CAMPED IN YOUR HEART (Complete ✅)

CHAPTER 8 (I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT THAT NIGHT)

Suddenly, New was everywhere Tay passed. On billboards. On cars. On the fast train. His songs were on the radio. His face lit up almost every LED advertisement in the city. He was inescapable.

Perhaps it had always been so and Tay had just failed to notice. It had been two full weeks since he left New back at the camp but the man still occupied his thoughts. How was he supposed to forget someone who was everywhere?

It wasn't as if Tay was helping himself. He spent day and night in his art studio working on what would be the largest painting he would ever make. He was a perfectionist when it came to his art and this time was not any different. Every stroke was made with precision. Every dot had to be accurate. And the blending had to be meticulous to achieve hyper-realism.

Oftentimes, Tay wondered if New thought about him too. New was a big deal. He would, no doubt, have met a lot of people. Perhaps, Tay was just a grain of sand in the mountainous heap. He had stopped refreshing his email a week ago. If not for anything, he had held out hope that New would send the photos they took. A memento of their time together. Sadly, New had probably deleted the photos. Or worse, forgotten about their existence.

**********************

Two months went by at a rate of knots. Tay had finished the painting a month ago. It was left to collect dust in the corner of his studio. When he started painting, he thought he would find a way to get it to the owner by the time it was finished. Now, he realized how ridiculous the thought was.

"I've never seen anyone look so miserable at their birthday party."

Oh yes, it was his birthday. The big 30! He felt no different from when he was 29 or 25. He turned to Alice, his friend from college. She was holding a tall glass of drink out to him. Since he met Alice, all she had done at parties was give out drinks.

"Thanks, Alice."

"No problem. Are you okay?"

He strong-armed his lips to smile. "I'm fine. It's just—uhm—30 years, that's a lot, you know?"

"You're preaching to the choir. 30 is not that bad. Cheer up."

"He's only sad because he's single and lonely." Arm joined them.

"I am not. I am very happy."

"Mhhm," Arm hummed doubtfully. "Alice, I have to steal him away for a bit." He slapped Tay on the back "Drink up, grandpa." He waited until Tay emptied his glass. Then he gave the empty glass to Alice and pulled Tay into the crowded area with their other friends.

Tay has never been good at dancing but on alcohol, he felt like the lead dancer in a Kpop group. He let himself go and danced like there was no tomorrow. Somewhere along the line, he stopped seeing the faces he danced with. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was Arm shaking his phone in his face in excitement.

***********************

Tay woke up to Arm shaking his shoulders and yelling his name. He opened his eyes in a slit and closed them back up.

"Five more minutes, please." He groaned. Pulled the covers back over his head. "Please," he cried when Arm yanked them off again.

"Tay, you need to wake up. This is important."

He grudgingly sat up in bed. His head hurt. It was to be expected after all the drinks he had yesterday. "Whasit?" He mumbled.

"Take this first." Arm handed him a bottle of water and dropped two pills in his palm. "For your headache," he explained.

Tay swallowed the pills. "Where is Jumpol?"

"He's still sleeping in the guest room."

"So why am I up?"

"I took your phones after you started going crazy last night. You got a notification and it was an email from a NewTT."

"What?" Tay was suddenly alert. His heartbeat kicked off. "Where's the phone?"

Arm gave him the phone. "It should be him right?" He appeared even more anxious than Tay. "What are the odds that another New would send you an email?"

Tay unlocked the phone and quickly went to his mails. Sitting right there were dozens of photos he took with New that night. He exhaled at first then he felt sad. New had probably already deactivated the account. If he had been sober yesterday, he could've sent a quick message about the painting. If New didn't want it, then he would know he did everything he could.

New's email was quite sobering. He got up from his bed to open the blinds. The morning sun filtered through the slits into the bedroom. Arm was watching him the whole time with a confused look.

"So?" He prompted. "Is it him?"

"Yes."

"What did he say?" He sounded impatient.

"Nothing. He just sent some pictures we took together. Didn't want me three months ago, still doesn't want me now."

Arm took the phone back. His eyes softened as he looked through the pictures. When he looked back up at Tay, they were sad. "Tay, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." He shrugged. It was not okay. He was holding back tears. "You know what, Off is right."

"That's not something that comes out of your mouth often." Off's voice came from the entrance. "Good morning Arm, Peng. What am I right about?"

"I need to stop getting hung up on temporary people. I shouldn't catch feelings so easily." He chuckled cheerlessly. "You know what, that is really weird. Why am I now realizing how absurd it is?" He was on a hysterical rant. "I do the same thing over and over again and get the same results. Why haven't I changed? Why do I keep punishing myself? I'm never going to allow myself to like anyone again. My heart is officially—," His cell phone vibrated. "—hardened." He finished with a determined nod.

Arm's eyes bulged out as he stared at Tay's phone. Off leaned over his shoulders and a similar expression overtook his face. Tay confoundedly removed the phone from Arm's slackened hold and saw what had stunned his best friends.

NEWTT

I can't stop thinking about that night.