My Moon, Chapter 26 pg 3
My Moon, Chapter 26 pg 3
Panli sensed it was time for Klaijai to share what was on his mind, and he hadn’t expected to feel this way himself at this moment. In the split second before Klaijai could speak, Panli made a decision.
“Before you say anything… can I tell you my story first?”
“…”
“In case what I share changes what you want to say…”
The beautiful eyes Panli adored so much trembled even more. He knew instantly that the other was deeply worried. But Panli had already decided to speak. Though the secret he’d kept wasn’t grave, and the reason for hiding it wasn’t unforgivable, he felt it was time.
But for some people, they have their own boundaries and timelines. If something hidden exceeds the emotional limits of the other person, it’s not surprising that they might lose trust. The one keeping the secret might not feel the passage of time as long, but for the one who just learned the truth, the experience of time is different. So it’s not strange if the other person loses faith in them.
But in the end… Panli was confident that Klaijai would listen to his story and reasons with understanding.
Because that’s how Klaijai always is…
“Mhm, Panli, you can start. I’m always ready to listen to you…”
And Klaijai would probably always be like this.
Panli took a deep breath, filling his lungs. He had never imagined this day, though he’d vaguely thought confessing the truth wouldn’t be too hard. But now that the moment had arrived… he realized it wasn’t easy at all.
His thick arms loosely wrapped around the slim waist before Panli began to speak. “Before we met at the birthday party, before I got to know KhunKlai…”
“…”
“I had seen you before…” Klaijai’s expression wasn’t too far from what he’d expected. His slender eyes widened in a way Panli rarely saw, and his pink lips parted slightly as if he wanted to ask something. But the shock of what he heard seemed to swallow his voice. Panli didn’t hesitate and quickly continued, “I saw you at the exhibition hall, looking at the photo ‘Lost in the Moon’s Shadow.’”
“…”
“You smiled and gave a thumbs-up to my photo…”
Panli smiled softly as he saw the person in front of him lower their eyes, cheeks flushing faintly red, and a slender hand reaching up to rub their own ear. “Back then, I kind of knew you were Phii Dom’s cousin, because Phii Fah had pointed you out to me once.”
“…”
“But it wasn’t because of this reason that I went out of my way to get to know you… I don’t even know why I wanted to get to know you so badly.”
“…”
“Back then, we almost did… we almost got to know each other,” Panli said, his eyes meeting Klaijai’s. “But then my phone rang and interrupted, so I had to step outside to take the call. When I came back into the room, you were gone.”
“…”
“Back then, I just felt… like it was such a damn shame we didn’t get to connect.”
“…”
“But I had to let it go…”
The eyes Panli so dearly loved gazed at him unwaveringly, as if wanting to capture every moment from now on without missing a single second.
“…”
“But you know, KhunKlai? Even after days passed, I couldn’t shake that feeling.”
“…”
“I still felt it… still wanted to get to know KhunKlai like that.”
Klaijai’s thin lips pressed into a straight line as Panli spoke those words.
“I even waited for KhunKlai outside the exhibition room, hoping we’d cross paths again, but we didn’t…”
“…”
“When I smoked at the parking lot, I kept looking out for KhunKlai, just in case you’d walk by.”
“…”
“Honestly, back then, I didn’t even realize it was what Klai would call longing.”
“…”
“I knew if I went to Phii Dom, I’d definitely get to know KhunKlai.”
“…”
“But because I still didn’t realize it, I didn’t go to Phii Dom. I thought I just wanted to get to know you casually… not like I was trying to pursue anything. I was afraid Phii Dom would think that’s what I was doing.”
“…”
“So I chose to wait to run into you myself.”
“...”
“Up until your birthday... Theerak called to invite me.”
“He said it was Phii Dom’s younger brother’s birthday... so I figured it had to be you.”
“That was the day I learned your name was ‘Klai.’”
“...”
“I decided to go to your birthday party... I was both excited and...” Panli paused as the vivid feelings from that day touched his heart again. He smiled at Klaijai, who was listening intently, before continuing, “...and my heart was racing. I was barely myself, but I tried to keep it together.”
“...”
“When our eyes met... that’s when I knew I’d fallen in love with you.”
“...”
“It might seem like I fell too easily, but because it was this easy... that’s why I believe it’s real love.”
“...”
“But that day, I didn’t just realize I’d fallen for you. I also learned something else...” Panli smiled, a smile mixed with the joy and pain of discovering the truth that day. “When I got up to get water and was alone with Phii Dom, he told me you had been secretly crushing on me for a while.”
Klaijai’s almond-shaped eyes widened again, his expression a mix of shock and confusion. Panli understood exactly how he felt. He gave a reassuring smile to the other, who was trying to process everything.
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