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Perspective - Third Person
"Did you meet your friend the other day, P'Pete?" Chomphu asks.
"I'm sorry? A friend?"
"Yes, a beautiful woman with large eyes. I can't quite describe her, but she said that she's a close friend of yours. I think she's from another university. Oh, and she has a picture of you, too."
On a day so bright that the sun seems intent on burning people alive, Pitchaya feels as though the sky is shrouded in fog, growing darker and more oppressive, as if a storm is brewing. Standing there, listening to the young woman with bangs he's happened to meet, he senses an ill omen—a certainty that what he is hearing will not end well.
"This woman… Did she have hair about this long? Natural color… right, Nong Chomphu?"
"Ah, yes! Exactly! Her hair is beautiful, nearly reaching her waist. So you do know her, don't you? She asked for directions that day, so we all ended up riding the tram together almost all the way to your faculty, P'Pete."
Pete can only stand there, stunned, because this woman from another university, claiming to be his close friend, with his photo and this distinct appearance…
"Delee." The name slips from his lips, making Inthach, sitting beside him, frown sharply.
Ai'Pete has already recounted everything that happened.
On the day Delee invaded his house, Pete called his partner to tell him everything… including the realization that his closest, most trusted friend has feelings for him. At the time he even apologized for initially hiding Delee's visit, though that is not something Ae would get angry about. Upon hearing all about it, he understood just how unsettled Pete truly is by the situation.
"Did I do the right thing, Ae… telling Delee plainly that I already have a sweetheart?"
It is a question that the young football player cannot answer. He knows well enough that he feels relieved by what his partner has done, as he does not wish to be repeatedly jealous over the same woman. Yet he worries more about the matter, genuinely uncertain of what that woman might be thinking, making it unsurprising that Delee had come here to see Pete. But…
"I haven't seen Delee, Nong Chomphu."
"Oh?"
That's right—on the day Chomphu mentioned, the two of them went out for pizza near the university, and Inthach himself can confirm that not even a phone call came in for his partner, and they were together the entire time.
So, Delee definitely did not show herself to them.
"Let me ask you something—how did you, Chomphu, know that woman was Ai'Pete's friend?" Ae thus asks, prompting the girl with bangs to pause in thought before offering a sheepish smile.
"Oh, because it was me."
"Hmm?" The response leaves the two men staring at her, clearly expecting further clarification, so Chomphu lowers her gaze slightly and speaks in a hushed tone.
"You see, that day she came to ask me for directions, right? And I was with Le, so we started talking about… well, about me getting over P'Ae, and then we talked about you two being together. Ah! However, we didn't say anything bad. Le absolutely loves hearing about you two! The lady overheard us though, so she asked if the Pete we mentioned was the same Pete she showed us a photo of." The girl speaks in a small, nervous voice, afraid that her seniors might be angry about her still not having gotten over her crush after all this time, but...
"Are you saying Delee knows that I'm with Ae?"
"Ah, yes! Yes, exactly. She already knows, doesn't she? She even told Le and me not to worry since she already knew about it, but for some reason, she didn't go to see you, P'Pete. Maybe she couldn't find the building." The speaker appears puzzled, not noticing how pale the aforementioned P'Pete has become, contrasting sharply with his darker-skinned friend, who lets out a heavy sigh.
"Chomphu, we have to go now. Ai'Pete has a class."
As Ae says this, the young girl exclaims in agreement, her eyes widening as she remembers what she needs to do.
"Ah, yes, yes! I saw you and completely forgot that I have to deliver the items I bought for my friend. Anyway, I will head off first. Goodbye!" What could she do? With P'Ae in sight, she had decided to run over and offer a quick greeting.
The petite girl runs off, but the explosion she leaves behind remains.
"What should we do, Ae? Delee must know about the two of us dating now." The tall figure speaks with an anxious tone, prompting the listener to frown sharply.
"Do you not want to tell her about me that much?"
"Uh… that's not it! It's not that we don't want to tell Delee about you. I have always thought about telling her that I'm gay someday, but I just can't bring myself to say it. I really don't know how Delee feels about me, so it makes it even harder to speak up. How am I supposed to say that I have never been interested in women… I don't want Delee to loathe me." The listener hurriedly explains before sinking down onto a nearby bench, his hands gripping his head tightly in stress.
