can’t hide from the world forever.” I was about to retort, but

Phii Meili put her finger to her lips, “Shh, it’s about to start.”

The initially slow-paced music sped up a bit but didn’t turn into dance music; it was just enough to make you want to sway gently.

“Okay, first time, like yesterday, but wait, Dr. Hill wasn’t here yesterday, so let’s start over. Camera guy, don’t start shooting yet, I want the first round to be perfect.” Phii Napdao’s high-pitched voice echoed through the loudspeaker, which was almost as loud as the main speakers, “Dr. Hill, you walk out first, listen to the beat.”

Phii Hill, in his neat student uniform, his handsome face without any makeup, his clean white student shirt, not like the one I had stained with snot before, walked out from behind the curtain, perfectly in sync with the music.

How can someone make walking look so cool?

I don’t even want to think about what I would look like walking on that stage…    “Perfect, absolutely perfect, the timing of your steps is spot on, you got it after just one briefing, excellent, Doctor. Now, turn left for a pose. Here, the host will announce your name. Next, Thanmild, oh, she’s already gone? Alright, next person, come out, Dental Faculty Star.”

After Phii Napdao’s voice had faded for a while, no one came out, causing Phii Hill to glance back with a look of surprise.

“Oh, why isn’t anyone coming out? The next cue is for Dental Faculty Star, Nik.” Phii Napdao called again, “Nik, dear, why aren’t you here? Where have you gone?”

“Dao, Nikky isn’t coming.” a staff member shouted from below the stage.

“Oh, why? No one told me. Did she dare to skip?”

“No, Nikky has moved universities.”

“…” Everyone seemed stunned for a moment, “Well, I didn’t know. Oh dear, my

Nikky. Alright, next is Bass, Political Science Moon, come on the beat, dear.”    “On the beat, and for those next in line, follow the sequence. Let me tell you something, next time, choose your stars and moons wisely. Don’t just go for the most handsome or beautiful, choose someone who will stay with the department for a long time. The Dental Department doesn’t have a moon anymore, you know.”    “Look at Doctor Hill there, we didn’t choose him just because he’s handsome or capable, but because we thought he’d stay long, and indeed, he has. Four points to our medical folks, they’re the most dangerous, I heard Sky from the third-year medical moon has also left.”

“I was just kidding, Doctor Hill, we chose you because you’re handsome, purely handsome.” Phii Napdao started to banter through the loudspeaker, teasing one person after another. It seemed like she was no longer very concerned with the rehearsal march, just letting everyone walk to the beat.

“Oh no, girl, Fondao, walking like that, your heels will break before anything, step lightly, I’ve told you so many times.”

“Jijo, you haven’t even started taking photos, you don’t need to look at the camera that much, are you looking at the camera or the junior?” Phii Napdao’s words made me look towards Phii Jijo, feeling like she was indeed looking at me, “Stop being so annoying, Jijo, you might get your eyes popped out.”    But for some reason, I didn’t feel embarrassed or shy.

The song ended, and the first walk might have had many mistakes, but Phii Napdao didn’t seem too serious about it. She then ordered the music to be played again for another rehearsal walk.

“Mister freshman slash photographer, start shooting this time, it’s okay if it’s not perfect. If anyone makes a funny face, we’ll post it on the Cute Boy Cute Girl page.

DJ, play the music.” The DJ was none other than Phii Mot, who was sitting with her chin in her hand, looking bored by the audio equipment. It seems many of the staff had already left early, leaving the rest to work harder.

And Phii Mot looked like she had to do everything.

I bet there are a million complaints waiting to be vented right now.

“The Faculty of Medicine’s Moon, Dr. Hill, everyone [scream]!” Phii Napdao’s shrill voice came through the loudspeaker again, accompanied by her own scream. I started to raise my camera to shoot, focusing on the person who had just walked out from backstage.

The tall figure moved naturally, not at all stiff, probably because his physique was suited for modeling. Dr. Hill himself looked at the camera without breaking his gaze, giving a slight smile as if he was ready for every shot.

“Dr. Hill, look at the camera, not your lover, why the sweet eyes? Who’s making you look like you’re about to fall in love over here? There are ants on the stage, oh my.” Phii Meili teased in jest. “Whenever it comes to the doctor, there’s always something to gossip about. Let’s wait for the ‘mom’ from the page to come interview him.”

Why does everyone have to tease…His gaze wasn’t that much anyway.

“Look around you a bit, okay?”

I tried to observe Phii Hill as much as I could, as my senior suggested…His hairstyle was the same as when he styled it in the morning, quite different from his high school days. Back then, just having a slightly tall hairstyle was considered very cool, but once he got to university, he had more freedom to choose his hairstyle, which made him look even better.

Because he’s very tall, even though other moons are nearly as tall, Phii Hill still stood out. And sometimes, he had this habit of keeping a straight face which made people hesitant to approach him. Despite that, Phii Hill has never been rude to anyone.

And his eyes…Every time he looked, they always had this warm gaze. Many times, those eyes seemed to draw me in.

That kind of gaze was what made my heart flutter every time.

“Wait, wait, stop the music, stop…what are you two doing? You can’t just stare at each other like that, camera guy, camera guy.”

“Yes…ma’am.” I quickly turned to the voice calling.

“Why aren’t you taking photos? Why are you just staring at Dr. Hill?”

Huh? Me, staring at Phii Hill? How? I was just taking pictures a moment ago. Oh no, I’m sorry, T^T. And why did Phii Napdao stop the music? The silence just made the atmosphere worse.

   Oh my, I’m dead.

   Everyone’s looking this way now, boo-hoo.

   “The same goes for you, doctor, why aren’t you walking? Why play a staring game? Look, everyone’s lost the beat now.” Phii Napdao’s voice started to scold.    But it seemed like her scolding had no effect on him at all, as he then gave a gentle smile.

“The photographer…is so cute, I can’t take my eyes off him.”

As soon as Doctor Hill finished his sentence, everyone, including me, was struck speechless.

A silence enveloped the activity area as Phii Napdao’s voice quieted, and even the chattering crowd around us fell silent. The staff members further away, though not fully aware of what was happening, noticed the unusual quietness and turned their attention towards us.

   Everyone turned to look in our direction simultaneously, their eyes fixed on the tall figure standing prominently on the stage, who was staring at me without looking away. Soon, a buzz of excitement rose like a swarm of bees, the stars and moons waiting backstage rushed out to surround Phii Hill as if a miracle had just occurred.

   Yes…it truly was a miracle!

   With the ghost, that is!

   Oh my god, Phii!! …What have you done!

   I was completely flustered, not knowing what to do. Phii Meili started shaking my arm, probably embarrassed for me, my body went rigid like it did back in elementary school when the teacher called me to the front of the class.

   Please…someone…help me!

   “Everyone, please remain calm…calm down, stop crowding around Doctor Hill. Regain your composure, everyone. Even though what just happened was as significant as a meteor hitting our university.” Phii Napdao announced, trying to quiet everyone down. The shrieks from the girls, the staff, and the stars and moons all asking what had happened continued to grow louder, despite her efforts.    Phii Napdao then activated the siren function on the loudspeaker to quell the chaos.

“All staff, return to your positions, calm down. Everyone on stage, stop crowding the doctor, or he’ll faint from all the questions. No need to interrogate him.” Phii Napdao said firmly, and the stars and moons began to back away from Phii Hill slightly after their earlier rush to ask questions.

“Wow. I didn’t even have time to react. True love can shut out the world for a moment.” Phii Meili said, playfully covering her mouth.

I didn’t know how to respond; I could only give a slight frown and place my cold hand on Phii Meili’s arm.

“Ouch! You scared me. Just one flirt from the doctor and your hand is as cold as a corpse?”

“How are you feeling, Doctor, after that…scene? Were you overwhelmed by the flock of chicks?” Phii Napdao asked teasingly, and Doctor Hill gave a polite smile while adjusting his shirt that had been pulled by his peers.

“Wow, you guys…did you see the shot just now with our friend? He’s got guts, so is this the one you’ve been courting?”

“Hill is the real deal, I’m embarrassed for the kid, man.”

“Got to hand it to him, daring to pick up the freshman in front of everyone, with all his friends watching.”

“Hey, is this the freshman that Nea and Jijo were after? The one Meili mentioned? Hill’s really making moves, huh? What’s up, Nea, Jijo, are you going to fight for him?”

“What are you talking about? There’s no way I can’t compete, Nong Ter, right? I can’t take my eyes off you either.”

“You’re not looking at Jijo, you’re in a damn mess. Step back, let’s let Hill’s friend walk.”

“This morning was peak enough. Now, this is even more peak, he’s officially introduced him, and all our mystery-solving almost killed us, for what?”    “Well, you’re all quiet now, Hill, embarrassed? So, is it this freshman?”    The friends from the Faculty of Medicine were all asking and teasing Phii Hill loudly, but when this question came up, everyone quieted down, probably waiting for Phii Hill’s answer. I found myself holding my breath without realizing it.    “Yes.”    !!!!

“Yessss, our friend’s here, let’s celebrate, which bar tonight? You’re paying, right? We’ll call and reserve now, call Jo, Sky, and Arthit too.”

“Wait, we’re just teasing each other. Look at the freshman, is he mad?” Gasp!!

And then everyone on the stage turned to look at me again. No, I’m not mad, but you guys are making me feel out of place, could you stop staring, it’s so pressuring.

I moved closer to Phii Meili, hoping for some help.

“Phii…Phii Meili…help me.” I whispered softly while avoiding the gaze of several pairs of eyes from the stage. Phii Meili gently patted my head in a comforting manner.

“Calm down. You guys are wild, making so much noise over everything. Let Phii Napdao ask him questions, Phii Napdao is getting angry and her blood pressure is rising. Staff, get some blood pressure medicine for her.”

“Yeah, good idea, blood pressure medicine is good, spit! Meili, I’ll come down and slap you soon, alright. So, doctor, is this the one, the owner of the watch?”    Phii Hill didn’t respond. Instead, he let out a small chuckle.

“Let me just say….I won’t say.’ Did I say that fast enough?”

“Not fast enough, now that it’s come to this, tell us.”

“Well…” Phii Hill hesitated for a moment and then turned his gaze back to me, “It depends on the junior whether…he likes it or not.” And with that, the crowd erupted into screams and teasing from the other moons.

“Oh my god, be quiet, girls, it’s up to the junior, right? So, junior, what do you say? What’s your name, junior…what is it, Meili?”

“Nong Ter, khrap.”

“Nong Ter…what do you say? Do you like it?” Phii Napdao asked me, causing all eyes to pressurize me again. I swallowed hard, only managing to give a weak smile, oh my, if I could, I’d hide inside Phii Meili.

Sigh, Doctor, you crazy senior, what are you doing, T^T

“Uh…I don’t know.” I said quietly, still hiding behind Phii Meili.

I thought you said it would be clear but didn’t expect it to be this clear, sigh.

“Huh? What did Meili’s junior say?”

“He said he doesn’t know.” Phii Meili answered for me.

“So, what’s going on, haven’t you guys started dating?” Phii Napdao asked, slightly surprised.

“Not yet…” Phii Hill replied, “I’m still pursuing him.” And as expected, the crowd buzzed with excitement once more before the star told everyone to quiet down.

“Pursuing? Someone like Doctor Hill has to pursue? Goodness, will I ever get a husband this lifetime?” Phii Napdao said, rolling her eyes, “But this is the junior you posted about, right?”

Phii Hill didn’t say anything more…but that was enough for everyone to understand.

“Why didn’t you say anything when we asked before? Now you suddenly want to tell me? What’s the deal?”

Phii Hill was silent for a moment, looking thoughtful before he looked at me with a serious expression.

“Actually…”

“…”

“…I’ve been waiting for a long time.”

“…”

“So from now on.”

“…”

“I won’t let you go anywhere again.”

!!!!!

“And then…”

“…”

“So that some thieving cats would know…”

“…”

“Nong Ter…”

“…”

“Is mine alone.”

 

EASTTAGYOUREMINE CHAPTERS HOME

EASTTAGYOUREMINE, Chapter  11: Christmas

   “If that’s the case…can I ask for your LINE ID too?”    Phii Hill…?

   The tall figure stood up from his seat, amidst the bewildered looks of the secondyear moon group. Phii Hill walked around the table to stand beside Phii Jijo, right in front of me and Phii Meili.

   “What’s with you, Hill? How could you do this?” Phii Jijo asked, mixed with surprise.    “Why not?”

“Well, I asked for his Line first. You can’t just cut in like this, man.”

“Why can’t I?” Phii Hill said calmly, though his eyes still showed a trace of anger he was trying to hold back, “Are you his boyfriend or something? Why would you have the right to cut others off?”

Phii Hill’s words seemed to reiterate what Phii Jijo had just said.

If you’re not his boyfriend…you don’t have the right to cut others off.

“Wow, what’s this? Don’t you already have someone you like?” Phii Jijo started to protest slightly.

“Don’t you already have someone to chat with?” Phii Hill retorted, which made Phii Jijo start to frown, but neither seemed truly angry; it was more like friends playfully arguing over something trivial.

“Alright, alright, both of you stop it. Medical Moon and Law Moon, it’s time to go practice the walk. C’mon, let’s go, it’s almost time.” Phii Meili tried to intervene, clearly annoyed at having to listen to this pointless argument. “Everyone, let’s move, or Phii Napdao will get mad and we’ll be late again. We might end up practicing until ten tonight, you never know.” she concluded. Her words prompted the moon group to reluctantly get up from their seats with bored expressions, obliged to prepare for the walk practice that they couldn’t avoid.

“Come on, Jijo.” one senior came over, put an arm around Phii Jijo’s neck, and pulled him along.

“Hey, wait up, I haven’t settled this with this doctor guy yet.” Phii Jijo protested as he was being dragged away by his friend.    “That’s enough from you.”

“Nong Ter, let’s talk later.” Phii Jijo, or Jo, shouted to me, “Hill, don’t be sneaky, okay?” Jo left his parting shot before walking away with the other stars.

“Hill, you need to lead, man.”

“Go ahead.”

“Yeah, yeah, hurry up.”

Phii Hill, who should have gone with the others who were heading backstage, stayed standing in front of me, not moving. He looked at me with an unreadable expression, but without the anger he had shown before.

Phii Hill said nothing.

I didn’t dare to say anything either.

Including Phii Meili, who seemed to be waiting for some conversation to happen between us.

“Have you eaten yet?” Phii Hill’s question surprised me. I thought he would bring up the earlier incident, but his deep, soft voice had returned to its usual warmth.

“Uh…no.”

“Don’t you like the boxed meals here?”

“…No.”

“Do you want to eat something outside?”

“It’s okay.”

“Then let’s go eat together later. Meili, can I leave the junior with you for a bit?” Phii Hill turned to ask Phii Meili, who looked slightly surprised.

“Of course, Doctor. Meili has been looking after juniors since Bua’s time.” Phii Meili said with pride, “I can take care of him all the time. He’s part of our team now. In exchange, I will borrow the doctor’s summary sheets.”

“Um, sure.” Phii Hill gave a slight smile in acknowledgment, “Even though the sun isn’t too strong, don’t stay in it for more than thirty minutes, okay?”

“Got it, got it, such concern, I’ll make sure to hold an umbrella over him.” Phii Meili’s tone was half-sarcastic, half-annoyed. Phii Hill gave a polite smile before joining the others backstage.

Then Phii Meili dragged me back to the staff’s eating table and told me to wait while she checked if there were any meals left in the bags, unsure if the staff had eaten everything.

“There’s only fried rice left, do you like it?”

“Thank you, Phii.” I nodded in thanks as Phii Meili placed the lunch box on the table and sat down opposite me. I picked up a plastic spoon and started to eat the fried rice from the Foam box with relish. The taste wasn’t bad at all, but when I noticed Phii Meili staring, it almost made me lose my appetite.

“Wh-why are you looking at me?”    “Nothing! Nothing at all!”

“Your voice went high there.” I remarked.

“I wonder who might tell this Meili anything, you know, I want to know the details.”

“Haha.” I couldn’t help but laugh at Phii Meili’s cute, indirect way of asking, but she clearly wanted to know, “So, what does Phii Meili want to know?”

“Since it’s come to this, tell me, is the person Dr. Hill has been posting about and talking about recently you, Nong Ter?” Phii Meili got straight to the point.

“Uh…I don’t know.” but I still wasn’t brave enough to confirm it directly.

“Here’s the evidence.” she pointed at the watch mark on my wrist, “Why aren’t you wearing your watch? You usually wear it every day, right? That’s why there’s such a clear mark.” Phii Meili looked at me as if probing for an answer. It seemed she was determined to extract the truth from me.

“Uh…yes.” I had to admit it reluctantly.

“Admitted it, so it’s you, right?” Phii Meili’s eyes sparkled like she had just solved a great mystery.

“Yes…” I frowned slightly, “Can Phii Meili not tell anyone, please?”

“Why not? Don’t you want others to know that much?”

“I don’t want that.” I said softly. Phii Meili gently placed her left hand on the table, then her expression turned serious.    “Not ready, or what?”

“Yes, not ready at all.” I made a troubled face, and Phii Meili’s smile brightened up.

“Alright, Dr. Hill is probably waiting for you to be ready.” she leaned back into her chair, “I can’t believe it’s you. At first, we were all guessing, even thought it might be someone from another college.”

“So, what now? Can you tell me a bit about how Dr. Hill courted you? I can’t believe he knows how to court someone. Seriously, the whole crew was shocked when he posted that first time with the hashtag #DoctorPayingTheWay.”

I thought for a moment; I felt I could trust Phii Meili. Since she already knew, it wouldn’t hurt to tell her a little bit. I recounted to Phii Meili the same story I told North, about how I liked him since high school,  Christmas (my sister) incident, and added the recent events too.

When  he said…he liked me five years ago.

“Wow, five years, really? I barely lasted two months before finding someone new.” Phii Meili looked shocked, as if she couldn’t believe her ears, “So that means…Doctor Hill liked Nong Ter even before you knew him?”

“It doesn’t…seem possible. Phii Hill only transferred to my school in high school.”

“Oh really? Then maybe you met before that.”

