WESTTHESUNFROMANOTHERSTAR, Chapter 24: Highest or Million
I put Warali back into its original enclosure. After checking the time and realizing I had to leave for class, I allowed some time to grab a meal and walk to university. Even though he said I could use his car, I wouldn’t. I can’t drive a big bike, and I don’t want to drive his car either; the reason being I’m not fond of using other people’s vehicles.
I quickly took a shower and changed clothes. Even though I’ve resigned myself to being forced to stay in this room, I’m not used to using someone else’s bathroom; it’s just not familiar, so I’m not keen on using it.
I grabbed my backpack from beside the sofa, checked to make sure everything was there, then took the key card and left the room, locking the door behind me.
After almost all my professors uploaded the class sheets to the group on the university’s social media, it became much more convenient. All I needed was a tablet, so I had no issues with textbooks. Even for the subjects that used books or sheets, I never took them out of my bag, which was lucky because the neighbor only brought my backpack, ensuring I didn’t lack the materials for today’s classes. I walked from my condo, passing by the medical faculty where I was dragged for a morning run. If I were forced to run every day, there would be two scenarios: one, I would start to enjoy running and my body would get used to it, or two, I would hate running, hate mornings, and hate the medical faculty because it would be the place that made me exhausted.
And I hope I’ll like it more. If I have to run every morning, because either way, running is inevitable. Liking it would be better for my mental health.
I stopped at a small roadside eatery before walking into the university towards my lecture building. Even without a motorcycle, it wasn’t much of a hassle since there were campus shuttle services available. I attended my classes as usual until it was time for the evening art club session.
I had to prepare myself a bit because I was sure to be bombarded with questions about my neighbor. Even though I was too lazy to explain, it was unavoidable. I walked into the art club area and was slightly surprised to see that all three were already there, which was unusual since I was always the first to arrive. “You’re late today.” Ter was the first to greet me cheerfully, while North was asleep on the table. Cat was drawing for fun but looked up at me as soon as Ter spoke.
“Hmm, you guys are early.”
“It’s normal for us, Dao you are the one who’s late.”
“Oh.”
“Why were you late? Did the professor let you go late?”
“No. I didn’t bring my motorcycle.”
“Oh, why?”
“So…” I fell silent, thinking about where to start the story. I wasn’t sure what
North had already told Ter and Cat. So, I reached out to shake North awake,
“North, wake up.”
“What the hell.” North swore in annoyance, brushing my hand away without even opening his eyes, looking very groggy. That made me understand; North probably didn’t know who was shaking him. Of course, except for his partner, who would be a special case.
“He just keeps sleeping, even when we were coming here, he made me carry him to the club. I don’t know what’s making him so sleepy.” Ter said. I nodded in understanding, guessing it was from when they went running. I was still sleepy too.
“North, wake up!” Ter stood up from the table and shook him vigorously.
“Ow, damn it, let people sleep.”
“Yeah, wake up!”
“I won’t!” He retorted without opening his eyes. “If I’m sleepy, I’m sleepy, you bastard.”
“I’m going to call Phii Jo and tell him you were sleeping during class.”
“Go ahead, Phii Jo was sleeping too.”
“Sigh, what’s this about, wake up first.” Ter started to frown in annoyance before poking North’s ribs until the drowsy one jumped up.
“Damn, Ter, you asshole, what are you doing, I almost fell off the chair.”
“See, you’re awake now.”
“Yeah, yeah, why wake me up, the teacher isn’t here yet, is he?”
“Dao called for you.”
“Just because he called means you had to poke me, my butt burst, damn it.” North grumbled, looking irritated.
“Ew.” Cat, who had been silent for a while, made a disgusted face at North, which earned him a flick on the forehead from North. Cat frowned, clutching his forehead, which was starting to turn red.
“What’s with that ew? Never seen a butt burst before?”
“Never, you liar, always using force, I don’t want to play with you anymore.”
“You liar. We all did it when we were kids.”
“Never. When I was a kid, I wasn’t even in diapers, I crawled out of the womb and went straight to the toilet.”
“Cat’s bragging.”
“Not Cat. Not bragging.” Cat stuck his tongue out at North again.
“Please, your tongue. Anyone got scissors, damn it?”
“Enough.” Ter tried to put an end to the nonsense that showed no signs of stopping easily. Whenever we were together, this was almost always the case. Someone would always lead us into silly topics, and someone else would have to steer the conversation back, otherwise, we could go on all day, “Now, what’s going on? I forgot.”