From the beginning, Pete had not considered telling his closest friend because he has always thought that his preference was disgusting and unacceptable. He had hidden it even from his mother for many years. Therefore, even though he and Delee are close friends, he did not think to speak out, until he began to date Ae.
Ae is so important that he might just be the most significant man in Pete's life, more so than his father or anyone else. Thus, Pete has contemplated telling Delee directly, but that was when he did not know how she views him.
Telling when the friend sees me as just a friend is different from telling when the friend sees me as more than a friend.
"Ugh, fine. I'm not angry, but you should call her." In the end, the short young man sighs, raising his hand to gently pat his partner's head, causing the listener to press his lips tightly and look over uncertainly.
"Will Delee despise me, Ae?"
"I truly don't know, Pete. I don't know your friend, so I can't answer this question for you. Besides… she likes you." Inthach knows that this discomfort may not stem from being two men in a relationship, but rather how that woman perceives his partner.
The response causes the listener to press his lips tightly, his hands clenched together in stress.
"But remember this: no matter what anyone says, I will stay here with you." However, the worry, fear, and uncertainty all dissipate as the strong yet sincere voice speaks up, accompanied by the warm touch resting on his head.
Thus, Pete takes a deep breath as he searches for his friend's name and… makes the call.
Brrring brrring
Each ring feels prolonged, leading the caller to consider hanging up several times. Yet, the touch of the large hand holding his other hand helps him endure the ringing. The first call goes unanswered, the second call also goes unanswered, but Pete continues to try until finally...
"Hello?"
"Delee!!!" The cheerful voice he usually hears now sounds distant, yet he quickly inquires.
"Uh, Delee, you came to see me the other day, right?"
Part of Pete wishes to hear a "no," but another part wants to clear things up with his friend right away.
"Uh yah... but I remembered that I had something to do, so I came back early."
The listener glances briefly at his partner, takes a deep breath, and asks in a tone less stable than he anticipated, "Delee knows that we are dating, right?"
Yet the answer he receives is merely silence, which feels like a hammer pounding home confirmation that the young woman knows everything.
"Delee, I'm sorry for not telling you. I'm truly sorry, but I didn't know how to say it. It's not that you aren't important to me, but it's just difficult to put into words. I was afraid of losing a friend, afraid you'd hate me. I'm sorry," he said, his voice full of pleading, hoping she would listen, but to the girl on the other end...
"Sorry, right now I'm busy. That's all, Pete..."
"Delee! Please listen to me. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Please, Delee, hear me out," Pete blurts out, feeling lost, and since she hasn't hung up yet, he hurries to continue.
"We… We've been together for half a year now. Actually, the day you met Ae, we were already together, but I was too afraid to say it. I genuinely didn't know how you'd feel about two men dating…"
"Do you really want to know how I feel?"
Yet, before he can finish, she cuts him off with a louder voice, forcing him into silence.
"I love you, Pete!!!"
"...hick... I love you… I have loved you for so long."
Though he'd already sensed it that day, hearing it said aloud still leaves him stunned. His hand gripping the phone shakes, as her words carry the unmistakable sound… of her crying.
"I've loved… I've loved you all along… but you went and dated… dated a man… I… I can't accept it."
Although he had wondered how she might react, hearing her say she couldn't accept it leaves Pitchaya feeling utterly drained. It feels as though his heart is being mercilessly crushed, for the one person he thought would understand is now saying she didn't understand him at all. Furthermore…
"All this time… I don't believe it… I don't believe that Pete is… Is it because of that man… hick… is it because of him that Pete… is… is gay?"
At the end of her words, her voice comes out soft yet laced with intense disdain—not hatred for her friend, but for the love that has shattered her cherished dreams. The tone makes Pete shake his head vigorously, on the verge of tears.
"No, no, it isn't because of Ae! It's because of me, Delee—not Ae! I have been gay all along. I'm the one who caused him to end up like this!"
The other end falls silent for a moment, and he hopes fervently that she will understand. However…
"I'm sorry. I… I can't accept it… I… I have to go now… That's all."
