My Moon, Chapter 18.1 pg 1
My Moon, Chapter 18.1 pg 1
Chapter 18: Part 1
The smaller man, wearing a yellow t-shirt with a crescent moon design he got for free using a boyfriend’s shop quota—Once in a Blue Moon—stood waiting for his older brother to pick him up in front of the condo. Last night, Phii Dom had called to say everyone was meeting at Theerak’s house before heading out. Initially, Klaijai planned to drive himself, but Phii Dom said he’d swing by to pick him up so they wouldn’t need multiple cars.
Klai looked down at the cream-colored shorts that ended about an inch above his knees, a small smile on his face. Normally, he wore shorts when lounging at home but rarely out and about. Most days, he had to wear a suit, so slipping into comfortable clothes was what Klai craved most during his days off. Since buying these shorts, they had become his favorite—the soft fabric made him feel so at ease.
Vroom~
The sound of a revving engine snapped Klai’s attention upward. He saw a black van with heavily tinted windows speed into the condo’s parking lot. As it screeched to a stop in front of him, the tires squealed against the pavement.
Skreech~
In that moment, a memory of his mother’s words from when he was a child echoed in his mind: “KhunKlai, hold my hand tightly, okay? There are so many people around here. Someone might kidnap you and throw you into a black van with dark tinted windows.” Though he knew it was just his mother’s tactic to keep him from running off, he couldn’t deny that this van was starting to make him believe her words.
Slide-
Klai took a single step back as the van’s door slid open quickly. Someone rushed out with frantic energy—a tall man, his face drenched in sweat, lunged forward and grabbed Klai’s shoulders tightly. Klai clutched his dark brown backpack to his chest, swallowing hard and shaking his head in refusal.
Klai didn’t have it… tens of millions of baht or whatever.
“Hey, kid…”
“Y-Yes…?”
Smack!
Klai’s eyes widened as Phii Dom slapped the back of the head of the man gripping his shoulders. But the sweaty-faced man, now with even more beads of perspiration, still didn’t let go.
“You idiot! You’re scaring my little bro. If you need the bathroom, just ask nicely, alright?”
“Kid… where’s the bathroom? My fortress is about to collapse!”
“Uh, go straight and turn left. There’s a bathroom for visitors there.”
“Thank you so much, kid!”
With his answer secured, the tall man, clearly under attack by his own body, finally released Klai and bolted into the condo. Mr... what?
Klai watched the man until he disappeared from sight.
“My friend had to go bad… and traffic was insane. He was holding it in for ages before we got to your condo,” Phii Dom explained.
Klai, listening intently, nodded repeatedly. “He must’ve been holding it for a long time. His face looked like he was in agony.”
“Yeah, and he was acting all frantic too.”
Klai remembered that the person who just walked up to stand beside Phii Dom and chimed in with a cheerful tone was Phii Hia. The other good-looking guy shaking his head with an exasperated expression was Phii Real. He had met both of them for the first time when he went to watch Panli play football.
“You guys are a fucking mess. One minute you need to shit, the next you’re dizzy. What the hell is wrong with you? If we get to Theerak’s house late, Fah will chew us out again,” Phii Real said.
“How could I not be dizzy? Phii Fah driver drives like a maniac, overtaking when he shouldn’t,” Phii Hia replied.
Phii Dom chuckled and slung an arm around Klai’s shoulder. “You two wait for the other guy to finish his business. I’ll take my little brother to wait in the car.”
“Alright, alright,” they said.
“Let’s go wait in the car,” Phii Dom said.
“Okay, Phii Dom,” Klai replied.
He followed his older brother to the car, but when he scanned the people inside, Klai swallowed hard. He had never seen any of these faces before. He had prepared himself for the fact that most of the people on this trip would be seniors, and while their gazes didn’t exactly scream unwelcoming, they looked surprised. Some furrowed their brows, seemingly deep in thought. Klai felt an indescribable nervousness.
“No need to wonder—this is my little brother,” Phii Dom announced.
Unsure of what to do, one thought popped into Klai’s head: when meeting seniors, you should wai. He quickly raised his hands to wai everyone in the car. “Hello,” he said.
“Hi!” one replied.
“Hey, sit down!” another said.
The small figure smiled as the senior guys and girls relaxed their curiosity and greeted him warmly. Since Phii Dom pointed to the front row seat, Klai sat down there, scooting close to the window so his brother could sit beside him.
“That shirt you’re wearing… it’s from Panli’s store, right?” Phii Dom asked.
Klai looked down at the shirt he was wearing, then looked up and gave his brother a sheepish smile. “Yes, I bought it yesterday.”
“…”
“But I washed it already, Phii Dom. I was worried it wouldn’t dry in time,” Klai added.
Phii Dom laughed and gently ruffled his hair. “The brand owner would probably be thrilled to see it.”
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