Yo tussled under his covers, trying his best to fall asleep but to no avail. He wanted to blame his sleeplessness on eating too much at dinner with Forth and Ming, but he knew that wasn't the case. Rolling over from one side to the other, he finally gave up on trying to blank out his mind and gave in to his conscience.
[Yo's struggle to sleep]
Tucking one hand under his head, he visualised an imaginary Pring, dressed in her beautifully fitted uniform and a sash that signified her status as star of the college. The imaginary Pring stood like a model, tall and pretty with luscious hair and Yo began his little self-belittling session as usual.
'P'Pring is so beautiful and smart...' Yo thought,'and more importantly, her gender...'
He watched as the imaginary Pring posed and preened, flaunting her womanly curves.
'After all, P'Pha likes girls... and I'm a boy... who looks like he just started puberty.'
He saw an imaginary copy of himself appear next to Pring, dressed sloppily in home clothing compared to her stunning self.
'And not to mention, I have all the same body parts as P'Pha...'
Yo cringed as a huge, bold red cross plastered itself to imaginary Yo's extremities.
[Yo's imagination]
Kicking the little visualised nightmare out of his mind, Yo threw his blanket off his body and reached for the light switch, knowing that trying to get some sleep was less likely to happen than getting some action from Pha himself.
Sitting up in bed, Yo glanced over to his little Pha altar in the corner of his room and stared longingly at the framed photos of his crush that he had spent a fortune on acquiring. Zeroing in on the little velvet box one again, he got out of bed and picked the little container up, flipping it open to stare at the bangle as he did countless times before.
'I was doomed from the moment P'Pha told P'Beam he wasn't into boys...' Yo sighed.
Just then, he heard the familiar sound of keys jingling from the hallway. He knew that jingle well. It was the sound of an extra bell accessory attached to a key set that Pring owned. He had heard it almost every night for Pring often returned home late, way past the time Yo had returned from school. And unless someone else along their floor coincidentally had the same accessory, then Yo was positive that the person on the other side of that door was the former college star.
Rushing to the door, he stopped just before reaching for the handle, making sure to tidy his messy appearance. It had to be Pring out there and knowing that she had dinner with Pha, the chances of Pha dropping her off was high as well- meaning Yo might be able to see his crush if what he assumed was right. Checking his breath one last time, Yo finally exited his room.
"Oh, P'Pring!" Yo greeted enthusiastically, elated that it was indeed the person he expected.
[Yo stops Pring for a conversation]
"Oh, Yo!" smiled the senior at her cute neighbour.
"You're home late," Yo walked towards her. "Where's P'Pha?"
"Oh, Pha went to study some more after dinner with his friends," Pring replied.
"He still studies after exams?" Yo questioned.
"Yep. He helps those who failed their tests. In fact, one of his friends has a make-up test in two days," Pring answered.
Yo felt his smile slip. He thought Pha would be here but of course the handsome nerd had other responsibilities. Plastering a fake smile onto his face, Yo continued the conversation.
"Then..." Yo hummed. "When will he be back?"
"I'm not sure... Do you have something you want to say to him?" Pring asked.
"No..." Yo drawled, struggling to think of an excuse. "I just wanted to... ask him something about the contest!"
"Oh..." Pring nodded. "It won't take long but you'll have to wait."
"Ah..." Yo played along. "If I remember correctly, Pha's room is on the 4th floor, room number...."
"3rd floor, room 3," Pring giggled, not knowing she had just been tricked into giving her love rival her crush's personal details. "You've confused his room with some other chick's, haven't you?"
Yo blushed at Pring's statement, berating himself for choosing such a dumb way of confirming Pha's room number. But hey, at least it worked.
[Yo's bashful reaction to Pring's statement]
"Well then..." Yo continued, "Sorry for intruding and thanks for the help!"
"No problem," smiled Pring. "You can always ask me anything."
Nodding in response, Yo watched as the senior turned in for the night before scuttling back into his room where he heaved a sigh of relief. Dropping his fake smile, he felt his jaw go slack from the released tension.
As he leaned against the door, he felt even more disheartened as he recalled the interaction just minutes ago. Pring was not only beautiful and smart, she was funny, knowledgeable and polite. Yo wondered how P'Pha didn't like her. Or maybe he did. But he didn't want to consider it.
Slapping himself mentally, Yo berated himself for being so pessimistic and nosy. 'I'm starting to think like Ming's shitty brain, having thoughts like this,' Yo snickered.
