Author's Note : A little rhyming in the titles for this story 😀
This will be a long chapter because I really want to give Tine and Wat that closure of realizing what that year-long search meant for them both. The series didn't really dwell on it much.
Recommended soundtrack : Christina Perri - A Thousand Years
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Tine's POV
"Whoa, Phuak! Your review vlog hit 20k followers! Look at all the comments. Yikes, we've been banned from thirty two places. We have never even been to six of them. They're pre-emptively banning us!" said Ohm.
"This is the real mark of a celebrity", said Phuak smugly.
"Jeez! At this rate we will have to wear masks to cover our faces whenever we go out to eat", said Fong, resignedly.
The three continued to bicker, but my heart was not in it. It had been a week since that conversation with Wat. And I hadn't seen him since.
I still didn't know how to feel about all of it. I felt manipulated and lied to.
But life had been a lot less fun and a lot more lonely for me this last week. Even though I hung out with the terrible trio, I felt there was something missing.
Someone missing.
Everywhere I went, I felt his presence. And the lack of it. He had excused himself from the Music club. I did not see him on the field during cheer practice.
I had not called him or gone looking for him, but he was usually always around.
I came to realize that he'd put in conscious effort to find ways to be around me all this time.
We were in different faculties at opposite ends of the campus, so we did not share any classes or even meet on the way. And yet he'd always come around for lunch or a quick chat between classes.
He lived off campus, but waited to walk me to my dorm room no matter how late cheer practice went.
Even Man and Boss weren't around anymore, and I realized they too had gone out of their way to spend time with my friends and me.
P'Dim and Green were back to being their usual now-hot-now-cold selves, screaming at each other one second and kissing the next. I realized they were a crazy, impulsive couple who did crazy, impulsive things to drive each other up the wall. Green's pursuit of me was simply a tactic to make P'Dim jealous.
I thought back to how I'd accused Wat of setting Green at me and felt guilty.
*
"Just hear us out once. We come bearing gifts". Man and Boss were at my door, holding a six pack of beer and several packets of chips.
I smiled and let them in. They were goofy but harmless. And this last week, I had come to realize that they were amazing friends to Wat.
"We don't know what Wat told you. He can be an idiot sometimes when it comes to expressing himself. We came to tell you the truth as we know it. Then you can make up your mind about all of this," said Man.
I nodded. I wanted - no, needed - to hear this.
We snapped open three beers and settled down.
Man narrated his side of the story -
"It all started last year when he saw you at that concert. We have known Wat all our lives, but we had never seen him so animated and excited about anyone or anything before. He kept talking about you, and how he wanted to see you again.
We didn't know anything about you other than a photo that Wat had taken of you. All we knew was that you loved Scrubb.
So we started going to every Scrubb concert in the city. I thought it was a one-in-a-million chance he would see you again. But Wat was willing to take those odds.
He even went to concerts in other cities when he could. At every concert, he would move from one corner to another, row by row, trying to find you. It was heartbreaking to see him build up his hopes and see him disappointed every time.
At one point, Boss couldn't bear to see Wat that way anymore and threatened to break our friendship if he continued.
Wat promised he would stop after the 2U concert. That's when he saw you again, and we couldn't do anything to stop him after that."
Boss continued, "Wat forced Man and me to enrol here because Scrubb does concerts here. It was the stupidest reason I'd ever heard, and this is despite the many stupid things Man and I have done in our lives. And coming from Wat of all people.
We knew he was still hopeful he'd meet you again.
Man and I decided to give him time and space to get over you. All we could do was be by his side.
And then, one fine day, you appeared out of the blue right before our eyes, just like in the movies.
And Wat went crazy.
I know he acted all cool with the "Kiss you till you drop" and everything, but he was ecstatic beyond belief.
He wanted to tell you immediately that he liked you. He was so excited he wanted to run back to you immediately.
We stopped him.
You didn't know Wat, you didn't know of his search for you, or why he liked you.
