My Moon, Chapter 3 pg 4
My Moon, Chapter 3 pg 4
“Yeah, I think just having a crush makes me happy enough,” Klai admitted.
“But it’d make you even happier if you got closer to him,” Kant countered.
“…”
“Phii Shin doesn’t know you like him, trust me,” Kant assured.
“I’ll try to get to know Phii Shin properly again,” Klai decided.
“That’s the spirit, my friend!” Kant said, giving him a light pat on the shoulder before running back to the court as the coach blew the whistle to resume practice.
Klai nodded to encourage himself, then walked back to the long wooden table beside the cooler. As he sat watching the seniors and his friends practice basketball, he noticed a junior girl from another club cheering for Phii Shin as he battled for the ball against an opponent. Klai wasn’t surprised that Phii Shin couldn’t remember his name after just a few weeks—plenty of people were trying to get close to him.
Klai figured he should stop overthinking and forgive someone as popular as Phii Shin for not remembering his name. While lost in his thoughts and watching the players on the court, a pair of eyes belonging to the tallest person on the court met his. Klai instinctively looked away when he realized Phii Shin was looking in his direction.
Klai was certain Phii Shin didn’t mean to lock eyes with him, but that unintentional moment made his heart race, his blood pumping so fast he felt a flush of heat spread through his body. Sitting next to the cooler, Klai grabbed a white plastic cup, filled it with cold water from the cooler, and drank to cool himself down. But he thought even a thousand liters of cold water wouldn’t be enough to tame the soaring heat inside him.
Klai believed… only someone secretly in love would understand this feeling.
After the club session ended, a junior substitute asked to take the cooler to the storage room in exchange for collecting dozens of basketballs with Klai. The juniors had to rush off to a chemistry tutoring session. Since Klai had no tutoring or urgent errands after the club today, he agreed to swap duties with them.
“Come on… let me help.”
Klai, who was bending down to pick up the orange-brown basketballs, looked up at his close friend. Kant, with his backpack slung over his shoulder, ready to help his mom sell desserts at the market, stood there smiling at him.
“Today, your mom’s selling desserts at the market, right, Kant?”
“Yeah, I’ll help you finish collecting the basketballs and then head over.”
“No, no, I can handle it alone. You should go now… otherwise, there’ll be no one to help your mom set up the stall.”
“I already called and told her I’d get to the market a bit late,” Kant said, walking over to drag the cart used for storing the basketballs.
“Kant, just go. Trust me… it’s Friday. Traffic’s crazy in the evening, and you’re taking the bus. If you leave any later, your mom will have to carry all the heavy stuff by herself.”
Kant let out a big sigh before saying, “No one knows my weaknesses better than you, and you always use them to shoo me away, you little rascal!”
Klai laughed and walked over to put a basketball in the cart. “I’m not chasing you off, Kant. I’m just telling the truth.”
“…”
“Hurry up and go, your mom’s waiting.”
“Alright, I’ll help pick up a couple more balls.”
“No need! Just go!” Klai said, pushing his best friend with his hands.
“Okay, okay!”
Klai waved goodbye to Kant, who flashed him a smile while jogging out of the gym. Glancing around, Klai realized he was alone in the wide court. He quickly started picking up the basketballs scattered on the floor, eager to head home himself.
But the sound of footsteps entering the court made Klai look up quickly. He guessed it was Kant coming back to help with the balls, as he always felt guilty leaving Klai alone. But the person who appeared in front of him made Klai’s breath catch.
Thump, thump, thump.
The thump, thump, thump wasn’t his heart beating out of rhythm—it was the sound of the orange-brown basketball slipping from his hands, bouncing on the floor, echoing in sync with his racing heartbeat.
“Ph-Phii Shin,” Klai stammered.
“Where’d everyone else go?” Phii Shin asked.
“Uh…” Starting a real conversation caught Klai off guard, and he fumbled. “They’ve all gone home.”
“So, you’re stuck cleaning up the balls alone?”
Klai…
Phii Shin remembered his name.
“Yeah, but there’s only a few left to pick up,” Klai replied.
“Then let me help. It’ll go faster,” Phii Shin offered.
“Y-Yes, khrap.”
Klai glanced at the basketball that had slipped from his hands, rolling to a stop at Phii Shin’s feet. Phii Shin looked at it, bent down to pick it up, and stood back to his full height.
“Since joining the club, has you played any basketball?” Phii Shin asked.
“I have, but I’m not great at catching the ball. One time, I missed a catch, and the ball hit me in the face, giving me a nosebleed. The coach told me to just watch the others for now and said he’d find time to teach me later,” Klai explained.
Phii Shin laughed before saying, “I’m guessing you doesn’t really like playing sports. Am I right?”
Phii Shin guessed right, Klai doesn’t really like sports.
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