YOURSKY, Chapter 11
“Over there a bit, Rak…”
“Sure, Grandpa… Is that better?”
“Much better… Your massage skills haven’t slipped a bit. You’re really good, you chubby little pup.”
The one being praised grinned widely and kept massaging his grandfather’s legs with focus. During holidays, Theerak often spent time with his grandpa.
With classes nearly every day, the time they used to share had dwindled. Whenever he had free time, he made sure to be with his grandpa as much as possible. Even though his grandpa never complained about being lonely, sitting alone watching TV or reading books, deep down, Theerak knew his grandpa was always waiting and wanting to be with him.
Bzzzt ~
The vibration of a notification made the little guy pull one hand away from his grandpa’s leg to reach for the phone in front of him. The other hand kept kneading, though. Theerak answered the call, pressing the phone to his ear with the help of his shoulder before resuming the massage with both hands.
“What’s up, Phafun?”
[If I were nearby, I’d smack your head for cheekily using my real name!]
“Haha, what’s up, Phii Babe? I’m massaging Grandpa right now. Don’t interrupt me and Grandpa’s time ~”
[Are you going to Klai’s birthday party today? If you are, I’m passing on an invite.]
“Oh, it’s Klai’s birthday today? Why didn’t you tell me ahead of time? I don’t have a gift for Klai now.”
[Are you going or not? If you are, I can pick something up for you since I’m at the mall.]
“…”
Theerak frowned, thinking it over. Klai was Phii Dom’s cousin, a super friendly guy. Whenever they ran into each other at the university, Klai would always break away from his group of friends to come say hi. Plus, at his birthday last year, Klai showed up even though he’d just gotten back from Korea—straight off the plane, he brought a gift for him.
[So, what’s it gonna be?]
“I’ll go, Phii Babe! Please pick out a gift for Klai for me too. Something nice, something cute that suits someone as adorable as Klai… Can you pick something cute? Nothing dark or dull, okay?”
[Klai’s not that different from you. Picking something for him is like picking something for you.]
“Not true! Klai’s cute, but I’m handsome.”
[Ugh, I’m so done with this ‘handsome’ guy! That’s it—I’m off to buy the stuff.]
“Yes ~”
Theerak hung up the phone before looking up at his grandpa sitting on the sofa. He gave his grandpa a puppy-dog look, pleading to go to Klai’s birthday party. Truthfully, Grandpa always allowed it, but Theerak felt that breaking a promise to spend the whole day together might upset him.
“Grandpaaaaaaa ~ I want to go to Phii Dom’s little brother Klai’s birthday party—the one who came to my birthday last year.”
“Go ahead, I don’t mind… Sometimes on your days off, if you want to go somewhere, just go, Rak. Don’t worry about me—we see each other every day anyway.”
“But I don’t know where to go… Staying here and clinging to Grandpa is better, plus it saves money.”
Grandpa laughed before reaching out to ruffle his hair. “Sigh… If you’re this attached to me, how will you ever get a wife?”
“I only has you Grandpa, Dad, Mom, Phii Babe, Phii Dom, and that Moogrob—I don’t need anyone else…” After saying that, Theerak’s eyes widened as if he’d just remembered something. “Oh, I forgot… There are also those three troublemakers. That’s enough for me, Grandpa.”
“Don’t let me see you adding anyone else, Rak…”
“That’s really it, I swear. This is already warm enough to make me sweat, Grandpa.” the small guy said with a chuckle.
“Be careful, though. Be careful you don’t end up getting flustered over someone… If that happens, you’re in big trouble, Rak…”
The small guy, who had been grinning widely while sitting on the floor, slowly closed his mouth, swallowed hard, and lowered his eyes, looking like someone caught red-handed. Grandpa’s words wouldn’t mean anything if he hadn’t let himself get flustered over Muenfah so often.
