30-Day Plan

Prologue

Rejection.

Tin is familiar with that. He became all too familiar with rejection that all he can trust is himself. No one can reject you if you isolate yourself from people.

He was rejected by his family. By his brother who he thought was the only person who will never betray him and will always be there for him. Turns out Tul was the first one who stabbed Tin on his back.

If his family turns their backs to him, how can other people even accept him?

There was Pete. His only friend. He was so scared of being alone even if he won't admit it. That's why when he found out Pete is dating a poor Thai program guy, he did everything to separate them. But Pete told him, he will always see Tin as his friend.

Pete's rejection was different. It was a rejection that made him see that Pete is a friend who is someone irreplacable and protecting Pete outshines his fear of being alone.

And then came Can.

Can was made of sea waves, sunsets, night lights --- everything he loved but with a beating heart.

Can made him see colors and helped him breathe like there is no one ready to ridicule him with a single mistake.

For Tin, Can's simplicity is refreshing. Everytime he sees the hyperactive teen smile, it was like everything around him is bright and warm.

He does not have a home in the house he goes back to so he wants to build a home for himself.

His home was Can.

But then Can rejected him for choosing not to understand the feelings he felt and opted to become friends instead of facing the complications being in a relationship brings.

Can's rejection was the one that hurt the most. The amount of pain is not measured by how they hurt you, but by who.

And the greatest pain will always be caused by the one you love most.

Why is it always me?

-

The moment the professor dismissed them, Tin got up shoving his notebooks inside.

He wanted to get out of the classroom as soon as possible and isolate his self in his room again.

"Tin," Pete called.

He stopped for a moment to look at Pete.

"Do you want to go to the football field with me?"

The moments he passed by the football field just to get a glimpse of Can flashed in his mind.

Him avoiding Can does not mean that he does not want to see him every single day or hear his voice.

He truly misses Can from the bottom of his heart that it aches so much.

But the rejection hurt him more than he wanted to admit.

And he does not know how he'll face Can after turning down that offer of friendship.

"No," he told Pete.

He slung his bag to his shoulder in hopes to escape but Pete wasn't done yet.

"Why are you running away, Tin?"

That made him stop and stay rooted from where he was standing.

"I am the one running away?" He asked Pete as he slowly faced him. "I am not the one too afraid of my feelings. I am not the one afraid of being in a romantic relationship. I am not the one running away."