My Moon, Chapter 4 pg 6
My Moon, Chapter 4 pg 6
“Ae, open the elevator!”
He looked up, trying to spot the elevator doors. But all he could see were the broad backs of several tall people crammed into the rectangular box. Klai let out a quiet sigh. He thought this elevator couldn’t possibly fit anyone else.
It’s already packed like a can of sardines…
“Let me in too!”
“No way, it’s full!”
“Then why the hell are you holding the door open?”
“We’re just messing around, Khun Panli.”
The small person standing in the corner of the elevator felt his heart race when he heard the laughter of someone who’d just stepped in. It was a man’s laugh… someone Klai thought must be pretty playful.
“Ae, our friend’s in—close the door!”
“Got it!”
“We were just joking a bit, why so serious?”
“I was just teasing, man, don’t overthink it.”
“Teasing, huh? You still threw in ‘hell’ like it’s nothing.”
“So what are engineering kids doing in this building?”
“Taking English with Teacher Mary.”
“Study hard, kids!”
“I swear, I hate how that guy talks. Always making engineering kids like me feel all flustered.”
Even though Klai knew the name “Panli” wasn’t exactly common—how many people in the university could have that name? —he wanted to see with his own eyes to confirm that the last person who got on the elevator was…
really you, “Sasin.”
The small person stood on his tiptoes, stretching his neck as far as he could, but he still couldn’t spot his moon. Klai remembered Panli’s voice… even though he’d only heard it once. That voice often echoed in his mind.
Especially when he felt uneasy…
“Are the people inside… okay?”
It would reverberate in his heart, over and over, until he felt better.
Klai didn’t dare to assume that the person riding the elevator with him was Panli until the tall figure in front of him shifted slightly, creating a small gap. Through that tiny space, Klai caught sight of that playful smile again. Panli laughed and glanced at someone Klai assumed was a friend from another faculty.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Here we go again…
Panli’s smile.
Teasing his little heart once more.
Klai had seen Panli’s playful smile many times before, but none had ever felt as intense as this one. Usually, he’d steal glances from afar.
But whether near or far, the smile of his “Moon” always teased his heart.
“Damn it! I forgot to lock my car!” the big guy standing in front of him blurted out, suddenly panicking. With limited space in the elevator, all he could do was point at the door-open button. “Hey, open the door for me!”
“How am I supposed to open it now, Boy? Just get out on the fourth floor, we’re almost there.”
“So careless.”
“Don’t curse me! I’m stressed enough already, you jerk!”
Klai glanced up at the numbers above the elevator door. The number four replaced the three, triggering a chime before the doors slid open.
Ding!
The big guy who forgot to lock his car pushed through the crowd and rushed out anxiously. It was at this moment that Klai caught a glimpse of that playful smile from the side of Panli’s face. The scene felt like a replay of that day, except now there was no large door blocking Panli’s smile.
But in the next second, Klai nearly stopped breathing when the tall figure turned toward the elevator doors and stepped back toward him. Panli had to move backward as other students waiting on the fourth floor entered the elevator. The smaller boy held his breath, as his “Moon” kept stepping back closer and closer.
Until…
The tip of his favorite yellow sneakers
was pressed right against…
the heel of Panli’s familiar black sneakers.
His thin lips pressed into a tight line, and the thick stack of papers he held was clutched even closer to his chest. Klai was terrified of accidentally bumping into his “Moon.” Because if that broad-shouldered figure turned to look at him…
If their eyes actually met…
________________________________________
Perhaps it wasn’t the heat from the sun that melted him.
It must be this moon that’s making him
completely undone…
Comments
Post a Comment