Bittersweet Love // #KaoEarth AU

22

A pop-rock song was playing with a low volume in the background. The car was moving smoothly on the road heading towards one of the national universities in Bangkok. The road was primarily empty from vehicles, except for the busses and a few motorcycles.

Earth was looking out the window, avoiding eye contact with Kao ever since their meeting in the cafe. After his conversation with Boun the other day, he seems more conscious of the feelings he held for the older man seated on the driver's seat.

"Why do you keep avoiding meeting my eyes today?" Kao asked after turning the music off completely, startling Earth in the process.

Earth didn't turn around and shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing, Phi. It must have been your imagination."

"See, you weren't even looking at me when you answered just now," Kao said. He actually had turned his body to look at Earth's face when the traffic light was red.

Earth silently cursed Boun for making him more aware of his feelings for Kao and made him half hope that Kao would have the same feelings as him. Then, he realized that his strange attitude towards Kao wouldn't make him have the answers to all the questions that were raging in his head.

Earth sighed slowly, trying to keep Kao from hearing it, and turned to look at the older ones. Unintentionally, their faces almost met when he faced Kao and were only a few centimeters apart from each other. Shocked, Earth hurriedly pulled his face back and smiled sheepishly.

"I was just thinking about the festival at the university, Phi," Earth lied smoothly. He had been trying to find a good reason to ease Kao's doubts, and there was only the fireworks festival on his campus that he could think of at this moment.

Kao didn't question Earth's sudden action to pull back his face; he merely arched an eyebrow. "A festival? You mean, the fireworks festival tonight?"

"Wow, Phi. How did you know about it?" Earth was genuinely surprised at Kao for knowing which festival it was before he even tells the older more.

"I just know," Kao laughed awkwardly and then cleared his throat. "What about the festival that makes you not look at me in the eye all day?"

"It's not that, Phi," Earth said in exasperation, wanting to drop the subject. "I was just too caught up in that, is all."

Kao raised an eyebrow. Then, he continues the drives again when the traffic light has turned green.

"There is this class that I took, which obligates the students to come to the festival. Then, the professor said he will be taking attendance there," Earth sounded exasperated at the reminder of the cultural course he took. "He also gave us a dress code that we should use to mark us as participants in his class."

"Was it a compulsory class? What class requires the students to attend a festival?" Kao was genuinely surprised at the difference in custom from his university abroad.

"Actually...no. It was a cultural class," Earth looked embarrassed after answering that question.

Kao laughed, "Then, why did you take that class? Because it sounded easy to pass?" He arched an eyebrow.

Earth grinned, then his face turned dejected. "I hadn't had the time to ask around for the subject. Rumour has it that the professor is kinda eccentric."

"Has he given you a difficult assignment yet?" Kao glanced at the younger one.

Earth shook his head.

"Then, you never know what he will really do. Don't label someone based on the rumors spread around." Kao shrugged his shoulders, "Though, I think, attending the festival won't really be that bad though. You just need to participate, and you can also have fun there."

Earth thinks over the older's words. "To be honest, the festival requires participants to come with a partner." He looked out the car's window and sighed, "It's already evening; I don't have my classmate's phone number to ask somebody to accompany me and the festival tonight."

"You still have me," Kao turned the steering wheel, so they went the other way, a soft smile appeared on his lips.

"What, Phi? What do you mean?" Earth asked frantically, holding to dear life on the seatbelt he was wearing.

"Do you have the dress code at home? What is the dress code anyway?" asked Kao, ignoring the younger one's shout of protest.

Earth was reminded of what his professor said.

Wear something that smells like memories to you. Rather than formally asking you to wear a specific type of clothes, I would rather see you reminiscing about an old and fond remembrance. Don't worry; I will always recognize my students everywhere.

Eccentric indeed, his professor that is.

Then, Earth starts to think. He could tell Kao that he already wears the dress code to save time. But the professor's words somehow hit him like a hammer destroying the brick walls. Crumbling down from the impact. An idea occurred to him at that exact moment.

"I have the dress code at home, Phi," was his answer.

to be continue

a/n:
Can you guess what Earth will wear?

Updated on the 26th of April 2021,

junijunipers.