If You Ever Leave Me, Baby (Leave Some Morphine At My Door)

2

It had been a few days after Altermajeeb. Green had approached him at the entrance to their Music Club. Sarawat had been standing not too far from them. He'd been making frantic glances, beseeching the other student to come over and rescue him.

"Can I talk to you Tine?", Green had asked seriously. Tine had never heard him sound like that before. 

"Now? Can it not wait?"

Green had smirked at someone or something behind him and looked at him and said, "If it affects you and Sarawat, then maybe?" He was holding his bag and shifted on his leg. "I don't need to tell you this-"

"Okay, fine, tell me. What is it?" Tine slightly shook his head to stop Sarawat from interrupting them.

"You can be with Sarawat. Or not. Up to you."

"I-"

"I don't care. I wasn't actually interested in you."

"Huh?"

"I was just trying to make someone jealous."

"What?!" Tine spluttered at the declaration. "Why- why then- but you!"

"Yes, yes. I was pursuing you but I had no interest in you from the start. I mean, I always thought you were straight so it wasn't going to work. Didn't know I'd be wrong." He giggled.

"What do you mean you thought?"

"You can go back to play pretend boyfriends with Sarawat. Or not. I am out."

He then sashayed from there to the group were all the Beginners for Guitar were sitting.

What the hell? 

He looked back from Green to Sarawat who was now sitting next to Dithasat. 

"What happened?" Sarawat mouthed.

"Nothing," he replied and shook his head.

Stunned, Tine went and sat down next to his groupmates. All of that hard work was for nothing?

Green hadn't even been interested in him from the beginning?

Huh.

The next hour sort of went in a haze as with every passing moment he realised that if Green didn't like him, then Tine didn't need Sarawat to hold him off. And if there was no fake relationship then he could be in a real relationship?

He could ask Pear out!

"Why are you smiling? Something happened?" Pear asked him.

"Just good results of good merit," he joked.

With Green no longer in the picture, he could once again date. Tine couldn't stop grinning. For a change, even P'Dim was nice to him that day.

He couldn't wait for the class to be over and tell Sarawat about it. The guitarist was guiding the other group of Beginners on the other side like P'Air who was doing for Tine's group.

Once Dithasat gave the signal to wrap up the practice session, Tine had excitedly gotten on his feet, told Pear to wait for him and then went to Sarawat.

"You checked theirs too? Thank you na."

"It's my pleasure." Earn noticed Tine standing behind Sarawat. "Hey." She smiled courteously and excused herself.

She looked like a smart girl. Hmmm.. Not bad. If he hadn't been stuck over Pear for so long, he'd have given her a shot.

"What did he say?" Sarawat asked. He was putting his guitar back into its cover.

"Who?"

"Green?" He said in that slightly I-am-annoyed-exhausted-exasperated-with-having-to-repeat-to-you tone that he had.

"Forget him!" Tine said excitedly.

"Okay?" Sarawat was zipping it up. "Will you say or not?"

 "I am going to date Pear."

"What?" His hand stopped.

"Now don't get irritated, listen to me first." Tine very very lightly bounced on his toes, a childhood habit that came back now and then. "We don't have to do the fake relationship thing anymore so this won't be like - like I'm cheating on you or anything. Or, two-timing you." His cheeks heated up for a second. "So you don't have to feel bad and I-"

"What do you mean by we don't have to do the relationship thing?"

"Fake relationship," Tine stressed, "because Green doesn't like me!"

"Is that what he said?"

"Yes! He was just trying to make someone jealous. Can you believe it? He could have been honest from the start."

Sarawat's hands had abandoned trying to cover up his guitar. "Then.. then what do you wanna do?"

"Ahhh... I just said! I am going to pursue my relation with Pear seriously."

"Really?" 

For a second Tine was afraid that Sarawat was going to throw a fit again, getting mad. Sarawat had at times difficulties differentiating between the real and fake. It was understandable. He had never been a social person from the beginning. He could be a bit clueless about things like this. That didn't mean he wanted to upset him so the smile on Tine's face fell.

"Sarawat?"

"What do you want from me?" He asked in that tone of his.

"We are breaking up then na," Tine winked too. "Now I can go back to my future girlfriend. She is waiting for me." He jabbed his thumb in the direction Pear was standing.  He hugged Sarawat spontaneously. "Thank you so much na. If you need help in future, I'll help you too, bro." He smiled at his friend (Sarawat was his friend, right?) and then quickly walked over to Pear, apologising for keeping her waiting. He picked up her guitar and together they left the music club.

He skipped down the stairs, excitedly chatting with Pear, Earn and the other club members. For the first time, he greeted some of the members of the #SarawatWive's club who were very surprised in the change of behaviour.

Tine was very happy. He felt free.