“Oh, I was going to read your fortune, waiting for you, you referee ghost.”
“Dao is here, and you just brush him off, you scoundrel.”
“Oh. Next time, use a stick if you don’t want to hurt your hand.” North said,
“Come on. Let’s read the fortunes, it’s been a while since we’ve updated.” “Hmm.” I said before turning to North.
“Where are the cards?”
“No cards, today we’re doing it by birth date.”
“Oh, cool.” Then North told me his birth date. I wrote it down on paper and started reading his fortune by comparing it with the notes I had.
“These days, your studies or work might not go smoothly, but your love life is fine, North, you’re doing really well in love, have you done any good deeds? But wait, doesn’t North’s boyfriend not practice Buddhism, I seem to remember you mentioning that.”
“Yes. He doesn’t practice Buddhism, but when I chant or pray, I wish for good things for him, for our relationship to be smooth.”
“Phii Jo doesn’t practice Buddhism?” Ter asked, North nodded in response,
“Then what does he practice?”
“Not just Phii Jo, Phii Arthit too doesn’t practice Buddhism. Guess what they practice.”
“Definitely Christian.” Said Ter, but North shook his head.
“Islam, maybe not?” Cat asked.
“No.”
“The Cult of Bacon?” Cat asked again.
“Yeah, that’s possible, but no.”
“Then what?”
“They practice themselves.”
“Excuse me, but what kind of crazy person worships themselves?” Ter said, raising a hand to his forehead. I wasn’t too surprised since my neighbor had already said he didn’t practice Buddhism. He might be Christian, but for someone like him, it was unlikely he’d respect anyone other than himself, being so selfabsorbed.
“Hmm, but not surprising, right, Dao?” Cat said. I nodded in agreement, “And what about Phii Hill?” I turned to ask Ter.
“He’s just a regular Buddhist, Phii Fah.”
“Buddhist, but he studies other religions too. He once took me to a church, saying he wanted to study something like that.”
“That’s very much like Phii Fah. He’s like a cup that’s never full, ready to absorb all the knowledge in the world.” North said, “So, what about my luck?”
“Your luck is usually bad anyway. Didn’t you wear the bracelet I gave you?” “Bracelet? Haha, I lost it. Can I have another one, please?” North beamed a wry smile. I shook my head in response.
“No, there’s only one. Your luck might get even worse this month, be careful with people close to you; they might bring bad things.”
“Oh, you guys!”
“Not anyone here or your lover.” I clarified, North usually has bad luck but compensates by being a good person, “Just be careful, don’t pick up anything strange.”
“Can’t I even pick up money if I find it?” “Return it to the owner.” I said.
“Oh, yeah, right, return it to the owner!” North nodded, “Anything else?”
“That’s all. Ter, want to check your fortune?”
“Uh, sure.” and then Ter gave his birth date for me to read his fortune again. “Ter you will have the chance to meet new people who will bring good things, but as friends. Your love life is still great, even better because there won’t be any arguments during this period. As for studying or work, it’ll go smoothly; teachers might be lenient and not criticize much.”
“Exactly, I submitted my work the other day, and the teacher barely criticized it even though he’s known for being strict. My friends were nearly crying from the criticism, but I passed through fine. Dao, your fortune reading is really accurate.
Cat, you should try it.”
“No thanks.”
“Here we go again.” North said, Cat doesn’t really like reading fortunes because he once said he prefers not knowing, “But why does Ter have such good luck? My work isn’t going smoothly, and I have a presentation tomorrow, it’s definitely going to be a mess.”
“It might not be related, so don’t lose heart. Go back and prepare well; there’s no reason for the teacher to criticize if you do that. It all depends on us, don’t believe in fortune too much.”
“Why does someone like you who reads fortunes say something like that? It’s so weird.” North said, “I’ve never seen you read your own fortune, does your love graph shoot up?”
“I don’t read fortunes for myself.” I said, “I don’t want to know what will happen to me. It’s more exciting to wait and see.”
“Yeah, that’s interesting. So, what about the professor, isn’t he coming?” “He’s coming, but he’s always late.” I replied.
“What were we talking about before this fortune reading? Oh, oh, this is it, the matter of Phii Arthit and Dao, isn’t this the main topic for us today?” Cat said, appearing to be the first one to bring everyone back to the main subject. I found myself unintentionally sighing.
“Oh, right, North just mentioned that Phii Arthit likes Dao, then he fell asleep. What’s the deal?” Ter asked, showing great interest, “Let me say upfront that I can hardly believe it. Like, Hia, damn. When I first heard it, I thought I heard wrong, I was shocked for like ten seconds.”
