WHYARU, Chapter 19:
The morning sunlight filtered through the white curtains, casting a glow on the broad back of someone stirring. Fighter groggily woke up, reaching out to the space beside him as if to pull the person who should’ve been lying there into an embrace. But the spot was empty, making him lift his head from the pillow to check again. Tutor wasn’t there.
Fighter sat up and scanned the room until his eyes landed on a slim figure in a t-shirt and shorts, sitting on a table outside by the balcony, legs dangling. The breeze tousled his hair, revealing those round eyes gazing at the view ahead. Fighter couldn’t help but smile at the sight. He grabbed his favorite camera, snapped a photo to capture the moment, then walked out to join the younger guy.
“I thought you’d sneak out and leave some cash on the nightstand for my services,” Fighter teased, sliding himself between Tutor’s legs as he sat on the table. Tutor spread his legs to make room, pouting slightly and glaring at the older guy in mock annoyance.
“Almost did, but you’re not that good to deserve payment,” Tutor shot back.
“Ouch, that’s harsh,” Fighter said, flicking Tutor’s forehead. They locked eyes, both fully aware that their relationship had shifted into something entirely different now.
“Phii Fai.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think it’s okay?”
“Last night, you mean? Why? Are you… regretting it?” The older guy’s sulky expression made Tutor break into an affectionate smile. Since when did Fighter become the one overthinking things because of him?
“Not like that,” Tutor said, wrapping his arms around Fighter’s neck as if to coax him. “I don’t regret it. It just… feels weird.”
“What’d I mess up? Last night you were still calling yourself cutely like that. Was I too rough?”
The way Fighter had called him by his name last night still lingered in his feelings. Come inside me.
“Phii Fai, stop it already,” Tutor said.
“Come on, be bold. If you’ve said that before, shouldn’t you keep doing it?”
Tutor didn’t reply. He was too embarrassed to refer to himself by name. Maybe because last night, when he’d said it, it was in the heat of the moment, emotions climbing to their peak.
“I really want you to call yourself cutely,” Fighter said.
“…”
“Can’t you, khrap?”
“It’s not that I can’t, but… I’m just not used to it yet, Phii Fai.
Can we wait a bit before I do that?”
“…”
“Please?” The younger one pouted adorably, his pleading expression so stubbornly cute it made Fighter want to bite his lips. Did he think acting like this would make him go soft?
Well, yeah, the kid was right.
“Fine,” Fighter gave in at last. “So, about that weird feeling you mentioned earlier—what’s so weird about it?”
“I don’t know, Phii Fai. I can’t explain it, but it’s not a bad thing. I just… don’t know how to put it into words,” Tutor replied, his voice tinged with confusion. The look on his face showed a hint of worry—not much, but enough for Fighter to pick up on. Perhaps one reason for Tutor’s unease was that he hadn’t yet told his childhood friend, Hwahwa, about their relationship. It left a lingering feeling in his heart, small like a speck of dust, but significant enough for Tutor to feel it nagging at him, unable to brush it off.
In the end, Fighter could only lift his hand to gently stroke Tutor’s cheek, offering silent encouragement.
“Then let’s decide what to do after this trip.”
“Mm,” Tutor nodded lightly, shifting his hand from rubbing the back of Fighter’s neck to touching his ear. Tutor always thought the older one would look great with earrings. Yesterday, while they were strolling through the market, he’d bought a pair for Phii Fai. “When we went to the market yesterday, I got something for you, Phii Fai.”
“For real? You actually bought something for me? What is it?
Can I see?”
“Just a sec,” Tutor said, looking around as if searching for something. He’d grabbed it from the room that morning. Spotting a paper bag nearby, he picked it up and showed it to
Fighter. “Earrings. I thought they’d suit you, so I got them.”
Tutor pulled out a pair of black hoop earrings from the paper bag to show Fighter.
“Do you like them?”
“I do.”
“I like them too.”
“I meant you.”
“…”
“…”
“I meant you,” Tutor replied, feeling a mix of wanting to tease Fighter back and a bit of shyness. He was tired of losing whenever Fighter teased him. But believe it or not, this time the response made Tutor see Fighter turn away in embarrassment, his ears turning red. So cute, Phii Fai. Why does he look this adorable when he’s shy? “Haha!”
Tutor burst out laughing, delighted.
“Now I get why you loves making others shy. This is how it feels, huh?”