Delee ends the call first, leaving Pete frozen, having hoped his friend would understand, but instead…
Plop.
A teardrop slips down his cheek, the phone falling to his side. Pete closes his eyes, letting the sorrow surge through his heart, Delee's words reviving that thought from a year ago—
Why did he have to be born to love men?
Grab.
Yet, as soon as that thought crosses his mind, a firm embrace pulls him close, his face pressed against Ae's strong chest, instantly dissipating his despair. Hic… "Ae… Ae, what… what should I do… what should I do?"
Ae doesn't respond but simply holds Pete's slender frame tightly, running a soothing hand over his soft hair as he watches Pete sob, trembling as he did in those first days they met… It is like the day Pete confessed he was gay, and that vulnerability is surfacing again.
"I… hic… if I weren't… if I…"
"If you weren't, then you and I wouldn't love each other like this."
Pause.
The one who was about to blame himself stops, looking up with tearful eyes, allowing the short, humble young man to gently wipe away his tears, as he repeats softly yet firmly.
"I don't care what you are. All I care about is how much we love each other right now."
The unwavering voice brings Pete to close his eyes, releasing a fresh wave of tears. Yet he has found his answer. Why is he gay? Why does he hold desires contrary to societal norms? Why does he love men instead of women? The answer is this man—the one embracing his pale form tightly, comforting him with blunt but sincere words, the one promising to stay by his side always. This man is the meaning Pete has sought all along.
Embrace.
"Ae… Ae… hic… Ae."
Thus, Khun-chai Pete does what he did when they first met… he cries, allowing the one who claims he doesn't know how to comfort anyone to console him with the warmest gesture imaginable, reaching out to hold an embrace that once felt too high to attain.
Pitchaya will accept himself—he will accept everything, as long as Ae continues holding him like this.
"I love you, Ae. I love…"
"I know, Pete. I know. It's all right. Don't cry."
Then this embrace remains the best, the warmest, and the most cherished, whether it was a year ago… or now.
~~~
Earlier this week, Pheuak Monkey was rather irritated with his partner. Why, you ask? It was all about that tracking application!
However, after ranting at length—enough that Tinn nearly plugged his ears to block out the chatter (and when he snapped, he got twice the lashing)—Kirakorn eventually learned how to use the app.
Then, from almost hurling his phone at his partner's head, his irritation shifted to… intrigue.
Now…
What the hell is Ai'Tinn doing in Bang Na?
Indeed, he finds amusement in tracking his sharp-tongued Khun-chai partner's movements whenever they're apart. So, when he sees Tinn taking an unusual route, Khaen dives in with a message.
"What are you doing in Bang Na, huh?" Send. A few taps later, and he sends the message.
Seeing that Tinn reads it, Khaen leans back, grinning, waiting for a reply.
When it finally comes, "Dealing with nuisances." Khaen can't help but laugh.
"What nuisances?" he replies, and Tinn's answer makes him laugh even harder…
"Freeloaders living off their parents."
"Yeah, like you don't mooch off your parents at all, huh? The car, the money, the stuff you use—none of that is Daddy's, right?" Khaen snickers, nodding as he pieces together Tinn's situation.
In truth, since sorting out the drug incident, Tinn willingly shares nearly every detail of his private life if Pheuak Monkey is curious enough to ask. Consequently, Khaen learns just who these "freeloaders" are—Tinn's high-society crowd, heirs of large corporations who he's bound to keep within reach for potential future collaborations.
"Just tell them you're at a networking event and be done with it…"
I bet Tinn's got that sour face on right now. Haha!
Khaen laughs, easily picturing Tinn at a formal event looking like he'd rather be anywhere else—especially if his mother is with him.
Poor guy, he's absolutely miserable.
Khaen laughs again, thinking about how Tinn had told him that, at home, his mother barely gives him the time of day. However, the moment they're out in public, she acts as if he's her pride and joy, praising him to everyone she meets, showering him with exaggerated compliments just to one-up others. He had even said himself that his mother is the biggest hypocrite. One can't help but feel a bit sorry for him.
