My Moon, Chapter 1 pg 9
My Moon, Chapter 1 pg 9
That person was about to walk out of the bathroom.
He looked at his hand gripping the lock. The other person had probably already left. If he opened the door now, Klai might have to face Merk alone.
Bang! Bang!
“Come out already… don’t make me more annoyed than I already am.”
“…” Klai let go of the lock. He stared at the door as a large hand pounded on it repeatedly, creating loud thuds.
“I told you to come out!”
“Merk, you have no right to force me.”
“Yeah… you’ve got no right to force him.”
Klai stepped back again upon hearing an unfamiliar voice. He glanced at the gap beneath the door. Now, he didn’t just see Merk’s white sneakers—there was also a pair of black sneakers belonging to someone else. Judging the distance with his eyes, Klai figured the owner of the black sneakers was standing face-to-face with Merk.
The owner of those black sneakers…
It must be the person who came into the bathroom earlier.
The one he thought had already left.
“And why the hell are you butting in?”
“I don’t usually meddle in other people’s business… but when I see someone acting tough like you, I can’t help myself.”
“…”
“I’ve suddenly become super nosy.”
“I don’t want trouble with you… Panli.”
Klai stared at the black sneakers again. That’s when he realized…
The owner of those sneakers… was really “Panli.”
“You know me?”
“…”
“Then why don’t I know you?”
“…”
“But, well… with that kind of attitude, I wouldn’t hang out with you anyway.”
“You bastard!”
“…”
“I’ll deal with my boyfriend. Stay out of it!”
Klai frowned before speaking, “I’m not your boyfriend, Merk. Don’t talk nonsense.”
“See? Always stirring up crap,” Panli said, laughing.
“Getting cocky, huh?”
“Not as much as you… but I can handle it. Wanna go out back?”
“Damn jerk!”
“If you’re gonna fight me, you better knock me down. Because if I don’t fall and start hitting back, you won’t get up.”
Klai swallowed hard as Panli’s playful tone turned flat and serious. He guessed Merk must have made a move to hit him, prompting Panli’s response. Knowing Merk wouldn’t back down easily, Klai reached for the door to stop them. He didn’t want anyone—Panli or otherwise—getting into trouble because of him.
“Keep that in mind, you jerk…”
“I don’t hold grudges. Take your pathetic self and go.”
Klai stood blinking rapidly in the bathroom, unable to believe Merk had backed off so easily. The absence of the white sneakers under the door gap confirmed that Merk had really retreated. Klai took a deep breath and reached for the door handle.
Knock knock
A soft knock made him freeze. Klai pursed his lips, glancing at the black sneakers through the gap below. He wanted to open the door and thank Panli, but a growing sense of nervousness stopped him.
Klai thought Panli was nothing like Merk…
“The person in there… you okay?”
Really, not at all alike.
“…” Klai nodded, knowing Panli couldn’t see him. It was all he could manage, as his rising nerves left him speechless and his body stiff as stone.
“He’s gone… you can come out now.”
Klai nodded again, the gentle tone of Panli’s voice making him feel safe. He was about to open the door to leave, but he froze when he heard the large bathroom door being pushed open. He prayed it wasn’t Merk.
“Hey, Li, let’s go already… Didn’t you say you were just washing your hands? Sneaking off to smoke again, huh?”
“Alright, I’ll head out in a sec.”
“Cool.”
Klai let out a sigh of relief, realizing it wasn’t Merk.
“I’ve gotta go. Hurry out before he loops back,” Panli urged.
“…” Klai nodded in response, his eyes dropping to the black sneakers that began to move. Once they were out of his line of sight, he opened the door.
He stole a glance at the tall figure pushing open the large door. As Panli stepped past the threshold, Klai caught a glimpse of his profile, a familiar playful smile still lingering on his face. But soon, that smile was obscured as the heavy door swung shut.
Every time Klai recalled that day, a new movie starring the owner of that playful smile played in his mind, replacing the old one he didn’t much care for.
Klai gave a faint smile as his eyes shifted from the photo to the name of its owner. He realized he’d misunderstood the world a bit that day. He thought the world was cruel, but in truth, it wasn’t that harsh to him. If it were truly cruel, it wouldn’t have sent Panli to help him that day.
And because the world wasn’t excessively cruel, Klai found himself falling in love again, despite promising himself he wouldn’t. This round, sometimes cruel, sometimes kind world taught him that happiness was possible… even if it meant only watching from afar.
Because the person we watch affects the heart… not the distance.
Since that day, Klai had been quietly observing Panli from a distance, collecting glimpses of his smile from afar. But now, it felt like he was a little closer to Panli, standing in front of a photo of…
Panli or Sasin Pisut
Klai knew that “Sasin” meant “moon.” He thought Panli intentionally tied this photo to his real name, and likely no one else realized he was alluding to the word “moon” more than “shadow.”
Because how many people would bother to look up the meaning of someone’s name?
…Probably only someone like him, who was in love with the moon, would do that.
:)
‘The Moon’, more than just the word, “Shadow.”
Because how many people would search for the meaning of someone’s name…
…probably only someone who ‘fell in love with the Moon’ like him would do.
:)
Comments
Post a Comment