“Are you really moving out?” The voice of Khun Auntie, her expression, and her gaze were deeply breaking Aksorn's heart. He had never expected that moving here would make him feel this attached to someone.
“I will visit often, khrap,” Aksorn said, holding the old woman's hand firmly.
The auntie who owned the boarding house let out a soft sigh as she turned to look at the pickup truck filled with the belongings of the junior, the owner of room 204.
“I’m going to miss you terribly.”
Songjam, who had just carried down a box of books, the last item, couldn't help but smile upon seeing this farewell. Khun Auntie was the first person he met when he arrived in this world. She was still as kind-hearted as ever.
But you probably don’t remember me anymore, right?... “All done, khrap,” the tall figure whispered. The young man turned and nodded in acknowledgment. Aksorn gave the boarding house auntie one last hug. After this, we won’t see each other every day like before.
“Please take care of yourself, khrap.”
“You too, jaa,” the old woman replied, gently patting his back. Seeing Aksorn get in and start the car, waiting for her, she instead walked over to the person organizing things on the truck bed.
“Young man.”
Songjam raised his eyebrows, surprised to be greeted so familiarly.
“Khrap?”
“What should I do with that mirror pane?”
The young man's jaw dropped. He was silent for a long moment, pondering heavily. Does that mean...
“May I have it, khrap?”
Auntie, you remember me, is that it?...
“Of course.”
“Then, I’ll leave it with you for now, khrap. I’ll come back for it another day.”
“Understood.”
“And also... thank you for everything.”
The old woman simply smiled in acceptance before standing and waving goodbye to the two young men for the final time. Aksorn, who was driving, let out a heavy sigh before speaking up in a distant tone.
“You’re going to miss Khun Auntie a lot, aren’t you?”
“We can come visit together later, khrap,” Songjam said, opening the car window and stretching his hand out to feel the hot noon breeze.
“Let’s stop by the university before taking the stuff to store at home.”
“Do you have class, Phîi? Should I take the stuff to store first?”
“It’s fine. I have to talk to someone. It won’t take long.”
Songjam raised his eyebrows, unable to figure out who Aksorn was referring to. The car drove inside the university gates and parked in the coffee shop's parking area. The young woman waiting inside immediately made Aksorn break into a wide smile.
“Sawasdee kha, Phîi Khiao,” Peach raised her hands in a wai to the young man who walked into the coffee shop together with Aksorn, before turning to the person who had asked to meet today. “You called us to meet today. Is something wrong, Aksorn?”
“There is. It’s good news, actually.”
The young woman raised her eyebrows, staring at the two young men sitting opposite her with puzzlement.
“How is ‘Aksorn nai Khwam Songjam’?” Aksorn’s question made the young woman narrow her eyes warily. She didn’t quite understand the young man’s smile at this moment.
“After Aksorn returned to his room and didn’t find Songjam, the novel wasn’t updated anymore either.”
“Ah... what a pity.”
“Did something happen after that?”
“Something did. But it’s a secret, and you’ll be the first reader to know before anyone else.”
The young woman’s eyes widened. Her excitement was so clear that even Aksorn couldn’t help but laugh. He turned to look at the face of the young man sitting quietly beside him before finally speaking up.
“He is right here.”
Peach turned to follow Aksorn’s gaze, and the smile the two young men were exchanging made her jaw drop in forgetfulness.
“You mean...”
“Yes... He is Songjam.”
The young woman sat blinking rapidly on the spot. Her heart beat loudly as if it would jump out of her body. She couldn’t remember how long she sat there wide-eyed before she found her voice again.
“Is... is this for real?”
Songjam smiled back. The young girl’s cheeks were so brilliantly red that he started feeling embarrassed too.
“It’s real, khrap,” the young man nodded in affirmation. He never expected that one day he would be talking to a reader who had followed his story so closely.
“This is amazing. You actually did it.”
“Truthfully, I can hardly believe it either.”
The iced Peach tea at that moment easily alleviated the day's heat. The three of them continued talking for a while longer, exchanging many stories with great relish.
From now on, Aksorn thought he might have gained one of the best friends of his life.
Aksorn sat in front of the typewriter placed on the light-colored wooden desk. Next to it was the large mirror pane that Songjam had asked the boarding house auntie for, now stored in their condo. Sentence after sentence was woven together, becoming the many pages of the manuscript for 'Aksorn nai Khwam Songjam' that lay scattered on the desk.
