Bab 2: Chapter 2: We saw each other in a crowded bar.
It was night and on the digital clock - on the bedside table - you could see the exact time: 7:10 PM. Sitting on the bed, Arthit was leaning against the headboard while holding the cell phone to his ear with his right hand; His father, Mr. Tian, was on the other end of the line scolding him for his actions that morning and Arthit listened to him in silence. That was the first time in his life that Arthit heard Mr. Tian speak so calmly and act peacefully after an irresponsible act by his son, naturally he screamed so much that Arthit kept his cell phone out of his ear so he wouldn't be deaf.
"Don't get into more trouble." Tian asked calmly in his voice "I already solved everything with the university."
"Okay, dad." Arthit agreed after a heavy sigh "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble."
"Arthit" Tian took a short break as if he were choosing the right words "Don't apologize as someone who keeps giving me a headache. You are a good boy, Athit. "
For a long time Tian thought his son was a born troublemaker and sooner or later he would mess up the family name by getting involved in a big mess, he spent much of Arthit's growth scolding him for any mere mistake that cannot better observe his son and understand that he was not even the rebel he believed he was. Last week Tian discovered that his youngest daughter was involved with dangerous people, after that the whole history of her daughter's bad actions ended up in his hands and he realized that the sweet girl he saw at home on the streets was a demon; disappointment made Tian reflect on his life and especially on the education he gave his children, he realized some time later that Arthit's sister always gave him a headache, what were little problems at school today became something bigger, and as for Arthit , he rarely did anything wrong.
After a few seconds of silence, Tian said, "Son, just get more control when the situation calls for action. There are other ways to solve a problem without having to use your fists. "
"Don't worry, dad. I will be someone more responsible and mature the next time something happens. " Said Arthit thoughtfully.
"I know it will be, you are my son." Tian laughed weakly "Rest, and don't worry anymore."
"Okay, thanks, dad." Arthit hung up and left his cell phone on the bed.
Taking a deep breath, he rubbed his hands over his face, feeling the bruises complain of the touch, at that moment the door to the room was opened by Korn, who was carrying a bag of food in his left hand.
"I brought your dinner." Korn announced as he took off his shoes "Or lunch, since you didn't come down to eat."
"Thanks." He thanked Arthit, seeing him leave the bag on his study table.
Korn stared at him for a moment, seeing him so still and thoughtful on the bed. This worried him, he knew that at that moment Arthit was thinking about thousands of things and most of them boiled down to punishing himself for his mistakes.
"Let's go. Get out of your head. " Korn asked as he sat on the bed "Stop thinking about it."
Arthit looked at him silently and felt his friend's hand touch his shoulder.
"Everything has already been solved and the guy is not that bad. Think that if you hadn't gone there, N'Fai wouldn't be well. " Said Korn looking at him "That guy has been on the police for assault and robbery, he can't do anything against you. And if that makes you not think so badly of yourself, maybe if you didn't go there N'Fai would be the person who would be in the hospital now. I heard that this is not the first time he hits her, there have been worse ones. "
Arthit's eyes went quickly to him, wide, showing how amazed he was. How could your Nong keep going after a guy like that?
"Why is she still with him?" asked Arthit thoughtfully.
"Some people take longer to realize the danger or that certain relationships are too toxic." Said Korn and looked at him "Don't think about it anymore, Doctor."
Arthit blew out a breath and stood up, leaving Korn confused. "Let's go out."
"To go out?" repeated Korn, still confused, "Where do you want to go?"
"Anywhere I can breathe better." Athit said, taking out his wallet and cell phone.
"Hmm, so let's have a drink." Said Korn laughing, watching the shorter man put on his shoes.
"Let's go." Athit agreed.
(***)
Korn chose a bar a little farther from where they lived to avoid meeting any university student and let the buzz on social media annoy Arthit; what at first seemed to him a great choice made him rethink after a few hours when he saw Type enter the bar with a group of university friends.
"I think we will have live music." Korn commented as he saw some of the staff tidying up their instruments on stage "We chose a great night to come."
Arthit followed his gaze and took a sip of his beer. The loud music and low lighting of the place overshadowed his thoughts leaving his mind lost and confused, maybe that was the effect of alcohol, anyway he didn't feel as bad as he did hours ago.
Two well-dressed girls with shy smiles on their faces approached the table. "Hello."
Korn smiled sympathetically at them while Arthit just moved his head gently, he couldn't even hear his own voice. "Hi, do you want anything?" Korn maintains his fascinating ability to socialize with ease.
The girl who took the initiative wore braces and had long, bristly hair, wore little makeup and wore a shiny black dress. She appeared to be someone nice and polite. "I'm sorry to bother you. All the tables are occupied, can we sit with you, P '?"