Heck, you like girls.
Imagine if he'd come and told you back then that he liked you. You'd have been totally weirded out and that would have been the end of it.
Wat is not someone who would have pursued you if you'd said no. He would have let you go, just like he's let you go now."
I was reminded of Wat's complete absence from my life this past week.
Man took a swig of beer, and then spoke -
"Wat becomes more comfortable with himself around you, smiles more, expresses himself better, opens himself up to new people and experiences.
Before he met you, Boss and I were his only friends. He wouldn't even speak to anyone else much. He was always courteous but never open. People thought he was arrogant, especially with his looks and his talents in music and on the field. Only we knew he was actually just shy and awkward and quiet.
Wat is the best friend we have. Boss and I would have self-destructed from our idiocy long ago if Wat hadn't been around to bring sanity in our lives."
Boss sniffed loudly, and continued from where Man left off -
"He's our brother and we can't bear to see him broken like this. He's withdrawn into a shell since he spoke to you last week. He won't even open up to us.
Every night, he drinks himself into oblivion because he hasn't been able to sleep since that night.
Yesterday, he said he had put in a transfer request to move to another college next semester. He said he couldn't bear to be in the same campus as you anymore.
Not after he'd gotten the chance to know you.
He says he was obsessed before, but it has grown into something far more abiding and stronger after spending all this time with you. He loves you."
Man patted Boss on the back as Boss wiped his tears and blew his nose loudly.
I was simply stunned. At Wat's devotion. At Man's earnestness and Boss's endearing friendship. And at my own pride and stubbornness.
Sarawat's POV
"Wat, are you in a shape to drive?" slurred Man on the other end of the call.
"I'm not drunk. At least not yet", I said. The night was still young. Plenty of time for me to drown my sorrows in a red cup later.
"Can you come get us? Boss and I are a tad bit boozy. I'll text you our location", he said and cut the call.
I might have my own miseries, but when the Dynamic Duo were drunk, they were a safety hazard. The world didn't need more pain in it.
I pulled up at the address that Man texted me. It seemed to be a small garden of some sort, in the middle of nowhere.
There was no one to be seen for miles. I called Man and heard his phone ringing somewhere nearby.
I stepped out of the car. They may have passed out behind some bushes for all I knew.
I entered the garden and turned a corner, following the sound of Man's phone.
"Hey Man, where the hell are you? I'm going to just leave your asses to rot here if I don't find you in the next two minutes", I grumbled.
And stopped dead in my tracks.
Tine stood before me, holding Man's phone in his hand. The whole area was lit up with candles and fairy lights, bathing everything in a soft golden glow.
There was no one else there, except Tine and me.
He walked towards me. I was frozen to the spot and it seemed as though time moved extra slow and all my senses were heightened.
He stopped right in front of me.
"Did you really look for me for a whole year?", he said.
I nodded silently.
"Did you really like me all this time without knowing if I would ever like you back the same way?", he asked.
I nodded silently again.
"Do you love me, Wat?", he whispered, making the word "love" sound like warm sunshine somehow.
I nodded again, and a tear made its way down my cheek.
Tine put his finger under my chin and lifted my face to look into my eyes. I was captivated by him, the lights flickering in his eyes, his skin glowing as though he was divine.
"Then this is my answer to the question you never asked", said Tine and pressed his lips softly against mine.
I closed my eyes as he kissed me gently, but firmly. It held the answer to my longing and the promise of forever. It was mellow with the golden sweetness of honey and bloomed like a rose.
Tine, my Tine, was kissing me for the first time.
He pulled back languidly, leaving a lingering touch of his lips on mine.
God help me, he could kill me with just a kiss.
"I'm sorry I over reacted a little last week", he said shyly.
I stammered as I tried to form a sentence "No... You... I mean... I... It's really... Fuck it" I said and pulled him into a hug. I wanted to feel him in my arms, something I had been wanting and waiting to do for so long now.