“Not at all,” Fighter denied.
“Haha!”
“Stop laughing already.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll stop,” Tutor said. “By the way, are you going to wear these earrings now?”
“Yeah, put them on,” Fighter nodded, tilting his ear with the earring toward Tutor so the smaller guy could remove the old one easily. The focused look in Tutor’s eyes made Fighter smile unconsciously.
“Looks good,” Tutor complimented his own handiwork after putting the earring on, unable to stop touching Fighter’s ear.
“Of course, look who’s wearing it,” the owner of the new earring said proudly, then rewarded the buyer by gently kissing the back of Tutor’s hand. “Thanks for the most precious gift.” “Mm.”
“The earrings… and last night.”
“Are you serious right now?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Tutor shook his head in mock annoyance. Fighter didn’t bother dragging it out. He looked at his junior’s face and thought of the gift he’d bought too. “Actually, I got something for you too, Tor. Was gonna give it to you tonight, but since we’re here, wait a sec.”
Fighter disappeared into the room for about two minutes and came back with a silver necklace—one he’d specifically picked out for Tutor.
“Suits you perfectly. The guy who chose it is pretty damn good,” Fighter praised himself while brushing his lips and nose lightly against Tutor’s earlobe and cheek, then moving down to kiss and nibble at his pale neck for several seconds.
“Kissing this early in the morning, Phii Fai?”
“Honestly, I want to do more than just kiss.”
“Stop it,” Tutor tilted his neck away, but someone as stubborn as Phii Fai just ignored him, as usual. In the end, Tutor could only grab the taller guy’s face with both hands, reaching up to ruffle his hair as if to snap him out of it. “What’s with all the kissing this early, Phii Fai? It’s nice out today. Shouldn’t we shower and go grab some food?”
“Why the rush?”
“So we can go explore the island, obviously.”
“Let’s save it for next time. Today, we can just chill at the hotel.”
“No way,” Tutor whined, pouting slightly and looking up at Fighter again. “I want to go.”
“…”
“Please, Phii Fai, let’s go. I want to swim and see the coral.”
“You… sure you’re up for it?” Fighter’s face showed a hint of worry.
“I’m fine. I took the medicine last night, didn’t I? So let’s hurry and shower,” Tutor hopped off the table and whistled his way into the room, as if to show he wasn’t that weak.
After showering and eating, they got ready to go snorkeling.
The hotel had prepared everything—towels, snorkeling masks, and all.
Initially, a staff member was supposed to drive them to the pier, but Tutor thought it wasn’t too far. In the end, they rented a hotel motorcycle to ride there themselves.
“You sure you can ride a motorcycle?” Fighter squinted at Tutor, not entirely trusting him.
“Of course, Phii Fai. Come on, we’ll miss the boat,” Tutor waved the older one over and handed him a helmet.
“Where’d you learn to ride?”
“Since high school, Phii Fai. Back at my old place, I used to ride to the market all the time. Stop talking and put the helmet on already.”
“Doing it now,” the taller one said, struggling to put on the helmet. He fumbled awkwardly, making Tutor annoyed. In the end, it was Tutor who stood up, reached over, and helped put it on for him. Seeing this, he couldn’t help but laugh. He never imagined someone like Fighter wouldn’t know how to do something like this. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. Just thinking that even someone like you has things you can’t do.”
“It’s just riding a motorcycle that I can’t do.”
“Not just that,” Tutor said, checking Fighter’s helmet again before smiling. “Your English isn’t great either.”
“That’s all, okay?” Fighter retorted, lightly tapping Tutor’s helmet before following him to the motorcycle.
It took them about ten minutes to ride to the pier. The boat they took for island-hopping snorkeling was a large speedboat carrying over ten tourists. The fun started when the driver took them to various islands for snorkeling.
Tutor looked like he was having a blast, showing no signs of fatigue. He smiled throughout the trip, like someone who hadn’t had this kind of fun in ages. Fighter wasn’t much different. Though he didn’t jump in the water at every island, he found joy in capturing Tutor’s moments through his camera.
This is the last island, folks. We’ll be here for just one more hour before heading back to the mainland. For those who’ve finished their boxed meals, please throw the trash in the black bags provided by the staff,” the boat crew announced before handing out lunch boxes to the tourists. After grabbing their meals, people scattered to find their own spots to rest.
