My Moon, Chapter 13 pg 1
My Moon, Chapter 13 pg 1
Chapter 13:
The small person with a flushed face looked down, avoiding eye contact. Panli reached out to gently lift their delicate chin, urging them to look up so he could check on them. Klaijai said that while walking to the badminton court, the weather was quite hot, and they felt faint, almost collapsing, so they rested under this tree. But Panli didn’t know how long they had been sitting in the shade, as he had only stepped out to smoke with the boss not long ago. Panli was worried about them not arriving at the court yet, even though some time had passed. So, he decided to message Klaijai.
However, every time he sent a message, someone’s LINE notification kept ringing. To make sure, he sent several more messages, and each time the notification sounded, he followed the sound to find its source.
Because Panli didn’t let it slide, he found the sneaky Klaijai, who had been resting here after nearly fainting. He looked at their bright red face, frustrated with himself for letting them walk alone in the hot sun. Even though the sun wasn’t too intense, Klaijai didn’t seem to handle hot weather very well.
The small person blinked rapidly while looking at me, their chocolate-colored hair sticking to their forehead with sweat. “KhunKlai, let’s head to the court.”
“Mhm,” they responded, standing up to their full height with my support. “I… I’m feeling better now, Panli.”
“KhunKlai, hop on my back.”
“N-no, it’s fine, Panli. I can walk now.” Their small hands waved in refusal, their thin lips parting as if to say something. But because I accidentally gave them a stern look, they pursed their lips tightly. “…I-I can really walk on my own, okay?”
I didn’t mean to be harsh, but it slipped out. “Don’t be stubborn, KhunKlai. I’m really worried about you.”
The small, initially stubborn person nodded in agreement. I turned my back to them, and they obediently leaned onto me. Since Klaijai wasn’t very heavy, I stood up easily and carried them to the badminton court where my friends were waiting.
“Panli… am I heavy?” The small person, loosely holding onto my neck, tilted their head to ask before continuing, “I’m sorry.”
“KhunKlai, you need to eat more,” I said with a chuckle to ease their mind.
“If I eat more, it’ll be even harder for you, Panli.”
I laughed at their cute words. A faint, baby powder-like scent wafted past my nose as they tightened their arms around me, as if afraid of falling. I guessed Klaijai loved using perfume because every time we met, they always wore a different scent.
And Klaijai had great taste.
Every scent they chose suited me perfectly.
“Over here, Li!”
“Yeah…” I nodded, walking toward the long bench where the boss had somehow set up a fan. I gently set the small person down. Klaijai loosened their arms as both feet touched the ground. I turned to check on them again. “KhunKlai, rest here for a bit, okay?”
“Mhm.”
Klaijai sat down obediently. This time, he really couldn’t hold out, because normally he wouldn’t give in so easily. He’s the type to push himself, like when he refused to call me even though he was about to faint. Klaijai rarely follows my instructions on the first try; he always has some counterargument. And I, wanting to help him, have to constantly persuade him to agree.
But that doesn’t mean he’s stubborn. He’s just overly considerate, hesitant to accept help from others because he’s afraid of troubling them. Klaijai always tries to do everything himself to the very limit first.
Standing there, he reached out one hand to brush back his sweat-dampened bangs. His smooth, pale forehead was covered in tiny beads of sweat. So, he used the back of his other hand to gently wipe the sweat away for him. The small guy sat still, gazing toward the exit door. His slender hands, holding his wallet and notebook, rested on his lap. Then Klaijai looked up, meeting my eyes. His faintly flushed cheeks and clear, innocent almond-shaped eyes made me unconsciously bite my lip lightly.
Damn, it’s intense…
And in that moment, when Panli was utterly charmed by the person in front of me, he had to find a way to restrain himself from pinching his cheeks too hard, like he often does with close friends. Instead, he gently “squeezed his nose” and spoke softly to Klaijai…
“Feeling better yet, KhunKlai?”
“Mhm, I’m feeling much better.”
Even though Klaijai said that, Panli couldn’t help but worry. He lightly touched his soft cheek with the back of my hand. The scorching heat on his smooth skin made me glance at the fan, where the boss stood guard as if afraid it’d disappear. He nodded, seemingly reading his mind, and turned the fan up a notch.
“Are you really feeling better, KhunKlai? Don’t push yourself, okay?”
“Mhm, I’m really better,” the small guy said, flashing me a smile.
It was a gentle smile, always ready to comfort others. Perhaps it was Klaijai’s smile that made him move closer to him. Panli pulled his fluffy head to rest against his stomach, one hand gently stroking his soft hair while the other rubbed his thin back.