"Well, enjoy yourself, then. I'm off to read manga," Khaen says smugly, tossing his phone aside and sprawling on his bed, the messy sheets staying just as he left them. He rolls back and forth three times, fidgeting.
"Rare to have a full day at home...why does it feel so boring? Maybe I've gotten too used to going out with Ai'Tinn," he sighs to himself, reaching for a few manga volumes piled beside his bed.
Yet, as he flips through them, they just aren't as entertaining as he'd expected.
Creaaak.
"It's already late—how long are you planning to laze around?" The door opens, and in steps his beloved mother with a laundry basket. Seeing the mess in her son's room, she quickly shifts to scolding though, making Khaen grin.
"Oh, come on, Ma. It's my day off—I'm supposed to laze around."
He spreads out even more on the bed, making his mother almost throw the folded laundry at his head.
"No need to over expose yourself, your mom can't be bothered to look at your tiny lump of a sausage."
"Hey!!! It's not little, Ma. Look, here, here—" Khaen protests, even pretending to show her, which makes his mother wave her hand in annoyance.
"Enough of that! I've seen it since it was the size of my pinky tip… When are you going to clean this room, huh, Khaen-ta-lup? Your younger sister is years younger than you and even cleans her own room! And aren't your finals coming up soon? Have you even cracked open a single book?" With her familiar scolding tone, Khaen promptly pulls the blanket over his head, muffling his response.
"Khaen-ta-lup!" After finishing with the laundry, his mother's voice grows sharper, making Khaen mumble from under the covers.
"It's fine, Ma, I'll manage. You know I'm good at this! Last time, I got over a three GPA, didn't I? This term is a breeze. But, Ma, get out already—I'm trying to sleep. So tired…played games till 4 AM last night… Ow!"
His last words turn into a yelp as his mother throws a manga volume at his head. Apologies, but her aim is perfect—it lands squarely on his blanket-covered head.
"Clean your room, alright? If I come in this evening and it still looks like this, I shall send you to sleep outside, and I'll let Gucci sleep in here instead."
"Ma!" The person lying under the blanket suddenly jumps up, but his mother pays him no mind, closing the door in his face, causing Khaen to grimace.
"What's this? Putting the dog to sleep in my room and me outside? The mosquitoes will eat me alive... A man's room doesn't need much. Just enough space to walk and sleep. If you looked at other sons' rooms, they wouldn't be half as neat as mine. Well, except if you were to look at Tinn's room—mine would be a rat's nest by comparison. That doesn't count though. He has someone to do it for him. So unfair."
The chatterbox mutters to himself, but he complies, using his foot to nudge the comic books under the bed, tossing his textbooks into a pile, and giving the blanket a good shake over the bed (to cover the crumpled sheets).
"There, all done. Easier than peeling a banana." The "neat one" (in what way, exactly?) says as he throws himself back down on his bed with a sigh.
"Ugh! Tinn, come and pick me up already. Ughhh, ughhh, so boring!" The alert young man rolls around on his bed, calling out for his lover, only to hear this voice drift up from below:
"If you have time to shout, wouldn't it be better spent studying, Khun Khaen-ta-lup?"
Ah, every time Ma is upset, she calls him by his full name.
The boy sprawled on the bed absentmindedly nudges his phone with his foot, as though saying, Make a sound already; don't just lie there silently.
Ping!
In that instant, the heavenly sound (?) rings out, prompting Khaen to claw for it immediately. He assumes it must be Tinn, who has surely left whatever gathering he was at. But…
"What…?" A strange message from an unknown contact flashes onto his screen, accompanied by a brief message: "Just watch"
Indeed, that is all it says, but it arrives with a video clip.
"Who is this?" Khaen mumbles.
Khaen hesitates only for a moment—a very brief moment—before pressing play.
"Ahhh… Ah… Tinn… Tinn, darling…"
"Hmm!" Khaen nearly presses his face against the phone screen as the sweet moans of a woman escape, while he stares at the clip of a man and woman embracing on the bed, with the woman smiling seductively at the camera, while the man… remains oblivious.
How could he know? He buries his face in her breasts, licking away.