“True, I can confirm that. When North told, Ter was completely speechless.” “And what about Cat?” I asked.
“How could I not be shocked? That’s Phii Arthit, and this is Dao, they both might be up in the sky, but they’re like day and night.”
“You compare well.” North said, stroking his chin, “But Dao in daylight is like Meen. Just not visible because the sun is too bright, and hot too, damn it, with that shameless face, it’s winter now, man.”
“Yeah, their names clash perfectly, dear lord.” I said.
“It might be fitting though, Phii Arthit is hot, and you’re cool, a perfect contrast.” “Really? I don’t think it’s that perfect, someone with no limits and a life worth millions.” Ter said with a look of sympathy, “First of all, how could he even like you? Phii Hill once said that Phii Arthit is very far from the concept of love.” “Yeah, I’ll sue, he even went for a massage with you.” North squinted as he spoke.
“He went with Phii Jo.” Ter said.
“With me too.” North added, “Three hundred, it was so relaxing, Thai massage.”
“Really? Thai massage?”
“Yeah, but there are some downsides too, you know, right?” North turned to ask.
“Hmm.”
“Can you handle it, or is this why you don’t like him?”
“No, this isn’t related.”
“Then what is it related to?”
“It’s about the fact that I don’t like him.”
“And why would you go out of your way to make Dao say you don’t like your brother?” Ter snapped back at me.
“But he went out of his way.”
“Huh?”
“The day he confessed his love to me, he held my hand and wouldn’t let go. He asked if I didn’t like him holding my hand. I told him I didn’t like him.” “Why would he go out of his way for that?” North furrowed his brows and scratched his head, “What the hell, going out of his way to make someone say they don’t like him, you’re crazy.”
“So, you’ve already rejected him?” Cat asked. I nodded, “He didn’t seem upset?”
“There was no sign or face that looked like someone who was upset.”
“Oh, come on, a rejection won’t do anything to that bastard.” North said, “If you want to do something to him, you’d have to burn him with rubber or cement his feet and drop him in water.”
“Do you really have to go that far?” I asked.
“Ha, you hitting him won’t hurt him with your size, cursing won’t hurt him either, getting people to beat him up isn’t guaranteed because Phii Arthit is known for fighting, he often gets into fights because he’s hot-blooded, I heard when they draw his blood, the needle burns, he’s that hot-blooded.”
“Damn, is he some kind of modified human?” Ter burst out laughing, “So what happened after that? What did you do after rejecting him? Come on, I want to hear from the moment he confessed, how he did it.”
When Ter said that, I had to recount all the details from the day before when he threatened to break down the door, hugged me, held my hand without letting go, and confessed. I rejected him, but he didn’t care about my rejection; he harassed me by kissing my forehead and then forced me to stay in his room.
“…”
Everyone was silent, no one said anything, as if they were stunned into stillness. North was the first to laugh heartily, while Cat and Ter furrowed their brows, looking both confused and tense.
“Damn, damn, he’s really the worst in our class, what kind of person likes someone and then forces them to stay with him, not even a little lie, oh, I took your key card, there’s no spare because the concierge is closed for three days, everything is prepared, damn.”
“Yeah. I don’t want to scold, but seriously.” Ter said before letting out another laugh. Meanwhile, Cat just let out a big sigh, “But this is good. No, it’s fitting for
Dao, adept at ignoring, great at ignoring.”
“It’s true, just think about how ordinary people would flirt, like sending messages, chatting, or setting up a date. All my friends are like that.” North said. “So, should I accept the way Phii Arthit flirts with my friend?” Ter raised an eyebrow to ask.
“Yes.”
“You’re fully on board with this.” Cat teased.
“Correct, I have a reputation for boarding any ship where the captain dies.”
North said proudly. I made a puzzled face at that statement, wondering if by ‘captain’ he meant me.
“Then go ahead and jump on.” Ter said, sounding unamused.
“And who would be left? You? You’d be good, Ter, the one known for reaching the shore with any ship he boards.” the person said, sounding excited.
“Me?”
“Yeah, and will you cheer for him, Ter?” Cat turned to ask. The person being asked still looked confused before turning to look at me.
“Well, if my friend is okay with it, I’ll support him fully, but look at our friend’s face.” and then all three turned to look at me, “I don’t even know if he’s at peace with the world yet.”
“…Uh, this is my normal face.” I said. I didn’t think my expression had changed much from usual, but North burst out laughing again.
