Kavin & Kaning: Our Story

INTRODUCTION: When We Became Friends

I’m a little jealous because lately Tesla has been distant with me. I managed to convince him though to have a zoo date this weekend. He didn’t even complain when I told him it would be a double date with my best friend and her boyfriend. In order to help Gorya and Thyme get to know more of each other, I invited them to double date with Tesla and I. I should have known that this plan would backfire and turned into a big disaster. Thyme didn’t want to come. He had a valid point: he didn’t know me or Tesla. If he wanted to date Gorya, why should they have to join another couple? In the end, I not only cause a rift between Gorya and Thyme but Tesla has been mad and totally ignoring my messages. Thyme beat him up for no reason to which I apologized profusely. Gorya too. He simply won’t reply my messages. Have we broken up already? I wondered to myself.
Meanwhile, Gorya informed me that Thyme has booted Ren out of F4. I didn’t realize the double date would cause such huge conflict between two great friends. This is all my fault. If only I hadn’t suggested the double date. So, when Kavin showed up unexpectedly at the shop, in a bad mood, and MJ asked me through a phone call to assist Kavin to talk to Ren so F4 can mend their problem, I willingly went along.
I tried to hide from Kavin my own problem but being the most experienced player himself I think he can see through me. On the way to the mall, I texted Tesla: I’m at EmQuartier. If you could come out to meet.
After ending my call with Gorya, I couldn’t help but to check again my phone. To see if Tesla has replied. None. Nothing.
“Having a fight with your boyfriend?” Kavin asked.
“Of course not.”
“You keep looking at your phone because he doesn’t reply to you, huh?” He pointed out.
I looked away. Kavin is the last person I want to know of my relationship problems.
“You don’t have to tell me but you should brace yourself. When a guy does this, it usually means he’s found someone new,” he said. “I do it too.”
Has he no shame or reservations telling me this?
“No,” I responded, “Tesla isn’t that kind of person.”
“You said you weren’t having a fight.”
To be honest, Kavin was right. But I refused to believe in him. I was in a big denial.
“But my boyfriend isn’t a player like you,” I said defensively.
Kavin smirked. “You’ve always been naïve.”
Then he patted the top of my head like I’m a toddler not a teenager. Before I could retort him, I just saw Tesla. I waved at him but it seemed he couldn’t see me. A lovely lady who’s older than me appeared beside him and to my horror, they kissed.
This lady was oblivious but there was no denying that Tesla saw me. Loudly, I heard him told the lady he was with that he thought he saw someone familiar. It’s painful enough that Kavin was there to witness it all but for him to also hear Tesla say, “No, I don’t know her,” was humiliating and heartbreaking.
I couldn’t let Kavin see me melt down so I made a lame excuse of going to the restroom. I was ready to accept if Tesla would break up with me but I didn’t think he’d do it like that. It hurt. So much.
“I’ll say it again. You’re too naïve.”
Oh great! Kavin has found me crying.
“Are you here to taunt me?” I dared him to mock me.
“No,” he replied. “I’m here to console you.” He sat down beside me and offered me his handkerchief. I took it and wiped my face. Quietly, I cried my broken heart out.
“What are you doing?” Is he seriously taking photos of me at my very worst moment in life? I lunged at him to grab his phone. “Stop messing around. Delete the photos now.”
“No way.” He stretched out his other hand with the phone.
“Stop messing around.”
“No.”
“Stop it,” I demanded. “Hand over your phone.” As I reached for his phone, Kavin remained smiling, teasing me like he usually does.
“This looks more like you.”
I hate to admit it but he does have a soothing and calming effect on me right away. No wonder so many girls are attracted to him. He is charming and irresistible.
“It’s boring when you cry. Some girls cry pretty. But tears,” his hand reached for my face and began wiping the tears staining my cheeks, “are not for someone like you.”
I have never seen him act so tender towards me. That moment was definitely cherished afterwards.
“Dry your tears and get back to being a fighter,” Kavin remarked. He was the least person I expected to cheer me up.
“Don’t you know how to console people the normal way?”
Next thing I knew Kavin was dragging me all over the mall because he wanted to have his own kind of fun as revenge for me. Just when I was ready to forget everything about Tesla. It didn’t take us long enough to find where Tesla and his new girlfriend went. I watched as Kavin entered the Alexander Wang shop. I was feeling scared. I had no idea what kind of game Kavin is playing. Then Tesla came out. I had nothing to say to him as we stand opposite each other. Kavin emerged out of the shop handing me a big paper bag. Really? He even went as far as buying a very expensive item just to help me out?
“Have you waited long enough sweetheart?” Kavin put his arm around my shoulder. Pointing to Tesla, “Do you two know each other?”
My heart skipped a beat as I heard him call me sweetheart but I immediately caught on his plan. He was taunting Tesla.