"Tinn… umm… again, please…"
That tall, large body, sweating like that, with those big hands kneading the beautiful woman's fair skin, as low moans escape…
Before the scene can progress any further, Khaen jabs his finger to stop the movement and takes a deep breath.
Calm down, Khaen, calm down. The alert young man tries to regain control, but...
Ping!
"Do you truly believe that someone like you could ever satisfy Tinn?"
Not calm at all!!!
And as another message pops up, Khaen shouts, jumping up from the bed quickly, his face, usually adorned with a smile, now displays intense stress.
He clenches his hands tightly as he dials the person he just talked to.
"You come home right now! I will go clear this up!!!" He shouts at Tinn.
"What do you mean, Khaen!?"
Without waiting for Tinn to say anything more, Khaen hangs up the call, and no matter how many times Tinn calls back, Khaen cuts the line, and runs down the stairs, causing his mother to peek her head in to look.
"Where are you going, Khaen?" The question comes from the person wearing flip-flops.
Khaen turns to his mother with a serious tone. "I am going to kill someone. I will not return tonight. If I get arrested, you must bail me out, okay, Ma!" Having said that, he darts out of the house quickly, leaving his mother to furrow her brows.
She then lets out a sigh. "What is he going crazy about again? Sigh…"
However, the mother does not know that what Khaen said is… serious.
~~~
The Metthanun mansion still stands majestically, attracting the gaze of passersby with envy. Now though a young man with fair skin looks on it with intense anger as he rushes into the house. Fortunately, Khun Kirakorn has entered and exited this house so frequently that it feels like his own, allowing the worker to easily open the gate for the taxi. Upon reaching the entrance to the house...
"I might come back late tonight. Anyway, you can go to sleep first. I can lock up the house when I return."
The sight of the eldest heir in full suit indicates that he is about to go out, causes Khaen to hesitate. With both hands, he stuffs money into the driver's hand and slams the door. Then, he quickly rushes in, so much so that Tul also turns to look, expressing surprise in his voice.
"Oh, Khaen! How did you get here? Tinn isn't home..."
Thwack!!!
Before Tul can even finish his greeting, the heavy punch from the football player slams into the handsome face with full force, causing even Tul to stagger, sensing the metallic taste of blood in his mouth.
Meanwhile, the maid screams in shock. "Ahhh! Khun Tul!!!"
Yet, before Tul can compose himself...
Grip
"Eek!"
"You are a fucking shit-lizard, Ai'Tul, do you hear that? You are a fucking shit-lizard!!!" Khaen shouts loudly as the workers in the house rush to restrain the young boy who attempts to leap forward to punch the eldest son of the house again.
"Hey, hold him tight!" Even with two people locking him down, Khaen fights with all his might, causing his two legs to lift off the ground, threatening to kick the chest of the person who is using the back of his hand to wipe blood from his nose.
"Is Khun Tul all right?" a servant asks.
"It's nothing, nothing."
"You fucking shit-lizard, let me go! I will kill him!! How can you do this to your brother? You want to take everything away from your brother, right? Answer me, you fucking bitch-faced loser!!!" At that moment, a harsh voice erupts from the mouth of the normally innocent looking youth, causing the workers to widen their eyes and prepare to drag him away.
For even though he is a friend of Khun Tinn, speaking against Khun Tul and using force like this is not something anyone will easily overlook.
"Calm down, you crazy child! How dare you speak like this to Khun Tul?"
"You all are foolish to let him deceive the whole house! Why does no one see how wicked he is!!!" Khaen shouts loudly, while Tul merely looks on with a confused gaze, as if he does not know why he is being hit, while receiving a cloth from the maid to wipe the blood from his nose.
"I cannot believe Khun Tinn is friends with someone like this," the housekeeper mumbles, keeping Tul silent. However, before Khaen is dragged outside and thrown out of the house...
"What is going on?"
A deep, powerful voice sounds out, causing everyone to freeze.
Even Tul who looks up at that moment merely utters… "Father."
Indeed, this man is the head of the Metthanun family, who is now turning to look at the friend of his youngest son, who struggles to come and attack his eldest son.
"Who can tell me what has happened?"
At this moment, some matters have reached the point where they should come to the ears of the elders in the household.
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