Kongpop's POV
I look at my watch and smile. Ten more minutes, and I will only have to kiss who I want to kiss. P'Arthit. It has been the worst and, at the same time, the best week ever. Last night being the highlight. The next person walks up to my booth, and I freeze. I have been here before, and that time I walked away from it a pink sticky mess.
"P'Namtam," I greet, "I don't think you are here for a kiss."
"I'm not," P'Namtam agrees, "When you are finished, can we talk?"
I had promised to meet P'Arthit right after, but I want to know why P'Namtam wants to talk with me suddenly. "I have less than ten minutes. I will meet you at the cafe next to the university."
"Thank you," P'Namtam nods before she walks away.
I don't know how to take this. The last time I saw P'Namtam, I was watching my boyfriend pour pink milk all over her after he tossed another drink in her boyfriend's face. So I doubt we could be considered to be on good terms.
I am walking into the cafe, and I see P'Namtam sitting at a table. She is shredding a napkin and looking out the window. Why is she nervous?
"I am sorry I have kept you waiting, P'Namtam," I say as I pull out a chair. "What did you want to talk about? I doubt you asked me here to have a coffee."
"You are quite direct," P'Namtam states, "Not at all like me or anyone I thought Oon... I mean, Arthit would date. Sorry."
"If you don't tell it clearly to him..." I struggle for the words, "Let's just say it is better to get to the point with him." Not exactly what I wanted to say, but close enough.
"Who chased who? If you don't mind me asking," P'Namtam questions.
"I did in the beginning," I explain, "But when I backed off, P'Arthit chased after me."
"Arthit chased after you," P'Namtam says quietly, "Well, I guess that answers the question I wanted to be answered."
"And what was that question?" I ask.
"Arthit might have had a crush on me," P'Namtam starts, and her words rub me the wrong way, "But it was never love." I look at her. "If it were love, he would have chased after me, and that never happened. In a way, I envy you."
"Envy me?" I am confused. This is not what I expected from her when she asked to talk with me.
"You made Arthit make a move," P'Namtam smiles, "Even when I came to him after I fought with Jay and all the times I ran to him when Jay and I broke up. He never once tried to date me."
She is right. If P'Arthit had been in love with P'Namtam, wouldn't he have done something those times? My Sun did chase after me. I was wrong to be jealous of this person. P'Arthit was mine all along.
"I am sorry about the other day," I apologize.
"What is with you two?" P'Namtam frowns. "Both of you have a way of shaming people. I am the one who is sorry, and I hope one day we can all be friends. Arthit was right. Jay and I were selfish. We always believed Arthit would be there forever, but even the most loyal friend can get tired of people who don't appreciate them."
"I never wanted P'Arthit to lose his friends," I explain, "He shouldn't have to lose them because of me."
"Jay is talking to him today," P'Namtam puts in, "We talked and are back together. Honestly, I love him more than I should, which is why we fight often. Jay and I were wrong, always putting Arthit in the middle. Especially since we both knew how he felt about me, we were mean in that regard, and I won't blame him if he doesn't forgive us."
"I am sure he will eventually," I encourage, "You have been friends for too long for it to end so easily."
"I hope you are right," P'Namtam sighs, "I want you to know we won't be telling our parents or Arthit's parents that he is dating you. We wouldn't do that to him or you. And I hope it goes well for you."
"Why do you hope it goes well?" I ask, curious about the answer.
"You make him happy," P'Namtam shrugs, "I want my friend to be happy. Isn't that reason enough?"
"You can call him Oon," I concede. "I am sorry I got jealous about that. You are right, and you have been calling him that for longer than I have."
"But you were right also," P'Namtam counters, "Jay and I both lost the right to it considering how we treated him. Maybe after we get back to being friends, I will take you up on it, but for now, I think I will call him Arthit. You need a special name for him, not us."
"I have a special name for him," I smile, "He is my Sun, and I am his Moon."
"Wow!" P'Namtam laughs, "I never knew Arthit could be this cheesy."
"I am the cheesy one," I smirk.
Arthit's POV
I am waiting for Kong to finish at the booth. Finally, it is the last day of this evil festival. My boyfriend will no longer have to kiss everyone who has a ticket. Fifteen more minutes, and he is all mine. My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out, expecting a message from Kong telling me where to meet him and freeze when I see it is from Jay.
Jay: Can we meet?
Oon: y
Jay: Please. Just you and me.
Oon: k where
Jay: your canteen in 5
Oon: k
Hopefully, whatever Jay wants to say doesn't take too long. I don't want to keep Kong waiting because of this person.
I am sitting at a table in our canteen when Jay walks up, and I frown at him.
"You are late," I growl. "What do you want?"
Jay stops walking to the table and stares at me. I am getting pissed.
"I asked, what do you want?" I repeat.
"You have changed," Jay says, sitting across from me.
