Arthit's POV
My eyes fluttered open slowly and the first thing I saw was Kong's face peering over mine barely inches away. Our gaze locking instantly as I saw my own reflection in his pupils.
"What are you doing?"
He blinked rapidly multiple times before pulling away and flashing his patented grin while he slowly extended his hand, popped his index finger out and began poking at the red, scaly rashes on my face.
"I was examining your face. How are you feeling now?"
"Uh...better...I guess."
I looked around to find myself once again on a hospital bed, and if my past experience was any indicator I was pretty much going to be stuck here for the rest of the night. Thankfully, atleast this time around I wasn't going to be surrounded by my sadistic friends laughing their tails off at me.
Wait, no! Now it's so much worse with Kong purposely nudging me so that I shifted to make enough room for him to scoot onto the bed and settle down cross legged next to me continuing to stare at the blotchy complexion of my face. Looking a little too much at home on a hospital bed next to the subject of a near disastrous date.
"So lilies, huh?"
"Yeah."
"I guess that explains why you kept looking like a sunburnt tomato all morning. I guess me practically doused in pollens didn't help."
"Nope. It felt like I was burning alive."
"Why didn't you tell me you were allergic to them?"
"How was I supposed to know you were planning murder as a part of the date."
"It was supposed to be romantic P'. I guess this also explains the flowers outside my door after the exams?"
"Hmmm..."
"Is that why you were admitted in the hospital that time? While I was trying to prank you with alarm clocks being stuck in your closet all night long."
I simply nodded as he let out a loud sign and dropped down on the pillow next to me, the both of us staring at the ceiling for a long, long time. Quietly pondering on everything we had said, done, shared. How had we even arrived to this day? With hate and like and pranks and endless different emotions that have revolved around our complicated relationship.
"We are a bunch of doofuses aren't we?"
"I might have to agree with that. We are, what, two failed attempts at dates now?"
"Well, on the bright side P', if we follow the third date rule, we can avoid all the useless talking parts and stick to simply making out. Atleast that part we have figured out."
I rolled my eyes while he chuckled at my exasperated expressions.
"So... now what?"
"What do you mean? We wait till your lips get down to a normal size and then we try again. We have atleast a few weeks left before you start your internship right? We are going to nail this dating business even if it is kills us. Well hopefully it won't kill you."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?"
"This. The candles. The flowers. The date. All of this. Why?"
"Why not?"
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
"You know what I mean."
"What do you mean?"
"Kong! Don't mess with me."
"Ok, ok, I'm sorry I won't."
"So, why are you doing this?"
"Will you believe me if I say I like you?"
"I will, if you actually say something believable."
"I'm telling the truth."
"And when exactly did this change of emotion come about? Between the endless pranks? Or while you were detailing every aspect of how much you hate me in our diary? Or maybe while you were studying at the crack of dawn cause you couldn't wait to change majors and get away from me."
I lisped out my rant with my mouth and tongue still slightly swollen up and yet it was more than enough to relay all my questions in front of Kong. It wasn't really fair how much Kong knew about me, about my feelings for him, about my fears, and my insecurities. Whereas I knew next to nothing about what Kong was thinking. And after everything we have shared for the many months I feel I atleast deserve some honesty.
Taking in my serious expression he dropped his teasing smile and turned around to lay on his side while we finally faced each other. Both literally and figuratively. His hand distractingly fidgeting with the hem of my shirt.
"Ok, this might sound stupid..."
"Not that surprising."
"P'!"
"Sorry. Continue."
"It might sound silly when you hear it out loud, but...but...I kind of have a crush on...Turtle."
"Huh?"
"I said I like Turtle."
"Ok you are right. That does sound stupid. You liked Turtle before you found out it was me?"
"Yeah."
"You started liking a guy you had never met? Or seen? Or knew anything about?"
"Yeah."
"Is that why you suggested we meet?"
"Yeah."
"Kong! Do you know how reckless that could be? What if Turtle was a psychopath?"
"Are you serious? You know you are Turtle right?"
"Yeah, but you didn't know I was him. It could easily be any crazy man in the city."
"But you were talking to Simba too. I could also have been a crazy maniac, you know."
"Yeah, but I wasn't falling for a nameless, faceless character. And also I figured out who you were ages ago. What were you even thinking?"
"I was thinking that I was finally talking to someone who was nice, and caring, and empathetic. Someone who listened to me without judging and gave me advice, and some rather crazy prank ideas. Someone I could talk to about anything and everything under the sun. Someone like who you used to be before you went ballistic on me after the beach trip. Totally makes me a crazy lunatic right? How in the world can I fall for a man who sounds perfect on paper. Especially when I am reading that page over and over again every single day."
"But why didn't you just tell me? I mean, why didn't you tell Turtle you like him?"
"Really P'? When exactly was I supposed to find the opening to confess my creepy one sided crush? While Turtle was singing sonnets about how much he loved his junior? How the hell was I supposed to know you were talking about me all along?"
I smacked my palm on my forehead as I groaned out loud.
"I think doofus is really too mild a word for us. Could we have made this anymore complicated?"
"I'm sure we will find a way in the future."
We fell silent again as we contemplated what I am really hoping are the last of our secrets. And now that we have finally come to this there was really only one more question left between us.
"So...what do you think now? About me...being...Turtle?"
"To be honest it was a little confusing trying to reconcile my feelings for Turtle and my hatred for you."
"Thanks for softening the blow Kong."
He simply smiled away my sarcasm as he reached out and grabbed my hand. Slowly interlacing his fingers with mine. My forehead creasing in an uncharacteristically deep frown. The boy was giving me very mixed signals here.
"You can't really blame me P'. We spent so long being at each other's throats this past year. And I was so, so mad at you cause I thought we were really close and then suddenly overnight you changed your entire attitude towards me."
"But I was just..."
"I know. I know. I understand. I understood even then. Atleast the rational part of my brain did. I even knew it was partially my fault. But none of that mattered. I thought I had a friend, a confidant that was going to accept me no matter what. And then suddenly I didn't. So I was more than ready to hate you till the end of eternity. It just gave me a channel to focus all my frustration about how much that one night messed things up between us. When you came into my life all over again as Turtle I found what I felt I had been missing all along. And then when I figured out you like me back it was kind of confusing how I should react. I was ecstatic that I finally actually had a shot with Turtle, and yet at the same time we have so much to resolve between us before we can move forward."
"So how do we move forward now?"
"Well, we get you discharged and then try again with date number 3. Oh and we definitely need to do one more thing."
"What is that?"
"Find me a new favorite flower. You see, my boyfriend happens to be allergic to lilies."
.