Loving Him...

...Was Dumb

Beam tapped on his steering wheel as his head bobbed forward and back, waiting for the red light to change. His fingers danced to the tune of Desire by Years & Years. His favorite song. For now.

How many weeks has it been since that delivery man broke his boring routine? Six? Seven? Seven weeks. It was supposed to be a one night stand. Or a one time fling since it happened during morning.

However, the tall, dark, and handsome Forth Jamornhum didn't leave Beam alone. And slowly, the man had been overlapping the memories of his dumb love affair. The love he had been trying to forget for two years.

Beam had sex with the handsome stranger. Yes. All morning that day. And Beam played hooky from work. He was absent the whole day. Much to the surprise of his best friend and fellow doctor who called him while Beam and his lover for the day were busy.

Perhaps it was Beam's avoidance of the guy that made them not have anymore intimate moments after that.

Or perhaps because the man started to court him for real after that day. And unless Beam accepts him, he wouldn't lay a hand on the beautiful man named Baramee Vongviphan.

The honking from behind made Beam move forward. There's always a heavy traffic on Monday mornings in Bangkok, New Thailand. Everybody is either coming for work or for school.

Beam arrived at his workplace past 8 in the morning. Barely made it to his 8:30 am shift. He went straight to the lobby and to the receptions desk.

"God morning, Dr. Beam!" Zeanne greeted the twenty four year old resident of Kreepolrerk International Hospital.

"Good morning, Z! Any messages for me?" Beam asked the intern nurse.

Zeanne smiled mischievously. Like she always does whenever there is something interesting on Beam's incoming box at the nurses station.

She took out a handful of stuff from Beam's pigeon hole on the shelf. It's where letters and documents for their residents go when the nurses receive them in the lobby.

Zeanne laid the love letters and one single important document addressed for Dr. Vongviphan on the counter. Then she picked up a box from the floor.

He has an idea what it is. A smile slowly creeped on Beam's face as he stared at the box with the name of his courier service provider printed on the sides.

"So...you have another secret admirer, doc Beam?" The nurse cupped her face, elbows on the counter, eyes fluttering, waiting for the doctor's response.

Beam took the important document and picked up the box, leaving the love letters for the nosy nurse to dispose of. "Maybe..." He winked at her and then strutted towards the elevator, leaving the nurse with a pouty face.

"I'll find out anyway, doc!" She yelled at the doctor as he waited on front of the elevator.

Beam waved at her without looking back.

***
After helping with a surgery from a cardiology department, Beam went to the residents locker. He didn't have a chance to look at the content of the eighth box he received since he met Forth Jamornhum.

He opened it carefully. The box said fragile, handle with care. He smiled again. His heart fluttered the third time he received the same kind of box. The first was a bit heavy. The ones that came after were smaller. Yet still the same.

It took a bit of time removing all the safety wraps around it. When he finally saw what's inside, Beam had a wistful smile.

It's a snow globe. Of Jeju Island. A place where his mother was born. A place he wanted to see again.