Yesterday, when Muenfah leaned on his shoulder and whispered in his ear, his heart raced so fast he couldn’t control it. He spent the whole night wondering how long it would take to calm down and when he’d be able to adjust to being around Muenfah without his heart struggling. But, as usual, he got no answers because he’d never experienced this before.
I’m not sure if I’m in trouble yet, Grandpa but this heart that keeps fluttering… I’m aware of it all the time.
Klai’s birthday party was being held at a Korean BBQ restaurant near Siam. Klai said he chose to eat out instead of hosting a private party because he didn’t want to burden his family with a big event. He wanted a relaxed vibe, more like a casual weekend meal with friends.
Theerak arrived at the restaurant on time with Phii Babe and Phii Dom. Soon after, a few of Klai’s close friends showed up too, so they started ordering food to eat while waiting for the other guests Klai had invited.
Before heading to the restaurant, Phii Dom had called Muenfah to join because he said Klai and Muenfah had met a few times. If Muenfah came, Phii Dom would have someone to chat with.
“Panli’s here, but Fah still hasn’t shown up.”
As for Panli, he was an extra—Phii Dom, for some reason, told him to invite his close friend to the party too. Luckily, Panli happened to be free. At first, he hesitated since he didn’t know the birthday boy, but once he heard Phii Dom invited him and Muenfah was coming too, the close friend agreed.
“You dressed up all handsome today, huh, dog-faced Li… but you can’t beat me, the eternal champ. I’m way more handsome.”
“I really want to pinch your mouth shut—you and that smug face.”
Theerak smiled amusedly before scooting over to let his friend sit beside him. The long bench, capable of seating six people per side, was now nearly full on both sides. It seemed like there was no space left for any latecomers, but Theerak had secretly reserved quite a bit of room for someone special.
“Rak… can you scoot over a bit more? I’m about to fall off the edge here.” Panli said.
“Just a tiny bit more, okay? Because…” Theerak shifted only a little for
Panli before glancing at the empty space he’d left on the inside. “Because
Phii Fah is big. He might not fit otherwise.”
“It’s fine, Rak. Sit comfortably. If there’s not enough room, we’ll just ask to extend the table…”
“That’ll work, right, Klai?”
“Yes, because there are still a bunch of friends like Klai left. We’ll probably need to extend the table anyway.”
“Okay… that’s a relief.” Theerak nodded enthusiastically and flashed a smile at Klai. The birthday boy was just too adorable—great personality, good looks, and super polite too. If Klai were a girl, he’d have recommended him to Panli already.
“You’re really worried, huh? You’ll be waiting for nothing, chubby-cheeks. Phii Fah isn’t coming anymore.” Panli teased.
“He’s really not coming?” Phii Dom, sitting across from them, asked. Phii Babe, though, seemed to share Theerak’s suspicions, narrowing her eyes at Panli as if trying to catch him in a lie.
“For real, Phii Dom. Phii Fah said the traffic’s awful… he’s already turned the car around.”
“If you lie one more time, I won’t share any grilled meat with you, Panli. I mean it—no kidding.” Phii Babe warned.
“It’s true! If you don’t believe me, call him yourself.”
“Hmph! Panli, you dog-faced liar, how far are you gonna take this…”
“He dared you to call and check, so go call him already. Once you get the truth, come back and deal with Panli.” Phii Babe said.
Theerak nodded in agreement with the older sister. He told the friend blocking his way to move aside so he could step out and call Muenfah to confirm the truth.
“Poor kid, waiting for nothing.” someone murmured.
“Wait… hold on, Panli. If this isn’t true, there’ll be tears coming out of you because of me, the tough one, for sure.” Theerak said, pointing at Panli with a warning. Panli, now being threatened, stood there laughing, clearly enjoying it.
Theerak stepped outside the restaurant since it was too noisy inside. The walkway wasn’t exactly quiet either, with music playing loudly, but he figured it was still better than indoors.
