Lil' Prince

Chapter 13

Kongpob: 18 Arthit: 9

3rd Person's POV
"P'Prem, there is strawberry, vanilla, mint, and chocolate.!" Arthit jumped on his feet excitedly as he pointed at the shelf.

"Which flavor do you think Kong will like, Oon?" Prem crouched beside Arthit with a sneaky smirk as he looked at the younger with knotted brows and thought real hard.

"Can we buy more than one, P'?" Arthit asked after thinking for a very long time and still couldn't decide.

"Of course we could." Prem answered, trying to hide his chuckles.

"Then... Then we'll get all the flavors!" Arthit pointed at all the boxes with different flavors on the shelf as he explained, "I like strawberry, P'Prem likes vanilla, P'Knot likes mint, and P'Bright likes chocolates!"

"Then what about P'Kong? You're buying a gift for him, not your other P's." Prem's words make Arthit start to question his decision again.

"But there's no coffee flavor, P'." Arthit mumbled softly as he walked around the aisle.

"Then, let's just get these flavors that are available. I'm sure Kong will love them." Prem snickered as he took the boxes and placed them in the cart.

"Can we also get coffee cookies, P'Prem?" Prem nodded as Arthit pulled on his sleeves and the two proceeded with their shopping spree.

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Kongpob's POV
Today is finally the day.

I turned back to look at the orphanage for one last time with my luggage and bags by my side.

It truly has been a journey in there.

"Kong, you ready?" Aim and Wad were already ahead in the car and Prem was opening the car door as he called out to me.

I took a deep breath, giving the main entrance and gates one last look before turning to my friends, "I'm ready."

I'm ready and I'm finally free.

I got in the car after placing my belongings in the car boot and Prem started the engines as he drove off. While leaving the premises of the orphanage, I couldn't resist my lips from curving into a smile.

"That happy, huh?" Prem teases when he looked through the driving mirror and saw my silly grin.

"Yes." I replied with a chuckle and Prem nodded his head with a bright smile as well. Prem had always been the friend that I could never ask for. He's always there to comfort and help me. He was there when I just needed someone to listen to me. He knew how tough it'd been for me all these years and he understood how happy I was to have finally left the hell hole.

"Back to your apartment first? Then we'll go to my place to celebrate." And we're off to the apartment I'd bought. Mr. Rojnapat paid high prices when I work for him but I'm still a little low on the deposit and Prem butted in, helping me pay for the deposit, saying I could return the money to him later on. I could never be more thankful to him and I feel like I owe him too much in my life.

I looked around at the rather empty apartment as I placed the luggage down. It definitely requires a lot of work to furnish and decorate the apartment but my heart was already soaring with happiness.

It's nice to finally have a place to call home.

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After awhile, I was down with settling down my belongings and I went to Prem's house with my friends. It was my 18th birthday when I left the orphanage. My friends initially planned to celebrate my birthday, saying this would be my first step into adulthood. But they knew how I felt about birthdays, so they called it a housewarming party instead, in disguise for celebrating my birthday.

The meals were great, and the cakes and desserts are marvelous. I was already ready to go back to my apartment and call it a day when my friends stopped me.

"We're not done yet, Kong." Aim said as he pulled me to the living room and I saw my friends with sneaky smiles.

"Kong." Mr. Rojnapat rose from his seat and walked to me.

"Yes, Mr. Rojnapat."

"I've got a little something for you." He handed me a letter and I opened it.

Is this...

"Mr. Rojnapat, is this a-"

"Yes, it's a recruitment letter. I would like to invite you to join our team." Mr. Rojnapat said and I could feel tears prickling my eyes, "But still, I wanted you to reconsider your decision not to pursue tertiary education. I can see the talent in you, Kong."

"I...I'll think about it, Mr. Rojnapat. Thank you." He patted my shoulder before leaving the living room, giving us some space.

"So, we'd also bought you a few items. They're for your apartment and I believe they've already arrived at your place. So, you can unbox them when you got back." Wad said and I nodded my head, thanking them.

"Lastly, our Ai'Oon also has a little something for you." Prem said as he pushed Arthit to the front with a sly grin.

Is he plotting something?

"P'Kong, this is for you." Arthit handed me a box that was wrapped very well with ribbons and wrapping papers.

"What's inside?" I asked and he giggled a little too cutely and sneakily.

"You've to open it to know, P'." Feeling a little curious, I opened it and found a few boxes in it.

"Cookies?" I took out the box that was the largest and placed it on the top of other items.

"Coffee-flavored cookies." Arthit cheered a little when he said, seemingly very satisfied with his gift and I caressed his hair.

"Thank you." I proceeded to look at the other gifts in the box and I almost dropped it, "What the f-"

I managed to stop myself from cursing as I looked at Prem and found him staring at me with a smirk.

"W-What's this, Arthit?" I asked, trying to stifle my shaky voice due to immense shock.

"Chewing gum. P'Prem told me you would like those." Arthit blinked innocently as he explained and I gulped hard.

The hell, Prem!

I glared at the culprit and he was laughing along with my friends.

These are fucking condoms! Not some chewing gum like what Arthit said.

"Do you like these, P'Kong?" Arthit asked when he noticed me being awfully quiet.

"Y-yeah."

"Really?"

"Y-Yes, I really like it." I said to the young boy and he beamed in delight, "But can you promise to not buy these anymore? Not before you're 18."

"But why, P'?" Arthit tilted his head slightly as he asked.

"These... These are candies for big boys." I said, my mind going absolute haywire as I tried to find a child-friendly explanation.

"For big boys only?"

"Yes, for big boys only."

Prem will be in so much trouble if Mr. Rojnapat found out about the 'prank' he pulled. But before that, he'll have to survive from me.

A/N:
Been a little slow with updates. I'm going to start my freshman year soon and I was getting busy with preparations and all that. I still hope that I'll be able to update when I started the semester but I doubt I can.

Also, as I was growing up, I started to realize the people around me or even on this platform are struggling in life whether it was due to academics, finances, or others. I started to know the reality of life. So, I'm here just wanted to spread some awareness to all of you to be more mindful of the people around you and also spread love to them, be their ears to listen to their problems. You might not be able to help much, but just being there for them is sometimes enough to make them feel a lot better. Life is always a struggle but I believe all of us could get through it💕

That's all from me, thanks for reading, and have a nice day❤️