Kissing P'Arthit (Completed)

They want to kiss who!?!

Have you heard the news?

I thought I told you this number was only for emergencies? I'm sick of your begging texts about games! Please refrain from texting me and delete my number immediately.

So, you don't want to know about the bet?

WHAT BET?!

I think you should come to campus today.

On my way!

Oak was grinning far too excitedly for Kongpob's nerves. The last time he had seen his friend act this way had been way back in first year when there had been that stupid bet about kissing his boyfriend. So, obviously, Kongpob was worried.

"What do you think is up with Oak?" Tew asked him, furthering Kongpob's suspicions as they settled at a table in the quad, plates of noodles and iced coffees in front of them.

"Whatever it is, I don't trust him," M replied, settling down and sliding a drink across to May who blew him a kiss then turned back to her conversation with Maprang and Prae.

It was nice, Kongpob thought idly, having the same friends for the past few years, they had built a solid friendship and trusted each other (most of the time.) But today, Oak was acting strangely and he was determined to find out why.

"Oak?"

His friend ignored him, continuing to tap away on his mobile, intent on whatever game he was playing.

"Oak? Are you listening?" Kongpob tried again.

Still nothing.

Tew nudged their friend hard in the elbow, knocking him sideways and earning a grunt of disappointment, "Come on! We're supposed to be friends, can you not ruin my game like that, Tew!"

"Well, can you not ignore us when we're trying to speak to you, please?"

"Give me a minute, I need to.."

Then their friend was lost once more in his game. Kongpob and Tew exchanged frowns, but there was nothing for it, they'd certainly been through it all before and they knew there was little point in pushing it, Oak would surface when he was ready.

They were just finishing their lunch when the first strange thing happened. A young woman approached their bench and stopped beside it, then turned and waied to Kongpob, "Good afternoon, P'Kongpob. I am Phana from the faculty of Economics. I was hoping to ask.. I mean..," she started to giggle shyly, looking down at her feet then back up at Kongpob.

"What is it Nong Phana?" Kongpob asked, trying to be polite even though his mind was already on the end of the day and how he was planning to surprise his Phi with takeaway.

"Oh, Phi. I just wanted to ask, please may I kiss you?"

Kongpob spluttered as around him, his friends burst in laughter. The girl flushed red and looked mortified as Kongpob shushed them. "I'm sorry, Nong, I don't know who put you up to this, but I am already in a relationship, so no, I can't kiss you."

"Oh! I didn't know Phi. Of course not, I'm sorry."

When she had left, Kongpob turned to his friends, "Was that weird?"

"Umm, maybe?" Tew said, frowning. Beside him, Oak continued to calmly play his game.

It happened again a few minutes later, and then as he was walking to his lesson. May and Maprang ended up linking arms with him on either side, while Tew, M, Oak and Prae surrounded him at the front and back. It was the easiest way to make it through the small crowd that was beginning to form.

After his lecture, all was calm and he and his friends headed to the quad for a quick drink between classes. However, when they arrived, he was shocked to see that girls from every faculty had swarmed the space and there was an air of anticipation.

"What's going on?" Kongpob asked as they fought their way through the crowds, Oak leading them to a familiar table, even as the hoards of girls (and some guys) made a long, single file line facing them. "Seriously guys?"

His friends all shrugged, but as soon as he was seated, the first girl in line stepped up and asked if she could kiss him.

Kongpob frowned as he refused her and then watched in awe as the next one stepped up and then the next and the next and the next.

Oak plonked a cup of pink milk in front of him, grinning as he said, "It must have caught on, isn't this about the same time of year that this happened to P'Arthit?"

Kongpob frowned harder and continued to refuse the young women, starting to interrupt them before they could ask him for a kiss. Finally, someone he recognised stepped up and he asked, "Nong KhaoFang? What is going on? Tell me."

She looked flustered and then stammered, "Well.. we were told this is.. tradition? To ask the head hazer for a kiss! Didn't it happen when you were a first year too?"

Kongpob growled low in his throat as he turned and faced Oak who was trying to unsuccessfully hide a smile, "Did you do this?"

"Well.. Which answer won't get me killed?"

There was a frozen moment when everyone was waiting to see what would happen as Kongpob launched himself towards his friend, but then a loud voice cut through the commotion and everyone's attention was directed elsewhere.

"Soon, Soon, Hock, Song!"

Arthit cut a fierce figure as he marched towards them in his old, maroon, engineering jacket and a pair of faded jeans. As he reached the front of the line, he politely asked if he could cut in, and the girls scattered in surprise.

Kongpob stood, on shaking knees.

"Care to explain what's going on?"

"Phi, I.." Around Kongpob, there was silence as engineering students and comm arts students and economics students watched the current and ex-head hazer face off. Their fights had become legend around campus, as had the way the way they had gotten together with a kiss in this very quad.

"Kongpob! Soon, soon, hock, song! Were you planning to kiss one of these... people, and on our anniversary?"

Kongpob shook his head furiously as Tew and Prae teased him. M hid behind May and Maprang and Oak calmly filmed the whole thing on Oak's phone.

"No Phi! I promise I wasn't!"

"I should hope not! I'm the only one who gets to kiss you!"

Kong's eyes lit up as P'Arthit reached for the collar of his jacket, "Happy anniversary, Kongpob."

"Happy anniversary Phi..." Arthit cut Kongpob off with a hard kiss, the crowd around them catcalling and yelling their names (or hiding their faces from the serious PDA!)

When Arthit and Kongpob had vanished, Kong skipping his last class of the day in favour of taking his boyfriend home, Oak turned his huge grin on his group of friends.

"You all owe me five hundred baht each, I told you I could get P'Arthit to kiss Kong on their anniversary in the quad!"

"Oak!" They all moaned as they fished out their wallets.

Later, Oak flicked through his messages and composed a final one before deleting the number, I've got a thousand baht for you, I'll slip it in Kong's bag, nice doing business with you.

Only took you two years to pay me back!

My debt is repaid now though. Number deleted.