The small guy pulled his phone out of his pants pocket and dialed Muenfah on LINE to verify what Panli had said. He didn’t want to believe that Muenfah would flake out. Someone as responsible as Muenfah wouldn’t ditch a junior’s birthday party just because of traffic. Theerak was certain Panli was lying to him.
But if Muenfah really wasn’t coming…
He’d probably feel relieved, maybe.
[What’s up?]
“Phii Fah, you’re not coming to Klai’s birthday party? Panli said you’re not coming anymore because the traffic’s really bad.”
[…]
“Is that true?”
[Yes.]
He really did feel relieved, after all.
“Is the traffic really bad, Fah’s ocean?”
[Really bad…]
“That’s too bad for Phii Fah, because the food here is so delicious.”
[Heh heh.]
Theerak looked down and pursed his lips while listening to Muenfah’s laughter. “But don’t worry, Rak will eat extra for you.”
[Okay.]
“Then I’ll hang up for now, I need to head back into the restaurant.”
[Alright…]
Theerak ended the call with Muenfah and turned to go back inside, but a LINE notification stopped him in his tracks. He paused at the door and lifted his phone to check.
A message from someone appeared on the screen. M.FAH: Turn around for a sec.
The one who’d felt relieved after getting confirmation turned back as instructed, and it was in that moment that the emptiness he felt was filled by something.
… He didn’t know if it was Muenfah showing up or his smile.
… He didn’t know what filled it.
But what he did know was…
His heart was racing again.
Muenfah was walking toward him, flashing a smile from afar, yet it felt as clear as if he were standing right in front of him. Then Theerak heard that deep voice calling his name, as clear as the music playing along the walkway.
“Naughty one…”
“Can’t hold back when I see your face, your smile back at me makes me waver.”
“…”
“It’s still like this every day, I have to keep holding my heart back.”
“Sorry for lying, okay? I just wanted to know if someone was waiting for me.”
“No one’s waiting, not at all…” Theerak was secretly annoyed at Muenfah for making him feel that emptiness, but now that he’d apologized and shown remorse, he figured he should forgive him. “But honestly, there is someone waiting… sitting inside the restaurant.”
“And what about this you… were you waiting for me too?”
“…” Enough already… meaning his heart racing because of Muenfah, enough already T___T. “Well… I’m waiting, just like everyone else is.”
“Thank you for waiting for me…”
“…”
“And thanks for turning back to look at me.”
“…”
The look in his eyes, his tone, and Muenfah’s smile right now sparked some kind of phenomenon. Theerak was convinced no one else had ever witnessed it, because it seemed to happen only in his own world…
20:25, a moment when a giant sun appeared in the middle of Siam.
20:26
At that minute, the world of Rak Niran, stopped spinning completely.
#However Many Thousand Skies
Theerak had heard the phrase “the world stopped spinning” long ago, but he’d never experienced it himself and thought it probably wouldn’t happen to him. Yet now, Theerak truly understood what it meant for the world to stop spinning.
It was a strange feeling, hard to explain, but he could vaguely grasp what it was like. When his entire world came to a halt, everything around him slowly froze and faded from his field of vision. In the end, all that remained was the sound and the person who made his world stop spinning.
In his eyes… that’s all there was, truly.
But the world started orbiting again thanks to the mocking laughter of his best friend beside him. At that moment, Theerak felt both angry at Panli for tricking him and grateful for bringing everything back to normal.
If it weren’t for Panli’s mocking laugh he’d probably still be out of it right now.
“Troublemaker, do you want a lot of ice?”
“A lot, please…”
Theerak stood waiting as Muenfah scooped ice into a glass for him. Since he’d arrived almost last, he had to get his own drink—nobody saved one for him like they did at the start. By now, everyone was too caught up in grilling meat to bother getting up. He figured Muenfah probably didn’t like crowded places much, and a buffet like this was hard to avoid. Guessing that Muenfah didn’t mind, Theerak got up to keep him company while he grabbed a drink.