“How can you like someone just from meeting them?” I voiced my thoughts. I don’t remember knowing Phii Hill before that. If it’s just from meeting, it’s hard to believe he could like me, “Plus, when Phii Hill first transferred, we didn’t even talk. I’m not someone who stands out to be well-known.”    “So, Nong Ter, you think…that Dr. Hill was lying?”

“Uh…I don’t know.” I answered hesitantly.

“He’s not lying…I think there might be more to the story that Doctor Hill hasn’t told.” Phii Meili speculated.

“At first, Phii Hill was going to tell me.” I paused, “but I…wasn’t brave enough to hear the whole truth.” My words made Phii Meili let out a big sigh.

“Sigh…this gives me a headache.” Phii Meili held her temples, “And your little sister, what’s her name again, Christmas? Doctor Hill said he only thinks of her as a sibling, right?”

“Yes…”

“But Christmas is like Doctor Hill.”

“Yes.”

“How do you know?”

“She’s the one who asked me to help…pursue Phii Hill.”

“Wow, a tragic love triangle, huh? That’s dramatic, I can’t believe Doctor Hill would have such a moment.” Phii Meili put her hand over her heart, “But still, it’s complicated. Doctor Hill says he only thinks of Christmas as a sibling, but he’s liked Ter for five years. And Ter likes Doctor Hill too, so that makes

Christmas…the extra, doesn’t it?”

“Uh…I wouldn’t say that.”

“Oh, poor little monkey.”

“But I think Phii Hill seems to like Christmas too.” I shared what I had been thinking all along.

“Not necessarily, haven’t you noticed? Have you ever tried talking to Christmas about it?”

“No…since that day we fought. It’s been almost a year since we’ve talked.” I sighed quietly, then clenched my lips to dispel the old memories that were flooding back.

“Oh, siblings not talking for almost a year?”

“Yes…”

“Why?”

“I thought…turning our backs on each other would be the best option for us, to prevent the wounds from getting any deeper.”

“It’s true that to move forward, one must let go of the past, but sometimes…it’s the past that blocks our way, especially if it’s a past that has hurt us. Some wounds, time can’t heal.”

“…”

“It’s a wound we have to heal ourselves.”

“I’m not saying anything against Nong Ter…but we can’t run away from problems forever.”

“…”

Phii Meili’s words left me speechless…because deep down, I knew I had been avoiding the problem, and I had never had the courage to face it head-on.

“Why don’t you try calling Christy…try talking, things might get better.” Phii Meili smiled at me gently, which made me feel comforted…Having someone you can trust is truly wonderful.

I took out my phone, searched for my sister’s number, remembering that I had blocked her in anger after our fight that day.

(Number blocked) – Christy

   I unblocked the number and dialed it. Today was a day off, hoping Christy would pick up.

Ring…

The sound of the phone ringing made me start to feel anxious.

She…she picked up.

“…”

“Hey…Chris, it’s your brother.” The other end didn’t say anything, so I had to speak first.

“Sniff…Sniff…Phii…”

“Chris…are you crying? Why are you crying?”

“Phii…I’m sorry…sniff…I’m sorry.”

And the trembling, tearful voice of my little sister made me want to cry along with her.

I could only stay silent, not daring to say anything while listening to her cry on the other end of the line. It was a familiar sound, but one I hadn’t heard in years. I missed her so much. I could picture her face, now stained with tears.    Chris can be bratty and stubborn, sometimes not very lovable,    but we always stick together.

“I’m…sorry too.” I managed to say in a shaky voice into the phone, my heart starting to feel tumultuous. Soon, the sobbing on the other end quieted down.

“Phii…are you not mad at me anymore?” Chris’s voice was as shaky as mine.

“No…wasn’t it you who was mad at me?”

“Yes. I was mad then…but I’m over it now.”

“Really? That’s good to hear. How are you doing?”

“I’m studying a lot, I’ve decided to study nursing.”

“That’s great, you finally made your choice.”

“Yeah, and how about you?”

“I’m waiting for the semester to start. Right now, there are lots of activities.” I found myself smiling slightly, unknowingly. We felt more like siblings who hadn’t seen each other in a long time rather than siblings who had been angry and not speaking.

“How is it there? Is it cold? Here it’s really hot, mom’s making watermelon juice every day, my face is almost turning into a watermelon.”

“Your face is already round like a watermelon.” I teased, just like we used to.

“Wait and see. I’ve lost weight now, my face isn’t chubby anymore.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes…and…I heard Phii Hill is studying medicine there…right?” Chris’s voice softened as if she was hesitant to bring up this topic.

“Oh…yes.”

“Have you…met him or not?”

“…I have.”

“He will become a doctor now…but Phii Hill has always been suited to be a doctor.”

“Yeah, he’s suited.”

“I checked his face on social media, Phii Hill is also the Moon of the Faculty, isn’t that amazing? He must be just as hot there as he was here, right?”

“I think…even hotter than before.”

Then silence began to replace our conversation. Christy didn’t say anything; it seemed that talking about Phii Hill was reopening old wounds for both of us.    “…I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“No, it’s okay…I called to talk about this anyway.” I said truthfully. Even though time had dulled the anger, the traces of pain still lingered.

“Yes…that’s what I wanted to apologize for.” my sister’s voice started to tremble again, “Back then, it was my fault, I was selfish, I shouldn’t have done that…hiccup…at all.”

“Hey…don’t cry.”

“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have meddled in your affairs from the start. The reason you had to leave home was because of me, it’s my fault, hiccup…”

“No…it’s not your fault, not at all.” I started to feel anxious, as if Christy was crying harder and harder. What kind of brother am I to let my sister cry alone like this?

“I shouldn’t have interfered…with your business at all…sob.”

“Calm down, Christy, what business did you interfere with?”

“Well…the matter between you and Phii Hill…hiccup…”

“Between me and Phii Hill? …How?”

“Well, I…I was the one who got involved in what was happening between you two.”

“Wait a minute. Between us? Not between you and Phii Hill?”

“Huh? No.” Christy seemed surprised by what she heard, “Not me…you…Don’t tell me you didn’t know?”

“Know what?”

“About who Phii Hill…likes.”

“Doesn’t he like you, Christy?” I asked in confusion, am I misunderstanding something here?

“…You’re really crazy! So dense, how can you not see it even after all that!?” Christy seemed to shift her mood from sad to irritated with me instead. Why would she call her brother dense? “Sigh…I thought you knew…you, my brother is blind, isn’t you?”

“Hold on…just tell me then. What’s the deal?”

“Sigh…you’ve made me stop crying.” Christy sighed deeply, “Don’t you really know who Phii Hill likes?”

“Well…honestly, no.”

“Oh, well, let’s say it’s not me then.”

“Then who is it?” The part where Phii Hill said he liked me for five years, I’ll keep that to myself for now, let’s get the story from Christy first.    “Oh. I don’t want to talk to you anymore. Go ask Phii Hill yourself.”    “Hey, why are you suddenly angry?” I forgot to mention that Christy is quite moody. Just a moment ago she was sobbing, wasn’t she?

“Have you met Phii Hill?”    “Yes, I have.”

“Good. Have you talked?”

“What’s good about that…we’ve talked a bit.”

“Who initiated the conversation?”

“Phii Hill.”

“How did you meet?”

“I’m working at the club, Phii Hill is the president there.” Why ask?

“What did you talk about?”

“We talked about…general stuff, I guess.” We talked a lot, how should I answer that?

“Did he ask about me?”

“Uh…” I paused for a moment, thinking whether to tell her, “He did…I asked about you.” I decided to tell the truth.    “How did you ask?”

“I asked…what he thought…about it.” my voice softened inadvertently, and I was starting to not dare to say it out loud.

“And what did Phii Hill say?”

“…” I didn’t dare to tell her what I had asked. Phii Hill had said he only thought of her as a sister. Even though I could say that Phii Hill didn’t like Christy, Christy had liked Phii Hill before.

“He only thinks of me as a sister, right?”

“Yeah. That’s it, I shouldn’t have asked, I’m sorry.” I apologized to my sister, feeling guilty.

“It’s okay, I’ve known for a long time that Phii Hill didn’t feel that way about me.

He was pretty clear about it.” Christy’s voice didn’t sound sad, unlike what I had expected, “I did like Phii Hill, but I’ve come to terms with it now.”

“Because I also love you, and if the two people I love are happy, that makes me happy too.” Christy said cheerfully. If the people you love are happy, then you’re happy too, huh? Christy has really grown strong. I feel like I’ve been the weaker one here.

“Then there’s only you and Phii Hill left…I’ve moved on with Jo.”

“Why us?”

“Sigh…it’s nothing, really. I’m so glad we could finally talk. Are you coming back home?”

“I think I will…I miss home too, but I don’t know when.”

“Dad’s not angry anymore.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, but he’s still a bit stubborn, you know how old folks can be.”

“If he’s really not angry, that’s good then. I’ll try to visit home during the school break.”

“Yay, that’s great. I’ll tell Mom to plan a welcome party for you.”

“Wow, you are always over the top.”

“Just a little, I’ve got to go now, I have a tutorial class. Take care of yourself, okay?”

“Wait, what about Phii Hill? You haven’t told me.”

“Hmm…I do want to tell, but Phii Hill probably wants to say it himself. Have you had any special conversations up to this point? Like something Phii Hill has never said or done before, something that would surprise you?”

“I guess there were…” I tried to recall from when I first met him, “Like…asking to date, holding hands, acting a bit possessive, but still, he takes care of others the same way as always.”

“What do you mean by saying the same? Phii Hill is cold as ice to others, didn’t you notice? But he does what’s polite, sometimes anyway.”

“But he takes care of you too, doesn’t he? Like when you missed the bus, Phii

Hill went to pick her up and brought her home.”

“That’s because I’m your sister.”

“…?”

“I think I understand what Phii Hill is doing now.”

“Understand what? I still don’t get it.”

“People can’t wait forever, when the time comes, we need to act…on what we once let slip away. If it comes back into our hands, we must hold onto it tighter this time, like mom always said about ‘time and opportunity.’ For some people, this might be the opportunity they’ve been waiting for. You…try to observe what’s around you too, okay? I’ve got to go, we’ll talk later.”

And then Christy hung up, leaving her last words echoing in my mind.

Observe what’s around me…is that right?

“I’ve been trying to make everything clear from the start.”

   “But Ter…you’ve never really noticed it.”

   Suddenly, I remembered what Hill had said…

“How are you, Nong Ter…Nong Ter?” Phii Meili’s voice brought me back to reality, making me jump a little. Phii Meili was equally startled, “You scared me, I’ve been calling you for ages with no response, the call ended a long time ago, and you’re still spacing out.”

“Oh…really?” I lowered the phone from my ear and placed it on the table, “Phii

Meili, what did you say?”

“I asked how it went, did you talk it out with your sister?”

“It went well. We understand each other now…even if I’m still a bit confused, she’s not mad at me anymore.”

“That’s good, siblings should love each other. See? Just one call, and all the lingering issues are gone.”

“Yes…thank you, Phii Meili, for telling me. Christy also said that dad isn’t angry anymore either, so I should be able to go home this break.” I smiled broadly, feeling relieved, thinking of everyone at home.    “I’m happy for you. Did you ask about Doctor Hill?”

“I asked…Christy said she’s over Phii Hill. And she told me to try to notice things around me.”

“And what does that mean?”

“I don’t know.” I replied softly, uncertain. I wasn’t sure what the things around me that Christy was referring to might be, perhaps she meant Phii Hill. Is there something about him that I haven’t noticed?

“Okay, let’s talk about that later. They’re about to start the rehearsal. Let’s get ready to take pictures.”

“Uh…okay.”

 

EASTTAGYOUREMINE CHAPTERS HOME

EASTTAGYOUREMINE, Chapter 10: Something In Your Eyes

   I stepped back from the crowd, understanding why Phii Thanmild was crying; because Phii Hill is the one she loves, but maybe it’s been too long for her to keep giving love to someone who has never looked back.

But I can’t really say anything, as I’m probably not much different.

I think I understand that pain well.

But we have a choice…whether to keep wallowing in that pain or not.    I walked out and looked left and right for a place to sit, then I saw senior Ant sitting at the snack and beverage area with a bored expression. So I walked over to her.

“Phii Mot, may I sit with you?” Phii Mot was startled when she heard my voice unexpectedly.

“Oh, sure, go ahead, do you want some cold water? It’s not hot, but people are making a fuss.” Phii Mot said with a sigh, handing me a glass of cold water.

“Thanks.” I took it, not forgetting to thank her, “So, what’s all the fuss about?” Even though I had an idea, I wanted to ask Phii Mot for more details.    “Well…just a bunch of drama, causing trouble for everyone. How many staff have to wait? We were supposed to start the rehearsal at 10:30 when the sun was nice. Look, it’s almost 11 now. We won’t even get to walk before lunch, and by the time we can rehearse, it’ll be afternoon, the sun will be scorching hot, and we’ll all be sweating. Can’t she just cry at home?” Phii Mot complained at length.

Tired and exasperated, I guess she must be really fed up.

   “Sorry, Nong Ter, I’m just a bit upset.” Phii Mot gave me a wry smile.    “It’s okay, what’s the summary of what happened?” I asked back, sipping cold water for refreshment.

“It’s about Thanmild, the medical star, you know her?” I nodded to indicate I knew her, “She likes Doctor Hill, for whatever reason, and now she’s just crying. It’s so confusing. I don’t know the details, but someone said she’s crying because of Doctor Hill. And the doctor, well, he’s disappeared.” Phii Mot let out a big sigh.    “And many of the stars are her friends. So they won’t practice; they’re all busy comforting her. When asked why she’s crying, what’s wrong, she won’t tell. She just says it’s nothing, acting like an abandoned woman in a lakorn, really annoying.” Phii Mot rolled her eyes.

“You don’t like Phii Mild?” I asked out of curiosity. Phii Mot paused a bit with my question.

“Well, you’re direct, aren’t you? Not exactly. I’m just tired of her. I mean, I don’t have any issues with Doctor Hill, but she’s been all over him since the first year.

It’s quite annoying to see.”

“Does Phii Mild like Phii Hill one-sidedly?” Even though I knew the answer from Phii Hill, I wanted to ask Phii Mot again to understand what outsiders thought.

“Definitely. Anyone can see that Doctor Hill isn’t interested in her at all. Maybe she’s the only one who can’t see it, but no one says anything, it might hurt her feelings.”

“And…does Phii Hill not have…a girlfriend?” My heart beat a little faster as I decided to ask this question. Phii Mot looked thoughtful.

“I think not…he seems uninterested in anyone, like he’s emotionally dead. I don’t think he’s dated anyone since he started university.” After a moment, Phii Mot seemed to remember something, “Oh, but he did mention someone he likes in an interview video last year.”

“…”

“Uh…I can’t remember, let me show you.” Phii Mot rummaged through her bag, then pulled out her phone, probably to show me the video she was talking about.    “Oh my god, he’s here, the doctor is here!” Phii Napdao’s shrill voice had both me and Phii Mot turning abruptly to look, and everyone else did the same, looking towards the tall figure walking into the activity area.

Phii Hill…

“Come here, you good boy, come here!” Phii Napdao ran over to drag Phii Hill towards where everyone was gathered. For a moment, I made eye contact with Phii Hill before he looked away.

“Nong Ter, want to go see what’s happening? Maybe there’ll be something interesting.” Phii Mot whispered. I agreed; I was also curious to see what would happen next.

“Calm down, Mae, do you want some smelling salts?” Phii Meili rushed over, panting, before stopping Phii Napdao, who had suddenly dragged Phii Hill into the center of the crowd.

“Leave me alone! Dr. Hill, where have you been? What about this?” Phii Napdao pointed at Phii Thanmild, who was still slumped over crying. At first, there weren’t many people around, but once they saw Phii Napdao dragging Phii Hill in, the curious onlookers gathered as if watching a soap opera, including myself.

“Sniff…Hill, waaah, I am sorry…waaah, I don’t want Hill to be troubled.” Phii Thanmild said between sobs, her words broken due to her heavy crying.

Phii Hill looked at Phii Thanmild with an unreadable expression.

   If this turns into a sweet romantic scene…please call an ambulance for me, because my heart is aching right now.

   Phii Hill crouched down next to Phii Thanmild.

   :

   Sniff…

   I didn’t want to watch anymore…

   Please, don’t wipe Phii Thanmild’s tears like you just did for me…

   “It’s me who should apologize.” said the tall figure in a calmer voice than expected. Phii Thanmild looked up at Phii Hill with hopeful eyes and a faint smile amidst her tear-streaked face.

“Hill…” she called out sweetly to him.

I clenched my mouth shut.

   Just a while ago, you said you liked me, didn’t you…

   If that’s the case…then help me understand that you’re not lying…

   “There’s someone I care about more. I won’t make that one cry because of me anymore.” Phii Hill smiled before standing up, giving me a gentle smile as he turned towards me.

And for the first time, I found myself smiling back.

It was just for a fleeting moment, probably unnoticed by anyone else.

But it made me feel incredibly warm inside.

“…But I am still crying, Hill! Can’t you care about me a little?” Phii Thanmild started to wail loudly, still sobbing, while the women around her tried to hold her back and calm her down. Everyone around started to look around in confusion.

Soon, various criticisms began to rise.

Phii Hill made it as if to leave, but Phii Napdao grabbed his arm first.

“Wait a moment, Doctor, what are we going to do?”

“Mild is tired today. Let her rest. We’ll start practicing in the afternoon.” Phii Hill said. Phii Napdao nodded in understanding, thinking that this was probably the best solution for now, as the stars were already exhausted.

“Okay, let’s do it this way. President of the club, whatever you say goes. Doctor, let Mild rest first, okay? Today, we won’t take it seriously. Let’s go for lunch first, then disperse.” Phii Napdao announced through the loudspeaker. After that, everyone started to disperse for lunch. A few of Phii Thanmild’s friends helped her walk out of the activity area.

Phew, somehow it felt relieving.

   I walked back with Phii Mot to sit at our original spot.

   “Wow, that was intense earlier. At first, I thought it was going to turn into a love scene where Doctor Hill would bend down to wipe Mild’s tears and embrace her. But no, there’s someone else he cares more about, oh my, saying it like that is like a slap in the face.” Phii Mot said, laughing with relish.

Cares more about…Is that so?

