“Set these photos as wallpaper on your phone”. P'Off instructed them. “I already sent them to you on IG”.
Of course, P'Off loved to spend his free time on Instagram, it didn't surprise Gemini, who had known his boss for a long time, but it did surprise Fourth. He quickly checked his Instagram inbox. Indeed, there were several different photos, and in all of them Gem and Fourth were standing next to each other, in one Fourth didn't look at the camera, he just glanced briefly at his colleague and this was the moment captured by P'Joong, who that day insisted that that he would be their personal photographer and would not leave their side for the whole day. Only Pond's appearance diverted his attention from the boys. They only had few days before Joong, Pond, Phuwin and Khaotung went to Singapore to watch F1 race there.
Gem wasn't going to put Fourth's picture on his phone wallpaper.
“Why would we do that?”
“Because I say so”. P'Off cut off all discussions on this subject. Erin looked at them carefully.
“I won't set it on my phone, there's no option”. Gemini was offended. Fourth, equally nervous, grabbed the device from his hand and carried out the orders given to him by his boss himself.
“Don't be silly, it's just a job, that's what they pay you for. My photo won't eat you, get over yourself”. Nattawat said the last words through clenched jaw, but P'Off heard him anyway.
No matter how hard Gemini tried to defend himself from Fourth's proximity, he felt himself drawn to this mysterious boy he knew so little about as if they were both magnets. They say that opposites attract. Maybe that's what happened in their case? After all, the first day P'Erin introduced Fourth to their boss, Off Jumpol, P'Off was devastated to learn that Fourth had never performed in public, sung or danced before. He could play football and badminton, but that was all.
That day, P'Off wanted to practice a few dances with them and finally choose two of them to use in the music video for the latest song, in which Gem was to introduce Fourth to his fans. It was agony for Gem.
Every time Fourth touched him, he felt strange and he couldn't explain it. He was surprised to discover that he felt great in his company. This wasn't what he expected.
"You're supposed to hate him, Gem, you hate this kid, do you hear me?" He kept repeating to himself, and a moment later he began to wonder, "Wait, why should I hate him anyway? I have no reason to hate him. He is a little annoying, but I think we can work on that. No, if I'm going to work with him, it's safer to like him. I don't think he has anything against me and maybe we can be friends? Yes, that's best. I need to become friends with him." .
This thought led to Gem inviting Fourth out for ice cream half an hour after P'Off finally let them go home.
“There's something behind it,” Fourth said warily, packing his slightly sweaty sweatpants into his bag. They both had already taken a quick shower and Gem, who had packed first, was waiting for Fourth at his assigned locker in the locker room.
“There's nothing behind it. We're supposed to be working together, so I thought we should get to know each other better”.
“I thought you didn't want to know me. You were acting strange today”.
Gem pretended he hadn't heard it, but decided to remember it. Did this mean that his new work partner was watching him closely? He was flattered.
They left the locker room together, arm in arm. Gem talked about himself, and Fourth listened to him with his usual sparkling joy in his dark, beautiful eyes shaded by long eyelashes. Gem was sorry that their walk together was so short, but Fourth had to return to his own house, or rather his brother's house, to take everything that belonged to him. He's already made up his mind. He will live in a rented apartment on the same street where Gemini lived. Gem was a little sad that he wouldn't have to see him every morning after waking up, but Dunk quickly explained to him that it would be best not only for both of them, but for everyone.
“Too soon is unhealthy, and if you delay it, you won't escape it. Trust me, if you wait more, you'll see the wait was worth it”. Said that same morning Dunk, who dropped by Gem's to visit him. “Mom would also like to see her own son at home from time to time”.
Gem just shrugged then. What does it matter to him? He will come back when he feels like it. Besides, now they had a lot of work, they often came home exhausted and the only thing they dreamed about was a good sleep, for which there was not always enough time. Fourth, unaccustomed to such a fast pace of life, had great difficulties for the first two weeks, constantly yawning at work and sometimes Gem found him sleeping in strange positions. One time, Fourth even fell asleep on the floor under the table, which amused Gem so much that he posted an adorable video on Instagram.
And now they were walking side by side, two friends with no barriers or boundaries between them, as if they had known each other forever. Gemini was glad that this parting would be short, that they would see each other in just a few hours the next day. For the first time, Norawit felt lucky, even if he couldn't currently attend his dream Formula 1 race in Singapore.
“See you tomorrow, my friend!” He shouted as he was leaving, standing at the pedestrian crossing and waving his hand at Fourth.
“See you!” Fourth shouted back, already walking away.
Once Fourth was out of sight, Gem finally forced himself to return home. He took out his headphones, pressed them into his ears and turned on his favorite playlist. It was a good day. Even sun seemed to smile to Gemini. And people on the streets looked happier. And all the colors were brighter. Everything was more beautiful than before.
„I have friend now! My own friend, who is only mine! Pond belongs to Joong and Phu, Dunk is my brother, Prim is a girl and has her own girl-group... Before Fourth I didn't even knew how lonely I was! Oh, I'm so lucky to have him! My own best friend! And we will be working together! To be honest his voice is quite nice. Hmmmm... And when he smiles, he somehow looks cute. Ouch! I don't want him to ignore me anymore, it was painful enough. Having him as my best friend is best thing ever! How could I even hate him?! Oh, silly me! He's too naive, too innocent to hate him! And tomorrow we will meet again! We will meet again! Yeeeey!”
Gem was so happy that he jumped up for joy, attracting the attention of random passers-by who did not understand what was happening. Flustered, Gemini quickly apologized to them for his behavior and ran home. Suddenly every song he listened to became prettier.