His lychee drink had run out anyway… so he tagged along.
“What drink do you want, troublemaker?”
“Lychee, please.”
Muenfah finished pouring the lychee drink and handed the glass back to him. “Is it good?”
“Really good… Want to try it, Fah?”
The taller guy stared at the lychee drink in his hand for a moment before nodding. Theerak turned to grab a new straw to let Muenfah try the drink from his glass. But when he turned back, he saw Muenfah sipping the lychee drink—using the same straw as him.
That… that was his straw! T___T
He didn’t mind Muenfah or anything… it just felt weird.
His heart wasn’t racing, but it felt all fluttery inside somehow.
“It’s pretty good, but I already got some green tea. I’ll have to finish that first.”
“O-okay…”
And so, the new straw in his hand went straight into the trash because he didn’t want Muenfah to think he was grossed out enough to swap straws. Muenfah offered him the green tea glass with a nod, but Theerak shook his head so hard he could feel his cheeks wobbling.
“I don’t really like green tea…” Truthfully, he could drink it, but this glass… he’d pass for now. He was afraid his heart would stop fluttering and start racing instead.
“Nothing beats crispy pork basil with fried egg—not Chali, not Brown, and definitely not green tea…”
Theerak felt his face heat up because Muenfah knew everything about him—knew him so well he could tease him about it. “Phii Fah, you’re starting to know too much. I’m getting suspicious—where did you find all this out?” He narrowed his eyes, playfully pretending to interrogate Muenfah. “Charlie, Brown—I told you those myself… but crispy pork basil with nongreasy fried eggs, ketchup, chocolate ice cream—where did you hear about those, Phii Fah?”
They were getting closer now, and the growing curiosity made him decide to ask outright.
“From so many places I can’t even remember, but I’ll let you know once I do.” Muenfah replied.
“I know you remember, Phii Fah, but you just won’t tell me.”
“Don’t pout… I’ll tell you later, okay?” Muenfah said with a laugh before reaching out to ruffle his hair.
Since the man wouldn’t spill yet, he didn’t want to press him. “You promised, okay?”
“I didn’t promise…” Muenfah pulled back the hand that was ruffling his hair, lowering it to the same level as Theerak’s idle hand by his side. Then, that big hand moved closer, and Muenfah’s pinky hooked around his, sealing a promise. “But I’ll swear to it…”
…Never thought about it…
…Never thought that a childish promise, a promise made in front of a vending machine a promise with Muenfah…
Thump, thump, thump, thump would need his heart as a witness with such a loud response.
“D-Don’t break your promise! Or I will deduct closeness points… I won’t forget, Phii Fah.”
“Okay, I won’t break it. Just let me jog his memory a bit, and I’ll hurry to tell you.”
Theerak didn’t fully understand everything Muenfah said. Right now, he only knew that the other wouldn’t break their promise, and someday he’d get his answer. He wouldn’t push or demand it if Muenfah wasn’t ready, because he wanted everything to come from Muenfah’s own comfort.
The small guy untangled his pinky from Muenfah’s. Theerak pressed his lips together, lowered his eyes, and turned to walk back to the table without waiting for Muenfah. He was so embarrassed his face felt hotter than the grill pan.
Everyone was chatting and joking around happily. Theerak sat down in a new spot since Panli had claimed the innermost seat.
“Li! You’re eating that much shrimp?”
“Want some?”
“Not really… Well, I do, but I’m just shocked at the shrimp on your plate.”
Theerak’s eyes widened as he pointed at the huge pile of peeled shrimp on Panli’s plate. Everyone else had ordered meat, but Panli was the only one who got seafood. At first, he’d been too shy to even look at Muenfah, but Panli’s shrimp made him forget everything.
“Phii Fah, Phii Fah, look at Panli! He’s secretly peeling shrimp to eat alone… It’s a mountain!” He pointed at Panli’s shrimp plate for the person beside him to see. Muenfah leaned over to look where he was pointing, saying nothing—just quietly picking shrimp from the grill, putting it on his own plate, and starting to peel.
