ฉันก็รักคุณ [I Love You Too]

Jeff

I dropped Ta a quick message to say I was home when I got in. I showered, changed, and climbed into bed tiredly.

Don't even know why I go drinking when I know I feel so wiped out and tired after every session. My thoughts flickered to Jason, who had wanted to know Ta better. Jason was a good friend, but I know he wasn't the best boyfriend. He partied way too hard, and that was also why his last boyfriend broke up with him.

As such, when he said he wanted to know Ta better, I was a little concerned as I felt Ta deserved someone a bit more grounded. He didn't seem like he enjoyed partying, but he's forever up till so late. What does he ever do then?

Those thoughts lulled me into sleep, and I only woke up at 9 am. Thankfully, I had no engagements that day, so I could rest in.

I showered, changed, and was making myself some breakfast when my phone rang. It was Barcode.

"Hey Code, what's up?"

"Phi, any plans today?"

"No, why?"

"We thought of heading to the beach. Phi Tong, Ta, Phi Apo, Phi Mile, and myself. Why don't you join us?"

"Sounds good. What time are you guys meeting? Do you need a ride?"

"I'm good, Phi. Phi Tong said he would pick me up. But do you think you can pick Ta up? He slept late again as usual and just woke up. Knowing him, he will be late, but if he knows you are picking him up, he will hustle faster."

I agreed and texted Ta once I got off the phone with Barcode. Ta got panicky and said he would be ready in the next 15 minutes. I chuckled to myself as I got ready, pulling on a pair of shorts, a beige shirt unbuttoned at the top, and pulled on a cap as usual.

I drove over to Ta's house, where he scrambled out quickly with a beer cooler in tow and a backpack.

"What's all these?"

"The boys wanted to drink, so I brought a mini fridge with beer and ciders stocked inside."

"You drink?"

"Yea, I do, Phi. But only with my close friends or people I trust. I don't really enjoy partying, but drinking at the beach or at home is fine."

"Then why are you forever sleeping late if you aren't the partying sort?"

Ta grinned at me sheepishly as he told me he was an avid gamer and enjoyed gaming. He often played till late into the night with Barcode and some other juniors from BOC and GGMTV.

I laughed at this. I guess the youngsters really had so much time and energy. We chatted as I drove to the beach which was a good 30 minutes away. Upon reaching it, Barcode came to help with Tong. Barcode and Ta ran off whilst Tong waited till I parked the car.

"These boys really have so much energy, don't they?" Tong muttered, watching Barcode and Ta frisk away on the beach.

"Tell me about it. Ta chatted nonstop on the way here."

"As with Barcode. He's more comfortable 1 to 1 than in a large group setting."

We both laughed as we made our way to the beach. Mile was sun tanning whilst Apo, Code, and Ta were playing in the waters. Tong joined Mile, and they tanned together whilst I grabbed a beer and sat with them.

Apo came out and asked us to join them. I declined as I didn't want to get wet plus I didn't bring extra clothes, being lazy to do so. I offered to set up the picnic table whilst Tong and Mile joined the boys. A little while later, a shadow fell over me. I looked up and saw Ta.

"Do you need my help, Phi?"

"All's good. Are you hungry? Do you want a snack?"

"May I?" Ta grinned sheepishly. I laughed as I nodded yes and passed him a sandwich. He took it and sat down near me, munching on it gaily.

When he was done, he grabbed a beer and I turned to look at him. He had cleaned up well and thrown away the wrapper too. Finally, a guy who cleans up after himself.  The rest came back and we all started eating.

Once we were done, everyone snoozed a little on the beach before we left around evening. Mile and Apo were heading out while Tong offered to drive Barcode back. Barcode had a family dinner to attend to so everyone separated. I asked Ta if he wanted a ride home and he nodded. We climbed into my car and thats when his tummy growled loudly.

"Hungry?"

Ta nodded, embarrassed. He said he was starving but would wait till he reached home to get a bite. I asked him if he wanted to do dinner with me before going home. He practically jumped onto the idea and we headed to the nearest Thai eatery. Over 2 entrees, 2 mains and 3 desserts, we chatted as we ate. He was a really sweet guy who was so innocent despite the bad boy persona. I laughed at his naivety and just as we were done, we saw Jason.

"Hey Jason, what are you doing here?"

"Hey guys. I came by to visit a friend in the vicinity. Picking dinner up for my mom before going out. How about you two?"

I filled him in on our beach day, and he nodded. He looked over at Ta and asked if he had a good day. Ta nodded and answered him politely, going back to his food thereafter and leaving me and Jason to continue our conversation. Jason chatted for a bit but kept throwing Ta looks but eventually he left. I looked over at Ta who was eating quietly.

"Are you ok? You seem awfully quiet."

"I'm fine Phi. I'm just.. I don't quite like the way he looks at me. He makes me feel abit unsafe."

"I'm sorry if he gives you that feeling. He's a really nice guy. I think he's just interested in you."

"Maybe.. but something feels off. Its ok."

I nodded but we left soon after. I could sense Ta was displaced so I dropped him off home. Once I was home, I texted him to make sure he was really OK. He sent me a picture of himself gaming with a thumbs up emoji. I just laughed as I kept my phone away for the night, choosing to instead finish up on my song.

As I took out my guitar, the lyric sheet that Ta had marked floated out. I took a look at it and decided to come up with something based on it for him. Since he liked that set of lyrics so much, I thought of seeing if I could make it into a full fledged song.

That be a nice surprise, though why I wanted to do it, deluded me.