He looked up at the desk clock. Songjam had to be on duty until late tonight, so Aksorn was alone in the room with the manuscript that had grown by more than ten pages.
The young man stretched lazily, shaking his hands which were sore from the strenuous typing, before getting up and going to the balcony to catch the late-night breeze that allowed him to breathe freely.
The air was cool and fresh, the stars filled the sky, and it seemed like... the room's owner was coming home...
A clicking sound rang out as Songjam opened the door and came in. Aksorn didn’t want to disturb the doctor, who must have been very tired from work. Except that today was an important day for us.
“Merry Christmas~"
The figure taking off his shoes at the door froze abruptly as the person he’d left alone in the room flew over and hugged him from behind. At that moment, Songjam felt all his tiredness vanish completely.
“Happy Christmas, khrap,” Songjam pulled away the hands hugging his waist, turned to face Aksorn who was smiling at him, and then offered a tight hug in return.
“Were you tired today?” Aksorn asked, his voice muffled because Songjam was holding him so tightly now.
“Tired, khrap. But it just went away a moment ago.”
“I have a present for you.”
“I have a present for Phîi too, khrap.” The two broke apart to look at each other’s faces before walking hand-in-hand to sit on the large sofa where Aksorn had already prepared snacks and drinks. “Did Phîi decorate the room, khrap?”
“Uh, your Phîi bought so many decorations for the shop that there were leftovers, so I secretly took some.” Aksorn grinned cheekily before a thick hand reached over and rubbed his head forcefully as punishment.
“Caught one thief.”
“Don’t tell your Phîi.”
Songjam laughed in his throat and immediately reached to open his own backpack.
“Then, shall we exchange gifts now, khrap?”
“Wait just a second.” Aksorn hurriedly ran to get his own gift. Songjam sat waiting in the same spot with a tender gaze that couldn’t leave his lover’s figure for even a moment.
“Don’t run, khrap. You might fall.” His heart bore witness: if he fell, he wouldn’t be allowed to walk for a few days.
“Here it is.” The young man took long strides and came to sit on the strong lap, nuzzling his head against Songjam’s shoulder while proudly holding up his own gift.
“A record, khrap?”
“Yes. Actually, since I met you, I’ve bought many records to collect. But this one is special, you know?”
“Because it’s the one I played at your grandfather’s shop.” Songjam remembered it well, the song he had played when he went to the record shop with Aksorn. But he never thought the other would actually go and buy it secretly.
“I asked Grandpa to keep it for me since that day.”
“Thank you, khrap.” The young man’s heart raced erratically. He took the record Aksorn gave him and walked straight to his record player placed in one corner of the room.
“So melodic, right?” The gift-giver lay reclining on the sofa listening to the music. Songjam, who had just walked back to sit beside him, then offered his own gift, which was wrapped well.
“And this is my gift, khrap.”
Aksorn took it and held it, smiling faintly, which made the giver complain.
“Smiling like that means you know what’s inside, doesn’t it?”
“Of course I know. Even if you changed the wrapping paper, I recognize it. The gift you gave me last year.” The young man unwrapped the gift gently. Seeing this, Songjam immediately raised his hand to stroke the hair covering the face of the person who was so earnestly focused.
“I’m so glad Phîi remembers.”
Aksorn stared at the brown notebook in his hands, now unwrapped. He traced his fingertips over the existence of an object he never thought he would own one day. It was so old the paper had turned yellow. Time had caused this notebook to become slightly misshapen, which made the recipient’s heart break.
“For me, only a year has passed, but for you, almost a whole lifetime has gone by.”
Songjam gazed into the speaker’s eyes, which were glistening with tears. He pulled the other into an embrace, holding his shoulders, and teased lightly to lighten the sorrowful mood.
“They say that whoever cries on Christmas will have to cry for their whole life, khrap.”
“Go trick a child,” Aksorn lightly hit the tall figure’s chest before raising his hand to wipe his tears.
“That’s exactly tricking a child. Right now, I’m a whole lifetime older than Phîi, khrap.”
Hearing that, the one younger in age laughed heartily before picking up that notebook and placing it on the desk next to the treasured typewriter. Then he walked back and stood bowing in front of Songjam.
“Dance with me for a song,” he said softly, his eyes dazed to a funny degree. Songjam raised the corners of his mouth into a smile before standing up to his full height, bowing in acceptance, and wrapping his arms fully around Aksorn’s body. They moved together to the melody of the song.
Aksorn looked at the face just a short distance away. The lines of age and the eyes of the young man, now fully an adult, made him feel happy.
