Aksorn drove into the parking lot of a hospital. He sat in the car like that, waiting for the brilliant doctor who himself had fallen ill, to the point that he had to drive out to pick him up like this. Before long, the young man walked over with a weary face, opened the door, and sat in the passenger seat, with Aksorn watching his demeanor the entire time with concern.
“You look worse than this morning.”
“Should be fine once I get back to my room and rest,” Songjam said, letting out a long sigh before adjusting the seat to recline and lie down.
“Did you check yourself at all?”
“Just a common cold, khrap.”
“Told you to take the day off, but you wouldn’t listen,” Aksorn said while driving off, reaching out to lower the music volume because he wanted the sick person to rest fully.
“Phîi, khrap.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m hungry.”
“We’ll stop at the usual restaurant then.”
“I’d rather eat something you made.”
Aksorn turned to look immediately. While he could cook somewhat, it probably wasn’t something Songjam genuinely wanted him to make for him to eat right now.
“Eating at a restaurant is faster. Then we can hurry back to your room so you can take your medicine and sleep.”
“I don’t want to eat that.”
“Songjam,” Aksorn said in a warning tone, but upon seeing the expression on the face of the person next to him, he could only mutter empty threats instead. “Acting stubborn even at this age? When we get back to the room, I’ll really hit you with a broom handle.”
“Phîi can’t hit me with a broom handle like when I was seventeen, khrap.”
“Back then I could only threaten you, but couldn’t actually hit you. Now I can hit you.”
“After hitting me, hug me too.”
“I need to stop and buy fresh ingredients.”
“Phîi always changes the subject when embarrassed.”
“You should stop being sick and acting spoiled.”
Songjam made a face, reached out to change the music, then closed his eyes drowsily from exhaustion, letting Aksorn be the one to go in and buy the ingredients for cooking alone. The next time he became aware, the car had already reached the condo’s parking lot. Songjam, who had just been woken up, walked groggily out of the car with Aksorn following closely behind, before they successfully went into his own room.
“You can go rest first. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”
“Phîi, khrap...” The one who had just been told to go to sleep held onto the other’s waist, resting his chin on the shoulder pleadingly until Aksorn had to look at his face with exasperation.
“Khrap?” But he raised his hand to gently cup the sick person’s face. He knew well how to deal with Songjam when he was unwell.
“I hurt so much.”
“Where does it hurt, hmm?”
“Here,” Songjam pointed to his own temple which was throbbing with pain. The person watching him then moved in to plant a firm kiss on his forehead before going back to standing and smiling at him as before.
“Where else?”
“Here,” the outstanding opportunist then pointed to his own cheek, which couldn’t possibly hurt for any reason.
Aksorn laughed, cupped Songjam’s face, and then obediently kissed both cheeks.
However, Songjam couldn’t suppress his own smile. He was so happy, so thrilled from being indulged, that he felt like being sick every day forever.
“Smiling like this, does it stop hurting now?”
“One more spot.”
“Where else?”
The young man didn’t answer the question, but instead grabbed the kind-hearted person and held him tightly in his arms, before leaning down to kiss Aksorn’s lips for a long, long time.
The mirror reflected the image of the two of us pressed close. The illness didn’t fade away, but it was the overwhelming happiness that made Songjam unable to pull away from this kiss.
The full moon shone brightly in the sky. Songjam smiled without yet pulling his face away. He felt as if the flowers blooming had become far too sweetly fragrant.
We held each other for a good while, forgetting about that meal that hadn’t been prepared yet, until Aksorn, who had gotten carried away with the willful kiss, had to push the tall figure away, before walking to pick up a broom and hold it. Songjam then compliantly let himself fall onto the bed and immediately fell fast asleep.
If he weren’t sick, I wouldn’t really want to scold him.
But just now, he had almost lost control himself too.
***
“Phîi Aksorn, khrap, Phîi Khiao is here to pick you up, khrap!” The voice of the junior employee who worked selling records downstairs shouted up. Aksorn, who was checking manuscripts, immediately looked up at the clock before standing up and stretching lazily. He had worked overtime again.
“Okay~!” He shouted back, closed the computer, gathered his things, then walked downstairs with his bag slung over his shoulder. Downstairs, the boss of the publishing house, an older man (คุณตา / grandfather), was reclining happily, reading a newspaper while sipping tea.
“I had a headache from work, so I came to sip some tea. Want a cup?”
“No, khrap. I need to hurry to deliver the books.”
“Ah, today’s the book delivery deadline, right? I forgot all about it.” That response made Aksorn sigh softly. Even though he was the one who told him to deliver the books himself, he forgot about it.
