My Moon, Chapter 1 pg 8
My Moon, Chapter 1 pg 8
“Klai, are you in there?”
Merk?
“…”
“Klai, is that you?”
Merk must have recognized his voice, especially since he’d just mentioned Kant, who everyone knew was his best friend. Klai didn’t respond. He took a step back, then flinched in shock as Merk pounded loudly on the door. It felt more like he was slamming it than knocking.
Bang bang!
“Klai, I know you’re in there.”
“…”
“Klai, can you come out and talk to me? I really want to talk.”
“…”
“I really like you, Klai, damn it… Why won’t you give me a chance?”
“…”
“Does you still like Phii Shin?”
At first, Klai planned to stay silent, waiting for Merk to give up and leave. But when Merk brought up Phii Shin, it stirred a question he’d been wondering about for a while. Though he could guess the answer, he still wanted to hear it for sure. “How did you know I like Phii Shin?”
“That jerk Thot told me… but don’t be mad at him, Klai.”
It was exactly as Klai had suspected, but he wasn’t angry at Thot. He was used to it. Klai knew it wasn’t just Thot who gossiped about his confession to Phii Shin and the rejection that followed, treating it as a fun story to tell. Almost half the department did the same. Klai once wanted to know who first spread the story among his peers, as that person caused him to be stared at and whispered about throughout his first year. But he got through it.
Now, Klai no longer cared who that person was.
He just wanted to thank them for making him stronger than before.
“Is that why you won’t open your heart to me, Klai? Because you still like Phii Shin?”
“I don’t like you, Merk, because of you… not because of anyone else.”
“…”
“And I don’t like Phii Shin anymore.” That day, Phii Shin looked at Klai differently and asked him to stop liking him. Klai had to move on. It was incredibly hard at first, but now he’d done it. “I see Phii Shin only as a senior, just like he sees me as a junior.”
“Really?”
“Really.” That love had hurt him the most… so this answer was the truest in his life. Klai prayed he wouldn’t fall in love again. He wasn’t afraid of being disappointed in love, but he feared his secret feelings might make someone uncomfortable.
“Then come out and talk to me for a bit.”
Klai shook his head in refusal. For some reason, he didn’t want to face Merk right now. “Go back, Merk. I don’t want to see you yet.”
“How long are you gonna avoid me, Klai?”
“…”
“Can’t we just talk properly, just once?”
The voice on the other side of the door grew harsher. Merk often used this tone with Mai and Kant. Klai vividly remembered Merk’s fierce glare when he was irritated.
Bang!
“Don’t keep hiding like this, okay?! I hate it.”
The smaller figure flinched in shock as the door was pounded, making a loud noise. Merk spoke in an annoyed tone while yanking the bathroom door open. Klai understood Merk was hot-tempered, which explained his bad behavior. So, he decided to go out and talk to Merk to settle things before his temper worsened.
His slender hand reached for the door lock but pulled back to his side. Now, Klai admitted he was starting to fear Merk, though he’d never been afraid of him before. Maybe it was because he was alone in an unfamiliar place. The smell of alcohol, likely from Merk, hit his nose, making Klai freeze to reconsider his decision…
Bang!
“Klai!”
“I’m not coming out…” Klai said, pulling his phone out of his pocket to call someone. He was certain this person could help him. Klai scanned the phone screen, scrolling through his contacts with his finger.
‘Phii Dom’
He was about to call his cousin to ask him to pick him up from the bar since Dom’s condo wasn’t too far away. He hadn’t asked Dom to come earlier out of courtesy, but now Klai had to set that aside.
Creak!
The sound of the large bathroom door opening echoed again. Klai glanced at the gap beneath the stall door. He could still see Merk’s white sneakers; the guy hadn’t moved. Klai assumed it was someone new entering, and Merk’s sudden silence confirmed that someone else was indeed in the bathroom.
Klai stayed quiet, listening to the faint sound of running water for a moment. He lowered his phone to his side, deciding to open the stall door since there was at least one other person present—it wasn’t just him and Merk. But it seemed the world was particularly cruel to him today. Just as he was about to unlock the door, the sound of footsteps grew fainter, signaling that the other person was leaving. Klai realized he’d be alone with Merk again.
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