The Dream We Held [AkkAyan] : Short Story

Chapter-2

It's been ten years since they first met.

Ayan wonders what Akk looks like now.

He opened his eyes while lying on his own sofa and looked at the white ceiling.

He thought he'd forgotten, but he couldn't forget it, and he thought he didn't care anymore, but the feeling of affection seemed to stop at that time.

He used to feel like he wasn't a very affectionate person. But to that guy... He's an exception.

The room wasn't lit, and Ayan realized he hadn't eaten dinner yet. He seemed especially clear-headed while sitting alone on the sofa.

Maybe it's time to find a woman-but now he doesn't like women, nor men. Just Akk.

The knock on the door interrupted Ayan's thoughts.

The person outside clearly had a loud voice, knocking and shouting, "Ai'Akk! Ai'Akk, open the door." Ayan got up impatiently.

–You knocked on the wrong door, buddy! Who's Ai'Akk? There's no one like that here..

But Ayan froze again.

The voice sounded somewhat familiar- wasn't that how Akk's silly roommate used to call him?...Thinking about it, some people were just called him 'Akk', and only that silly big guy shouted 'Ai'Akk' all the time.

Ayan felt a bit annoyed by this, but there was nothing he could do about it.

In his imagined dreams, maybe he should also pin that person down and affectionately call him- Ai'Akk.

The neighbor opposite had the sign 'Pipitphattana' on the door, but the person knocking was shouting 'Ai'Akk.'

Ayan's palms slightly warmed up, so the person living opposite.. It was probably obvious...

As he approached the door, the knocking suddenly stopped. Then another clearer voice came through, "Come on, you've knocked on the wrong door, and you're screaming so loudly that you'll be accused of disturbing the people. You'll be locked up in the police station, you know."

"We're cops ourselves, aren't we?" Another voice mixed in.

Those voices were somewhat familiar, and Ayan found himself surprisingly able to recall their names (or so he thought) accurately.

His palms began to warm up. He hesitated as he held onto the doorknob, as he was unsure.

The knocking resumed, this time on the door next door"Ai'Akk! Ai'Akk!"

They probably are not at home, Ayan thought. With that volume, even if they knocked on the door next door, the homeowner should have heard by now. In an instant, both relief and a sense of loss welled up within him.

He was both looking forward to seeing Akk and a bit afraid of it.

Passions or dreams had long been worn away in his years as a lawyer. There weren't many of the things he had been passionate about when he was young.

'Everyone has changed.
But you were from that year.
You still exist.
In my dream of the past.'

If Akk wasnt there, Ayan suddenly felt relieved of any pressure. He opened the door and saw those few people facing the opposite door with their arms crossed.

He cleared his throat lightly and said, "Hey, what is this, a zoo? Releasing a big bear out here... You two, are you zookeepers?"

Nobody would greet them in such an unfriendly manner. The people opposite turned around as they were clearly annoyed, but they were all surprised in an instant. The first to react was still the tall, thin youth

"Ayan? How come you moved to be neighbors with Akk? You'll probably die early living opposite to that guy."

"l don't know either," Ayan shrugged.

" just found a random house.." He then casually gestured towards Akk's door.

"Akk isn't here? If he's not home, why are you guys still going to other people's houses?"

"We wanted to give him a surprise," the freckled guy said, raising what he had in his hands- beer and fruits, probably suggesting a small gathering.

At this moment, the big guy smiled apologetically and said, "Actually, I'm getting married, so I came to give Ai'Akk the wedding invitation."

Since Akk wasn't home and it wasn't convenient to chat in the hallway, Ayan invited them into his own home.

After sitting for a while inside, they realized none of them had eaten, so they all went out for dinner together. The big guy and the others left what they had planned to give Akk at Ayan's place, along with the wedding invitation. They asked Ayan to bring it to Akk later and invited him to the wedding as well.

When Ayan returned home after seeing off his friends, it was almost ten o'clock at night. He realized he had missed out on so many class reunions over the years.

Ayan couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions- that silly big guy, Kan finally succeeded in pursuing the girl he had been secretly in love with for years, and he was about to enter the realm of marriage. The tall, thin guy, Wat was already married, and even the freckled guy, Namo had a stable relationship.

"What about Akk?" Ayan couldn't help but ask.

"How could someone like him find a wife?" Wat shrugged indifferently. "Akk has no interest in dating at all. I don't even know what he's thinking. I bet he'll end up marrying his job sooner or later."

"Not really," Kan defended Akk. "Ai'Akk just has a strong career ambition, that's all."

"What man would be so career-oriented that he wouldn't even touch a woman? You're not going to tell me Akk likes men, are you..."

Wat choked on his words for a moment, then looked at him strangely. "Ayan, didn't you say you've been single too? Maybe you understand how Akk thinks?"

Ayan awkwardly smiled and didn't say anything.

'I really want to know... what he's thinking.'