Fighter led Tutor to a quieter area, away from the crowd, where they could clearly see the orange-tinted sky contrasting with the blue water.
Tutor opened his lunch box and slowly scooped rice into his mouth. Exhaustion made him barely notice the taste.
Meanwhile, the guy next to him didn’t seem like he was going to eat at all. Tutor didn’t mind that, but having Fighter stare at him while he ate was making him flustered.
“Keep staring, and I’ll start charging you, Phii Fai.”
“How much? I’m ready to pay.”
“What, you rich or something?”
“Rich enough to spend money just to look at you,” Fighter said with a teasing smile. Tutor shook his head and took another bite of rice. “Tor.”
“Yeah?”
“Besides here, anywhere else you want to go?”
“There’s a bunch of places,” Tutor replied, turning to him.
“But I love beautiful beaches. Anywhere with a nice view, I’d want to go. Honestly, if I got the chance to go with some friends, it’d probably be a blast.”
“Like with Saifah and them?”
“Yeah, Saifah, Day, Hwahwa. Maybe even Zon.”
“Zon from the communications faculty? You’re close with him too?”
“Yup, about as close as I am with Hwahwa. But since we’re in different faculties, we don’t get to hang out much.”
“Hmm,” Fighter nodded. He hadn’t known this before, but now he knew Zon was one of Tutor’s close friends too.
“Zon’s a funny guy, Phii Fai. Hanging out with him is always full of laughs.”
“And I’m not funny?”
“You? Funny?” Tutor raised an eyebrow and shook his head.
“Not even a bit.”
“What, so hanging out with me isn’t fun then?”
“Who said that?”
“Well, you said I’m not funny.”
“It’s not the same, Fai.”
“…”
“Being with you is better than anything else—way better, even,” Tutor said, and the person in front of him broke into a wide smile. It was a smile Tutor could easily tell showed just how happy Phii Fai was.
“You know how insanely happy I am when I’m with you? So, I’m making a promise right here, Tor: I’ll stay with you, I’m not going anywhere, and I’ll never let go of your hand.”
“Phii Fai,” Tutor smiled softly at the person beside him, gently cradling Fighter’s face with care. “You don’t need to make such a big promise. There’s no need for promises like that because, in the end, we can’t know what the future holds.”
“…”
“What if one day we grow up and we’re not meant for each other anymore? Right now, we’re just students, not even graduated, still young. We’re just starting to live as adults. So, you don’t need to promise you’ll never let go. Just feel what you feel today and show it as much as you want. That’s enough for me to know how you feel about me.”
“No way.”
“…”
“I’m not that kind of person, Tor. I’m confident I’m someone who’s steady, really steady. I don’t know how well others keep their promises, but for me, once I decide it’s right, it’s right—no matter how long it takes.”
“Phii Fai…”
“But I’m not too serious about it. If one day you don’t feel anything for me anymore, just tell me to let go. Tell me you’re not okay, that it’s enough. I’ll walk away then. But let it be your true feelings, Tor, not something out of anger or some kind of tantrum.”
“Who’s throwing a tantrum?”
“It’s obvious you.”
“When?”
“At the singing event, or was it not?”
“Enough already,” Tutor turned his gaze away, but Fighter reached out, gently tilting his chin to make him look back.
“Tor,” Fighter called his name again. He leaned in close enough for them to feel each other’s breath. “I love you.”
“I know.”
“So much.” Fighter pressed his lips lightly against Tutor’s. It wasn’t deep or intense, just a soft kiss, but it carried a profound feeling.
Perhaps because it was the first kiss after saying “I love you,” it felt like a reminder, cementing the clarity growing in both their hearts.
Tutor didn’t know when his feelings began. From the first time they met, he didn’t exactly like Phii Fai’s face much. He was especially annoyed when Phii Fai started flirting with Hwahwa, and even more so when he learned they weren’t actually dating—just casually talking in a comfortable way.
But… everything seemed to change when Fighter came into the picture.
Maybe it started when Tutor was job-hunting, feeling exhausted and alone, thinking no one was there for him.
And then Phii Fai showed up, holding a bottle of water.
From that one bottle, his feelings grew clearer. Fai filled the empty, lonely spaces.
He filled the gaps in Tutor’s heart until it overflowed.
Tutor felt no different from Phii Fai.
Not even a little less than what Fighter felt.
“Tor loves you, Phii Fai… so much too.”
Leave a Reply