Somewhere across campus in the engineering dormitory sneezed Ming, clueless to where the draft had come from.
[Ming sneezes as Yo thinks about him]
As the hours got later and the night drew darker, Yo sat bored at his computer after having read 4 chapters of his favourite comic and spent the last hour scrolling through social media. He had been waiting for any sign of his crush's return to the dorm but so far, there was nothing.
Pacing around his room, he fiddled with the furniture, nitpicking at his bookshelf and rearranging his action figures in the room. And for the umpteenth time that night, he stepped out onto his balcony to scan for Pha's car but to no avail. He could only return back to his repetitive cycle of doing nothing productive.
Suddenly, the light sound of raindrops hitting solid matter invaded Yo's silent room. Usually, the pitter- patter would soothe Yo for he loved the sound of rain. But tonight, it only made him uneasy knowing that his crush would have to deal with the rain on the way back home.
As the light shower turned into a thunderstorm, Yo grabbed his umbrella before dashing out of his dorm and down to the lobby where he found himself seated, scanning for the familiar Bentley to arrive.
[Yo waiting for Pha]
After waiting for yet another 1/2 hour, finally Yo heard the sound of tires on wet gravel and he rushed to get a better look at the vehicle that had just pulled in.
Meanwhile, Pha pulled the gear stick to park and pondered on how to get into the dorm without getting completely drenched. He had parked as close to the entrance as possible but it was still quite a distance to the door and with important documents in hand, he was less than happy to have to go out into the rain at all.
However, knowing that the rain wasn't just a passing shower, he prayed that his expensive leather haversack would hold up the rain for awhile and keep his papers safe before stepping out of the car and into the elements. Keeping his bag poised above his head, he was impressed that he felt hardly a drop of water land on him. But wait... that couldn't be possible.
Looking up from the ground, Pha first noticed the wide panelled clear plastic umbrella that was keeping him dry. Following the stem of the structure, he then met eyes with the person attached to it.
Wayo.
[Yo sheltering Pha from the rain]
Pha felt his breath catch in his windpipe. Whether it was the fright that he got from Yo's sudden appearance or the fact that he was standing close enough to the pretty boy to smell his minty breath, Pha didn't know. But what he did know was that the boy was doing something unexpected right there and then.
"You're home late..." Yo started, breaking the silence.
"What about you?" Pha replied. "Why aren't you asleep?"
Pha knew it was already late at night, way past the kid's bedtime if what he heard from Kit was right. So seeing Yo at the car park this late in the pouring rain sounded very out of character to Pha.
"Oh..well, I," Yo stuttered, trying to think of an excuse. "I- I'm going to the pharmacy!"
"That's strange," Pha raised an amused eyebrow, "I would've thought you were waiting for me."
Yo gulped at that statement. Pha was spot on as always, but was he aware of Yo's feelings towards him? Yo could only savour the moment and stupidly continue drilling holes into his crush's face.
"So..." Pha continued. "What are you sick with?"
Yo felt a flicker of hope at the senior's concerned tone. Was Pha worried about him? No, it couldn't be... right? Anyways, better not look weak in his eyes.
"Oh... I'm just gonna grab some vitamins," Yo replied. "Recently I've been going to be late and my skin is suffering."
Just then, the rain got even heavier, bringing the two closer under the shelter of the umbrella. Using Yo's statement as an excuse, Pha brought his face closer to the kid's. He scanned Yo's porcelain skin, wondering what exactly the kid was worried about. His skin was flawless. There were no pores, no acne, no pimples, scars, creases or birthmarks. Heck, the kid didn't even have facial hair or peach fuzz! But he did have another problem...
[Pha scanning Yo's skin]
"I think your problem is your eyes," Pha said as he scanned the planes of the kid's face.
"Why?" Yo asked, confused.
"They're so red!" Pha said, wondering why the kid was still up when he was obviously sleepy.
"Oh..." Yo said, "It's because of my contact lenses."
Pha paused, nostalgia overcoming him. The kid seemed more and more familiar the more he found out about him.
"You're nearsighted?" he gulped.
"Yep!" Yo nodded eagerly, glad to see Pha curious about him.
Shaking his head, Pha blamed his weird thoughts on his exhaustion and instead went for a tease instead.
"Don't tell me they're red from you crying because you couldn't treat me to sushi," Pha smirked.
"It's actually better that way," Yo rebutted. "Didn't need to spend any money."