Korn looked at his friend waiting for an answer that came with a slight nod. "They can."
"Thank you'." He thanked the young woman as she saw Korn and Arthit move to the other chairs, making room for them. "We didn't imagine it would be so crowded today."
"We didn't know either." Said Korn and smiled amiably "By the way, I am Korn and this is Arthit."
"Oh, nice to meet you. My name is Sun and she is my friend Yihwa. " Sun smiled sweetly at the two boys, especially Korn, who seemed to pay more attention to him.
Arthit smiled weakly at the girls and took another sip of beer, noting that it was the last. "I'm going to get more drinks. What are you going to want? " a sympathetic smile played softly on his lips.
Sun tried to disguise the surprise when she heard him, because she thought from the second she arrived at the table that the boy didn't want them there and that made her uncomfortable, but now seeing him smiling sane kindly made her realize that it was just her misinterpretation . "A beer and a soft drink."
"Bring me a beer." She asked Korn distracted by the music he was playing.
"OK." Athit smiled and stood up.
The place was packed, more people had arrived after them and it was causing a little curiosity in Arthit. He had been to that bar twice before with Korn, it was the best place to feel good and spend time with his friend, but tonight was very hectic. At the counter he noticed the large number of people asked for drinks, he calculated at that very moment that it would take much longer than expected to return to the table.
"P'Arthit." He was surprised to hear Type's voice, the same as moments later he was standing beside him.
"Hello, N'Type." Arthit smiled politely.
"I didn't know you were coming today." Said the youngest surprised "If I knew I would have invited you to come with us." Type smiled excitedly.
"It was a last minute decision." Arthit argued, waiting for his turn at the counter.
"Ah. Is P'Korn here too? " Type wanted to disguise his interest.
"Yes, he is waiting for me at the table." Arthit said seeing the bartender asking 'what would he want'. "Three beers and a Coke."
"Did you come to support Jupiter?" Type asked, curious to see him open his wallet and take some bills to pay for drinks.
"Who?" Arthit asked because he didn't know who that person was. "Jupiter, the planet?"
Type laughed and helped him get the beers. "I help you, P'Arthit."
"Thanks." Arthit did not think his help was necessary, as he could take the four bottles without any problem, but his nong was being considerate and it would not be kind to deny him his help.
"Jupiter is an arts student at our university. He's going to perform today, and everyone is here to see him. " Explained Type accompanying Arthit "Whenever he comes, this place fills."
"Hmm. This is the first time I've heard of this person. " Said Arthit.
"He's been playing here since last month." Justified Type.
Dodging some people on the way, the two spotted Arthit's table. The smile on Type's lips quickly faded when he saw Korn talking animatedly to two girls; he would not admit to anyone how in love he was with that veteran.
"Oh, N'Type." Korn smiled excitedly when he saw him.
"Sawasdee Krub." He greeted Type and set the drinks on the table.
"I'm sorry for the delay, there were a lot of people." He asked Arthit when he handed the girls their drinks.
"All right." Sun smiled sweetly at him.
"Sit with us, N'Type." She asked Korn smiling.
"I appreciate it, P'. But I think it's better to go back to my friends' table. " Said Type uncomfortable.
"OK." Korn smiled in agreement.
"Well, see you later." Said Type listening to their response before leaving.
Arthit who had sat next to Korn approached his ear. "He likes you."
Korn laughed and looked at his friend. "I know that."
"You are not going to do anything? You can't let him hope. " Said Arthit and took a sip of his beer.
"I am waiting for the right moment. I can't go to him and ask him to stop liking me. " Korn said noticing his friend's expression.
"Um, just tell him that you have a girlfriend. I believe that is enough. " Advised Arthit.
Korn picked up the bottle on the table and took a long drink before answering. "Pham and I are done."
Surprised Arthit looked at him quickly. "When did this happen?"
"Two weeks ago." Korn admitted, "We found out that we are more friends than boyfriends." Korn laughed humorously and looked at his friend's concerned expression. "Undo that face, we're fine."
"Are you really? Why didn't you tell me that? " asked Arthit worriedly.
"I'm counting now." Said Korn and put his arm over the shorter man's shoulders "I'm fine, Doctor. I am wonderfully well."
Arthit kept his eyes on his friend's face and stared for a moment at the bright smile Korn had to make sure it was true. He breathed a sigh of relief to realize that Korn was being sincere.
"Okay, okay. I believe you." Arthit gave up and almost covered his ears with the shouting that started in the bar. "What is happening?"
Korn laughed and pointed to the stage. "There is going to be him."
Looking in that direction Arthit saw a tall boy with his back to the audience as he connected a cable to the guitar. The air caught in his throat when he felt the familiarity he was experiencing and that caused a strange discomfort in his chest; the moment the singer turned to the audience, Arthit's heart gave a strong release, leaving the beats fast. It was him, the boy who never left Arthit's head and who now caused him some type of arrhythmia.