That today, his little one had grown up so well.
“I’m glad you became a doctor as you intended.”
“I’m also glad Phîi became a writer as you intended, khrap.”
Even though their steps were initially in different directions, after a while, they began to catch each other’s rhythm.
“If Santa were real, what would you wish for?” Aksorn asked, not expecting an answer so much as wanting to get to know the grown-up Songjam better.
“I don’t want to wish for anything else. At this moment.”
That answer made the questioner nod in satisfaction. Aksorn changed his hands from resting on Songjam’s shoulders to hugging the tall figure’s waist tightly, burying his face to cherish the warmth.
“What about you, khrap? What do you wish for?”
“I have many things I wish for.”
“I wish for my father to be healthy. I wish for everyone I know to have lots of happiness. I wish to be able to do what I love for a very, very long time. I wish for the writers I like to publish books often.”
“That really is a lot.”
“Mhmm,” Aksorn agreed in his throat, too embarrassed to look Songjam fully in the face. “And I wish for us to be together like this for a long time too.”
“Phîi’s wishes will come true, khrap.” Songjam tightened his embrace. The music from the record player continued to play. The shadows of the two of them were clearly reflected on that mirror pane, which had once been a dividing barrier but had now become a witness.
He wanted every Christmas night to grow longer with each passing year...
“I have no wishes for Santa, but I have a request for Phîi.”
“Hmm?” Aksorn pulled back to look at the other’s face fully. The doctor’s stubble was starting to show, and tomorrow morning he definitely wouldn’t let him go to work with it. But right now, he should pay attention to Songjam’s pleading expression instead.
“Make me some pancakes, khrap.” The soft, pleading voice and childlike manner made Aksorn unable to suppress a smile.
“You want to eat sweets this late?”
“I want to eat this.”
“Then, I’ll make them while you take a shower.” Aksorn used that method to shoo the person who had just gotten off work to go shower and get ready. “When you’re done, we can come out and celebrate Christmas together. I prepared lots of food.”
“Can’t I eat first and then shower?”
“No. You smell.” He even made a show of fanning his nose. Aksorn pushed the tall figure into the bathroom with great difficulty as the other resisted.
“Why is Phîi so eager for me to shower today?” Songjam called out, but he complied with showering so they could quickly go celebrate Christmas together. The smell of pancakes wafting in and hitting his nose made him shower faster than usual. It was only then that Songjam realized the reason Aksorn was so insistent on him showering.
The pajamas the other had prepared for him.....
“If Phîi had told me you prepared matching pajamas, I would have gone to shower immediately,” Songjam said, walking out of the bathroom grinning widely, wearing light blue pajamas identical to what Aksorn was wearing.
“Go sit and wait quietly,” the cook said sternly, trying to cover up his embarrassment while focusing earnestly on the pancakes that were almost done. Seeing this, Songjam smiled widely before walking over and hugging the skilled chef from behind.
“It smells so good, khrap.”
Even if he meant the pancakes, his nose was buried firmly in Aksorn’s cheek.
“Why are you so stubborn?”
“Can I help?”
“Go help get the honey, then. It’s on the shelf behind.” Aksorn instructed. And so the pancakes for the two of them began to take shape. Songjam stood watching not far away with excitement before being the one to carry the finished plate of pancakes to the table in front of the sofa, hardly paying attention to anything else.
“It looks so delicious.”
“Stop taking pictures and just eat already,” the cook said, annoyed, having been anxious about whether the fussy one would like them. He’d been sitting there chin-in-hand, watching Songjam take pictures of the pancakes for a while.
“I’m going to eat now, khrap.” Songjam put down his mobile phone, picked up a knife and fork, and finally carefully cut a piece of pancake and put it in his mouth.
“How is it?”
The young man chewed with his mouth full, so he didn’t answer Aksorn’s question immediately. A smile adorned his face until his cheekbones rose high. A certain veil in Songjam’s eyes was making Aksorn, who was watching, feel numb and pinched.
“Phîi’s pancakes... They taste like this.” Songjam’s voice trembled even though his mouth was full of pancake. He bowed his head and continued eating it even as tears streamed down his face with joy.
Aksorn continued to sit, chin in hand, watching the other eat quietly. He smiled fondly, but at the same time, tears welled up in his eyes too.
Songjam diligently kept eating, even though the taste might not have been right at all. But because of this pancake, Songjam had spent decades waiting to taste it. Therefore, for him, nothing had ever been more delicious than this. Nothing ever had...
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