“Don’t exaggerate, chubby-cheeks… It’s just a little.”
“Don’t be so greedy, Li. Have some consideration for Klai—he went out of his way to treat us. Peel some for the birthday boy… and share with the birthday boy’s friends too…”
“You mean share with you too, right?”
“Yes…”
Panli shook his head upon hearing the answer, glancing at the chubbycheeked guy who was laughing delightedly. “For real, huh, chubby-cheeks?”
“Go ahead and eat. If anyone wants more seafood, take it. We’ve already set the seafood prices, so it’s not costing us extra.” Theerak said.
“Klai’s really generous.” someone commented.
“Here… a birthday gift.”
Theerak looked at the large plate of shrimp Panli handed to the birthday boy. Klai seemed slightly surprised but accepted it. It wasn’t just Klai who was shocked—everyone else showed similar expressions of amazement.
“Just a bit ago, I asked Phii Dom what Klai likes so I could get him a belated gift. Phii Dom said Klai likes shrimp, so I’ll peel shrimp as a birthday gift for now… You’re turning twenty today, right?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“There are twenty shrimp in the plate, matching your age… Happy birthday, and nice to meet you.”
“Thank you so much, and nice to meet you too.”
“You’re welcome!”
Once Klai took the plate of shrimp and Panli started wiping his hands with a tissue, everyone turned their attention back to the meat on their own grills. Theerak smiled to himself, thinking Panli’s way of breaking the ice was pretty cute.
So many shrimp… I’m really jealous of Klai.” Theerak said before shifting his gaze from Klai, who was staring at his shrimp plate. He got ready to peel some shrimp for himself, but suddenly, a big, already-peeled shrimp was held up to his mouth. Turning to look, he realized it came from Muenfah.
“If you want to eat, I can peel it for you. No need to be jealous of anyone.” Muenfah said.
“…” He hadn’t expected Muenfah to peel it for him. The guy had been quietly peeling shrimp, ignoring everyone else. “Uh, Phii Fah, you should eat it yourself. I can peel it myself—it’s no big deal.”
“Open your mouth wide, okay? It’ll get messy otherwise.”
“B-But…”
“Open wide, stubborn one.”
Theerak opened his mouth as Muenfah instructed. The sweet, plump shrimp was fed to him, and he chewed the tender meat happily. It was so delicious it felt like light was bursting out of his mouth.
“Tasty?”
“Really tasty, Phii Fah!”
“I’ll peel another one for you…” Muenfah took another shrimp from the grill, placed it on a plate, and started peeling it quietly, just like before. But then, as if remembering something, he looked up at the birthday boy. “Klai, grab your gift from my car when we head back, okay? I prepared it but forgot to bring it down because I was in a rush.”
“No problem, Phii Fah. Thank you so much…”
“How rushed were you to forget a gift?” Phii Dom asked.
I heard a sulky little voice from someone around here… worried I wouldn’t show up, so they called to check on me. Made me rush over too.”
“I wasn’t sulky at all. You got it wrong, Phii Fah…”
“Oh, really? So if I didn’t come, would you be sad?”
“…” He was stunned, his brain… completely stunned. “If it was earlier, it might not have been a big deal, but now I’d be really upset because there’d be no one to peel shrimp for me to eat.”
“You’re such a foodie, you chubby-cheeked goof!” Panli said, reaching out to pinch his arm.
“Ow! Panli! That hurts…”
“Well, you’re annoying me.”
“Panli… I told you not to tease him.”
Theerak turned and gave Panli a smirk. Now he had Muenfah as backup to help him out, so his teasing best friend probably wouldn’t dare mess with him too much anymore. But the buzzing sound from Muenfah’s phone pulled his attention away from Panli. He didn’t mean to snoop, but since it was sitting on the table, he couldn’t help but see who was calling.
