My Moon, Chapter 19.2 pg 9
My Moon, Chapter 19.2 pg 9
“You’re probably wondering why I’d let them off, considering what they did to our people…” Dom spoke as if reading Panli mind, slowly exhaling white smoke before continuing, “Truth is, we didn’t let them hurt our people. Because I believe if they came back to harm our people again… there’s no way we’d let it slide.”
“…”
“But by ‘let go,’ I mean… let them just be the shitty people who once passed through someone’s life.”
“…”
“There’s no way to go back in time to protect those who were hurt in the past… no way at all.”
“…”
Phii Dom smiled and looked at me with understanding. “I used to be like you… hot-headed, fearless, ready to throw punches without much talk.”
“…”
“If you ask if I’m still like that, I’d say I am, but a lot less now. Because when I’m with Babe, seeing her smile, hearing her say, ‘Don’t go picking fights, Dom, because if something happens to you, I won’t take care of you—I’ll go to the hospital and hit you again,’… I realized I shouldn’t try to go back and protect her from the past.”
“…”
“But I’ll use the time from now on to protect her… to make up for the feelings she lost with the time I have.”
Panli deeply understood what Dom was saying, and he said, “There may be many people who made him cry… but I’ll be the only one who brings back his smile.”
Dom nodded, giving me a smile. “Exactly…”
“…”
“We just accept that… the past, whether good or bad, is already over, perfectly complete.”
“…”
“We don’t need to go back and make up for anything anymore.”
“…”
“Save your time for the person you love instead.”
“Even if I save time for him… if someone messes with him again, I can still spare some time to throw hands.”
Dom laughed before saying, “Well, that’s obvious, isn’t it?”
Panli let out a relieved sigh. He wasn’t sure what exactly eased his mind so much—maybe it was this moment, reminding him that… Klai had already gotten through that ordeal.
“Klai…” Dom spoke without looking at him, his sharp eyes fixed on a light brown ceramic plate. He set his white cigarette down on it before looking up at Panli again. “…He doesn’t like you for your looks, like others do. I don’t know why other people are into you.”
“…”
“But for Klai…” Dom shifted his gaze from him to the green beer can. Panli could sense he was trying to unload something heavy from his heart. “…You’re probably like a light in his life.”
“…”
“You’re probably like a source of strength…” Dom smiled, still staring at the beer can. “You’re everything to Klai, and you don’t even realize it.”
Panli nodded lightly, his eyes dropping to the table between them. Dom’s words squeezed his heart, making it feel tight and heavy. At the same time, a flood of emotions started welling up inside him. Everything was building up rapidly within a matter of seconds, and it felt like he might not be able to handle it unless he let out the overwhelming feelings bottled up in his chest.
But believe him…
He could handle it.
Panli would hold onto every emotion.
And he’d embrace them all.
He knew it wasn’t the time to stay silent and let quietness interrupt their conversation, but he couldn’t deny that silence helped him reflect on things clearly. Panli let it envelop them for a moment.
“Phii Dom…”
“You know how to take care of Klai now, right?”
Panli nodded before saying, “Yeah…”
“…”
“Even though I already know Klai has a crush on me… I won’t take advantage of his feelings to easily step into his world.”
“…”
“How Klai started… that’s how I’ll start.”
“…”
“I won’t skip steps in our relationship… I’ll take it slow, step by step.”
“Slowly… we’ll fill each other’s hearts until our feelings are equal.”
“…”
“Klai won’t like me more than I like him.”
“…”
“Phii Dom, besides asking to take care of Klai… can I ask for one more thing?”
Phii Dom nodded, even though Panli hadn’t yet said what he was requesting.
“Don’t tell Klai that I know about this yet… Don’t tell him I know everything he’s been through.”
“Give me some time to do something for him first… Panli wants him to know that…” He paused, as a heavy feeling squeezed his heart again, “it’s not just Klai watching me… I’m watching him too.”
“…”
“…It’s not just Klai trying to reach me, I’m trying too.”
“…”
“I don’t want our story to be just… I know Klai likes me, and since I like him too, I go straight in, confess, and rush to be his boyfriend because I know it’ll work out.”
“…”
“I don’t want it to be just that… I want it to be more than that.”
“…”
“…I want every time we look back… to see how precious every moment we’ve shared is.”
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