"Fuck, it's the guy you drew!" Korn was startled. "Even I fell in love with him now."
Arthit's eyes remained fixed on him as if he were caught in a trance. When the first chords of the music started, Arthit's face lit up in a sweet smile, it was November Rain, waves of chills went up all over his body the instant he heard his voice and his heart gave itself completely to the mix of emotions and the new feeling. Surely Arthit had fallen in love with that mysterious boy.
Throughout the performance Arthit did not take his eyes off the boy, Korn just smiled and looked at his friend a few times while he enjoyed the show with the girls.
"Thank you all." The singer said after his last song "It was wonderful for me to perform here again. Please invite me again. " He laughed humorously and the audience supported the idea.
Korn leaned closer to Arthit to tell him in his ear, "This is your chance, go after him before a wave of girls drags him away from you."
Arthit took a deep breath and straightened up, picking up his beer bottle, which at that point was empty. "No, I won't do that."
"No?" Korn looked at him in surprise. "Why?"
"I would be raising hopes for something that is not going to happen." Said Arthit and looked at his friend "Korn, he sure is straight and I ... I don't even know about me anymore after I saw him."
Korn smiled and put his arm over his friend's shoulders and hugged him. "You are discovering yourself, Doctor. This is very good, don't worry. "
Arthit just nodded, leaving the bottle on the table. "I'm going to get more beers."
The little boy got up and walked towards the bar, this time it was a little more difficult than the first, people were crowding along the way and in the bar there were a lot more people. Arthit sighed in frustration, imagining how difficult it would be for him to get served; nearby Hyun Jun was trying to run away from the girls who asked him for his cell phone number or LINE ID, he was really very uncomfortable with so much attention. "Excuse me," he asked politely, moving away from the girls. "I have to go, my friends are waiting for me."
Hyun Jun thought about going home right after the show and this was definitely the best time, he was getting too much attention and it didn't make him feel good. When he passed in front of the bar, I asked for people to make room to pass, the exit was very close, for him it was like a light at the end of the tunnel; until his eyes saw the short young man he last saw on campus, he searched his memory to remember his name, Arthit, that was the name. A smile quickly formed on Hyun Jun's red lips, he had finally found his veteran under his breath; a laugh escaped when he saw Arthit's difficulty in being attended to when there were people taller than him in front.
Hyun Jun came up behind him. "What do you want to order?"
The little person spasmed with fright and looked back to see the tall boy. At that time Arthit's heart missed a beat. "Hm? Sorry I do not understand."
Hyun Jun smiled sweetly and leaned forward a little to get close to him. "What do you want to order?"
Arthit held his breath as he approached feeling chaos in his chest, and then: "Three beers and a Coke." If I looked at Arthit, I would see how easy it was for him to be calm and confident when in fact there was tremendous confusion inside him.
Hyun Jun smiled at him leaving his feline eyes much smaller, the reddish color that quickly took over the smallest cheekbones left him fascinated. His eyes saw the bruise in the corner of Arthit's mouth, reminding him of the rumors he heard on campus. Up close he looks so cute and harmless, thought Hyun Jun, and then looked up walking a few steps closer to the counter, the people who were there gave him a little space, everyone seemed to admire Hyun jun a lot. "Tee, three beers and a Coke, please." He asked the bartender.
"OK." Said Tee smiling.
Taking some bills out of his wallet Hyun Jun paid for the drinks before picking it up and walking back to where Arthit was. "Here it is."
Surprised Arthit looked at the bottles in his hands. "Thanks..."
"You're welcome, P'. " Hyun Jun smiled kindly when she saw him pick up the bottles.
Arthit looked at him for a few moments realizing that the more he looked at him the more beautiful he found him. Yes, he was very much in love with that boy. "Hm, see you later." Said Arthit, seeing him smile and nod.
"See you, P'. " Hyun Jun said smiling.
Arthit returned to his desk about to have a heart attack after meeting the boy who lived in his mind. "I talked to him." Athit said the instant he sat down.
Korn looked at him in surprise. "I do not believe! For those who said you wouldn't go, you took courage. "
"I didn't go after him, we met by chance." Arhit justified "He helped me buy our beers."
"Meda. I didn't pay it back." Arthit cursed himself for being so nervous that he forgot to return the money to Hyun Jun.
"Oh, so what?" asked curious Korn "Did you get his number? You can use that as an excuse for next time. "
Arthit looked at his friend "I didn't ask. I acted naturally. "
"For those who acted naturally, you are very flushed, Doctor." Korn laughed.
"Shit. I hope it's the alcohol's fault. " Complained Arhit.
"Let's think so." Said Korn laughing taking one of the bottles.
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