   Oh dear…how should I handle my own heart now!

   “Everyone doesn’t have to go out for lunch, it’ll take too long. Our staff has provided boxed lunches. Line up over there, where Phii Mot with a showy face is sitting.” Phii Napdao announced again through the loudspeaker, pointing towards where Phii Mot and I were sitting.

“Hold on, Phii Napdao, what do you mean by ‘sitting there with a showy face’?” Phii Mot shouted back in a teasing tone. Soon, people started lining up, and the staff brought in several bags of boxed meals, arranging them. Since I was sitting nearby, I took the opportunity to take some photos. Even if Phii Meili wasn’t around, she’d probably tell me to take photos if she were here. Even if the photos weren’t usable, it didn’t hurt to take them.

“Do we have fried pork neck?”

“No, we have basil stir-fry, fried rice, and garlic pork, that’s all.”

“Aw, that’s boring, I’m tired of these three dishes. Can’t we order something else?” If I remember correctly, this person should be Phii Sky from the Agriculture Department. She clearly looked bored after seeing today’s lunch offerings.

“Other things are expensive, Sky. You know our club has a tight budget.” So Phii Sky reluctantly picked up a box of food.

“Nong Ter, have you taken the photos yet?” Suddenly, Phii Meili’s voice from behind made me jump slightly.

“I’ve taken the shot, but where did you go?”

“Chasing gossip, that’s what. Today we’ve got the talk of the town, did you manage to take a photo of Dr Hill earlier, Nong Ter?”

“I didn’t take any photos.” I hadn’t even thought about taking pictures at that moment.

“Hmm, keeping it in your heart is enough then.” Phii Meili said half-jokingly. I looked puzzled, and she let out a small laugh, “Ah, if you make that confused face,

I won’t dare to tease you.”

“Meili, perfect timing, could you go get some crates of soda? We’re running low here.” Phii Mot turned to Phii Meili for help since she was busy distributing water. There were staff, stars, and even onlookers from outside the rehearsal who were casually getting in line for some sweet drinks, but it seemed like the seniors didn’t mind, as there was plenty of water to go around anyway.

“Don’t make me do the lifting. I’m a delicate woman, and Nong Ter is here, why don’t you ask him to help?”

“Don’t make the younger one do it, he’s here to take photos, not to carry water.”

“Oh right, I forgot, I’ll go get them then.” Phii Meili raised her hand to pinch my cheek gently before heading to the back to fetch the soda crates. Initially, I thought to help, but it looked like Phii Meili could handle it on her own, maybe even with just one hand.

“Oh, Dr. Hill, are you eating here at the site? You usually eat out.”

The staff member distributing lunch boxes spoke up, making me turn towards the source of the voice. Phii Hill, who was bent over choosing a lunch box, looked up to see who was talking.

   Phii Hill…

   Why does it feel like this time, just hearing his name makes my heart beat unusually fast?

   It’s beating harder than it ever has.

   Just hearing his name makes my heart tremble?

   It’s serious this time, Ter…

   “Uh, I thought the box lunches here today would be especially good.” said Phii Hill, his sharp eyes briefly meeting mine, and my brain automatically commanded me to look away.

I still can’t bring myself to meet his gaze…

“Maybe his sweetheart is around here, huh? Eating with someone special makes everything taste better.” Phii Meili’s voice echoed from a distance, “Hehe, just kidding, Dr., don’t be mad at me, okay?” She then smiled broadly, twisting her body playfully. Phii Hill didn’t say anything, just gave her a polite smile before walking away.

“Meili, do you know who it is?”

“Know who?” Phii Meili looked confused at the person asking.

“Don’t do that, what you teased earlier, do you know who it was about?”

I started to feel anxious. Phii Meili looked at me as if she knew, but if it was Phii Meili, it wouldn’t be hard to guess. After all, Phii Hill had been flirting with me in front of Phii Meili, and earlier he had even dragged me away.

“Um…I don’t know, I just said that.”

“I don’t believe it, tell me, Meili, you’re keeping secrets.”

“Not sure yet, but even if I knew, I wouldn’t say. Doctor Hill might kill me if I did.” Phii Meili stuck her tongue out at the person asking.

“Oh come on, just hint a little, I want to know, everyone wants to know.” Then the staff who had finished distributing the boxed lunches gathered around Phii Meili, forcing me to move back, leaving only Phii Mot still handing out meals.    “Oh, you’re such a gossip, why are you so eager to know? Wait for the doctor to tell you himself.”    “How did you find out?”

“My gay intuition is strong, but if I’m wrong, then I don’t know. It’s even more dramatic than what the doctor said earlier.” I started to sweat. If Phii Meili really knew, please don’t tell anyone, I am begging, T^T

   “Really? Then can you give us a hint?”

“No, no, stop crowding around me, it’s hot, go away. I’m not even sure myself, go ask Doctor Hill again. If he decides to not tell you.” Phii Meili shrugged,

“You’ll find out eventually.”

“How will we know?”

“You guys don’t keep up with the news, do you? Check this out, the Cute Boy page already posted about it.” Hearing what Phii Meili said, I didn’t hesitate; I immediately grabbed my phone to check.

Cute Boy & Girl – MU – Posted a new video 10 minutes ago

   Direct from the star contest event, our second-year medical student, Doctor

Hill, due to some spicy and hot issues from #DoctorGenerous and

#WhoOwnsTheWatch, this time we have a clip that’s like a slap to all the girls in the university, especially…um, one particular person…If you secretly like or are in love with Doctor Hill, admin would like to throw this clip at your face, because even the admin is hurt by this. Who could be this clear, I truly admire the doctor, I really do //wipes tears, #DoctorManlyHill

   It was the clip of Phii Hill talking to Phii Thanmild just now, with a clear shot of Phii Thanmild crying and making a scene. Wow, news spreads fast on social media.

I scrolled through the comments.

: Oh my, boo-hoo, Dr. Mild, Dr. Hill is too harsh. He didn’t have to be this direct.

   Isn’t it better that he’s finally being straightforward?

   Doctor’s eyes, what’s with that look? It’s too serious, it’s like a death sentence.

   The bar will be packed today for sure, a whole school’s worth of heartbreak, including mine. You could have been kinder, Dr., boo-hoo.

   : Doctor, you can’t do this, sob, it’s too hurtful.

   :. Who, who is she? Why is the doctor doing so much for her? Oh, I’m so curious, so jealous.

   : I think the doctor really likes this person a lot. Think about it, he’s never spoken like this to anyone before. Rejecting Phii Mild so directly means he’s really sure about someone else.

   He never spoke up before, why now all of a sudden?

   : One team has lost all its energy, this is team Fern, she’s cute, she even brought water to Phii Hill.

   Team Mild, no more fussing, you lost fair and square, let it go.    : Hey, who’s to blame here? Phii Mild is the pitiful one. As she said, it’s totally unfair. Phii Mild has been taking care of Phii Hill since year one.

   : Taking care or being clingy? Annoying.

   : Mild takes care of Hill? That’s a laugh, Hill doesn’t care about her at all.    He’s already rejected her like that. Said there’s someone he cares about more than Mild, what else is there to be confused about? Mild should love herself.

   Mild has tried so hard, Hill should appreciate that at least.

   : So, the right person wins even before the game begins, huh? Don’t know who it is, but congratulations. Please take good care of our Phii Hill, T^T    I stopped reading the comments when I saw that the page had posted another new message.

Cute Boy & Girl – MU – 1 minute ago

   Let’s stop arguing. I don’t know which team you’re on, but let’s all be team Dr. Hill. We see the person we love, if they love someone else, we should be happy for them (the ultimate heroine). Our Cute Boy page will no longer remain silent on this topic, as the Moon and Star competition doesn’t want outsiders like us to interview. So, we’ll throw money at it, err! Donate a certain amount because the Moon and Star team donates money and old clothes to children in the mountains every year. We’ve talked with the competition organizers, and they said if our page contributes to the donation, they’ll allow an interview with Dr. Hill.

   So, anyone wanting to know the inside scoop on Doctor Hill, donate, five or ten baht each. Don’t give too much, or there might be drama about us exploiting our followers. Admin isn’t using the money to buy booze, cosmetics, or to treat anyone; it’s for donations. So, consider it making merit, you’ll earn merit and get the scoop.

   P.S. The Moon and Star contest committee also asked to promote the commemorative postcards from the event, which help support children against the cold this year, are still available. Please support by buying one, the photos will be hot for sure (even if she says they haven’t been taken yet, haha).    Wow, that’s awesome, the Cute Boy page is accepting donations to interview Phii Hill. They’ve gone all out, supposedly for the mountain children. That’s a pretty good idea.

But it’s not so great for Phii Hill to be interviewed, huh.

“Phii Meili, what are these commemorative postcards from the Moon and Star contest?” I asked Phii Meili.

“Oh, every year we take pictures of the stars and moons, but it’s the second year, because this is when we’re supposed to sell them. First year faculties don’t have their stars and moons yet, so we’ll take photos of the second years.” Phii Meili explained, “We have a tradition of donating to help children in the mountains facing cold weather and providing educational scholarships every year. So, we make postcards of them to sell, and all the profits go to donations.”

“…”

“It’s an order from the university.”

“I see.” I nodded in understanding, “So, they haven’t taken the photos yet, like the page mentioned?”

“I was hoping Nong Ter could help with that.” Phii Meili said with a wry smile. “The old photographer isn’t good, and it’s hard to find a new one, so I thought I’d suggest Nong Ter to do it, since you take beautiful photos.”    “No…I don’t think I can handle official photography like that.”

“Come on, let’s propose it first.”

“Uh, I doubt anyone would agree to that.” Really, I think it’s beyond me, these are postcards for the contest, if they’re not good, it’s all over.

   “Someone will.” Phii Meili whispered beside me, “If Doctor Hill agrees, no one would dare to object.”

“…Huh? Why would Phii Hill need to agree?” What is Phii Meili talking about?    “Oops. Nothing, I didn’t see or hear anything, hehe.” Then Phii Meili played off like she was joking, rolling her eyes elsewhere, which made me even more sure that she knew something.

I have a bad feeling about this somehow.

   Sigh…If it were North, Foam, or Phoon, I’d threaten to kill them to keep them quiet, but it’s Phii Meili, T^T

   “Finally done, I’m going to take a break now. Meili, please watch the stuff, and don’t let Nong Ter disappear again.” said Phii Mot before twisting her body to relieve the stiffness from standing and distributing water for so long. I only now noticed that the other staff members had gone to sit together and eat at the back. Only me, Phii Meili, and Phii Mot were left here.

“Okay, go ahead, Mot.” Phii Meili nodded in agreement, and Phii Mot walked off to join the other staff.

“Oh, someone’s partner is eating over there.” Phii Meili said in a cheerful tone, pointing towards Phii Hill who was eating with a group of second-year moon friends, causing me to glance over and give a slightly reproachful look.

“Phii Meili, come on, what partner?” I frowned at her.

“Oh my, someone’s embarrassed…Dr. Hill, there’s someone here blushing a lot.”    Even though Phii Meili wasn’t loud enough for others to hear, it still made me feel embarrassed. What’s this about? Why tease me? T^T, stop it already, boo-hoo.    “Your face and ears are all red, is it from the sun? But it’s not that hot. Wow, he looks handsome from afar, doesn’t he?” Phii Meili continued to point at Phii Hill without stopping.

“What’s with you, Phii Meili?” I pretended not to know what she was talking about.

“Even when he’s just sitting with the moon group, he still stands out so much, it really grates on my heart.” Phii Meili twisted with feigned embarrassment, “Come on, let’s go take some photos.” and then she grabbed my wrist, pretending to drag me away. Why does everyone want to drag me around today?

“No…I don’t want to.” I resisted her pull, “They’re eating, we’d bother them.”    “Bother what? They’re eating, but he’s been sneaking glances over here several times, afraid someone might kidnap you or what?” she said with a hint of irritation.

“He’s…looking here?”

Does that mean Phii Hill was sneaking looks at me? Hey, before I could even think, Phii Meili had already dragged me over to the table where the moon group was eating.

I protested to Phii Meili because I wasn’t ready to face him right now. I really wasn’t. At least give me some time to prepare. Not just drag me like this. But before I knew it, I was pulled to the moon group’s table by someone stronger than me, and the guys were talking loudly as guys do.

“Hey guys, can we take some pictures?” Phii Meili asked, and everyone turned to look at us.

Including Phii Hill.

Phii Hill looked up at me.

Just like that…my heart started feeling uneasy again.

“Take photos while we’re eating?” one of the seniors said while still chewing.    “How about we do some behind-the-scenes shots? I’m not going to direct you, too lazy to talk much. I’ll introduce you all before we start practicing. Just act natural, eat like there’s no camera here.” Everyone nodded in understanding and then turned back to eating and chatting casually.    “Are you taking photos today, junior? That’s so cute.”

“What’s with you, Jijo? Nong Ter, this is Jijo, the moon from the Law Department. You are not allowed to flirt with him, Jijo, this one is off-limits, someone’s already claimed him. Meili here will defend the junior, like an ant guarding its hill.”

“Wow, what’s all this about?”

“Just being cautious, Jijo isn’t trustworthy.”

“Is your name Nong Ter?”

I simply nodded without responding verbally.

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“Hey Jijo, I said no flirting.” Phii Meili retorted, hands on her hips.

“I’m not flirting, just asking…what do you say?”

“Uh…” I looked around, unsure what to say, “Right now…no.”

I decided to answer truthfully…because I really don’t have a girlfriend. If I had said yes, they would have asked who it was.

“See…if you don’t have a girlfriend, then I can flirt, right?” Jijo said halfjokingly.

“You can’t.” Phii Meili argued.

“But he doesn’t have a girlfriend, does he?”

“I told you, someone has already claimed him.”

“But that doesn’t mean they’re dating, right? So technically, no one has the right to block others.” Jijo gave me a mischievous smile. All I could do was give a dry smile back, “In cases like this, the freshman should decide.”    Jijo’s words made Phii Meili let out a big sigh.

“So, are you going to flirt with the junior?” Phii Meili raised her eyebrow, pointing at me.

“Well…I don’t know. I just think he’s cute, that’s all.” Jijo said as he took out his phone, “We could exchange Line IDs, get to know each other better.” and he handed his phone to me.

I wasn’t sure what to do…

   I remembered the time when my senior got mad because I exchanged Line IDs with Phii Junior…

   I turned to look at Phii Hill, sitting not far from Phii Jijo, his face impassive, but his eyes betrayed his anger which he was barely containing…

   

   EASTTAGYOUREMINE CHAPTERS HOME

EASTTAGYOUREMINE, Chapter 9: Question & Answer

   The gentle tug on my wrist by someone taller made me follow along helplessly. I tried to shake my hand free, but it was futile. Phii Hill didn’t say anything after we left that area, with the surrounding noise from the crowd, I hoped no one noticed us. It would be bad if anyone saw, because Phii Hill was clearly holding my hand.

Huhhhhh…

The silent cry in Ter’s heart that no one heard…

The noise of the crowd quieted down after Phii Napdao announced for all the stars and moons to return to their lines, but it seemed that voice had no effect on the person in front of me.

Phii Hill kept leading me away from the activity area.

Ohhh, why does he have such sticky hands? I can’t even get free!

“Where are we going?” I said, still trying to free my hand, but Phii Hill gripped it tighter.

The other person didn’t respond until we reached the side of the activity area, near the equipment storage rooms, not exactly a hidden spot, but probably because it was the semester break, there weren’t many people around.

Phii Hill stopped walking but didn’t let go of my hand. I pulled back once more. “Let go.” I said with a slight tone of annoyance, to be dragged off like this without any explanation.

“I won’t.” Phii Hill turned to look at me. The look in his eyes made me pause. I couldn’t have seen it wrong, could I? In a blink, I saw a hint of vulnerability in those eyes, before they returned to their usual warmth.

“…” I couldn’t say anything.

Phii Hill raised his other hand and gently touched my cheek.

Why does it feel like…

Something is about to overflow.

“I can’t let someone who’s crying go.” a warm hand moved up to gently wipe away the tears that were welling up.

Am I…crying?

“I’m not crying!” I pushed his hand away and wiped my tears roughly.

“Don’t rub your eyes so hard.” Phii Hill held my other hand.

“Let go…hic.” I hated that look full of concern, and suddenly, tears I didn’t know where they came from started flowing. I didn’t even know why I was crying…I just knew I started sobbing until I could barely breathe.

It felt like all my endurance had crumbled down.

“Ugh…sob.” I let everything I had been holding back flow out along with my tears. I didn’t know anymore. hic…

Phii Hill released both my hands before pulling me into a hug.

“Let go…let go!” I protested while sobbing, pounding on his strong chest with all my might. I knew it must have hurt him, but he still didn’t loosen his embrace; instead, he hugged me tighter.

“Ugh…sob, let go.” I pulled and tugged at the bright white student shirt, “I hate you!…hic. I hate you! Do you hear me!” I didn’t even know what I was saying anymore. I didn’t want to see myself like this right now.

“Yes…I know.” The gentle voice came out softly, like water soothing the fire that was spreading through my heart, his hand stroking to comfort, “Breathe deeply, okay?” Phii Hill leaned down to whisper in my ear, using his thumb to gently wipe away my tears again.

I continued to sob in his embrace for a while. If it weren’t for Phii Hill holding me up, I would have collapsed to the ground. How could I cry so much in front of him?

   I’ve always cried alone…

   I tried to take deep breaths to calm my heart and pull my mind back together.

   “Your eyes are all red now.” Phii Hill smiled at me tenderly and loosened his hug. I slowly stepped back, “Are you okay now?”

“I don’t know.” I grumbled to hide my embarrassment.

“Okay, then I think it’s time we had a talk.”

“Talk about what?”

“About what made you cry.”

“I didn’t cry.” I looked down, feeling utterly embarrassed.

“But my shirt is completely soaked, and it’s all crumpled too.” Phii Hill pointed at himself, showing his student shirt that was neat this morning but now stained with tears and crumpled from being tugged at.

“I…I’m sorry.” I apologized, feeling guilty.

“It’s okay.” Phii Hill walked over to sit on a nearby marble chair. “Come sit here.”

I didn’t say anything before walking over to sit beside him, feeling awkward.