“See this. It’s normal, man. Come on, let’s all cheer for my senior. We, the sea people, will row the boat together.” “I like that saying.” Cat said.
“You too, Cat?” Ter asked, “If you ask if I’ll cheer, honestly…I don’t know. It’s because Dao is someone you can’t easily sway, you know what I mean?” “Why are you talking like he’s not sitting right here?” North said, “Or are you implying he’s here but might as well not be?”
“No, no.” Ter quickly denied, “I’m just saying it all depends on Phii Arthit. Ask if all the buildup you’ve done has any effect, North.”
“None at all.”
“See, I think it’s more like a raft than a ship, where one person is paddling their heart out, and the other just lies there, doing whatever they want, maybe even dipping their feet in the water.”
“Am I the one dipping my feet in the water?” “Exactly, dude.” North said.
“Oh.”
“You’re so slow, man.”
“Uh.”
“Sigh, but Ter, are you saying what I did is worthless?” North started to dramatize by making a pouty face and hugging his legs like a child with problems, “What I did is worthless, right, Daotok? Boo-hoo, I’ve been thinking about what to do all this time.”
“Use my name.” Cat teased, “Don’t act pitiful. It doesn’t suit you.”
“Shh.” North clicked his tongue in annoyance before putting his legs down from the chair, “I didn’t get anything anyway, honestly, that ghost’s face when teased is funny.”
“Is it funny when I make a disgusted face?”
“Yeah, I bet Phii Arthit likes your disgusted face too. Otherwise, he wouldn’t act like that, even calling you cute.”
“He called you cute too, huh? Wow, that’s nice, like he’s complimenting my kid.” Ter said with a proud look that I didn’t understand, “So, you’ve scanned and it’s okay, right?” He turned to ask North, who nodded firmly to confirm.
“Then that’s fine. Let’s change the question to what Dao will do next.”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
“And what can I do?” I said, and everyone laughed together.
“Poor you.” Cat said, still laughing, “If he promised not to do anything Dao doesn’t like, then it should be fine. If he does, call me, I’ll tell the other seniors.” “I can feel a certain husband bragging in there, I don’t know why.” North teased, slightly sticking out his tongue, and Cat immediately flicked North’s lips, “Ow, that hurt! You guys see I won’t do anything, and you hurt me big time. Swap me for Thaw, and I’d rub my foot on his face.”
And then we just kept chatting casually, talking about me and other things until the club advisor came in, and we started our club activities together. The club ended around five, and everyone went their separate ways, each on their own motorcycle except for me. I, who had to walk back to my room, was offered a ride by everyone.
“It’s okay. I can walk.”
“Really?” Ter asked, with a slight look of concern.
“Really. I want to take a walk.”
“Okay, be careful.”
“Yeah, everyone drive safely, North, drive well, okay?”
“Why are you singling me out?”
“North rides his motorcycle pretty badly, he likes to go fast.”
“Whatever.” North said, twisting the handlebars, but one hand was on the brake, so the bike didn’t move. I couldn’t help but smile at his funny pose before everyone really started to disperse, leaving me standing alone.
I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted to take a walk; today, I felt like spending my evening free time just wandering around the university after not doing so for a while. Another reason was that I wasn’t too keen on going back to the condo because it wasn’t my room. I didn’t mind it, I just felt somewhat out of place.
I put in my earphones, played my usual playlist, and started walking until I reached the university’s reservoir. If I thought about a place to rest or take a walk in the university, this was the only place that came to mind.
There were many people running for exercise, some playing guitar, and others taking photos. I quite like this place, even though it’s crowded, it has a really nice atmosphere, especially in this winter season when the evening air feels refreshing on the skin, and when the sky darkens with the sunset, it becomes especially beautiful.
Cat once told me that his boyfriend had asked him out at that bridge, and I couldn’t help but smile listening to that story. Even though it wasn’t the most luxurious spot, it was the most romantic place in the university, and this university would become the most memorable place for both of them.
I walked slowly along the curved path designed not to obstruct those running, taking breaks when my legs got tired, looking up at the clear sky and the water in front of me, taking deep breaths to savor the atmosphere.
Sitting here watching people run or walk by isn’t bad at all. It’s a chance to relax and let my mind wander after a tiring day of work. Even if I don’t have any new ideas at this moment, returning to work will definitely be easier.
I got up from the bench and continued my walk, not far from the bridge where the lights were on. I sat down by the path, placing my feet on the grass that bordered the water. This section of the walkway is where most people sit, so I sat here too, but the spot I chose was somewhat secluded and darker, seeking some peace.