“Phii Fah, your mom’s calling…”
“Naughty one, can you answer it for me?”
“What!?” Theerak’s voice must have been too loud because everyone stopped talking and turned to look at him. But when he shook his head and flashed a smile back, things returned to normal.
“Answer for my mom instead. Tell her I’m peeling shrimp for little naughty you…”
Is that okay?” Would Muenfah’s mom think badly of him for making her son peel shrimp until he couldn’t answer the phone himself? “Shouldn’t Panli answer instead?”
“You do it. My hands are dirty again.”
“You can answer it, I trust you.”
Theerak picked up Muenfah’s phone and pressed accept. Phii Dom and Phii Babe, sitting across from them, were too busy chatting happily with someone nearby to pay any attention to their junior.
[Fah…]
“H-Hello… uh, right now Phii Fah’s hands are dirty, so I’m answering for him.”
[Oh, oh… is this Rak, dear?]
“Y-Yes, it is.”
[What’s Phii Fah doing? I couldn’t hear clearly earlier.]
“Phii Fah’s peeling shrimp, ma’am. His hands are dirty, so he asked me to answer for him.”
[Oh, I was calling to ask Phii Fah about the sofa in the living room.]
“Then, uh…” What should he call her? Might as well follow her lead and use what she calls herself. “Please wait a moment, ma’am.”
[Okay.]
“Phii Fah, your mom has something to talk to you about. I will hold the phone for you to talk, okay?”
“Okay.” Theerak held the phone to Muenfah’s ear. He stayed silent for a moment before speaking, “It’s all set, ma’am. I signed for it already. They only delivered the first sofa set, though—the wine cabinet hasn’t arrived yet.”
“…”
“Yes, got it, ma’am…” Muenfah pulled his face away from the phone and turned to him. “Mom wants to talk to little naughty you next.”
“Huh? You want to talk to Rak?” he asked, pointing at himself. Muenfah nodded in confirmation and popped a peeled shrimp into his mouth. Theerak quickly chewed and swallowed the shrimp before continuing the conversation with the caller. “Yes, Mom?”
[How are you, dear? Has studying been tough lately?]
Mom spoke as if she knew him well.
“Not too bad, Mom.”
[If it gets tough, make sure to take care of yourself, okay? Otherwise, you’ll get sick often like Phii Fah did in his second year. Back then, he caught colds so easily and was too stubborn to see a doctor.]
“Muenfah’s always been stubborn, hasn’t he, Mom…” As soon as he said it, his eyes widened, realizing he’d accidentally roasted Muenfah to his own mother.
[Haha, so stubborn, yes. If Fah gets too stubborn, I give you permission to punish him, okay? Confiscate his wallet, car keys, or even ground him from playing soccer.]
“I wouldn’t dare do that, Mom!”
[You’ll dare once you’re closer. Trust me—Muenfah’s stubbornness deserves some punishment.]
Theerak ducked his head, pressing his lips together to suppress a smile. What Mom said was probably true. “He’s super stubborn about eating breakfast too, but he’s starting to eat it now.”
[I have to thank you so much for getting that stubborn Fah to eat breakfast… Lately, he’s been sending me pictures of his breakfast to show off. And he even says he has to go claim a reward from his troublemaker for eating it.]
“…” So Muenfah told Mom about that too…
[What are you two up to right now?]
“We’re at Phii Dom’s little brother’s birthday party, Mom.”
[Oh, really? Then I won’t keep you kids any longer. Have fun, okay?]
“Y-Yes, Mom… Take care of yourself too, Mom.” Theerak felt he should say that, since she seemed so kind and caring toward others. He wanted her to know he cared too. But he wasn’t sure what was so funny about his words that made Muenfah chuckle low in his throat.
[Alright, love you kids!]
“Yes, Mom.”
“Done talking?”
“Yes…” Theerak placed Muenfah’s phone back where it was before asking what had been on his mind. “Does Mom know me too?”