"I haven't changed," I retort, "I have places to be, and you were late."
"Yes," Jay nods his head, "You have changed." He holds up his hands to keep me from protesting. "In the past, you would be the one apologizing, whether it was your fault or not. You would have also been the one who was late."
"Like I said," I repeat, "I have somewhere I need to be."
"You mean you have someone you need to meet," Jay corrects, "Don't worry. Namtam is talking with him."
"What?" I shout, standing up to leave.
"Oon," Jay grabs my hand, "Please hear me out. She is just apologizing to him. That is all."
"Arthit," I reiterate, "Whatever you have to tell me, just get on with it."
"Ai'Arthit," Jay says, shaking his head, "I really did lose you as a friend, didn't I?"
I still at those words. Jay, Namtam, and I have been friends for so long. It sounds odd to hear Jay say that he had lost me as a friend, but isn't that what has happened?
"I am sorry, Ai'Arthit," Jay sighs, "Namtam and I used you. I was wrong to taunt you about Namtam. I knew you liked her just as long as I had. When I told you I would ask her out, I thought you would stop me and tell me you liked her, but you didn't. You supported both of us, and how did we repay you? We stuck you in the middle of our fights."
I am stunned. Jay being contrite is not what I expected when he asked to talk to me. Now I have to wonder what Namtam is telling Kong.
"What made you want to talk to me?" I question.
"Realizing I lost you as a friend," Jay shrugs, "Namtam and I don't expect you to forgive us. You were right, and we were selfish. We never expected you to... I don't know. We always took for granted that you would always be there. But why would you when we treated like we did? I was cruel. In a way, I was always worried Namtam would realize you were the better guy and dump me. That doesn't explain why I treated you the way I did. You never acted on your feelings once."
"You were my friend," I sigh, "I wouldn't do that to you."
"I know," Jay agrees, "Which makes me a bigger ass."
"Yes, it does," I snark.
"Can I ask you something, and you won't get mad?" Jay questions. I nod my head. Why not?
"When did you start liking guys?" Jay asks, leaning forward.
"I like Kongpop," I explain, "He is the only person I like, and it just so happens he is a guy. I don't know how else to explain it. Not like I am going to jump every guy I see now."
"How did he ask you out?" Jay inquires.
"I asked him out," I smile, remembering the night on the bridge. "He chased me, and I ran him off. In the end, I was afraid of losing him, so I asked him."
"Then you never really loved Namtam," Jay hums, lost in thought.
"I guess that is true," I agree, "If I had, I would have done something about it, but that never happened. For Kongpop, I did."
"Just so you know," Jay begins, "Namtam and I won't be telling our parents or yours. We would never do that to you, Ai'Arthit."
"Just call me Oon," I sigh, "You calling me Ai'Arthit is just weird."
"Not yet," Jay tells me, "Maybe when we are on better terms, and we deserve to lose the right to call you that. Besides, your boyfriend would kill me if I use your special name."
"That is not my special name," I blush.
"Oh?" Jay grins, "What is it then?"
"Sun," I blurt. "He calls me his Sun."
"Sun?" Jay laughs, "What do you call him?"
"He is my Moon," I shrug, "I am dating the Campus Moon after all."
"I can't believe you snagged the Campus Moon," Jay chuckles, "Out of all the girls and guys on campus. You got him."
"He was mine from the beginning," I brag, "Nobody had a chance."
"Who are you, and what did you do to my shy friend?" Jay asks.
"Shut it," I slap away his hand, trying to feel my forehead. "Sorry about the other day."
"Don't be," Jay shakes his head. "We both had it coming to us. I should have stopped Namtam from pouring that drink on your boyfriend. We were childish. It was impressive, though."
"Impressive," I snort.
"You defended your boyfriend, told us off, and declared he was yours," Jay details, "In front of everyone."
"Don't remind me," I roll my eyes.
"I take it your friends don't mind that you are dating N'Kongpop," Jay asks.
"Yeah," I nod, " They are good with Kongpop." It would be funny if they weren't considering who they are dating.
Jay's phone sounds, and he looks at the message. "Come on," Jay says, standing up, "I will take you to your boyfriend."
"Is everything ok?" I ask, concerned. "She didn't do anything to him?"
"No," Jay shakes his head, "I told you she was just going to apologize. Just like me. By the way, we have made up. And the next time we fight, we won't involve you."
"Why the hell do you two fight all the time?" I grumble, "It is annoying."
"I don't think we will be fighting as much anymore," Jay shrugs, "You were the reason. Let's face it. I just told you that I was always worried about you taking Namtam from me. But now I know you would never do that."
"So you were insecure? That is what this was all about?" I am flabbergasted. "Seriously, Jay. That is fvcked up."
"Tell me something I don't know," Jay laughs. "I hope we can be friends again like we used to be before I started screwing it all up."
"It could happen," I smile.
2063 7-8-19
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