After all, I had just sobbed all over him; it would be crazy to run away now.

“Phii …I don’t know where to start.” Phii Hill looked serious, but his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.

Phii Hill was…scared.

“I want to start anew…but sometimes, we can’t avoid the past.”

“Because it’s a wound too deep.” His sad eyes made me want to cry again.    I had never seen him like this before…

My hands started sweating again, and I clenched my lips to suppress a slight tremble. I didn’t dare meet his sorrowful gaze; it would make my eyes burn with tears.

Phii Hill sighed softly as if preparing to say something that was weighing heavily on his mind. I waited to hear those words, though my own heart was trembling just as much…

   I was afraid too…

   I was scared that what he would say would change everything, whether what I had always understood was right or wrong, the truth would change something between us.

   Or maybe there are things I shouldn’t know. If it would cause more pain than I’ve ever felt. Should I stay and listen? It’s not that I don’t want to know anything. I do want to know and hear it from him.

   And how much can I believe in that truth…?

   “Uh…actually, it all started five years ago.” His deep, soft voice finally spoke, while I was lost in my conflicted thoughts.

“Uh…wait.”

I didn’t know if I could handle everything he was about to tell…

“Yes?”

“I…can I ask something first?”

“Yes?”

“Will the story I tell be okay for me?”

“Um…it should be okay.”

“Will you tell me everything?”

“Of course…or do you not want to hear it?”

“Uh…I don’t know, I think maybe not right now.” I said hesitantly. Part of me wanted to know, but my mind was flashing warning signals.

“Not right now is fine. I’ll tell you later.” Phii Hill smiled at me indulgently, then reached out to gently pat my head.    “Huh…what?”

“It’s up to you, Ter. I can do either way, I just want you to feel comfortable.” Phii Hill withdrew the hand that was patting my head, “But we should probably talk a little now. It wouldn’t be good to leave things like this.”

“Uh…yeah, but what are we going to talk about?”

“If you aren’t ready to hear everything, then do you have anything you want to ask me?” Phii Hill seemed to know I had many questions and was giving me the chance to ask them. And it was true. I had plenty of things I wanted to ask.    “Then…don’t tell me everything, just enough for me to understand, but not the whole thing.” I emphasized, somewhat afraid of hearing something that might upset me.

“Ha ha.” Phii Hill chuckled lightly at my words, then lifted my chin with his hand and looked at me affectionately, “How should we do this, just enough to understand but not everything?”

“Well…just half then, give me the part that’s okay.”

“And the other half?”

“…” I furrowed my brows, pondering for a moment, “I’ll decide when I want to know that.” I decided to leave it for the future.

“That’s fine. I’ll answer all of your questions anyway.” His handsome face was adorned with a gentle smile, along with the tender look I often saw, sigh…it really wasn’t good for me.

“And what percentage can I trust?”

“A hundred percent.”

“Really? And how will I know?”

“I’ll prove it to you myself.” and that firm tone made me stop doubting Phii Hill. Whether to trust him or not, I’d decide later. For now, I’ll ask questions…and I need to choose my questions carefully.

“So, the first question…Phii Thanmild…” I decided to mention the name of the person currently bothering me. I wanted Phii Hill to tell me what’s really going on between him and Phii Thanmild, because she’s been very clear.

“Why?” Phii Hill asked with a puzzled look, probably understanding but pretending not to know, hmph.

“Well…what’s the deal?”

“She’s an ex-girlfriend of a friend.”

“Aren’t you friends?”

“No.” Phii Hill shook his head gently. “We’re not friends.”

“Really? And what do you think of her?”

“She is annoying.” Phii Hill looked at me with emotionless eyes. Annoying, huh…that’s harsh. If she heard that, she’d be heartbroken. You don’t care at all, do you? “But I have to respect her because she’s a woman.”

Even though Phii Thanmild likes Phii Hill so much, huh…well, let’s change the question then.

   “What about Christmas?” I decided to ask about my sister, since I knew Phii Hill and Chris used to like each other.

“She’s my sister-in-law.”

“Oh…I thought you liked each other.”

“We’re senior and junior.” Phii Hill smiled. “Because you didn’t let me tell you everything, I won’t continue with this topic.”

Oh…karma. Now I’m really curious, but then again, it directly involves me.

   So…should I ask about myself?

   “Me then…”

“Hmm? Why?” Phii Hill flashed a broad smile, his eyes sparkling.

“Well, me…” I whispered, oh boy. I’m not brave enough to ask, sigh.

“The main point of this story is you, do you want me to tell you?” the tall figure said in a soft, slightly cunning tone.

“Uh…no, no, no, let’s not go there. Change the topic, please.” I waved my hands dismissively, trying to forget what I just said. Why did I ask such a direct question?

It’s like asking if he likes me or something…

And what if the answer wasn’t good, what would you do, Ter? T^T

“But I can tell you parts of it, just to say we’ve talked about it.”

“Ah, uh…really? What about some parts?” I started to get interested in what my brother was saying he wanted to talk about, at least if it could clarify my current doubts.

“For example…about when I asked to pursue you, Ter.”

“!!!” I gasped deeply when I heard the word ‘pursue’, yeah, that’s right. I should ask about this.

“…” I realized I really should ask about this so I wouldn’t have to guess on my own anymore, “So…what’s the deal with that?”

“Hmm…” Phii Hill drew out his voice, making a teasingly thoughtful gesture,

“Just as I said, it’s quite clear.”

“Clear how…go on, explain, why would you pursue me?”

“Well, if we’re talking about pursuing someone, there’s only one reason, isn’t there?” Phii Hill tilted his head in curiosity, “The reason is ‘liking someone’, right?”    So how is it, when did it start, why, and why bring it up now?

   “Are you really going to pursue me?” I was still puzzled.

“Absolutely.” The tall figure gave a sincere smile.

“The reason is…that…” right? I hesitated to say the word. It’s embarrassing, you know. Who would dare to ask that, huh? My heart wasn’t feeling any better, it started beating strongly again since we sat down to talk.

“Oh…if you mean ‘liking you’…”

“Yes.”

“Hey, why say it so casually like that!!”

“…Like what! Stop, stop, stop saying it, censor that word, beep.” I raised both hands making an ‘X’ sign, mimicking a censor sound, Phii Hill chuckled a bit at my reaction.

What’s so funny!!

Thump Thump

Thump Thump

Gasp!!! Phii Hill said he likes me, Phii Hill said he likes me.

Woah!!!

“Ha ha ha, alright. I won’t say it anymore.” Phii Hill laughed softly before reaching to pat my head again, but this time I dodged in time.

“Absolutely not.” I frowned slightly, “Liar.”

“I’m not lying.”

“Liar.”

“I’m telling the truth.”

“Just suddenly saying this, who would believe it? Nothing seemed off before.” I started to protest, feeling as though warm tears were beginning to well up around my eyes again.

“I’ve been trying to make everything clear from the start.”

“…”

“But you…never noticed it.”

“…”

Danger

Detected an abnormally fast heart rate

…Your heart is at risk of sudden failure!!

“Ter…Ter.” Phii Hill’s soft voice brought me back to reality. Just now, it felt like I short-circuited, like an appliance drenched in water, sigh.

“Since…when?” I managed to squeeze out the words from my throat to ask. Right now, my brain could only process this one question.

“You’re back with me. You were completely still just now; I thought I might have to perform CPR.” Phii Hill referred to himself as “doctor” and gave me a sweet, yet cunning smile.

“Funny, CPR for what, how did you even study medicine? Are you ready to perform CPR on anyone at any moment?” Once I had almost fully regained my senses, I retorted.

“Five years.”

“Huh?”

“The answer to your previous question…it’s been five years up…to now.” The tall figure said before pushing himself up from the chair. Wait, what, five years!?

I paused for a moment to let my brain process and calculate the time again.    “Wait, what, five years…we’ve known each other for that long?” I turned to ask Phii Hill, who was now walking around the marble table.

“Well…not exactly, I guess.” The other person extended his hand towards me, indicating for me to take it and stand up.

“…Five years. I was just starting high school then. We met when I was in upper high school, didn’t we?” I objected, puzzled, while getting up from the chair on my own without taking Phii Hill’s hand.

“Yes.” Phii Hill grabbed my hand, “It’s a long story, let’s save it for another time.”

“But…but I want to know. What’s the real deal?” I said, shaking off his hand.

“Well, you said you didn’t want to know all of it.” Phii Hill said, “Just this should be enough for now, at least now you know that I really intend to pursue you.” The tall man still wouldn’t let go of my hand as usual. I kept frowning because the word ‘pursue’ was still embarrassing me.

Hmph, I want to know, but part of me is scared, T^T

“Let’s go, otherwise, others will be inconvenienced too.”

He’s right…he’s got to go practice his catwalk. And I’ve got to go take photos, oh, I almost forgot.

“But you don’t have to hold my hand.” I grumbled without looking at him.

“It’s a punishment.” The tall figure said, “For giving your LINE to Junior.”

“What…what? He just invited me to take photos.”

“I’ll take photos with you myself. Don’t worry about them.” Before he gently pulled my wrist to make me follow, instead of clearing things up with the questions I asked, it just made me more confused!

Five years, what’s that about, oh my, I can’t figure it out.

   I thought he was going to hold my hand back to the activity area, but Phii Hill led me to the parking lot instead.

“Ter, you go back first. Thanks for walking with me.” And Phii Hill gave me his usual sweet smile. It wasn’t like he forced me to hold hands, right?    “Where are you going?”

“Back to the condo to change clothes.” Phii Hill answered, flicking the key fob to unlock his fancy car while showing me his shirt, “Hmm…it does need changing, with all the wrinkles and tear stains from you. Uh…it’s really embarrassing to see.”

“…”

“But just change, okay? I won’t wash it.”

“…Are you crazy!! You’re filthy.” I couldn’t help but say, you dirty person, with it being that stained and you say you won’t wash it, the car teased me.

“Well, it was you who did it.”

“Wash it…it’s dirty.”

“Haha, just kidding. Then, see you at the activity area, okay?” Phii Hill opened the car door and got in, “Or you can go back to the condo with me if you want.” He lowered the window just as quickly.

“No thanks, I’ll go by myself.” I stuck out my tongue at him before turning back to head towards the activity area. I hadn’t walked far when I heard the sound of the luxurious European car moving away.

I walked slowly down the path, my mind filled with a lot to think about…Phii Hill has been into me for five years already? How could that be…I didn’t even know him for those five years. I hadn’t even heard of him, not until I was in grade 9. I knew Phii Hill casually, but he probably didn’t know me, because at my old school, the junior and senior high sections were separated. I heard rumors about a new transfer in grade 10, very handsome, in the “King’s class”, academically excellent, and a standout in sports. Plus, his family was well-off, so he was pretty much perfect.

   That senior was named Phii Hill. Honestly, I didn’t care much. I didn’t know him, but I often saw Phii Hill around after school before heading home. He would often wait by the school gate, waiting for who knows who, some said he waited for his girlfriend every day, oh, how romantic, right?

   Then there was news that he was flirting with Phii Thanmild, but not long after, Phii Thanmild started dating Phii Hill’s friend instead. It seems like Phii Thanmild actually knew Phii Hill before I did.

   By the time I reached grade 10 and moved to the senior high section, I saw more of him. Sometimes at the sports center practicing basketball, sometimes football. How did I know? Well, his fans would scream so loudly that even the teachers had to go down to shoo them away because the noise was disturbing other classes.

   “Hey! Khun Ratchakit, can you stop practicing football during class time? I can’t teach with all this noise. Same goes for you a lot, are you here to study or what!?”

   That was from my Thai language teacher, Khun Chomkwarn, who hadn’t been teaching my class for ten minutes before the noise from the field next door drowned out her voice. She had lost her patience after several instances.    Everyone in my class was now crowding the corridor to see what our teacher would complain about this time. The middle-aged woman in her civil servant attire stood with her hands on her hips, clearly irritated. Phii Hill, in his gym kit, looking neat despite having played football under the sun, his shirt partly out of his shorts and his hair slightly disheveled.

   But looking like that probably didn’t hurt his popularity with the girls either.    “Oh, teacher, we’re supposed to be in P.E. class, how can we stop playing?” It wasn’t Phii Hill, but another friend standing nearby who chimed in.

   “Then keep it down.”

   “You have to tell Ratchakit’s fan club, teacher. We’ve already warned them once before, but they won’t listen.”

   “They don’t even listen when I have been warning them for a month. Those kids, brats, I guess I’ll have to call the disciplinary teacher for this.” Khun Chomkwarn seemed even more annoyed now.

   “What classroom do you teach, Teacher?”

   “Grade 4/7.”

   “Then I’ll handle it myself, I’m sorry.” Phii Hill spoke with a submissive tone, bowed to the teacher, and walked out.

   “Hey, how are you going to handle it, Hill? Last time you talked and got

nowhere.” The senior shouted after Phii Hill. Teacher Chomkwarn smiled slightly with satisfaction before returning to the classroom, making us all scramble back inside just in time.

   I didn’t know what Phii Hill meant by ‘handling it,’ but after that, on the same day and time, my Thai language class in the afternoon had no more loud noises from the field, nor any signs of Phii Hill.

   Suddenly, I found myself reminiscing about the past, not realizing when I had wandered to the activity area. Everyone seemed busier than when I had left. I walked in slowly, looking for Phii Meili.

“Nong Ter, squeal, the freshman is here, Napdao, the freshman is here!” Phii Meili’s eyes sparkled when she saw me, then she grabbed my arm and pulled me into the chaos.

What’s happening here?

Meili dragged me to a tent where the sound equipment was set up. I saw Phii Napdao sitting there holding her head. Upon hearing Phii Meili’s call, she quickly stood up and approached me.

“Nong Ter, is that you, Nong Ter?” Phii Napdao shook my hand, …uh. I was completely confused.

“Uh…what’s the matter?”

“Is this the kid that went with Doctor Hill?” Phii Napdao turned to ask Phii Meili.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Oh…I’m getting a bad feeling about this.

“And why did you come back alone? Where did Doctor Hill go?”

“Uh, Phii Hill said he was just going back to the condo for a bit.” I said truthfully.

“Oh, come on, he didn’t even tell us, and he’s supposed to lead the parade. I wanted to ask where he went.” Phii Napdao paused, “But look, it’s a big problem.” PhiiNapdao pointed to where several women were gathered, and told me to go look.

“Exactly, sigh, how’s the monkey doing, is it getting better?” Phii Napdao led me through the crowd to ask someone who was sitting slumped on the ground, surrounded by people.    Phii Thanmild was crying…

“Sniff…sniff, waaaah.” Phii Thanmild burst into tears and hugged another female senior who was sitting next to her, trying to comfort her. Everyone looked at her with concern.

“What’s wrong?” I whispered to Phii Meili who was standing behind.    “It’s Mild. After Dr. Hill and Nong Ter left, she started crying a lot, so we couldn’t start the rehearsal. They asked what was wrong, and she said nothing, which just made everyone worry even more.”    Oh…that’s not good…

   “It’s about Dr. Hill, who else…He’s disappeared, not knowing where he went. Look, Mild has cried so much her eyes are all red.” The senior standing nearby said to Phii Meili, “He’s so heartless, doesn’t he know how much Mild loves him?”    What’s happening?

   

   EASTTAGYOUREMINE CHAPTERS HOME

EASTTAGYOUREMINE, Chapter 8: Not Fair

   “Turn your side a bit more, you look fantastic.” Phii Meili’s voice rang out as I tried to keep my composure, snapping photos of Phii Hill like there was no tomorrow. I felt like some were bound to be out of focus, but if I just kept shooting, one had to be good, right?

“You’re smiling so tenderly, looking at the camera like you’re looking at your lover, your inner vibe is strong!”    I feel like screaming!

“Oh, what’s wrong with you, Nong Ter? Not going to continue shooting?” I accidentally lowered the camera and hung my head in frustration, letting out a sigh, trying to control my breathing to calm my racing heart. I really can’t take it anymore, can I have ten minutes to catch my breath?

“Is something wrong?” Phii Hill asked, his voice tinged with slight concern, before approaching closer.

“No…I’m fine.” I replied, looking somewhat disheveled.

“With the camera held like that, the photos will be blurred.” Phii Hill said with a slight smile, “Are your arms tired? Do you want a tripod?” That’s exactly what I need, a tripod, urgently!

“That would be nice.” I said softly.

“I’ll go ask for one. Do you want to continue shooting?”

Oh, how I want to say I’m done shooting! But how can I do that, T^T    “Come on, Doctor Hill, can we try this pose? Look at your partner with love in your eyes.”

“Sure, if it’s with the cameraman.” Phii Hill said, smiling slightly.    Hey!! What are you saying, Phii Hill?!!!

“Doctor Hill, you can flirt too? That’s new.” Phii Meili teased with a laugh.

“I don’t do it often.” He said, smiling and looking at me. Oh my gosh, my knees are going weak, T^T, stop looking at me like that right now.

“All second-year medical students.” a high-pitched voice called from the doorway, causing everyone to turn and look, “Get ready, in fifteen minutes, we’re heading to the stage for the rehearsal.” This must be Phii Napdao, the one who’s supposed to teach how to walk the runway, a rather fierce-looking trans woman with a plump figure, but her voice was like music to my ears. At least I don’t have to face him like this; it might be better to shoot during the rehearsal walk.    “The star counter has arrived, and you haven’t had enough of shooting Doctor Hill?” Phii Meili said, sounding bored, “We can continue shooting there, let him get ready first.”

“Okay, see you later.” Phii Hill said, giving me a gentle smile.

“I’ll take lots of photos, make sure to look at the camera.”

“I will, I won’t take my eyes off it.” Phii Hill said, looking at me again. How many times do I have to say not to look at me like that! Oh my. I quickly turned away without thinking as Phii Hill walked off to join the other medical students.

Well, it’s for the best. If he kept saying those crazy things, I’d have to call for an ambulance to stand by at the door! Sigh…Does anyone have some smelling salts?

TT

I let out a slow sigh before scanning the room, noticing Phii Hill walking over to chat with someone from another faculty. It was clear that Phii Hill had a natural charm and was very attractive without needing any enhancements, it was just his nature. How can someone be that perfect, seriously…

“Nong Ter, Nong Ter.” I heard Phii Meili calling and quickly turned around.    “Uh…yes?”

