Being Arthit & Kongpop. from SOTUS the Series Book 1 of 3

Chapter 6, Poets and Pink Cheeks

He almost floated up the stairs as he took his seat in the long curved row.  Looking down he could see the professor's mouth moving but his beaming smile seemed to reflect away the sound.  He heard nothing.  His head was so full of Arthit.

With a pen in his hand,  it was resting on an unopened notebook,  Kong felt a soft hand on his shoulder.  He turned to look behind him.  Praepalin stood with a smile and, at first, he didn't hear the words coming from her mouth either.  Coming back to himself he realized the professor had packed his briefcase and left the room.  

Class had been dismissed and most of the students, were already gone.

Whole parts of his day were disappearing before his eyes.  "Where did the walk to school go?"  The lecture was just a foggy memory.

"I noticed you sitting here,  while everyone is leaving.  Kong,  were you just going to keep sitting here?"  Her smile was wry as she chuckled at her dazed friend.  The permanent smile on his face told her he was just fine.  

"Oh my god Praepalin,  I had no idea class was over."  He stuttered,  "I, was ah, ah."

He stopped himself.  his cheeks were turning pink.  

"How is it that I'm the one doing the blushing now?"  He laughed at himself,  knowing full well that Praepalin would want to hear all about what kept him so distracted and that there was a pretty good chance she already knew.

They both shared the same two lectures,  one after the other and there was a half an hour break in between.  He was trapped and he knew it.  He would have to spill.

They took a seat in a large garden-like area.  It was covered and shaded.  Cool breezes passed between the buildings.  They set their bags and briefcases down.  Kong took a long sip of the strawberry water he stopped and bought on the way.  Praepalin was looking directly into his eyes,  encouraging him to speak.  

"First,  I want to apologise Praepalin,  you must think I'm a..."

She cut him off.  Kongpop,  "No,  don't say sorry to me.  I only want to hear the good things."

"But,"

"Nope,"  she crossed her arms and turned away from him,  her bottom lip was out and there was a pouting look on her face.  "I said no apologies Kong."

The momentary solemness that came over him when he intended to say sorry for everything,  was soon washed away by her sweet smile.  She turned back to him,  her eyes connected again. "C'mon lets hear it."

The red in his cheeks was now hot and making him sweat.  

"Praepalin,  oh,  Praepalin  I have no idea where to start."

She put her hand on his knee and jerked it back and forth.  "C'mon."

"Ok, Ok,"  he leaned in and spoke softly.  "The Arthit you see,  the one everyone loves to tease and make blush.  The Arthit everybody thinks is tame and predictable."  

"Well,  let me just say,  that Arthit is beautiful and funny and good,  on the other hand the Arthit I know is anything but tame or predictable.  Praepalin you have no idea,  he can be so intense,  so romantic, so..."  He rambled on,  his eyes were full of stars,  he talked of dreams and strawberries and flowers.  There were kisses and things, "he could never tell anyone."   Kong sort of lost his train of thought and went back into the hazy state he'd been in earlier.  

Praepalin watched as he drifted off,  "Gawd". his face must hurt from that smile."  

Kongpop!,  She raised her voice to shake him.  "We have to go to our next class."  She helped her lost puppy dog friend pick up his bag,  she helped him get it over his shoulder.  In the end she pulled him along,  the next class was just in the building on the other side of the walkway.