Gawin didn't stay at his girlfriend's house much when they were still together. He liked waking up in his own house, getting out of bed without being called, and going to the kitchen to make his favorite coffee.
This morning was the first time he woke up next to a man, with completely messy hair, on a sofa which was a bit too small for two grown-up people to lie on, with beer bottles and snack wrappers scattered around.
It didn't take long for him to remember how he came here last night and why he ended up sleeping like this, his back and his arms now were numbed. He looked at the watch on his wrist and decided to go back to his house to change clothes, and then go straight to the clinic.
Krist didn't seem like he was going to wake up, even when Gawin was struggling to pull out the jacket slung over the back of the sofa where he was sleeping on.
Waking up Krist was a challenge that only Aou could do that, whereas Gawin had no idea about that, so now he was feeling uneasy with the thought that Krist drinking too much and being tired like this was because of his issue.
His movements were gentle...
One hand of his was pulling out his jacket, and the other hand was slightly lifting Krist's round head. Gawin was startled a bit when the small guy rubbed his face in his palm and pressed his puffy cheek against it, his eyes were still closed.
The taller guy didn't realize that he had just stared at Krist for more than five seconds. He slowly withdrew his hand and draped the jacket over his arm, hesitating whether he should wake up Krist to say goodbye or not. But when Gawin noticed that a light shade of pink brushed across his chubby cheeks in the morning sunlight and heard a little snoring sound, he decided to quietly walk to the door.
He also was not aware that he had just turned his head to look at Krist one more time before leaving, even though all he saw at that distance was just a tuft of his messy hair.
Until now, when the sun almost reached the highest position in the sky, the coffee cup was long emptied, leaving only coffee stains at the bottom, he still thought about Krist's chubby cheeks, unconsciously. It was like two strawberry mochi cakes he saw in the Japanese bakery this morning, just like the soft cheeks of a baby boy who was holding his mother's hand and standing outside the clinic. The baby looked at him through the window and then giggled, his smiling eyes were like two mini crescents.
Krist's cheeks are so adorable.
He was so engrossed in thinking about that guy's cheeks, when he unintentionally glanced at the phone, the screen flashed and went off for the third time. Gawin unlocked the screen and saw the name of his best friend - Podd.
The dentist walked toward the counter and put coffee beans into the coffee machine, then he made a call. Podd's voice on the other end was calm as if he was so used to Gawin not answering the phone during his working hours.
"Are you free, my friend?"
"If during my working hours, then no."
"Ah! Do you have any appointments in the afternoon? If not, please close the clinic a little early. I just broke up. I need someone to drink with me."
A small exclamation "Oh!" rang in Gawin's head.
The autumn was supposed to be the love season, not the breakup season, but seemingly it was not.
"Is tonight okay? I have two appointments with my customers this afternoon."
"Have to go home in Ratchaburi this evening, my mom called this early morning, complaining that I haven't visited her this month."
"Okay... then we can meet another day. I'm so used to this behavior of yours, always saying you want to relieve sadness after a breakup. Sad what...? Remember last time? Just three minutes passed, you already go flirt with girls in the pub."
Then, after he hang up, a woman took two twin boys to the clinic for the check-up. The boy who looked older had decay in a single tooth, while the younger twin had two cavities and it almost spread to the other teeth. Seeing his puffy cheeks, Gawin knew that he had toothache all night yesterday. The dentist quickly examined the mouths and teeth for the twins, not forgetting to threaten them with stories about a fat bacteria monster that would munch all their teeth if they still ate too many candy and refused to brush their teeth before going to bed, drinking soft drink every day could also make the monster bigger and stronger. Gawin was quite amused when he noticed the twins' wide eyes in fear, but he remained a serious face so that they could believe what he said.
The two boys left the clinic with their mother after making the pinky promise with Gawin that they would not eat more than a slice of cake and two pieces of candy a day, that they would brush their teeth twice in the morning and evening, and that they would drink water or milk instead of soft drinks.