I buried my face in the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent deeply. My hands rested on his back and pulled him deep into my embrace. His body fit perfectly against mine.
"You have to let me go at some point soon. The food's getting cold", laughed Tine, his voice echoing against my chest.
"I'm never letting you go again", I said, my voice muffled against his neck.
He laughed again,"Please don't go all mushy on me. And I'm seriously hungry. I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast".
I reluctantly pulled back, but I slipped my hand in his. Now that I had him, I wanted to touch him however I could.
He smiled at me, and touched my cheek with his fingers. Then he led me to a blanket laid out on the ground, beside a basket and a bucket of ice with two bottles of wine in it.
"When did you even do all this?" I asked, amazed.
"Thank Man and Boss when you see them tomorrow. They were very eloquent in telling me all about you. Much more so than you were. I realized I needed to make a big gesture after letting my pride get the best of me. So I asked my aunt to help set up this space for the night. She owns all the surrounding property. Except this little garden. This is mine. She gave it to me on my birthday when I turned ten", said Tine, happily chattering on.
He looked adorable.
"What kind of birthdays did you have as a kid? Mine only had cake and balloons", I said with a laugh.
"Don't ask", said Tine, a pink spot on each cheek, "I'm her favourite nephew, so she gives me ridiculous things all the time."
I sat watching him set out the dinner as he continued talking. From time to time, he would smile up at me and flowers would blossom in my heart.
"Why are you so silent, Wat?", said Tine, looking quizzically at me with his head slightly tilted.
I was too afraid to speak. I didn't know if something would break the spell of this magical evening. I didn't want to risk waking up to find it was all a dream.
Tine seemed to sense my fear. He knelt before me and forced me to look at him.
"If you would have me, can I be your boyfriend?", he asked, holding my face in his hands.
"Pretend or for real?", I asked, lost in his eyes.
He punched my shoulder playfully and laughed."For real, asshole. Stop teasing me."
I put my hand on his cheek, "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. I don't think I can ever have these feelings for anyone else. You're my one and only."
Tine looked at me strangely, his eyes dark and burning. Then he devoured my lips with his mouth.
This kiss wasn't gentle like the last one. It was rough and raw and hungry.
Tine fucked my mouth with his tongue, tasting and biting and sucking my lips. I moaned into his mouth and he kissed me even more fiercely.
I ran my fingers through his hair and pulled him deeper into the kiss, lost in passion.
He put one hand on my waist and laid me gently on the ground without breaking our kiss. He straddled me and I ran my hands down his back and squeezed his butt. He gasped against my mouth.
We surfaced for air eventually. Both of us were panting for breath, our lips swollen, hair all messy.
Tine looked beautiful. He was very handsome, with strong features, flawless skin, and a toned, muscled body. The golden glow from the candles and fairy lights created a halo around him.
"I want to touch you, Tine. Can I?" I asked, my voice breaking a little.
He nodded. We sat up and knelt facing each other.
Tine pulled his t-shirt up and off. He took my hand and placed it on his chest. I felt his heart beating against my palm.
He leaned slightly towards me. His eyes looked into mine as he unbuttoned my shirt all the way.
Fuck, he was sexy.
I gulped as he put his warm palm on my chest. Our hearts were beating at the same pace, almost as one.
I trailed my fingers up his chest and to his neck. He closed his eyes as I touched him lightly at his throat, the side of his long neck, his shoulder, down the side of his body to his hips.
My other hand cupped his face, my thumb caressing his eyebrow, his nose, his lips.
He flicked out his tongue to lick my thumb, and bit it lightly with his teeth. I hissed.
His fingers were exploring my body too. One hand was running down my torso to my abs, feeling my muscles one by one. The other hand moved slowly down my spine, sending the blood rushing downwards.
He leaned into me, his face close to mine, his breath warm against my cheek and ear.
"I want you to make love to me, Wat", he whispered.