“She does. I told my Mom I wanted to get close to you, and now we’re almost there.”
“What did you tell your Mom about me? You didn’t tell her silly stuff about me, did you? That’d embarrass me, Phii Fah!”
Muenfah shook his head slightly before feeding him a third shrimp. “Just said this person’s a troublemaker. Mom could figure it out from there.”
“Phii Fah… By now, Mom probably thinks I’m some naughty kid. You’ve got to clear that up for me!”
“I’ll fix it myself… I talk to Mom every day.”
“Clear it up for me too, Li.”
“Fine… In exchange for a cheek bite, how about that?”
“Then forget it.”
Panli laughed and turned his attention back to his grilled meat. Meanwhile, Theerak started grilling his own meat too, sneaking a glance at the person beside him who was quietly peeling shrimp as usual. Muenfah didn’t seem to have any intention of eating himself—just kept peeling shrimp to feed him.
“Phii Fah, I don’t want any more. Eat some yourself, please.”
“I’m not hungry yet…”
Theerak sighed. Stubborn Muenfah was truly stubborn—his mom had even confirmed it. Knowing how headstrong the guy next to him was, Theerak used his chopsticks to pick the best piece of meat from the grill, put it on his plate, and blew on it to cool it down a bit before holding it up to the stubborn one’s mouth.
“Sky, open your mouth for Sea right now…”
Muenfah shook his head, still focused on peeling shrimp. “…”
“Sky… Do you know what happens if Sea gets mad?”
Muenfah looked up to meet his eyes. “What happens?”
“A tsunami…” Theerak furrowed his brows slightly as Muenfah chuckled low in his throat. And it wasn’t just Muenfah laughing—everyone who overheard their conversation joined in too. Now Theerak was so embarrassed his face turned bright red. He was about to pop the meat into his own mouth to console himself for being laughed at, but Muenfah snatched it with his mouth first.
“I only ate it because I’m scared of a giant tsunami wave.”
“Ugh!! You didn’t have to, Phii Fah—everyone’s already laughing at Rak!”
“They’re laughing because they find you adorable, chubby-cheeks. Who in the world could be as cute as you?”
“No one else—only Sea, that’s it.”
The small guy, teased amid the laughter, lowered his head to grill his meat, avoiding everyone’s eyes. Even his big sister, Babe, couldn’t help but giggle at her little brother’s adorable words. But seeing how shy the chubby-cheeked boy was, everyone switched to talking about something else instead.
“Can I have another piece of meat?”
“Didn’t you say you weren’t hungry?”
“I will eat a lot now, so I have energy to run when the tsunami hits.”
“Phii Fah!!”
“There, there, I won’t tease anymore…” Muenfah laughed before wrapping an arm around the sulky little guy’s neck, pulling him into his chest. But with shrimp-smeared hands, he couldn’t pat his head, so he just fed the freshly peeled shrimp to the one in his arms instead. “If you eat the shrimp, it means you’re not mad anymore.”
“Not yet!” Theerak took the shrimp in his mouth and pulled away from
Muenfah’s embrace. Trying to make up with him by luring him with shrimp?
It wouldn’t work. He’d tricked him into eating shrimp and still didn’t realize it.
They kept eating leisurely until the restaurant’s time limit was up, then everyone went their separate ways home. He left with Phii Babe and Phii Dom as usual. His parking lot and Muenfah’s were on opposite ends, but Muenfah insisted on walking them over even though there were already three of them.
“See ya, Fah.”
“Yeah, drive safe.”
“Same as you.”
“I’m heading off now, okay, Phii Fah?”
“Okay… see you tomorrow, right?”
“Yup, bye-bye!”
Theerak waved goodbye to the tall figure still standing by the car. Sitting inside the car now, he stared at a smile that felt like morning sunlight, because that smile from Muenfah made him realize that all the phenomena happening…
Only Muenfah could make them happen.
#However Many Thousand Skies
TBC
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