It was almost noon, Gawin opened Youtube app, randomly choosing a playlist compiling songs of young artists. Then he walked outside to water the plants. There were four or five cone-shaped white porcelain ceramic pots with colorful flowers in it, they were all bought by Podd. His best friend said that the clinic with just a few plain colors would be so boring. The customers would feel more comfortable only if they felt the space was safe and warm. Like Podd's flirty personality, all the flower pots were bright and radiant, even the pots also having beautiful patterns on them.
Podd worked in a family business, due to that or his carefree personality, Podd was the liberal type in terms of dressing. He didn't mind changing his style - from a business suit to a casual denim jacket, or he simply put on a white shirt and black pants. Gawin sometimes also spotted his friend wearing a pair of floral sneakers and dying his hair bright colors. Podd was also not afraid to date girls with completely different personalities. Gifted with a great sense of humor and amazing communication skill, no wonder countless women approached him. Although Podd's preferences are different from his in many ways, Gawin thought that being friends with him wasn't that bad.
Anyway, Podd's preferences were not as unique as his new friend, at least he didn't have silver hair or multiple ear piercings. Each time Gawin met Krist, the small guy wore different piercings, from safety pin earrings to hanging cross earrings. Before knowing Krist, none of his male friends wear earrings. Gawin used to think that men wearing earrings were a sign of rebellion, meanwhile he preferred composedness and simplicity.
He's never thought that men wearing earrings would also be childish and somehow adorable.
When Gawin finished watering the last plant pot, the watering can ran out of water as well. He walked back to the room and stopped immediately when a familiar person appeared on TV. He rubbed his eyes a few times to make sure he wasn't mistaken. Krist appeared in a new music video of a young singer named Nanon Korapat. Gawin remembered that Krist mentioned this person briefly before - the popular idol who was learning to play drums from Krist.
Krist had a solo drum performance in this music video.
He was wearing a black sleeveless T-shirt and a red sleeveless coat outside, the black pants with a stylish leather belt, a red trendy bandanna scarf was hooked to a belt loop of his pants. Krist was wearing a thick golden chain too. Gawin had seen his ex wearing a similar necklace but a bit thinner, it looked completely refreshing and perfect around Krist's neck. His hair in the music video has changed to a light brown copper color. Gawin wondered when it was filmed, maybe it was before the day he walked into Gawin's clinic with chestnut hair.
At this moment, the music playing in the music video is simply the rhythmical sounds of drums and guitar. His arms swung decisively while his body movements were smooth, the drumbeats resounding steadily. In a few short seconds, Krist looked straight at the camera and gave a half smile. Gawin was slightly stunned by the other's expression that he had never seen before.
Krist disappeared as soon as Nanon started to sing.
This was the very first time he saw Krist playing drums, professionally. Even though his screentime was less than 30 seconds, it was enough to distract Gawin from doing what he was going to do.
When Krist played the drums, his gaze was completely different from what Gawin knew. His charisma is far different from his usual cute image that Gawin saw in other days. Even his smile in the music video was so attractive and sexy, unlike the pure, innocent smile on the day the taller guy caught him dozing off at the clinic's doorstep, under the last rays of burning sunset.
That guy in the music video even had nothing in common with the boy who fell asleep on the sofa with him this morning, with crumbs around his mouth.
As for Krist, he was now outside the clinic door.
Absorbed in how own thoughts, Gawin did not realize that the guy he was thinking about had walked in the room with two lunchboxes in his hands, his smile was so bright and his eyes were lovely.
"Ah... you're still here, I'm afraid that you already come home for lunch. Yesterday you brought me cakes so I buy you a meal today, I buy for me too, so of course we will eat together, oh... wait, unless you already have a date!"
Every time Krist appears, whether it was behind the clinic door or on the steps to his house, whether it was outside the car window or inside the car, he always brought lively, happy sounds to Gawin's silent world, even when that world was in the early morning or late night, at noon or after the sun set.