“What are you daydreaming about? I’ve been calling you for ages.” Phii Meili looked at me puzzled, then moved to stand beside me, looking in the direction I had been staring. “Looking at the moon from another faculty? Oh, do you have a special interest in someone?”    “N…No, I was just looking.”

“Oh, is it Dr. Hill then? He was flirting with us earlier. It wasn’t light, I got embarrassed on your behalf.” Phii Meili said, squirming with mock embarrassment. Uh…

“N…No, I was just looking.”

“Really? I felt a vibe, or perhaps…” Phii Meili paused, “Is it the person in the photo Dr. Hill posted?” she teased, probably just joking, but it made my heart skip a beat. Why is it so easy to guess? It’s because he went and said something out loud!

“No, it wouldn’t be me.” I tried to keep my voice normal, and thankfully, Phii Meili didn’t seem to read much into it, just laughing it off. Maybe she was just teasing and didn’t mean anything by it.

“Okay, I was just kidding. Don’t look so serious. I’ve just never seen Dr. Hill talk like that to anyone casually. Are you two close?”

“We were at the same old school together, so we know each other a bit.”

“Oh, because you’re his junior, I see. Okay, let’s go stand by backstage.”

“Which stage?”

Thank goodness we changed the topic. T^T

“The activity stage, the real stage, isn’t finished yet, right?” Then Phii Meili took my hand and led me there. I followed easily.

When we got to the back of the stage, I saw that the moon and star contest team was setting up. This stage wasn’t grand; it was more of a setup with small partitions, snacks, sweet drinks, and boxed meals prepared, with everyone busy arranging things.

“Hey Meili, is this the junior from the society here to take photos?” A senior woman approached to greet Phii Meili and me.

“Yes, that’s right, Nong Easter here, he takes amazing photos.”

“Hello.” I greeted with a wai.

“Hello, I’m Ant.” said Phii Ant, greeting me with a wai.

“Ann, take him to get something to eat, I’ll go check the stage.” Phii Meili handed me over to Phii Mot and walked away. Why do I feel like I’m being passed around like this? From Phii Pim to Phii Meili, and now to Phh Ann.

“Sure, come on.” Phii Mot led me to where the snacks and sweet drinks were set up. “Help yourself, are you hungry?”

“Not yet.” I smiled back, picked up a glass of sweet drink and a bag of bread, not forgetting to thank Phii Mot before sitting down to eat. At least there are snacks.

“It’s not too hot today, the walk rehearsal should be more comfortable.” Phii Mot sat down beside me, also grabbing some snacks. “By the way, Nong Ter, what department are you in?”

“Veterinary Medicine.” I answered, “What about you?”

“I’m in Nursing.” she replied, same as Phii Fondao. “Second-year Vet stars and moons aren’t too shabby either. Are you interested in the moon competition?”

“No, I don’t think I could handle it.” I smiled sheepishly.

“Shy, huh? But I think you could do it, you should give it a try, it’s a good experience.” Phii Mot said half-jokingly. “Oh, here they come, the stars and moons. Wow, Phii Napdao is as strict as ever, they’re all walking in formation like this.”

“Is Phii Napdao strict?” I asked, having heard people talk about her.    “She’s not overly harsh, just strict. But if it weren’t for Phii Napdao training them, our university’s stars and moons wouldn’t be this impressive.” I nodded in understanding, watching the procession of stars and moons from a distance. It looked like they were walking in pairs, each from their respective departments, with the stars holding arms with the moons.

Holding arms…?

Phii Hill was leading the procession with Phii Thanmild on his arm, walking with such elegance. I could hear Phii Napdao’s voice periodically correcting those who weren’t walking well.

There are people shipping me with Hill, saying ‘stars must pair with moons’, whatever that means.

   Suddenly, Phii Thanmild’s voice echoed in my mind, but the sight in front of me really made that phrase ‘they look good together’ come to life, as people often say.

Back in high school, there were many who shipped them too, but back then, Phii Thanmild was dating a friend of Phii Hill.

Once they reached near the back of the stage, they stopped. Phii Napdao explained that they would play music, and everyone should walk up in the order they were lined up now, with marked spots for each. Phii Napdao would watch each one to see if they were okay. If not, they’d have to walk again.

I secretly thought Phii Hill might be looking at me, but no, he was looking at Phii Napdao and intently listening to what she was saying. However, Phii Thanmild, who was standing next to her, kept her eyes fixed on me without looking away. I looked back at her with confusion before turning my gaze elsewhere. I couldn’t help but notice the disdain in her eyes and the slight smirk on her lips.

   Why is she looking at me like that?

   I bit my lip to keep my thoughts from wandering. I really didn’t like this feeling; it was something I experienced almost every time I got close to Phii Thanmild. It felt like there was something scary hidden behind her smile.

   Does she hate me? …I can’t remember doing anything to upset Phii Thanmild, but if it’s about Phii Hill, I’ve never interfered between the two. If they are in love, what could I possibly do about it?

   Whatever happens, it’s up to Phii Hill, isn’t it? It’s not up to me at all.    It seemed like Phii Napdao was telling everyone to take a break because there was a minor issue with the speaker system playing the music. Conversations were loud, and many staff started distributing snacks and sweet drinks. What was I supposed to do now? Where did Phii Meili go? Who should I take photos of next?    “Nong Ter, come on, I brought you a tripod; someone will set it up at the front of the stage. Let’s continue taking behind-the-scenes shots.” Phii Meili pulled my arm before I could finish my snack. Couldn’t she wait until I was done eating?

Nonetheless, I had to follow Phii Meili.

We walked around to the back. From there, I couldn’t see Phii Hill or Phii Thanmild anymore. Who knows how close they might get, but it didn’t concern me anyway.

“Junior, come quickly, Meili needs you to take photos of Junior.” Phii Meili dragged me over to someone she called Junior, who was about as tall as Phii Hill, with very fair skin, likely of mixed heritage because his eyes formed a single line when he smiled. I guess you’d call him more cute than handsome.

“Taking photos?”

“Yes, behind-the-scenes of the rehearsal. This is Nong Ter, he’s the photographer for today.” Phii Meili introduced me. I smiled and slightly bowed my head.

“Hello, I’m Junior.” He greeted me kindly.

“Hello, I apologize for the inconvenience.” I said.

“No problem at all, did Meili find the photographer herself?”

“Not really, the society sent him. Why do you ask?”

“No reason.” Junior said, then turned his gaze back to me, “You’re cute.”    Huh…what?

“Th…Thank you.” I bowed my head slightly in embarrassment; it was the first time another guy complimented me. I don’t receive compliments often, so when I do, I feel strangely shy.

“Such a child, boring!” Phii Meili rolled her eyes at Phii Junior, who just chuckled quietly. “Just now, Doctor Hill complimented him too. Nong Ter isn’t ordinary, just like I said.”

Wait, what does that mean, Phii Meili?!

“Hill did?” Phii Junior asked with a puzzled look.

“Yeah, just now he was flirting with him. I’m genuinely jealous.”    I forced a dry smile.

“Oh, really? Then shall we take photos?” said Phii Nea, moving slightly away to pose for the camera. I immediately lifted my camera to start shooting because the light was just right now. Phii Meili gave Phii Nea some tips on how to pose, and it took a little while before we finished the shoot.

“Is it okay?”

“It’s good, thanks, we’ll continue shooting during the rehearsal walk.” Phii Meili said before grabbing my hand to move on, but Phii Near’s voice stopped us first.

“Hey, wait a moment, Nong Ter.” Phii Nea called me over, moving closer. I tilted my head in confusion, wondering what was up. “Can I have your LINE?”    “Umm…sure? Exchange LINE? Why?” I asked, baffled, just like Phii Meili who now looked extremely surprised.

“Just in case we want to hang out and take photos together. I saw you take good shots.”

Oh, for taking photos, that’s great. I was just thinking about finding someone to practice shooting with.

“Oh, sure, that would be great. I was actually looking for someone to model for me.” I replied eagerly, quickly pulling out my phone from my pocket to show my Line ID. Phii Near then added me.

Suddenly, I felt someone’s arm wrap around my shoulder, pulling me close.

Since I was unprepared, I couldn’t help but stumble in that direction.

“What are you guys doing?”

“Uh…Phii Hill!!” I exclaimed his name in surprise. Why did he suddenly come over and put his arm around me? When did he even get here? Let go, will you?!    “Oh, how did Doctor Hill get here? Weren’t you supposed to be at the front of the line?” Phii Meili questioned.

Oh my, this is too much, can Phii Meili please help me pry his arm off? I caught a whiff of a familiar, faint scent, unmistakably Phii Hill’s fragrance. Oh, we’re too close, T^T.

“Let’s go for a walk.” The deep, soft voice next to me said. When I sneakily looked up, I saw that handsome face staring intensely at Phii Junior.

“What are you looking at?” Junior asked in a playful tone, but it seemed like Phii Hill wasn’t in the mood for games, his expression clearly saying ‘I’m not amused’. “Looking at the cat burglar.”

Cat burglar? Does he mean Junior? What does that mean?

   Or…was it about that LINE exchange earlier?

   Junior knows that Ter is trying to make him jealous, and he actually gets a little jealous but doesn’t let it show.

The voice of Phii Hill from the restaurant last night popped into my head.

…He’s jealous of me?

   Gasp, oh my, my face is burning.

   “Dog with a bone.” Junior said, half-jokingly, seeming more like he wanted to tease Phii Hill.

“Hold on, what’s going on here?” Phii Meili intervened before Phii Hill loosened his arm. I quickly moved away from him.

“Nothing.” Phii Hill replied, his voice returning to normal, different from the previously cold, eerie tone.

“Hill, Fern brought you some water.” a sweet voice rang out, causing everyone here to look at Phii Baifern (whom I recognized from photos) who was holding a glass of sweet water. She walked over to Phii Hill and handed it to him.

“Thanks.” Phii Hill said as he took the glass. I don’t know why, but I didn’t like the scene unfolding before my eyes.

“What are you guys doing?” Phii Baifern was smaller than I expected, slightly shorter than me. She was wearing a short pleated skirt, making her look like a cute little kid.

“We’re taking photos of Junior. It’s good that you’re here, Fern, come, let’s take some pictures.” Phii Meili pulled Phii Fern over for me to take photos. “This is Nong Ter, who’s taking photos today. Oh, today I’ve introduced this junior so many times, maybe I should just announce him over the loudspeaker!”

“Sure, I saw the speaker is almost fixed. Meili, you should go borrow it.” Phii Fern suggested, her voice bright and innocent, making me feel somewhat gloomy in comparison.

“Oh, that’s great. We’ll borrow a mic from Phii Napdao later, but first, let’s take some photos.” and then I had to start taking photos again. No point in complaining now, we haven’t even done half of them, and the rehearsal hasn’t even started yet!    Phii Hill stood there watching me take photos without saying anything. Why come and stand here to pressure me, T^T? Phii Fern changed her pose several times until Phii Meili finally said it was okay!

“Hill, Mild has been looking for you for ages. Let’s go, Phii Napdao said we should line up already.” Phii Thanmild came from who knows where, suddenly grabbed Phii Hill’s arm, oh no. I really didn’t want to face Phii Thanmild. “And what are you guys doing here?”

“Taking photos, Nong Ter is here to take photos today. Sigh, can I record this sentence for later?” Phii Meili said, rolling her eyes upwards.

“Oh, Nong Ter, you take photos too? I didn’t know that.” Phii Thanmild smiled at me, still holding onto Phii Hill’s arm, and the one whose arm was grabbed didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Yes, I’m still practicing.” I said with a forced smile.

“That’s great, can you take photos of the medical stars and moons too? Oh, and Fern, hello, aren’t you supposed to be over with the management department?” Phii Thanmild turned to speak to Phii Fern, who was secretly making a sour face.

Just a moment…I can sense some kind of energy as if a war is about to start.

“I brought sweet drinks for Hill.” Phii Fern smiled broadly and pointed to one of Phii Hill’s hands holding a glass of sweet drink. Phii Meili moved closer to me, whispering softly.

“And now what? Three Kingdoms war, I’m so tired of seeing this every time. Doesn’t Doctor Hill get annoyed?” Phii Meili whispered, rolling her eyes. I nodded in understanding; if it were me, I’d be stressed out, like in a drama where they’re fighting over the lead.

Phii Hill sighed softly before gently removing Phii Thanmild’s hand and returning the glass to Phii Fern. Both of them looked quite confused. I was also wondering what he was doing, and why was he looking at me like that!?

“Ter, can I borrow your phone for a moment?”

“Why do you want it?”

“Just give it to me.”

“No.”

“Don’t be stubborn.”

“…”

“Disobedient kids need to be punished, you know that, right?”

He’s threatening me again!! Everyone sees his true nature now, right, T^T? How can he sound so calm while threatening? I reluctantly took out my phone from my pocket and handed it to Phii Hill.

Phii Hill took my phone, did something with it for a while, and then handed it back to me.

What did he do?

   Don’t tell me he deleted Junior’s LINE?

   He really did, he actually deleted it…

   “Since we’ve met, it reminds me of the old days, we should go out sometime,

Nong Ter, right? Hill, Phii Napdao is calling for you.” Phii Thanmild gently shook Phii Hill’s arm in a coaxing manner. God help me, this is the last thing I wanted to see.

“Mild, go ahead.” Phii Hill said without taking his eyes off me. Why is he staring so intensely? People will start to notice!    “Why?”

“Just go.” Phii Hill repeated, his voice now showing a hint of irritation. But Phii Thanmild still didn’t stop.

“Oh, Nong Ter, can I have your Facebook? I’ve forgotten your facebook page.” Phii Thanmild turned to talk to me instead. I hesitated for a moment before giving her my new Facebook name; I couldn’t find a reason to refuse.

“Oh, this account looks newly created. Did you change his account?” Phii Thanmild looked down at her phone, and after finding my profile, she looked up to ask, “Why did you change it?”    Why did I change it…?

Because of what happened, which Phii Thanmild should know, right? Why ask me!!

“The old account was inaccessible.” I dodged the direct answer.

“That’s strange, you’ve used that old account for many years, and suddenly you can’t access it, that’s odd.” Phii Thanmild looked puzzled, but her eyes betrayed that she was mocking me, “And you hardly have any friends on this one, none from the old school, why?”

I didn’t like this at all…Why ask like this? What do you want? To rub it in?    I went quiet…No one said anything; it seemed everyone sensed the atmosphere was turning sour. Because Phii Thanmild suddenly said something odd, and I was clearly not happy either. After a while, I heard Phii Hill sigh lightly before he grabbed my hand and led me away from the group. Normally, I might have resisted, but right now, I was actually glad he was taking me away from this incredibly uncomfortable situation.

   “Dr. Hill, where are you taking the freshman!?” Phii Meili shouted after Phii Hill, who didn’t even look back. When I glanced back, everyone looked confused, especially Phii Fern who seemed just as clueless, unlike Phii Thanmild, who was blatantly showing her anger.

Thanmild Thanwarin – 1 minute ago

   Someone who never tried for anything, yet got everything. It’s not fair, isn’t it?

   

   EASTTAGYOUREMINE CHAPTERS HOME

EASTTAGYOUREMINE, Chapter 7: Through a Lens

   “Ter, hey, Ter, come here quick!” I heard my good roommate’s voice from outside the bathroom. What’s so urgent, I’m in the middle of a relaxing shower!    “What is it? I’m showering!” I shouted back, my voice echoing in the small bathroom, not sure if he could hear me from outside.

“You’ll regret it if you don’t come, I’m telling you, it’s hot news.”

“Alright, alright, I’m almost done.” I quickly dried off, put on some comfortable clothes ready for bed, then hurried out to North.    “What’s the big deal? What’s going on?” I asked.

“Here, you said it wasn’t a date, huh? Look at this, holding hands.” He pointed at his computer screen.

Hill Ratchakit – added a new photo – 24 minutes ago

   #OwnerOfMyWatch

   It was a photo from when we held hands at the temple in the morning. I didn’t even know when he took the picture because I was looking away, trying not to pay attention to him. And there was my old watch in the shot too, from that angle, you could see both our shoes.

Hey, hey, hey!!! What’s this “Owner Of My Watch” business?! It’s obvious it’s a guy’s hand, so there’s no doubt it’s not one of the three girls everyone suspected.    Even though they still don’t know who exactly it is, but this…goodness, isn’t this too much? We haven’t even cleared things up from last time!

Hmph. And holding hands too…

So, he really meant to flirt with me, right?

Are you serious, T^T

“Act cool, Ter. Now explain this picture, it’s worth ten points.”

“Well…he asked to hold my hand.”

“And you let him? Look here, then you say you were not okay with it. Oh, come on.”

“I really wasn’t okay with it, believe me.”

“How can I believe that? With all this evidence. If it was any clearer, he’d have to post a picture of you.”

“No way. Don’t post it, or how am I supposed to survive his fans?”

“See, that’s why he hasn’t posted yet, waiting for things to settle before going public.”

“Going public my ass. No way.”

“Sure. No way, we’ll see. You said the same last time.”

“Oh, come on, help me out here, what should I do?”

“Do what? You don’t have to do anything. Just sit tight, and Phii Hill will come to you soon enough, guaranteed.”

“Guaranteed at your place! Stop teasing.” I couldn’t help but snap at him. He’s just joking around, but this is serious, “What should I do about this?”

“Just stay cool. Why are you taking it so seriously?”

“He might just be pretending to make me let my guard down.”

“You’re so pessimistic. You’re biased.” North said. You don’t understand, it’s more complicated than that, “Open up a bit. It won’t hurt.”

“North, it’s not that simple. Opening up isn’t easy, especially for someone who’s been hurt before.”

“You’ve been hurt before? Why? Can you tell me?”

I didn’t answer, staying silent for a moment before deciding to use his computer to scroll through the comments. Of course, everyone was shocked that the person Phii Hill was talking about was a guy. Some didn’t believe it, saying Phii Hill just wanted to stop people from flirting with him. Others were upset because it wasn’t who they were rooting for.

I stopped reading the comments because they turned into meaningless arguments among the fans, especially the three girls. The admin of the Cute Boy page had also shared and played up the issue.