“Sorry for letting you walk here alone.”
The small guy reached one hand to pat my back, whispering softly, “Don’t overthink it, Panli of mine.”
Panli couldn’t help but smile at the phrase “Panli of mine.” he’d never felt so delighted to belong to someone before, but being his made me feel more than just “delighted.”
“Want some water, KhunKlai?” The small guy, with his face still pressed against Panli stomach, shook his head slightly. He let out a quiet sigh, thinking… just Klaijai nearly fainting had me this worried. If he got seriously ill…
You’d lose it, you idiot…
“…”
“You little troublemaker… have some water, okay?” Panli didn’t like seeing Klaijai so down like this. Others might see him as calm and proper, but he see the mischief hidden inside him. Sometimes, those innocent eyes turn playful and cheeky, making him want to spank him till his hand leaves a mark. But he can only think it… and choose to do what’s more realistic instead, like, “Have some water, okay? I’ll go get it for you.”
“Panli… I don’t want water.”
Panli used both hands to gently hold his face, tilting it up so their eyes met. The small guy’s eyes were back to their usual bright, clear sparkle. Panli heart wanted to lean down and playfully nip at his little nose, maybe sneak a couple of bites at his faintly red cheeks, but all he could do was flash a smile at Klaijai and coax the sneaky guy as I always do…
“Better drink some water, okay? Trust me.”
The small guy furrowed his brows slightly, as if thinking it over. He scanned the surroundings before asking, “Is you going far to get the water?”
Those twinkling, innocent eyes and Klaijai’s sweet words.
They completely melt his heart.
“Not far. Just over there,” Panli said, pointing to the blue cooler at the other end of the field. Klaijai followed my finger with his gaze and gave a small nod.
“Come back quick, Panli. Besides Boss, I don’t know anyone else here,” the small guy said, nodding toward the field before continuing, “…and Boss is already playing badminton.”
He’s like this… how could I leave him for long?
Honestly, Panli want Klaijai to change his name.
Change it from “Klaijai” to “KlaiPanli.”
So they could be near together forever.
“Okay, I will be right back.”
Klaijai raised his hand in an “OK” gesture before saying, “Okay.”
Panli reached out to ruffle Klai’s messy hair before walking to grab water from the ice cooler. Dozens of water bottles were chilling in the ice. He felt bold enough to grab one without asking because his friends and Panli’s had reserved the whole field. There was no one else here—just his high school buddies and their girls. Normally, they’d be all up in his business, but right now, they were too busy enjoying badminton and flirting with the faculty beauties they’d invited to play.
But that’s fine…
No need to deal with them.
So annoying…
“Phii Li…”
A soft, hesitant voice called out, pulling his attention from the cooler. When he turned toward the sound, he saw a pretty girl standing there, smiling at me. He furrowed his brows, trying to recall if we’d met before.
“It’s really Phii Li… Earlier, I only saw your back, so I wasn’t sure.”
Panli remembered now. This girl was the star of the business faculty at his university. They’d met a few months ago at an old friend’s birthday party.
“Yeah.”
“Have you been here long, Phii Li?... I had no idea you’d be here too.”
“I didn’t plan to come, just stopped by to see a friend.”
“Where’s you sitting?”
Panli glanced away from my junior and looked at the long bench where Klaijai had been waiting for a while. But the sight made him want to chuck a water bottle at his annoying friend’s head.
“That bastard Tew,” I muttered, clicking his tongue in frustration as I saw his close friend from high school, who’d just returned from China, sitting on the ground in front of Klaijai, grinning like an idiot. “You flirt with anyone, you jerk.”
Without hesitation, Panli grabbed a cold water bottle and scooped a handful of ice with his other hand before turning to his junior, who was waiting for an answer.
“Close the ice cooler for me, okay?”
“Uh, sure, Phii Li.”
“Just wait, you bastard Tew. You’ve been in China so long, you must be craving a kick from me.”
The closer Panli got to Klaijai’s bench, the more he noticed Tew’s sparkling eyes as he looked at Klaijai. What made me want to knock him flat was that he managed to get a smile out of Klaijai.
“You bastard Tew!”
Thud!
“Ow! My head!”
“Yeah! I meant to hit your head with that ice!”
“Uh, Panli…”
The remaining ice in Panli hand was thrown at the target again. Tew raised both arms to shield himself before clasping his hands and raising them above his head. He probably realized he was genuinely pissed. Even though they usually roughhouse as guys do, this time he must’ve sensed the intensity was higher than usual—and it’d only get worse if he kept pushing me.
“Alright, I give up! I give up!”
“You ugly jerk.”
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