Present-day Yo was really difficult to get used to. The nerdy-looking midget who he had talked to just a few days ago (based on what Ming last remembered) did NOT match up to the guy who was sitting in front of him right now, casually munching on a banana. Okay, fine, the natural cuteness that is practically an element of Yo remained the same, which was actually how Ming was able to recognize him in the first place. But seriously, his best friend's changed appearance was one of the most surprising developments in his future or his present or whatever the heck this was.
"Okay, so we both go to Kantaphat University, I'm an engineering major and you're a science major, and we're both entering our third years next month," Ming recapitulated. He couldn't help himself and added, "Man, I can't believe you got into Kantaphat with me, especially with your lousy brains."
Scowling, Yo threatened to throw the banana peel that he was holding at Ming's face. Ming laughed. With or without his memories, annoying Yo was still Ming's favorite pastime.
"So, how do I know the other guys who came here a few days ago?" Ming inquired.
Over the past several days, Ming was in the process of learning about his "future" from Yo. And learning about his future was super interesting, especially because it sounded so AMAZING. He definitely enjoyed the part about him becoming the campus moon, which of course was totally expected given his handsome looks but, STILL, huge kudos to himself!!!
Yo had given him a fair amount of detail on major events that happened during his high school and college years, which he truly appreciated from his friend. But Yo strangely skimped out on describing the relationships that Ming formed during the past five years and Ming really wanted to know as much as he could. Especially about the four good-looking men who had come to see him that day. He didn't get a chance to formally hear introductions from everyone given the shock of his whole SH*T-I-just-lost-five-years-of-my-memories!!! crisis, but now he was really regretting not doing so. Because he was particularly dying to know more about one person from that group. That guy who he just couldn't stop thinking about ever since he woke up.
"I told you already. You know them from college."
"Okay, but I want details."
"What details?"
Ming rolled his eyes.
"Who they are, how I met them, how I got to know them. Everything! And I want to see pictures too!" Ming eagerly exclaimed.
Yo sighed. He was actually playing dumb right now, just to stall time and hopefully get himself out of this mess. Yo really didn't like this plan. Kit's plan. The plan that was just going to utterly fail and cause misery to the entire world. Okay, so he was exaggerating just a bit, but this plan literally SUCKED! And as much as he adored Kit, Yo was Ming's best friend. He knew how much Ming loved Kit, how much Kit had meant to his friend.
Yo had witnessed the two's relationship from the very start. He remembered how Ming looked like such a lovesick puppy when he was telling Yo about the feelings that he was developing towards Kit. He remembered how Ming bounced around in pure ecstasy when he was telling Yo that the two had finally started dating. He remembered how Ming completely broke down when he was telling Yo that Kit had suddenly ended their relationship. I wanted to hold on to him, stop him and beg him not to leave me, but he said that he didn't love me anymore, Ming had cried. Yo couldn't keep himself from tearing up with his friend, upset and shaken because he had never seen Ming so completely crushed before.
So, Yo wanted to reject this stupid plan and just tell Ming the freaking truth. But Kit had come to him in person and pleaded with him. Kit begged that he didn't want Ming to hurt any longer and if Ming was never able to remember him, both Ming and Kit would be able to move on much more easily. And what truth was there? Kit was just Ming's past boyfriend, and that wasn't going to mean anything to a Ming who didn't remember him. Yo wanted to shout back at Kit and correct him. Kit was not just some past boyfriend to Ming but he was Ming's one true love, Ming's soulmate, Ming's entire universe. But he couldn't. Kit looked exactly how Ming had looked that night of the breakup, so shattered and broken, and Yo just couldn't blurt out the words that would crush the senior even more.
So fine, he would go along with this plan. For now. But did he mention how he thought that this plan was plain STUPID?!?! It was going to be an utter failure, especially given how Ming was acting right now. Yo knew that even though Ming was making it sound like he was genuinely interested in learning about everyone, Ming really just wanted to know everything about Kit. Even without his memories, Ming's body and soul were reacting towards Kit, reaching out to him like a magnet.
Yo flipped through the photos on his phone and found a nice group photo of the six of them. One where Ming and Kit didn't look too lovey-dovey. Not like they were the type of couple who would publicly display their affection (mostly due to Kit's embarrassment), Yo remembered fondly. He handed the phone to Ming, who grabbed it right away and instantly found the person that he wanted to see. Wow. Ming was speechless for a moment. The only two times that Ming remembered of the man was of him crying, but in the photo, he was smiling. Laughing. And he had the loveliest and most adorable dimples that he ever saw in his life. The man was so outright gorgeous, and Ming wished that he could keep that smile on his face forever.