Could this be considered a good thing, that he didn’t post a photo of my face? At least I’m still the dark horse. That’s good, I guess. I don’t know what will happen next, to be honest, I’m secretly not confident. I’m not sure…if what I’m afraid of really happens…

I probably wouldn’t be able to handle it…this time it would be worse than before.

It’s not wrong, is it…if I want to build a wall to protect my heart…

Sigh, things have escalated to this point, I can’t keep it to myself anymore. Maybe I can tell North about it now. At least there’ll be someone to vent to and give advice. I turned to look at North, and he looked back at me.

“I used to like him back in middle school.” I finally decided to tell him.

“There you go. You never told me.”

“Sorry, I didn’t really want to talk about it. Honestly, I didn’t even want to think about it.”

“Alright, I understand. So you’re okay to talk about it now, right?”

“I’m okay, things have gotten to this point, I’m confused. Don’t know what to do next.” North nodded in understanding and looked ready to listen. I took a quiet breath before starting, “But he…liked my sister.”

“Oh, that’s fate.”

“And as for me, who liked him, I was stuck with hope and an impossible love for almost two years. It was torturous, but I found happiness in it.” I held my breath, trying not to let my voice shake, because every time I talk about this, it hurts, “When my sister confessed she liked him, what could I do? I had to help her.”

“You were the bridge between him and your sister then.”

“Yeah, and why didn’t those two just date? I could’ve moved on, it was incredibly painful, until he graduated and left school. It took me a year to get over it, then he comes back to ask me out, here we are. At first, I didn’t even know he studied here.”

“You’d naturally have some bias then. Did he ever talk about middle school with your sister?”

“He never mentioned it, like nothing ever happened.”

“Hmm, that’s strange, did he show any signs back in middle school? Like, maybe he had feelings for you too?”

“I think not, he’s usually kind to everyone, including my sister.”

“At first, I thought he was serious about you. But now, knowing this, I’m starting to doubt, could he be faking it?”    “I’m also at a loss for what to do.”

“And you’ve already moved on, right?”

“Hmm, I think so too.”

“Then just reject him.”

“I already rejected him. But he’s so shameless, he said he wasn’t asking me out, just letting me know.”

“Then there’s nothing you can do but accept it. He probably won’t come back if you think rationally. Who wants to be hurt repeatedly…But since you can’t do much about it, you just have to let him keep flirting with you.”

“Shit. That won’t do, I’m the one in trouble here.”

“So what are you going to do? If he won’t listen to your rejection, maybe he’s serious about you. These things take time to prove.”

“Prove what? No, I don’t want that. Is there really no other choice for me?” I started to argue against what North was suggesting. I can’t just let it go like this.

“If you’re sure you don’t feel anything, then what’s the harm?” That’s the thing,

North, I’m not sure, that’s why I came to you for advice! “Just endure it for a while. If he’s just teasing you, he’ll eventually stop. But if he’s really serious, you’ll find out soon enough. Then you might consider opening up.”

“Is that so?” I asked uncertainty, but North’s reasoning made sense. There really didn’t seem to be any other option.

“Let it be like that. Let him do whatever he wants. Don’t care about it, or he’ll get more encouraged. Just stay cool.”

“Alright, alright.” I responded. I’m trying not to care, but as you can see, it’s really hard!

Sigh…I sighed again. After venting to someone, I felt a little less burdened. At least now I have someone to consult with. I picked up my phone to play a game to take a break from thinking about this.

Ding!

A notification from chat.

Peerapat Preem: Nong Ter, this is Phii Preem from the club.

   Easter Panupong: Yes, Phii Preem?

   Why is Phii Preem messaging me? Is he going to ask me to have dinner with the club president again? No way!

   Peerapat Preem: I’d like to ask for a small favor, your photos on your FB are really nice, I was wondering if you could help us take some pictures of the club activities.

   Easter Panupong: Okay, but I’m not good at photographing people.

   Peerapat Preem: That’s fine. Just need to send the photos to the teacher.

   Easter Panupong: Someone else might do a better job, I think.    Peerapat Preem: We don’t really want outsiders taking photos, we’re worried about them posting the photos elsewhere too.

   Easter Panupong: Oh, alright then.

   Peerapat Preem: Thank you, please bring your camera tomorrow.

   Easter Panupong: Okay. 🙂

   Peerapat Preem: Oh, and could you also take some pictures of the rehearsal for the second-year stars and moons’ fashion show?

   !!!!!

I really don’t want to go…Sigh. I could only think while wiping my camera lens, taking photos for club activities is one thing, but photographing the stars and moons, especially with Phii Hill as one of the moons and Phii Thanmild as one of the stars, that’s not okay at all.

And the watch, I can’t wear it anymore, what a stroke of bad luck. I’ve worn that watch for years, and even after taking it off, there’s still a faint mark on my wrist. If I want to get used to it, I’ll have to buy a new one, which is quite a hassle since this watch feels like a part of my body.

North was turning around annoyingly on the bed, not waking up even though it was past nine. He might be irritating, but his life isn’t easy either, especially since he’s about to start a part-time job, and I was thinking of joining him for that.    After cleaning the lens and checking my gear, I slung my camera over my shoulder, ready to take photos. Lately, it feels like I’ve been taking a lot of pictures.

Today, I’ve been assigned as the photographer again.

Come on, keep it up, Ter, this too shall pass!

   When I arrived at the club, it seemed I was a bit late; everyone had already started working. I looked around for the team leader since I didn’t know where to start taking photos.

“Nong Ter, how are you, are you better now?” I turned around to see Phii Bua waving at me and approaching. I smiled in response.

Easter Panupong: Yes, I’m sorry for worrying you.

“It’s okay, as long as you’re better now. You were gone for a few days, and I was really worried, so I had Hill take you to the doctor. So, about yesterday when you went out together.” Phii Bua leaned in closer, whispering, “Did you see the photo

Hill posted? Do you know who it might be?”

“…Uh, no. I left early.” I had to lie in this situation. If I said we went sightseeing together, that would clarify things.

“Oh, so you mean he went to take you to the doctor, and then he went out with someone else, right?” Phii Bua pondered with a thoughtful expression, “But skipping work to go out, that’s really infuriating. He has no responsibility towards his work, while everyone else is working so hard.”

“…That’s right.” Phii Bua’s words felt like a knife stabbing straight into the heart of this Ter, oof, it hit me hard.

“What are you two gossiping about now?” Phii Pim’s voice came from behind.

Both I and Phii Bua turned to greet her.

“Uh, I was just here, about to ask about the photo shoot.”

“Oh, so you’re going to have Nong Ter take the photos?” Phii Bua asked.

“Yeah, my camera isn’t that great anymore, and I saw that Nong Ter’s photos on

FB were good, so I thought I’d ask him for a favor.”

“That’s great, can you help out? We’re all pretty busy, so we can’t go take photos at the star and moon walk rehearsal.”

“Do I have to take photos there too?” I asked to make sure.

“Yes, take photos of all the couples from every department. Oh, and there was another thing suggested yesterday, to also do video interviews where they talk about the star and moon competition.”    “What!? I have to do interviews too?”

This is getting worse. What’s this all about? Taking photos was already a mouthful!

   “Just a little, there’ll be another senior to do the informal interviews, just small promotional stuff. Nong Ter, you just need to be the cameraman.”

“Uh…okay.” I reluctantly agreed, gritting my teeth. Looks like I’m stuck now, sigh, what kind of fate is this for Ter, T^T

“But the interviews are on another day, right?” Phii Bua turned to askPhii Pim.    “Another day, yes. Today we’ll just take photos of the rehearsal. I’ll have Mei Li help out.” Phii Pim turned to smile at me, “Meili is a friend of mine, she oversees the star and moon competition, so I asked her to assist you with the photography.”

“Oh, that’s good then.” Sigh…just having a camera can be this troublesome, huh? “I’ll go get Meili, Ter, wait here for a moment.” Phii Pim said before she walked away.

“Then I’ll keep Nong Ter company while we wait.” Phii Bua said, “It’s a bit tiring, having to take all these photos. Actually, we do have someone who takes photos, but last year, he posted them elsewhere, ruining our surprise.”

“Why did he post them?”

“I don’t know, it’s a picture of Hill too, taken during the moon contest and club activities. That person must really like him, so they posted it on the Cute Boy page. Too bad we have to take it again; if we use the same person there is a guarantee they will post it, but it would be a spoiler.”

“Oh, so this time when I take the photos, I have to send them to the club, right?”    “Send them to Pim, she’ll select and edit the photos herself. And Nong Ter, you will get paid for your skills, it’s not free, right?”    “Not that much, really. I don’t have any great skills.”

“Come on, I believe Nong Ter can do it. Keep up the good work.”

“…Okay, I’ll do my best.” Sigh, I wonder if I can handle it…After chatting for a while, the team leader and another woman approached. It must be Sister Meili, but she looks more like a tomboy than a lady.

“Hey, what did you say, Bew? Is this the junior you mentioned? Oh, he’s cute, just like I’d want to pinch.” Sister Meili smiled with a mischievous grin before reaching over to gently pinch my cheek. Ugh, I’m not a kid to be pinched.

“How many times have I told you it’s not Bew, it’s Bua!”

“Okay, okay, whatever. Anyway, what’s your name, junior?”

“It’s Easter, but just call me Ter.”

“Okay, Nong Ter, today we’re going to take pictures of the rehearsal walk, right?

We’ll do it in the morning; it’s too hot in the afternoon to walk. We’ll handle the club’s work in the afternoon. We’ll start walking at half past ten, we still have plenty of time.”

“That’s good, Meili, take good care of him, if anything happens to my junior, I’ll blame you.” Phii Bua said in jest.

“I will take very good care of him, not even letting an ant crawl on him, but a crab might walk on his shoulder.” Phii Meili mimicked a crab walking on my shoulder. I smiled to cover my embarrassment. I didn’t feel bad; in fact, I found it funny because the seniors were quite lovable.

“Hey, what were you gossiping about with Nong Ter?” Phii Pim asked.

“Oh, you can’t miss out on any gossip, can you? So manly.” Phii Bua teased, “It’s about Hill’s latest photo, have you seen it, Meili? I tell you, it’s the best.”    “I’ve seen it. It’s no ordinary photo. And the person with him is a guy too.”    Gasp, why did the topic shift to this? Can I excuse myself from here?

   “Really? I didn’t even notice, thought it was one of the girls chasing after him.” Phii Pim said.

“You should get your eyes checked; it’s clearly a man’s hand. Girls must be devastated. He’s handsome and a moon of the faculty, but in the end, the one he likes is a guy.” Phii Meili said with relish, not knowing that she was talking about me. Uh…why am I starting to feel embarrassed?

“And have you found out anything more?”

“Our star and moon group was gossiping, Hill got pressed for information repeatedly, but he didn’t open his mouth at all, just saying he hasn’t won him over yet. Who would believe that? Holding hands like that and not melting a bit, if it were me, I’d be swooning just from the way Dr. Hill looks.”

Actually, I almost melted just from the way he looked at me too…

“If it were me, I’d be dead from that wallet scene. Not choosing Dr. Hill is stupid, I’m telling you. We keep staring, those star and moon group girls are so annoying, staring back too.”

Oh…does that mean I’m the stupid one now? Sigh, don’t scold me. I have my reasons.

   “But really, we don’t know who it is, can’t even guess. If we knew who it was, I’d go ask for some of that good karma, maybe I’d get a handsome boyfriend too.”    I’m not someone with good karma, Meili, you can believe that.

“Hill is really hard to read, huh? Known him for years, and he’s never looked at anyone like that.” Phii Pim sighed.

“Exactly. We don’t know if that person was wearing the watch or not. If they were, someone should have noticed, maybe there’d be some clues.”

“Uh…it’s almost ten o’clock, should we go?” I interjected into the conversation. If they kept gossiping like this, it was going to be a long day. If they investigate this much…one day someone might come at me with a knife to get answers, thankfully I didn’t wear the watch.

“Oh, right, sorry for getting carried away, let’s go, Nong Ter.” Mei Li linked arms with me and gently pushed me forward.

“Then we’ll continue with our work. Good luck, Mei Li.”

“Alright, alright.” Mei Li waved back at them before leading me to the rehearsal area for the star and moon walk.

“Come on.” Mei Li beckoned me into the room. I took off my shoes and followed her in. This must be the dressing room because there were lots of costumes, and several people were getting their makeup done. It looked a bit chaotic. I walked in slowly, scanning around to see where he was.

Not here.

“Even though it’s just a rehearsal, you still need to put on makeup for the photos, right? Come over here, let’s get some behind-the-scenes shots.”    “Should I take photos now? They aren’t done with their makeup yet.”

“Yes, take photos. It’s for behind-the-scenes, come on, take a picture of this one, this is Fah, the star from the Agriculture Faculty, Fah, smile for the camera.” Mei Li said, and the girl named Fah, who was getting her makeup done, turned to smile.

So I raised my camera to take the shot.

“Let’s see.” Mei Li leaned in to look at the photo I just took. I showed her, “Wow, this looks good, nice lighting, Fah looks great on camera, let’s take another one.” I took another photo as instructed by Mei Li, “Beautiful, you’re rocking it, even though you haven’t finished with the mascara.”

“Oh, Mei Li, who are the ones practicing the walk today?” Fah asked after posing for me.

“Napdao, but I haven’t seen the boss yet.”

“Napdao, huh? Oh no, today’s going to end at midnight for sure.” Fah said, looking gloomy and moaning.

“Not really. If you walk well, you can finish on time.”

“Someone like me, Napdao, isn’t easy to please. Last time, I walked so much my legs hurt and became Arthit.”

“Come on, I’ll help check too. Go shoot somewhere else, add some lip color, Fah, this one looks too pale, might not show up from a distance.”

“Sure.” and then Phii Meili took me to shoot other sections, including a satellite beauty contest. Normally, if you just walk normally, the stars and moon would just wear school uniforms, but satellites can’t do that, they have to be extravagant, right? I saw the girls choosing their outfits big time.

“Nong Ter, come shoot this beauty quickly.” Phii Meili called me, “Here’s

Fondao, the nurse star.”

I turned to look; Phii Fondao is one of those chasing after Phii Hill, right? She’s so pretty…She’s slightly taller than me, and even without makeup, she’s stunning.    “Are you the one taking photos today?” Phii Fondao smiled at me. Oh, such a beautiful smile. I like it.

“Yes, may I trouble you for a bit?” I bowed slightly.

“Not at all. We’re the ones troubling you. Make sure to take pretty photos of me, but don’t make me look fat.” Phii Fondao said jokingly.

“Oh, if she’s fat, who in this world could be thin? She won’t look fat from any angle.” Phii Meili retorted, “Alright, let’s get to shooting. She’s going to post these on IG for promotion.”

“My IG isn’t an advertising space, you know. If you want a promotion, there should be an ad fee.”

“You’re crazy, promoting her would promote you too. Come on, pose for the camera.” I raised my camera to shoot Phii Fondao. She slightly tilted her body and posed with a small, charming smile. This girl really knows how to pose. Have I complimented her too much?

“Wow, these photos came out nice too, can you send them to me right away? I’ll post them on IG now.”

“Sure.” I managed to send the photo via Wi-Fi to my smartphone. Shooting people is quite okay, I guess. Next time, I should find someone to shoot with.    “Okay, posted, I’m off, need to do my makeup.” Phii Fondao smiled at me and Phii Meili, then headed to the makeup area.

“Now we just have to shoot the moon, right? Let’s go to the other room.”

“Are the moons in another room?”

“Exactly, how could girls dress up with men, but trans women don’t count, they’re considered half women.” Oh, I forgot about that. Indeed, the whole room was full of women, why didn’t I notice? So it’s not strange that Phii HIll’s not in this room.

I followed Phii Meili to another room. Oh no, I really don’t want to go in, can I take ten minutes to brace myself? But Phii Meili didn’t seem to care about my reluctance, she quickly slid open the glass door, and the cold air hit my face.    “Hey, the handsome Meili is here, and she brought someone to take photos!” Phii Meili opened the door and shouted cheerfully, causing all the moon guys to turn and look our way in unison.

“Hi, the handsome guys! Miss Meili is here, bringing my little brother for some photos!” Miss PhiiMeili shouted cheerfully as she opened the door. Everyone in the room turned towards her without any prior notice from Miss Emmy.

I’ll scream and make a fuss!!!

I couldn’t help but scan the room for someone I knew, at least to know where they were so I could avoid them.

“Have you arrived?” came a deep, soft voice beside me out of the blue, Mr.

PhiiHill! He always catches me off guard. I nearly jumped out of my skin.    “Dr. Hill, you’re so cruel, not even wearing makeup, oh my God, but just setting your hair makes you so dashing, it’s like you’re draggin my heart along!” Miss PhiiMeili said, shaking her arms and giving a big, shy smile. He’s really handsome, even without much effort on his hair. But with it styled, his aura just gets even more lethal. What is this? When I style my hair, I don’t look this good.

“Did you bring him for photos?” Phii Hill asked Phii Meili.

“Yes, yes, this is Nong Ter, he’s in the same club, you probably know each other.”

“We do know each other.” Mr. PhiiHill turned to me with a gentle smile. Ugh, I’m going to die, can I even take photos with my hands shaking like this?

   “Great, let’s have him take photos of you, Hill first then.”

“The light is better over there,” Phii Hill pointed to the back before leading the way. I followed helplessly, with Phii Meili trailing behind.

“Wow, the light is really beautiful, we’ll definitely get some great shots!” Phii Meili was so excited she shook my arm to hurry up. I looked at him through the camera lens…It’s not good for my heart. If I have to keep photographing him, I’ll need a break every ten minutes, or my blood pressure will spike for sure.

Why does his smile have such an impact on my heart?

“So you’ve become my photographer, have you?” Phii Hill smiled so much his eyes crinkled. Is he looking at the camera like that or at me…

Oh my God. I can’t do this, I need a tripod, my hands are shaking too much!!

 

EASTTAGYOUREMINE CHAPTERS HOME

EASTTAGYOUREMINE, Chapter  6: Owner of the Watch

   Sigh…

“Can I court you, Ter, can I court you, Ter, can I court you, Ter?”

   That same question kept echoing in my head. North told me to be direct if there was anything to say, and I’ve been direct in my refusal, but why does this guy next to me still have that bright, cheerful smile as if nothing happened?