Pha smiled at the cheeky kid, wondering why he was being more timid and accommodating than usual. If Yo were a girl, he'd definitely identify this as flirting. But unlike the rest, he couldn't read Yo's thoughts nor his body language. The boy was just one huge ball of confusion and curiosity to Pha. And he couldn't stay away.
Staring for a second too long, Pha broke eye contact and grabbed onto the umbrella instead.
"Why is the shorty the one holding the umbrella?" he teased once more, completely taking over the duty of umbrella holder from Yo.
Pha centred the umbrella at an appropriate height and started to lead them away from the dorm to Yo's confusion.
"Where are you going?" Yo asked, grabbing onto Pha's sleeve to stop him. "The dorm is that way."
"Where else?" Pha replied. "The pharmacy."
Yo stood in shock. Was Pha offering to bring him to the pharmacy out of his own free will? Even though it was raining cats and dogs onto them and their too-small umbrella? Even though it was so late at night and he was tired? Even though the kid he was escorting was one that he seemingly couldn't stand?
But whatever it was, Yo wasn't going to pass up this opportunity. Especially not when he had waited hours for Pha's return.
"Go!" urged Pha, pushing the shorty towards the campus pharmacy.
As they walked in comfortable silence, Yo felt like the sound of his heartbeat was loud enough to override the sound of the rain. In fact, he was so worried that Pha would catch on that he had failed to avoid a puddle, causing him to slip and fall... into Pha's arms.
Pha watched as the whole scene unfolded before him. He watched as the kid accelerated a bit, presumably to lessen the time of travel. He watched as the kid slipped, his right leg giving way and his body falling back. Usually, if it was Kit or Beam, he would've let them free fall to their doom. But for some reason, his instincts made him reach for the boy as Yo wrapped an arm around his waist, Pha grabbing Yo protectively with his free hand and catching his head with the nook of his elbow with his other hand.
[The magical moment]
Yo's heart truly felt like it had burst then. Not just because he had almost slipped to his death, but because god had blessed him with such a memorable experience. His eyes connected with Pha's worried pair for a moment before he felt himself being straightened by his crush's strong arms. Before he knew it, their magical moment was over.
"Are you alright, shorty?!" freaked Pha. "Walk properly!"
"I'm fine!" Yo assured, flustered beyond belief. "It's just a little slippery. We'd better hurry of the pharmacy will close."
"It's 24 hours..." Pha half chuckled, half sighed with relief.
Embarrassed, Yo brushed off Pha's statement and continued their journey all while oblivious to the attentive senior behind him who tediously ensure the junior wasn't getting rained on nor in danger of slipping again.
A little later, the duo soon found themselves on the journey back to the dorms. While Yo was purchasing his vitamins, the rain had stopped and both of them could finally walk apart from each other.
"You're so smart," Yo started. "You came in first."
Pha continued on walking, barely acknowledging the statement. He was awkward with compliments and especially the ones from Yo. He didn't want to acknowledge them and possibly seem proud, not did he want to deny it and look humble. So instead, he stayed silent.
"But the saddest part is..." Yo continued. "You're so annoying!"
Pha scoffed at the junior's remark. Did the kid just say that?
"Why?" Pha challenged. "Being annoying means you can't be first?"
Smiling at Pha's typical rebuttal, they walked back the rest of the way in comfortable silence, splitting off to their respective rooms for the night.
~~~~~~~~~~
A familiar ringtone rang shrilly throughout a dark dorm room. Letting out a huge sigh of frustration, a hand reaches out to the bed lamp, switching on the lights before accepting the call.
"Yes, boss?" Kit grumbled into the phone. "What can I help you with?"
"Shit, Kit!" Pha started. "Shorty is near sighted!"
Kit sat up in bed. It was strange for Pha to call him this late in the first place but for a matter concerning the Yo he so seemingly hated?
[Kit on the phone with Pha]
"So what?" Kit answered, interest piqued.
"Which high school was he from?" Pha asked.
Recalling the promise he made with Yo, Kit laughed into the receiver as he got ready to deceive his friend.
"How am I supposed to know?" Kit replied. "I don't have a clue."
"They really... look the same..." Pha said. "I mean really..."
"Hey," Kit sighed sleepily into the phone. "If you have nothing else important to say, I'm going back to sleep. Let's talk tomorrow."
"Wait a second!" Pha shouted. "Come to the training venue tomorrow. I want someone there with me..."
"Okay," smiled Kit before hanging up, leaving a very confused Pha on the other end.
[A confused Pha after the phone call]