“Is Khun Napha back already, khrap?”
“She had to go to her child’s school event today. Here, take this to eat. Napha made a lot.” The boss walked into the kitchen and then brought out cookies that had already been separated into a plastic box for him and gave it to Aksorn.
“Thank you, khrap. See you tomorrow, khrap,” the young man said with a smile before walking over to the new young employee who was fumbling anxiously with the record player. “Heading off now.”
“Khrap, khrap. Goodbye, Phîi,” the junior hurriedly raised his hands in a wai. Aksorn gave a slight acknowledging nod, then opened the door and walked out to the car that had been waiting for him in front of the shop for a while.
“How was your day today, khrap?” Songjam greeted him first while pulling out. The person who had just finished fastening his own seatbelt turned to tell him with a smile.
“It was good. And you?”
“Good too, khrap.”
“Khun Napha made lots of snacks. Want to try some?” Aksorn asked before opening the lid of the plastic box. The fragrant smell of milk cookies made him quickly put one piece into his mouth.
“Is it good?”
“It’s good. Try some.”
Songjam opened his mouth when the person next to him was about to feed him a cookie. It was hard to tell if the cookie or Aksorn’s hand was more delicious.
“How is it?”
“Delicious, khrap.”
“Right? Khun Napha is very skilled at making snacks. I kind of want her to sell them at the shop too.”
“Does Phîi want to secretly eat them yourself?”
“You know too much.”
Suddenly, rain started falling even though they were nearly at the printing house, which Aksorn had called ahead to. But even so, the two young men had to help each other carry the publishing house’s books to be delivered to various bookstores next.
“No wonder, it was so hot and stifling today,” the person from the printing house said after they had finished moving the books. Hearing that, Aksorn couldn’t help but join in and complain too.
“Exactly, khrap. Lately the weather’s been hotter than anything. The rain coming down is good, actually.”
“Should be cooler now. But why don’t you two wait inside? Driving through the rain is dangerous.”
“It’s alright, khrap. The rain is starting to let up,” Songjam said after going out to check the situation outside. The two said goodbye to the person from the printing house before getting back into the car again.
The sky turned a deep orange as the last raindrop of the city hit the earth. The wet, soggy road forced Songjam to drive slower than usual. Aksorn, seeing this, opened the car window to let in the cool breeze that allowed him to breathe deeply and freely.
“The air is so nice.”
“By the time we get there, the sun will probably be just setting.”
“That place… you can see the sunset most clearly there.”
“So that’s why Phîi likes to deliver books in the evening, khrap.”
Aksorn nodded in acknowledgment, turning to look at the roadside bathed in the evening sunlight with pleasure. Before long, the car pulled up alongside the mobile book truck that was his destination today. Aksorn got out to find the shop owner who was busy putting away the canvas awning used for shelter from the heavy rain earlier.
“Hello, khrap.”
“Oh, you’re here?”
“Delivering the publishing house’s items first today, khrap. The items for your shop, my guy will deliver tomorrow.”
This public park “Sure,” the mobile book truck owner said before helping him and Songjam unload the books from the car together. After checking the inventory list until finished, Aksorn invited his boyfriend to his favorite ice cream shop, as he did every time he came here.
“Walk carefully, khrap,” Songjam, who was following behind, said scoldingly when the other hurried as if afraid the shop would close. But would Aksorn listen? He ran ahead to order ice cream and was already waiting for him at the shop.
We walked back to the car, each with our own ice cream cone.
And Aksorn loved the rain that had fallen earlier immensely.
Because in one corner within sight, up in the sky, a rainbow was being embraced by the evening sunlight right now. It was so beautiful that everyone looked up to see it. The two young men were among them, stopping to stand and gaze at the beautiful colors without looking away.
“Not going to take a picture?”
“I want to try recording what I see into my memory for a change,” Aksorn replied. The cold of the ice cream spread along with the sweet taste on his tongue. His answer wasn’t particularly special, but Songjam reached out to hold his hand anyway.
“Let’s record it together, khrap. Both right now, and after this… both Phîi, and me.”
Aksorn turned to look into the soft, deep eyes of the young man, which were sweeter than the ice cream he was holding.
“In that case, we have to stay to record each other for a long, long time then.”
“For my entire life, khrap.”
Songjam imprinted the traces of the past into memory.
And Aksorn imprinted the traces of feeling into letters.
Thus, every memory and every letter came into being.
As a monument of this world that we once existed.
That our love once existed.
That our story once existed.
Even if an immensely long time passes, once... these things truly happened.
The End
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