“What are you smiling at!?” I asked with a hint of irritation in my voice. I was almost having a heart attack here, but why does the guy asking still look so calm?! Isn’t he serious when he asks?

“I didn’t ask…I just stated it.” and then he flashed that heart-stealing smile at me,

Phii Hill smiled with his eyes crinkling. I can honestly say, in all the photos I’ve looked at on his page, there’s none where he smiles like this; it’s like there’s an aura shining down on him.

Wait, why was I looking at his photos? Just out of curiosity, I guess!

“It’s not funny either.” I turned my face away, secretly making a sour face.

“Yes. It’s not funny.”

“…”

“I’m serious.”

“I don’t want to!” Hmph. That cheerful face of his really gets on my nerves, could he at least pretend a little less?

He had never said anything like this to me before; he rarely showed any signs of affection towards me. He was just kind to everyone, I guess he could tell how I felt, but I was not the person he should be saying such things to.

It should be ‘Christy’ instead.

Am I not just a bridge for love?

“But I’ve already ‘done it’ with you.” He said.

“Phii!!!” I accidentally shouted, drawing attention to us. I had to turn and smile to cover up my embarrassment. This crazy guy!! What are you saying!!! And still giving me that sweet smile! Argh, I want to crawl into the ground and escape.

“Say my name sweetly.” Phii Hill whispered softly, “Like that day.”

“…Stop talking!!” My face turned even redder. I tried to sound firm and not to shout again.

“Yes, yes.” Phii Hill smiled indulgently, like he was looking at a cute little animal, like a kitten or a bunny, “But I’ve already claimed you.” He reached out and gently touched my neck with his finger. I quickly brushed it away.    Hmph, he made me remember that day when he…ugh, left a red mark on my neck, which took almost a week to go away.

   “…” I was at a loss for words. How could he say something so direct? I turned my face away again to hide my blushing, and Phii Hill didn’t say anything more.

Even with the sound of the rain so loud, I could clearly hear my own heartbeat.

It was starting to beat too hard!

The big hand didn’t let go of mine. Even though my hand was cold and wet from the surrounding air and the temperature dropped, Phii Hill slightly adjusted his grip and gave my hand a gentle squeeze as if to comfort something, though I wasn’t sure what he was comforting.

His hand, though large, was softer than I expected and warm against my damp, cold hand. Normally, I wouldn’t dare to hold someone’s hand with mine like this. It’s embarrassing, right, with all this sweat? Doesn’t he mind?

Come to think of it…we’ve never held hands for this long before.

We let the rain continue its symphony while we stood in silence. I didn’t know what to say, and neither did the person beside me. I wanted to believe that what I heard before was just my ears playing tricks on me.

Soon enough, the sky cleared up, the clouds moved away, and the rain started to lighten. What should I do now? Should I rush back?

“Are you hungry? I’ll take you to get something to eat.” Phii Hill spoke up first, amidst the returning chatter of the crowd.

“No, I want to go back.” I was really starting to feel like going back. Staying with him any longer would be too much.

“It’s cold now, let me treat you.”

“…” What should I do? I really want to get back to the dorm. But now my stomach’s starting to growl. If I go back to the dorm, I’ll have to go out again to eat anyway. Might as well eat out for just a bit longer.

Rrrrrrrr

The phone vibrated. I checked my pocket and realized it wasn’t my phone, but Phii Hill’s. Not long after, he took his phone out of his pants pocket and answered the call. I tried to eavesdrop.

(Hill, where are you?)

   “What’s wrong?”

(Mild came looking for you at the club. Couldn’t find you. Bua say you took

Nong Ter to the doctor, is that correct?)

   “Oh, right, what’s up?”

(Is it Nong Easter, right? So, Hill knows that the kid studies here.)

   “Um.”

(What a coincidence, coming this far…Mild thinks the kid might have followed you to come study here.)

   “And you called to say?”

(About the event we’re organizing. The club wants the second-year stars and moons to do a fashion show to promote the upcoming star and moon contest next month. Didn’t you know? That’s strange, I thought you would be presenting the show.)

   “No, I had no idea.”

(Really? Hmm, but come and rehearse the walk too. We’re practicing right next to the club. Actually, we’re supposed to start today, that’s why Mind came to find Hill, but he wasn’t here.)

   “Who’s in charge of the rehearsal?”

(Phii Napdao, a third-year.)

   “Oh, then let’s go tomorrow. I’m not free today.”

(What? Just a stomachache shouldn’t take that long to see a doctor.)

   “…”

(Okay, okay, then tell Mild to practice alone, that’s bad. See you tomorrow, bye.)    Then Phii Hill hung up. I had been eavesdropping so intently that I had moved closer to him without noticing, but when I realized, I quickly moved back.

“It’s not good to eavesdrop, you know.” The tall figure said, in a playful tone, not really angry.

“Uh…no.” The person who called referred to themselves as “Mild.” probably Phii Thanmild, because she asked if he had met the junior yet. That’s me. But to say that I followed him here, that’s not true at all! I hope he doesn’t think that too.    Do the stars and moon have to practice walking again? Then Phii Hill andPhii Thanmild must go for a walk together…

“So, are we going for dinner or not?”

Maybe it’s better if we don’t go. Phii Hill should be practicing walking withPhii Thanmild, right?

“I’m not going.” I said softly.

“I’ve already made a reservation too, it’ll be quick, and the place is delicious.”

“…”

“Plus, they have great cake and cocoa.”

“It’s better to go practice.” I said. I didn’t mean to be sarcastic.    “No, I want to take you out for dinner more than to go to practice.”    Hmph…damn, that smile…

“….Okay, I’ll go.” I figured I was hungry after all. And I wanted some cocoa. Since he went out of his way to bring me to this nice photo spot, we might as well eat together. The other party smiled contentedly before leading the way to the car while still holding my hand. So I had to follow along easily.

“You’re cute when you’re not being stubborn, you know.”

…

The fancy car pulled away from the temple’s parking lot. I sat in the passenger seat, holding both hands together, still feeling warm…It was starting to get a little dark outside, not because it was evening yet, but because the rain had just stopped, so the sky was still somewhat overcast.

I gazed out at the clear window with small droplets clinging to it. This place at night is really beautiful. The lights along the path lit up, compensating for the light from Arthit, blocked by the clouds.

The person beside me didn’t say anything, so I had time to space out for quite a while, thinking about Phii Thanmild who called earlier. I never thought I’d meet both of them here. It seems likePhii Thanmild might be the one following Phii Hill. I don’t know. Maybe I’m thinking too negatively, but her demeanor has made me guess this for a long time now. If Phii Thanmild really likes Phii Hill, she must really like him a lot, to go to such lengths.

Sigh…what about me then?

Before I could think any further, the luxury car pulled into a spacious parking lot where someone was waving to guide us to an empty spot. The parking lot was almost full. I glanced inside to see a large, beautifully decorated restaurant with a fountain at the front, which from a distance looked like a pond with lights around it.

Quite luxurious. If you didn’t book in advance, you’d probably have to wait years for a spot, it’s that packed.

Once parked, I got out of the car without waiting for Phii Hill to open the door for me. After all, he’s not my chauffeur. I followed his tall figure rather stiffly. Phii Hill seemed like he was trying to discreetly take my hand. No way would I let him!    “Hello, do you have a reservation?” asked the young woman at the counter with a wai.

“Yes, for two.”

“Under what name is the reservation?”

“Rachakit.”

“Okay…please follow me, sir.” and then both of us followed another staff member. We arrived at a table by the pond, which had a barrier around it. I noticed some fish occasionally surfacing, probably caught here for the customers to enjoy fresh.

I sat down opposite Phii Hill.

Phii Hill smiled at me.

As usual, I looked away again.

“Is the atmosphere nice?”

“It’s…nice.” I replied as I reached for the restaurant menu. It was another candlelit setting. Soft classical music played romantically in the background.

Hmm…why is every place we’ve been today so romantic?

Expensive! …was the first thought that came to mind. It’s not necessary to spend this much on every meal, or is it for a special occasion…Phii Hill did say he was treating today. I feel a bit awkward about it, but if I had to pay, it would hurt.

Nothing on the menu was under two hundred, not even the desserts.

Maybe I should just order water…

“What would you like to order?”

“Well…” and then Phii Hill ordered a lot of things. I just kept quiet; all the dishes I liked or could eat, he had already ordered.

“Ter, would you like anything else?” the senior in front of me asked.

“Uh…no, thanks.” I replied awkwardly and closed the menu.

“Don’t you like this place?” he asked with a concerned tone after the waiter had left.

“N…no.”

“Or maybe because the items are expensive and Ter feels awkward about it?”    How did he know that…I thought to myself but didn’t respond.

“Then next time we can go somewhere you like.”

There’s a next time? I could only give a faint smile, unsure if he noticed. I took out my phone to play with it to avoid further conversation.

   Is he starting to flirt with me now?

   Sigh…This is making things difficult for me. Normally, just meeting him is tough, now I have to deal with being flirted with…or maybe he’s just joking.

   I scrolled through my own Facebook feed.

Cute Boy & Girl – MU – 30 minutes ago

   The hashtag trend on Twitter #WhoseWatchIsThis, is just overwhelming. Even I, as the admin of the page, have no clue what it’s all about. We can only wait to see how things move forward. So, please stop messaging the page about this; the admin has a headache from this issue. If we find out who it is, we’ll definitely make a grand reveal (I heard it might be a dark horse).    : This might be a dark horse; none of the girls have ever seen anyone wear that watch before.

   : But Phii Thanmild seems pretty close with him. I heard there will be a star and moon catwalk too. Is the stage going to collapse? There’s definitely going to be a battle.

   : Yeah, can stars from other faculties compete with those from the same faculty? That’s right. They’ve already been seen walking arm-in-arm on stage.    : I still support Phii Fon, she seems to have better chemistry with him. I even saw them making eye contact during last year’s competition, looking at each other across faculties.

   Is this just my imagination?

   : If it’s someone else, I can’t think of who. Maybe a first-year?

   It might be Phii Mild, I think. She’s been posting a lot like this lately. Plus, she’s promoting the star and moon of the second year all over her feed.

   : Whoever it is, they’re super lucky, let me tell you. What did they do to deserve Phii Hill as their boyfriend?

   I scrolled through the comments. Some of them were really creative. Out of nowhere, I’ve become the dark horse. I have to admit, whoever ends up as Phii Hill’s partner is really lucky.

Cute Boy & Girl – MU – 1 hour ago

   Let’s take a break from Dr. Hill for a bit, shall we? Let’s look at Dr. Johan instead. Many fans missed him, so I went through fire and water to find the latest pic of Dr. Johan. Look here, who did he meet at the pub? Wow, his aura is striking, from his clothes to his hair, watch, shoes. He really doesn’t leave the house unless he’s dressed in millions, girls don’t need to pay, he’ll pay himself. P.S. He’s also close friends with Dr. Hill. Which gang can match this radiance?

   A friend of Phii Hill…unlike Phii Hill who seems composed, this Johan looks like more of a bad boy.

“What are you looking at?” Suddenly, the voice from across the table rang out along with my phone being snatched away. W-wait, did you just snatch it like that?

“This is Johan.”

“…” I didn’t respond, just looked confused.

“Do you like him?” Dr. Hill asked with a smile, Phii Hill who usually smiles. But why does this smile feel creepy? I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry.

“Huh?”

“Do you like him?” That creepy smile again…why does it suddenly feel cold?    “Uh…” I didn’t know how to respond. I don’t even know this Johan yet, but if I were to tease, just for fun, what would happen? “He’s quite handsome, isn’t he?”    “Then someone must die today.” Phii Hill said with a cold smile, his voice flat. Is he really mad? Why does he look so scary? Phii Hill returned my phone and picked up his own to make a call.

(Hello) The voice on the other end answered, Phii Hill intentionally turned up the volume so I could hear.

“Jo, where are you?”

Huh? Calling Johan? Why?

(At the condo, what’s up?)

   “We need to clear something up.”

(Huh? What’s the matter?)

   “The page posted your photo.”

(What about the page posting it? What did I do wrong?)

   “…”

(Hill, dude, don’t be silent, why? The page posted my pic, what’s up?)

   “There is someone who said you look good.”

Hold on, Phii Hill, take it easy. I was just joking.

(Oh crap, what can I do if I’m handsome? I’m annoyed with myself. But which junior was it?)    “The one I’m flirting with.”

(Was it a freshman?)

   “Yeah.”

(Oh, I’m doomed then. Is the freshman with you now?)

   “He is.”

(Let me talk to them.)

   “The freshman is listening.”

(…Uh, freshie, I’m sorry. I might be handsome, but Hill is much better than me. Really, you should choose him. For my safety too, Hill is a great surgeon, what if he operates on me and screws up?)

   Er…Johan sure has a way with words. Are the seniors studying too hard or what?

“Ok. Plus, you already have someone.”

(Hey, why would Hill say that? What if the freshman tells others? I don’t have a girlfriend, what if the freshman’s friends get interested…) And then Phii Hill hung up, before turning to give me a spooky smile.

“I know you were trying to make me jealous.” Phii Hill said in a softened tone, “And I really got jealous. Even just a little, I can’t let it go.”

“…Harsh.” I accidentally said. He really does seem jealously harsh. Imagine if that person wasn’t his friend, what would he do?    “With a naughty kid, I’ve got to be a bit harsh.”    “What’s naughty about me…” I frowned.

“You complimented someone else while I’m right here. It’s cruel to look at someone else’s picture when I’m around.”

“Selfish.” I muttered to myself. There’s always a crowd of girls around him; one after another.

“I admit it.” He smiled, “Everything’s mine, after all.”    Oh, come on, doesn’t he feel any shame saying that?

   I wanted to retort, but the food arrived first, so I let it go. Better not to argue further.

   He ordered a lot of dishes, and each one was as delicious as its price suggested. Not long after, once the main courses were nearly finished, the staff brought out desserts, including my cocoa.

   I was so focused on the food I didn’t say much, and he didn’t try to start a conversation either.

   Ding!

My phone chimed. I picked it up and saw it was North texting me. I glanced at Phii Hill, wary of him grabbing my phone again, but he just looked up at me without saying anything.

Not angry, huh?

   So I unlocked my screen to reply to North’s message.

   North Natchanan: Where are you? What time are you coming back to the room?

   Easter Panupong: Out for dinner, I’ll be back soon.

   North Natchanan: Oh, dining with the doctor, huh? Cute.

   Easter Panupong: Cute my foot.

   North Natchanan: You smell of love, really. Once you get a boyfriend, you forget about friends.

   Easter Panupong: Boyfriend? Did you ask me first?

   North Natchanan: So, you went with Phii Hill for real?

   Easter Panupong: Yeah, sort of, got dragged along.

   North Natchanan: Oh well, I won’t interrupt you then, hehe.

   Easter Panupong: You tease me a lot, you’ll get your own dose someday.

   North Natchanan: Never, bye.

   That roommate of mine really gets on my nerves, always teasing. I wonder what he’s been taking. I put my phone away after finishing the chat. When I looked up, Phii Hill was waiting for me.

“Let’s go then.” Phii Hill said with a gentle smile after we finished eating, contrasting with the spooky smile from earlier when Johan was mentioned. Once the bill at the counter was settled, we headed back to the car.

It was time to go back. I sat quietly in the passenger seat as usual. I’ve started getting used to talking with Phii Hill, but still, there’s no way I’d soften up.

Phii Hill seemed like he wanted to say something several times but decided not to. It took nearly twenty minutes of driving through traffic lights to reach my dormitory. When we arrived at the front of the dorm, I immediately got out of the car, not forgetting to turn and thank Phii Hill for taking me to a beautiful place and for the meal.

“Thank you.” I said quietly while closing the car door.    “…Ter.” Phii Hill spoke hesitantly.

“…?” I looked at him with a puzzled expression, waiting for him to continue.

“Nothing, just remember to come to work at the club tomorrow.” Phii Hill changed to a broad smile instead. I closed the car door when I saw he had finished speaking, without replying.

I ran up the stairs without looking back at the car owner before opening the door to my room.

Why do I get so easily swayed…I tried to get thoughts of him out of my head.

Today I took a lot of photos; I hope some of them turned out okay, I thought.

“Hey, how was the date?” North’s teasing voice came out of nowhere.

“What date, we didn’t go on a date.” I replied in an annoyed tone before tossing my bag onto the bed.

“Sure, sure, so how was he? Was he okay?”

“He was fine, I guess, for others.”

“Really? That’s too bad for the other girls, huh. They’d definitely cry if they knew he was flirting with you.”

“Yeah, don’t rub it in. Why would he flirt with me anyway? There are plenty of beautiful girls.”

“Maybe he likes something unusual.”

“You think I’m unusual?”

“Nah, it’s just that he doesn’t go for the good-looking ones who like him, and he goes for you instead. I’m still shocked.”

“Do you think he’s just teasing me?”

“That’s a bit extreme, why would he do that? Like, make you fall for him and then dump you? That’d be pretty harsh.”

“It could happen.” …Like what he’s done before, maybe.

“It’s too much. Just reject him outright.”

“I did reject him outright! It didn’t change anything! I’m going to shower, I’m hot.” I said, sounding weary. It seems like there’s a lot more to think about. Better to shower to relax a bit.

I couldn’t help but laugh when I remembered how jealous he got…

Such a person…brutal.

::

Hill, Ratchakit – added a new photo – 1 minute ago

   #OwnerOfMyWatch

   

   EASTTAGYOUREMINE CHAPTERS HOME

EASTTAGYOUREMINE, Chapter 5: Tunnel of Candle Light

   I was scrolling through my own Facebook, and it seems the latest photo I posted has become quite the talk. The hashtag #WhoIsTheWatchOwner, is gaining traction, and it looks like everyone’s curious about who it could be. People are guessing all sorts of names, some I recognize, others I’ve never heard of.    No one probably knows who the watch owner is. Even the owner themselves might not be aware yet. I’m curious about how they’ll react, if they’ll be angry or embarrassed.

   I imagined the face of that small figure getting angry and blushing, and I couldn’t help but smile to myself. Damn…I’m really in deep.