Not long after sitting down comfortably, listening to music, I received an incoming call. I immediately pressed the answer button on my earphones without checking who it was.
(Where the hell are you?) The deep voice from the other end of the line mixed with irritation made it clear to me who it was, and I was sure he wasn’t in a good mood right now.
“I’m at the university.”
(North said you walked back, why didn’t you take your bike?)
“Out of courtesy.”
(Damn, and you walked to class?)
“I took the university shuttle.”
(Well, that’s good then. Where in the university are you?)
“By the pond, the water reservoir.”
(There are two of those.)
“The one that was built first.”
(And why are you there?) his voice had cooled down a bit but still carried some displeasure, (Don’t be stubborn, I’ll come to pick you up.)
“It’s fine, I’ll stay a bit longer.”
(Then I’ll stay with you.)
“It’s fine, I want to be alone.”
(Oh, I’ll be alone too then) he said that before hanging up. I couldn’t help but let out a sigh while thinking he was on his way, and I tried to soak in as much peace as possible before it would vanish.
Not long after, a person quite distinctive due to his height and appearance appeared. I saw him from a distance, and almost all eyes were directed towards him. He walked along the path, increasing his pace when he saw me sitting here. “Don’t the mosquitoes bite you?” That was his first greeting before he sat down beside me.
“They don’t bite.”
“What time did you come here?”
“Around five or so.”
“You could have been comfortable with a bike.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Sigh, you’re stubborn.”
“…”
“What are you doing, enjoying the atmosphere?”
“Yeah.”
“And the snake…Warali, it didn’t bite you, right?”
“No.”
“Good, so how long do you plan on staying?”
“A little while longer.”
“Move over a bit.”
“Why?”
“I want to lie on your lap.” He said before brushing his hand slightly to signal me to move over, then he lay down with his head on my lap without asking for permission, as if asking my permission was no longer necessary.
“Your shirt will get dirty.” I said because, as I mentioned, this wasn’t a bench but the edge of a walkway.
“Will be washed.”
“…” I didn’t respond when he said that. I’d never had anyone rest their head on my lap before, which made me unaccustomed to the heavy feeling on my legs. I looked down slightly at the person lying there, and he was looking back at me even though it was quite dark around.
“Nice angle.” He said, “What song are you listening to?”
“Same playlist.”
“Let me listen too.” He requested, and of course, even if I said no, it wouldn’t matter, so I took out one earphone and handed it to him to wear.
“Why do you have to lie down, it’s dirty here.”
“I want to rest on your lap.” the person lying down said, “Hey.”
“Hmm?”
“I like it, you smell good.”
“Oh.”
“How was class today?”
“Just normal.”
“Really? I had a presentation this morning, it was a mess, ward rounds were exhausting as hell, and you didn’t reply to my messages, why?”
“Too lazy to reply.”
“Reply once in a while, I’m waiting, man.”
“…”
“Winter here, otherwise, you’d be swarmed by mosquitoes. Do you know why there aren’t many mosquitoes in winter?”
“Don’t know.” I replied softly, “Here.”
“What?”
“Why do you like me?”
“It’s a question I can’t answer either. I’ve told you, it has to be you.”
“If it were someone else, you’d have won them over by now.”
“Yeah, probably.”
“It’s all pointless effort.”
“How many times have you said that now? I’m not tired, understand?”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s your issue.”
“It’ll be even more tiring than this.”
“Oh really? How tiring? Like climbing Everest or swimming across the ocean?”
“It might be that tiring.”
“Great, conquering Everest or swimming the Atlantic is one of my life goals too.
Don’t say it’s pointless effort because it’s definitely not.”
“…”
“Sigh, give me your phone.” He said before extending his hand. I had no choice but to hand over my phone. He took it, typed something, and then the song changed.
And when the music of the song started playing, I felt that it was a song I had never heard before.
If I got down on my knees, And I pledged it with you. If I cross a million oceans just to be with you. Would you ever let me down?
If I climb the highest mountain just hold you tight. If I said that I would love you every single night. Would you ever let me down?
Well, I’m sorry. If it’s some kind to bear Because I love you…
“This is the first time I’ve ever given a love song to someone.”
The person lying on my lap reached out and took my hand, gently kissing it by the edge of my lips, and both the song and his actions made my heart start to beat stronger.
I don’t know how long it’s been since my heart hasn’t beat this strongly…
“And I really mean what the song says.”
“Hmm, it’s a nice love song.”
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