"The guy next to me is Phana," Yo started out. "He's a year above us and he is a medical major. And...like I told you, he's my boyfriend."
"Which I still can't believe! How'd you hook up with such a smoking ball of hotness?!?!"
"Shut up."
Yo always blushed when he introduced Pha as his boyfriend, and Ming never missed the opportunity to tease him when he did. Trying to hide his embarrassment, Yo quickly moved on to the other people in the photo.
"Next to Pha is Beam and Forth. Beam is one of Pha's best friends, and he is also a medical major. Forth is also a year senior and he majors in engineering, just like you. He took great care of you, especially because you both were the moons of the engineering college."
"Okay, Phana, Beam, and Forth," Ming repeated.
And finally, he was about to hear the name that he was longing to know. Ming's eyes brightly sparkled in anticipation as he looked at Yo.
"And this is Kit. He's also one of Pha's best friends and is also a medical major."
Kit. The name kept replaying inside his head, like a beautiful melody that couldn't be forgotten. Kit. Ming softly said the name aloud and it sounded so natural coming out of his lips, as if he had said it a countless number of times before.
"How did I meet him?" Ming demanded to know.
"Well, Pha, Beam and Kit went to our high school. But we really met and got to know each other in our first year of college. We sort of naturally all hung out with each other, ever since Pha and I started dating."
Which was close to the truth. Yo observed his friend, who was currently engrossed with the photo and was lost in his thoughts. He was secretly hoping that Ming would move on to a different topic.
"So, we were all friends?" Ming asked after a moment of silence.
Yo flinched. He really didn't want to lie to his friend.
"We all spent a lot of time together for the past two years," Yo finally managed to say. He wasn't necessarily lying, right? He was just leaving out some of the details. Important details, Yo bitterly corrected himself.
Ming fell silent. Although Ming put on a happy and carefree front, he was honestly stressed out by everything that was thrown at him. How could it not? On top of severe physical injuries that needed weeks of healing, he had lost five years of his precious memories and he had no idea when they would, if ever, come back. But out of all the problems and complications that he was facing right now, the one that was the most troubling involved the man on the screen in front of him, who he couldn't take his eyes off of.
"Yo, it's really weird. Ever since I saw Kit that day, I can't stop thinking about him," Ming softly confessed to his friend. "Why can't I stop thinking about him?"
Ming felt so lost and defeated. He finally tore his eyes away from the screen and faced Yo, who was quietly watching him.
"This really doesn't make any sense. And it's going to sound so crazy. But I think I might have fallen in love with him at first sight."
Ming forced out a laugh. For the past few days, he thought again and again about why he was acting like this, why he just couldn't get Kit out of his head no matter how hard he tried. It was so outrageous, especially given his current situation, but he ended up conceding to the one and only possible explanation for all of this. He was in love.
"I'm so ridiculous right? It's hilarious. I get in a coma and lose my memories, and the second that I wake up, I fall in love with someone the moment I see him. With someone that I don't even remember."
Yo didn't laugh with his friend, who had turned his attention back to the smiling Kit on Yo's phone. He really didn't think it was in any way hilarious, and in fact, he was amazed at how things were unfolding. Yo never doubted Ming's love for Kit, but he honestly wasn't expecting THIS. Ming, despite having lost his memories of Kit, just falling in love with him again? It would have been so romantic (and Yo would have relentlessly teased Ming for being so sappy) had it not been placed in such a disastrous setting.
Sure, Yo was going to go along with the plan alright. He'll keep his promise with Kit. Yo wasn't going to fill Ming in about his lost memories of Kit and he wasn't going to tell Ming how much Kit had meant to him. But, Yo determined, that didn't mean that he couldn't help his friend chase after his current ongoing crush.
***
Author's Note: Aww, Ming is in love~ And Yo is going to be a kickass friend :D FYI, in case anyone wondered about this story's timeline, Ming and Kit first met in the summer/fall of 2015 (when Ming was a first year in college and Kit was a second year). They started dating at the end of 2015 and have been in a relationship until the summer of 2017, which is when this story takes place. Thank you to all who read, vote and comment!