   I did this intentionally because I decided that approaching him directly might be the most effective way, making it clear right from the start. Even if he doesn’t believe it, if I try hard enough, there might be a chance. If I took it slow, he might just push me further away.

   Simply put, it’s like we’re going for the catch right away. If we take it slow, the prey might realize and escape, but no matter which method, there’s always a risk.

By now, he probably hates me. But whether he really hates me or not, I’m not sure.    But being hated is better than being ignored, because being ignored means there’s no feeling at all.

   I don’t want to take it slow like before; in our case, it’s not that simple. I want to be clear and consistent from the beginning.

   Got to take the risk…

   I’ve told everyone that I’m serious about someone now. At first, it was just playful talk with friends, but word spread fast. It feels like Bua said something about how that team of theirs was starting to get chaotic. I didn’t mean to cause such a stir, but I guess you can’t control these things.

   I worry about him. Maybe I’m overthinking, but if I suddenly declare I’m going to pursue someone, I fear he might get treated badly, even if it’s just minor things like being looked at with disdain or spoken about negatively. I don’t want even the slightest negative thing to happen to him.

   Is it going to be too hard? To approach him directly without others knowing.

   Hmm…should be doable.

   The next day…

   I’ve been working at the club as usual. Recently, the preparations are almost done. The only thing not quite right is the performance; this year’s drama club is short of people. According to the plan given by the teacher, there should be an opening dance performance, followed by the host speaking, then various performances which the drama club and selected departments are responsible for.

After that, around 6 PM, the concert by the singer invited by the university is scheduled to start.

When it comes to the club event, I guessed Ter wouldn’t show up today either. Since the day I posted the last photo, he hasn’t been coming to work at the club, probably trying to avoid me. He might be confused and overthinking things. I know where his dorm is, but suddenly going to find him might seem too pushy.

“Hill, Nong Ter hasn’t shown up for several days now. After we went to eat Japanese food together, is something wrong?” Bua asked me.

“I don’t think it’s anything serious.”

“But I’ve tried calling him several times and he doesn’t pick up. Maybe it’s because of the Japanese food we ate together, he might be allergic.”

“No, he’s not allergic to Japanese food.”

“How do you know?”

“He ate so much, which means he knows he’s fine.” And he was really cute while eating, stuffing his cheeks like a squirrel. I almost wanted to feed him myself.    “Uh, is that so?” Bua said, still looking worried. She always worries too much, but I also felt a bit off not seeing Nong Ter for several days.    Rrrrrrr

“Oh, Nong Ter is calling right now.” Bua picked up her phone. I told Bua to put it on speaker so I could listen too.

“Hello Nong Ter, I’ve called you so many times, why didn’t you answer? Are you okay? I was really worried, thinking something might have happened to you. You’ve been gone for days.” Bua spoke rapidly, probably leaving the person on the other end a bit stunned.

(Er…sorry, uh…I’m not feeling too well.) The voice on the phone said, sounding like he wasn’t very good at lying.

“Really? Is it because of an allergy to the food? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have taken you to that restaurant.”

(No, it’s not that…just a common cold.)

   “Oh, I see, but you’ve been gone for days, how long have you been sick?”    (Uh…about…a couple of days, I guess.) His voice stuttered a bit, probably not expecting such a detailed interrogation, but Bua didn’t seem to notice, or maybe I was just too observant about him.

“That’s bad, have you seen a doctor yet?”

(Not yet.)

   “Shouldn’t you go see a doctor then? It’s been two or three days and you’re not getting better. This is concerning. Do you want Hill to take you?”

(No!! …Uh, sorry. It’s okay, thank you.)

   “Don’t hesitate, and do you have a friend to keep you company?”

(No, my roommate is out.)

   “The kid is all alone, what should we do, Hill?” Bua turned to ask me.

(…) The other end of the line didn’t say anything further.

“Then let me come pick you up and take you to the hospital.” I said into the phone.

(No, no, I’m about to go out.) He replied immediately, his voice starting to sound flustered, making it quite obvious.

“Oh, really? But a sick person should rest.” I thought he was actually going out and had called Bua to inform her because he felt guilty for being absent for several days. Suddenly, I realized something, so I quickly headed to my car.

“Wait…where are you going?” Bua asked.

“To pick up the sick one, can I borrow your phone for a moment?” I said that before muting the phone briefly to start the car, intentionally not letting the person on the other end hear, though I could hear Bua muttering behind me but not stopping me; she probably thought I was going to take him to the hospital.

(No, I have an errand, I’ll hang up.)

   “Are you faking being sick?” I said this not to scold but to buy time. Why buy time? Well, if he’s still talking to me, he’s probably not left his room yet. From here to his dorm isn’t far. Just a short drive from the university.

   (N…I’m not faking. I’ll hang up.)

   “If you don’t come to work, your hours will be docked, you know that, right?” I added a small threat, but docking hours for scholarship students was true. Even if it starts from the beginning of the semester.

(…Huh? Will I get docked too?)

   “Yes, I’ll deduct the hours you didn’t work. If I really do that, you could lose your scholarship.” I pretend to say, actually, it’s not enough to lose the scholarship yet.

(…No.)

   “So, are you really sick or not?”

(…Really sick.)

   “Alright, then I’m coming to pick you up.” Even though I said that, I was already almost at his dorm.

(No!)

   “Why, though?”

   (…) He didn’t answer, probably not daring to say anything bad because I was acting like we had just met, and I thought he might not want to pretend we knew each other before either. If that’s the case, let’s keep it smooth for now.

“Then I’ll come pick you up.”

(No need!) And then he hung up. He must not have wanted to continue the conversation. But I had already arrived at the front of the dorm. I guessed it wouldn’t be long before someone with a surprised face came running down.

My guess was right. Someone hurried down the stairs, wearing a black and white t-shirt, dark jeans, and sneakers, and he had a camera with him, indicating he was probably going out to take photos.

Ter saw me and looked utterly shocked, then he started to fidget. I smiled at him.

“How are you doing, sick guy?”

“…Phii?” He avoided my gaze again, his face starting to turn red. I approached, and he seemed even more shocked, quickly stepping back. Why does he look so cute and adorable like this!

“You don’t look sick at all, that’s great.”

“…” The other party slightly scrunched up his nose in annoyance. It seemed like I had fully caught him in his lie.

“Where were you planning to go to take photos?”    “…” He still didn’t answer.

“Then get in the car.” I walked over and grabbed his small wrist to follow me, but he immediately shook off my hand.

“No. Not going!”

“Don’t be stubborn.” I accidentally used a phrase I often used with him before, and it seemed like he didn’t like it much.

“Not going!” The small guy was still stubborn, but his face and ears were clearly flushed red.

“Okay then, I’ll tell Bua that actually you’re not sick, but you lied about being sick to skip work.” I threatened while pulling out my phone, pretending to dial Bua’s number. Of course, no one would answer because Bua’s phone was in my car.

“…Don’t, please don’t tell her.” The person in front of me started speaking in a softer tone before furrowing his brows and looking up at me. Not long after, he averted his gaze again.

“Then get in the car.” I walked over to open the passenger door for him, and he slowly followed.    “You’re cheating.”

“Only with stubborn people.” I smiled while gently closing the car door, then went to the driver’s side and started the car immediately.

And in the car, there was no sound other than the air conditioning and the soft music from the radio. Actually, I was a bit nervous too, meeting someone I didn’t expect to see. And when we last parted, it was at its worst. But he seemed more nervous than me, trying to keep it in, constantly looking out the window, his body tense. I drove along, occasionally sneaking glances at him.

“Where are we going?” he asked after a long silence.

“To a photo spot, the view is really beautiful.” I knew of a place perfect for taking photos, somewhere he probably hadn’t been. I was sure he’d like it.

…

   A few days ago

   Back then, my heart started to feel different from usual.

   It was siding with itself, even though my brain was strictly forbidding it. I scanned through the same status an unknown person had posted repeatedly, to reassure myself I wasn’t misreading.

   That was my watch and my plate. Was he implying someone else…?

   If he meant someone else, why do this?

   And if he meant me, then I’d ask why he did it too…

   Even if my heart was still stubborn, the lesson was to keep it at bay…No matter what he does, I shouldn’t care, right?

   Yes…there’s no room for him in my heart anymore…That’s what I thought.

   Just a photo!. Am I already this weak, Ter? Stay strong!

   “Ter…are you okay?” North’s familiar voice snapped me out of my reverie.

“I’m okay, why do I not look okay?” I kept my face neutral.

“Nah, you just zoned out suddenly. What’s with this picture?” North asked, pointing at the photo displayed on my computer screen.

“Nothing, I was just shocked.”

“Hill Rachakitti, oh, is that Hill, the doctor? Do you know him?”

“Huh, do you know him too?”

“He’s quite famous, you know.”

“Really?” I was thinking whether to tell North or not…better tell him. At least, there’s someone to talk to, to consult with, “Did you see the caption? What do you think about it?”

“Flirting, I guess.” He paused for a moment, “Probably with the one sitting opposite.”    “Me.”

“Huh?”

“I was the one sitting opposite.” I sighed, “Remember when I told you that senior took me out for a treat?”

“!!!!” North looked shocked and stared at me in disbelief, then turned to look at the screen again, “Yeah. Looking closely, it’s your watch.” He lifted my left wrist where I was wearing that watch.

“See? You’re still shocked.”

“Shit, yeah, I’m shocked. And it’s with another guy, no less.” He furrowed his brow, “I’m not saying it’s about gender, but I thought that senior already had a girlfriend. I’ve seen a lot of news about it.”    “Yeah, I’ve heard that too.”

“Did you guys know each other before?”

“We went to the same school.” Not exactly a lie, but I wasn’t ready to tell the whole story yet.

“And have you talked to each other?”

“A little.”

“Did he show any signs of liking or being interested in you?”

“No.” Nothing unusual happened when we met at university, it was just me being paranoid about everything.

“But with a caption like this? What do you think?”

“Me? I don’t think anything.” I said.

“Oh, man, the girls at uni must be crying over this. Aren’t you going to try talking to him?”

“Nah, I’m not interested.”

“Are you going to reject him?”

“I might not even know what to think. He might just be joking.” I said what I thought, and I hate this kind of joke the most.

“That’s tough, if it were me, I’d be super uncomfortable, especially since he’s a senior at the club, right?”    “Yeah, it’s hard for me too.”

“Come on. It’s better if you just ignore it. If there’s something, just reject it outright.”

“Umm.”

I was still caught up thinking about that, my confidence that I thought would remain unshaken was starting to wane. Sigh…can’t it be like this? After that, I didn’t go to the club for several days, intentionally avoiding it, making it clear that I wasn’t okay. Phii  Bua called multiple times, but I didn’t answer any of them. She must be worried.

I should call in sick to makePhii Bua stop worrying. So today, I’ll go out for a walk and take some photos, since North isn’t in the room.

Yes…

It’s clear that I’m not okay…

So why did I get dragged into this car?! For heaven’s sake. What am I doing in this car with this person, the one I’ve been trying to avoid? This guy is really bad.

Who said doctors are handsome and kind-hearted? Take those words back!

He threatened me!!

I said I was sick and was about to rush out of the dorm, but there he was, leaning against his car looking all cool. And I, unfortunately, had my camera slung over my shoulder as evidence.

Is this Easter or what, am I a hamster caught in a trap?

Phii Hill was driving with such ease, even though the AC was on full blast, I felt like I was in a heater, all hot. Outside, the sky had been overcast since morning. You didn’t need a weather forecast to guess it would rain. It would have been nice to go take photos around the foothills.

But here I am! And I don’t even know where we’re going!

The luxury car turned into a small alley, and soon we entered a temple area.

Huh? Did he bring me to a temple?

The car stopped in a small parking lot, the sign in front indeed said it was a temple, but inside, it didn’t look like one at all. It was very spacious, surrounded by forest.

“Have you been here before?” asked the deep voice next to me, as if he really wanted an answer from me. Do you have to stare so intently?

“No…I haven’t.” I answered quietly.

“Then let me be your guide.” said Phii Hill before getting out of the car. I undid my seatbelt, and before I realized it, he had already opened the car door for me. Oh my, such a gentleman!

I didn’t say anything, just held my camera tightly in both hands, sweaty. I walked slowly behind the taller figure. Phii Hill seemed a bit taller than last year, maybe around 180-182 cm. He was already in good shape before, but since going to university, he’s got a bit more muscular, not too much to be scary, just enough to make the girls scream. That handsome face still had that gentle smile, and his way of speaking hadn’t changed; he was still polite and soft-spoken.

Just wearing ordinary clothes, a shirt, and jeans, he still looked better than most folks. Perfection like that, who wouldn’t like it? Let others like him all they want, but I’ll pass!

Suddenly, the tall figure turned and smiled at me. I automatically looked away, oh boy. Shouldn’t have stared for so long, I guess. I heard Phii Hill chuckle quietly.    Normally, I wouldn’t dare to look, but since I was looking from behind, to be honest, we’ve never really made eye contact since we met. I’m just not brave enough…

“This is an old temple.” Phii Hill said in a pleasant voice, almost like a tour guide. “Before, this whole area was just forest, so the temple is quite spacious. It’s also very close to nature. The architecture is in the Lanna style, with most of the walls made from bricks, hardly any modern additions, preserving the Lanna identity. I find it quite enchanting.”

I listened intently, then turned to take pictures of the flowers by the path. The atmosphere was quite nice, especially with no harsh sunlight today. The other party waited patiently for me to finish without complaining, even sneaking a little smile.

“You take beautiful photos.” a voice from behind startled me; Phii Hill had snuck up to look at the photos I took from behind without me noticing.

“Hey…don’t look!” I said, moving away. Oh no…what if my heart gives out now?

Sigh, I hope my face isn’t turning red again.

“Be the photographer for me for a bit.” He said with that sweet, gentle smile. I’m so weak because of that. Not just me; in the past, the girls in my class would scream at that smile. It really does tug at the heartstrings, so I try to avoid looking directly at it.

“No, it’ll waste memory.” I said, not entirely serious. He chuckled softly.

“You know, I rarely let people take my picture.”

“I’ve seen plenty.” I said, thinking of all the social media posts, people asking for photos with him; how could he not have many photos?

“You saw my pictures too? That makes me happy.” He said with a broad smile.

“People share them.” I tried to keep my voice normal to hide how nervous I was deep down.

“Yes, at least you’ve seen them, right?”

“…I guess.” I answered quietly, avoiding the question, noticing a small path leading into the forest. It looked mysterious. He probably noticed my gaze and explained.

“This path leads to the monks’ quarters, see? There’s an old man cleaning over there.”

Oh, that’s right, indeed.

“Let’s go.”

I started to see something in front of me. Excitingly, there were old steps made of small bricks with two giant statues by the side, and a shop selling souvenirs and offerings next to it.

I carefully walked up the steps, not forgetting to take photos, with Phii Hill leading the way. I tried not to pay attention, but I could see from the corner of my eye that he was still watching me without letting me out of his sight. Sigh, what’s with him! Anyone would get tense under such a gaze!

When we reached the upper level, on the right, there were religious art exhibitions, on the left, a viewpoint, and in front, a wall with tunnel openings. I saw a few tourists, but not many. A lot of them were heading into the tunnel; it must be the highlight here.

But I hadn’t seen any Buddha statues to pay respects to yet.

“The actual temple is inside.”

“Huh?”

“Want to go inside and have a look?” Phii Hill asked. I wouldn’t refuse, I’ve never seen anything like this before. I walked in, took off my shoes, and placed them where they should go. Phii Hill told me to go in first.

Inside, it was almost pitch dark except for the soft glow of yellow candles placed at intervals. The murals on the walls and ceiling left me in awe of their beauty. Just looking, you could tell how much care was put into them. Even though time had faded them, the scent of fragrant candles and fresh flowers filled the air. I couldn’t help but think how romantic the atmosphere was, like stepping back into the ancient Lanna world.

“Ter, look to the left.” He said, and I turned to see a small path leading to a Buddha statue. We both put our hands together in prayer. Then, as we walked further, we encountered more statues and some parts of the tunnel walls were natural rock faces. I was so thrilled by this new experience that I momentarily forgot who I was with. Just earlier, I nearly tripped over a step, but Phii Hill caught my arm just in time. Not sure if it was just my imagination, but he seemed to be looking out for me the whole time.    He’s always this kind, not just to me.

We walked until we reached the end of the tunnel, exiting at the back of the viewpoint. I wanted to go see the view, but we didn’t have our shoes, so we had to walk back the same way.

Tap!

Tap!

It started raining!

Damn…the rain just had to start pouring down now, and we didn’t bring an umbrella. This forced me, the other person, and other tourists to take shelter near the entrance of the tunnel to wait out the rain, but it didn’t look like it would stop anytime soon. The raindrops came down relentlessly, turning the view into a curtain of rain where you could hardly see through, and the wind picked up, sending sprays of rain our way.

Thump

Something covered me. I turned to look at the person beside me.

A shirt?

Phii Hill had taken off his outer shirt and given it to me, leaving him in just his inner t-shirt. He turned and gave me a gentle smile.

He’s…too kind.

I ducked my head to hide my face which was turning hot, certain my cheeks and ears were bright red. My heart started beating faster, almost as if it might leap out of my chest. Damn…what kind of doctor are you, trying to give someone a heart attack like this!

“Uh…thank you.” I murmured softly, probably too quiet to be heard over the sound of the rain.

“It’s nothing.” He replied. Oh, he heard me? Phii Hill’s smile was still as gentle as ever. I felt an inexplicable warmth, with the curtain of rain in front of us and the candlelit tunnel behind.

“Can I ask for something?”

“No.” I said without looking at the tall figure.    “Please?” The doctor’s voice was coaxing.

“Uh, what is it?”

“Can I hold your hand?”

“…”

Shit…my heart! Don’t you dare jump out!

I slowly extended my hand towards him, feeling the warmth as he gently took it.

Honestly, I was too embarrassed to look at him.

Thump!

Thump!

Damn, my legs were starting to feel unsteady now!!

“Can I ask for something else?”

“No!” I answered immediately. What more could there be? Are you trying to get an inch when you’ve already got a foot? I’m already breathless from this!

“This is the last thing I’ll ask.”

“What now?”

“Can I ‘court’ you, Ter…please?”

“No!!!!”

 

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