Bittersweet Love // #KaoEarth AU

9

Earth checked the time on his phone and saw that it had indeed passed lunchtime. He sighed because the professor was too eager to teach her students, and he was being called numerous times because he was the professor's favorite student. Seeing as Earth always gets a straight-A on every exam, he just put up with the praise she sang for him when she wanted her other students to take an example of his marvelous artwork.

He walked out of the classroom, head looking at the loose tie of his shoes. He was thinking about washing those worn-out shoes on the weekend.

To his surprise, Earth was stopped when someone put an arm in front of his chest. He traced the arm to look at who had just stopped him from walking, and he frowned when he found a too familiar face with their back leaning against the wall just outside his classroom's door.

"Phi Kao? What are you doing in front of my classroom?" Earth asked in surprise.

Kao straightened his back and ruffled the younger's hair, making Earth let out a slight whine from his action, "To take you out, of course. Have you forgotten?"

"But you don't have to come to get me outside my class like this, Phi," Earth said, still in disbelief.

Kao chuckles, "Well, come on. We started to bother other people with standing here," he said.

Earth looked around, and true to Kao's words. They already have some people looking in their direction and whispering to each other, but Earth realized that other sights were on Kao, "Says the one who is the object of their attention, Phi."

Kao just smiled, and they walked together towards a pizza place near the university. Kao ordered the foods and drinks, while Earth was stunned to notice that the older still remembers his favorite foods.

"How are you? Let's start with that," Kao asked.

Earth arched a brow; he let out a small laugh, "Okay. I'm good, Phi. What about you? When did you come back to Bangkok?"

Kao leans his back against the sofa they sat in, "I'm fine, and I got back here two months ago."

"Are you just on vacation in Bangkok or get back for good, Phi?"

"Well, I get back here to also help manage my dad's Thailand branch company, so I guess for good," Kao replied with a hint of a smile on his lips.

Earth's inside was dancing in joy at hearing that, but then he remembered what he had promised himself yesterday. I need to stop these feelings.

"What have you been up to, Earth?"

"As you have seen, I'm a sophomore at Kasetsart and busy working part-time in Moonbucks to pay off―"

Earth stopped his words, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden. He was about to say that he is currently in debt in front of Kao. He doesn't want to embarrass himself, so he decided not to continue his words.

"I mean, to get pocket money," Earth said.

Kao frowned when he saw how Earth seemed to distance himself when the younger one answered his question.

"Are you okay, Earth?" Kao asked with a concerned look.

Earth gulped down his drink. He put on a forced smile at Kao's worried look, "I am, Phi."

Kao sighed, "You know that I am no stranger, right? You can let out your problems to me."

Earth slowly nodded.

The pizzas arrived, and they started to eat in silence. Sometimes Kao would ask how his studies went or how hard his work at the cafe was. The light talk washed away Earth's uncomfortable feelings, and the younger man started to feel more relaxed being around Kao.

A ringtone suddenly rings from Kao's phone, which was on top of the table. Earth doesn't get the chance to peek at the caller ID, but he knows who Kao picks up the phone.

"I'm outside. Why? Not with Ohm, with a friend I haven't seen for a long time. I will pick you up tonight. Yeah, bye.*"

A friend that hasn't seen each other for a long time.

That is what he means for Kao. Earth looked at his thigh while pulling up a bitter smile.

Earth looked up when Kao ended his call, "Is your girlfriend looking for you? I was surprised when I saw you had successfully snatched a foreigner, you know," he gave out a low laugh. A forced but sounded genuine laugh.

At first, Kao was frowning at what Earth asked him, but then he was laughing out loud.

"Huh? Was my question weird, Phi?"

Kao rubbed his face and looked at Earth amused, "No, it wasn't. I laughed because I can't even imagine going out with my aunt."

A blush started to creep up his face to his neck. Earth hurriedly covers his face with both hands to hide his red face, "I'm sowwy, Phi," he mumbled from behind his hands.

Kao laughed again, then he chuckled. His right hand went to Earth's hand and pulled them out softly, so the hands won't hide the younger's face.

"It's okay. She's a distant aunt from my dad's family. She was a quarter of Thai with a full-blooded British father, so she looks like your typical foreigner. Looking at her whole wardrobe, no wonder you mistook her for someone younger," Kao explained.

There was still a hint of blush on Earth's white cheeks. "She's so beautiful, Phi. Just like a goddess," he responded. Then, he looks down, only to notice that his left hand was still clutched by Kao's right hand on the table. He hurriedly looked up to avoid the older, seeing him looking too hard at their joined hand.

Kao chuckles, "I will relay that to her. Apparently, she likes to be praised as a goddess," he said. Then Kao looked another way for a second, "But...hope...—king you," was what Earth heard the older whisper.

Earth frowned, wishing he had heard the whole sentence that Kao mumbled instead of just parts of it.

to be continue

* in English

a/n:
This is a long chapter from all the chapters I have had published for this series. I have a busy day tomorrow, and I don't feel well, so maybe I won't update tomorrow. I have already written until the 12th chapter, but I haven't proofread those, so I don't know if I can update tomorrow. I hope that I got better quickly so I can publish the 10th chapter tomorrow. See ya!

Updated on the 23rd of March 2021,

junijunipers.