And, no matter what Gawin was thinking about before, he would anyway agree to whatever Krist said.
...
Krist drank a glass of water, rubbed his stomach gleefully, then looked at Gawin who was eating the last bites of his chicken rice. The way this guy being gentle in whatever he was doing and his long fluttering eyelashes really reminded Krist of big dogs.
Krist chuckled and sincerely stared at the other for a long moment. Gawin looked up, two pairs of deep black eyes met.
"Has anyone told you that you look like a dog, Gawin?"
"Hmm? Like a dog?"
"Yeah~ you are so calm but also funny sometimes... like a big dog!"
"How about you? Do you know you look like a cat? Arrogant and cold and a-..."
"Ya~ I'm not like that~"
'Attractive...' The image of the golden chain around Krist's thin neck, his light brown copper hair, and his half smile when looking straight at the camera flashed through Gawin's mind again.
Luckily he didn't blurt out that word.
"Aou told me that my appearance is like Muffin but my personality is like Pluto. He keeps emphasizing that I'm as clingy and energetic as Pluto."
Krist grinned at him and his eyes were sparkling with laughter. Gawin was not someone too interested in dogs or cats like Krist, but he thought they were pretty adorable.
When Krist smiled brightly, he was like a dog, and when he was quiet, he looked like a cat.
"Are you free tonight, Gawin? I want to go buy something for my mother, and I think you will give me some great recommendations!"
Krist said as both of them cleaned up the leftovers, he quickly went to the bathroom to wash his hands while Gawin cleaned the table. The taller remembered the failed appointment with Podd, then suddenly Krist's presence fit his schedules in a very perfect way.
God knows how happy Gawin was!
Krist only had time to sit a little longer because Gawin had a customer after that. The clumsy boy walked back and forth because he forgot his phone and then his wallet. After 5-10 minutes of walking back and forth around the clinic, he finally left.
...
Krist picked him up exactly at five thirty in the evening, as if he counted every minute to show up in front of him. This time, they had dinner in a Japanese restaurant, treated by Krist. It was still early when the two of them finished their meal. Spotted a shopping mall about 100 meters away from the restaurant, Krist asked Gawin to walk there.
They took on a stroll, slowly, along the luxury stores, choosing an entrance to enter. As they walked together, they had a million of topics to talk to each other. While Krist was choosing hoodies with various patterns, Gawin stood looking at the sweaters. As always, his hands first stopped at the ones with light colors - a beige sweater and a gray sweater. Then his eyes moved to the one in wine red color at the end of the row, not his favorite color, but for some reason it kept lingering in his mind, a familiar and pleasant feeling.
Krist suddenly appeared behind him and pointed at the red sweater in excitement.
"I also have one in this color, turtleneck, exactly the same!"
"Do you think it suits on me?" Gawin's eyebrows furrowed. Krist hadn't answered yet, but the taller again unconsciously touched the sweater. He removed it from the hook and felt a strange fascination.
Krist gave him the thumbs-up, his finger was fair and thin.
"It will look good on you. But most importantly, do you like it? I see you picking that two colors first. They must be your favorite, then why are you suddenly hesitant about this?"
"Hmm! I think you will look good in it, so I want to try too."
"If trying it on makes you happy, then you should buy it, but if you're hesitant, well then..." Krist took the beige and gray sweaters from the other's hand, holding them in front of Gawin and looking at his reflection in the mirror, and nodded approvingly, "This is much better, like, you being yourself, how comfortable it is, right?"
Gawin put the wine red sweater back on the hanger. Krist was back with his colorful hoodies, his favorite, his own style. Gawin draped two light-colored sweaters over his arms, feeling the fabric with his fingers, softly, Krist's words also sounded soft.
Right...
Gawin realized that he didn't have to try to find the explanation for things involved Krist, because even if both being true to themselves, having completely different circles of friends, the two of them would still be together comfortably.
Like the contrast of hues in a painting, Gawin and Krist have become closer without any changes.
[ END CHAP 7 ]