“I think he looks familiar,” I confidently said, “but no, I don’t know him.” That felt good. Definitely good.
Tesla didn’t like having to taste his own medicine. He was mad. As we tried to leave, he revealed what really happened that day on the zoo. I didn’t realize that Ren and Gorya were nearby. Hearing Tesla’s confession, Gorya confronted him. Being true to her fighter spirit self, Gorya kicked Tesla (deserved!) and unintentionally admitted that Thyme is her boyfriend (hurray!).
Kavin completely forgot his mission to talk to Ren. He drove me back home instead. On the way, we couldn’t stop laughing at what just happened. Before I stepped out of the car, I assured Kavin that I was okay and thanked him for the hundred time for his help. He gave me one of his sweetest smiles as he said it was his pleasure to rescue a damsel in distress.
Because of what he did, it was my turn to have a change of heart and mind about Kavin. And maybe about F4 as a whole. They’re not so bad after all. If only they weren’t such big bullies at Kocher. If only they had met Gorya sooner than later. After spending some time with them, I was able to get to know them a little more. In particular Kavin. I haven’t seen him since I broke up with Tesla.
A few days ago, Gorya shared with me that Thyme’s mother visited them at their house and offered her money to stay away from Thyme. Because Gorya refused the money, her father lost his job. Due to their dire financial situation, her parents were forced to return to the countryside where they can work at the orchard owned by her mother’s family. Gorya and her younger brother remained in the city to continue their studies. Gorya decided to get a second job to earn more money.
I was alone in the shop one day. Uncle Ga has instructed me to make garlands with the excess flowers we got. Taking a box of the flowers atop the freezer, I didn’t realize it could be so heavy. Losing my balance, I thought was gonna fall but instead I bumped into something soft. As I looked up, it turned out to be Kavin. His presence was a pleasant surprise. Was he there to see me? But why would he deliberately come and see me?
He flirted with me which I tell you was not doing anything good for my heart.
“Sorry.” I apologized.
“You carry things too heavy for your size.”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. Of course, I’ll help you. You’re my girlfriend.”
Kavin such a flirt and a tease. First, he called me sweetheart. Now he’s saying I’m his girlfriend. He should stop. Stop staring at me like that. Stop smiling at me like that. Can’t he hear the loud thumping of my heart? The erratic beat he is causing? It’s dangerous and deadly. For me! It was all too much for me that I dropped the box of flowers into the floor.
“What girlfriend?” I remarked.
“When we saw your ex the last time. Don’t you remember?” Then he pretended to be wounded. “My heart is broken. I’m so sad.”
I slapped his arm. “Stop it Kavin. No more teasing.”
“Fine. What were you doing carrying all this stuff?” He inquired.
“Uncle Ga recently got a whole lot of flowers. He’s thinking of making garlands for extra income and sell it here.”
“It’s not easy to make beautiful garlands. Want me to teach you?”
“Can you?” I asked excitedly. I did my research thoroughly and knew that Kavin’s family business was in Thai goods export which included the famously beautiful Thai flower garlands.
“Sure.” He said enthusiastically. “Although I’m not your boyfriend I get to be your teacher.”
“Are you going to flirt every ten seconds?” I reprimanded him. “Enough playing.”
Though we were having a playful banter, part of me really liked this whole new aspect in our dynamics. Part of me wishes more.
He inquired about Gorya since he hasn’t seen her much at Kocher and because Thyme has been cranky about it. Of course. Every time we meet, it’s always about our friends. Will there ever come a time that he meets with me because he wants to see me?
He didn’t stay long enough in the shop once he learned of Gorya’s current situation. He had an instinct that Thyme’s mother was behind it all. She was of course, and Kavin was right. Gorya’s involvement with Thyme led to many obstacles and challenges. First, there was Thyme who on impulse bought the house beside Gorya’s and attempted to live there. Let’s just say that living a poor person’s life is not for him. Second, during Thyme’s birthday party his mother introduced Lalita as his fiancée. A merging not only of two rich families but of their business wealth as well. Business marriage in short. For some reason, Lita and Gorya became friends though Lita is unaware that the girl she is friends with is the one true love of the guy she is marrying with. Third, Gorya had befriended a male student named Talay at Kocher which I was suspicious when she told me about him but I didn’t share my thoughts with Gorya. I regretted later not having warned her.
It was too bad I missed Thyme’s birthday party even though I was invited. My grandparents were visiting us that time. I was curious about this Lita girl. I finally met her in the shop after Kavin and MJ barged in to complain about her. Apparently, the two are attempting to lure Lita’s attention from Thyme to either one of them but Lita saw through their devious plans and played Kavin and MJ at their own game. Lita wanted to spend the rest of the day with Gorya and pulled out all her credit cards to buy all the flowers in the shop.
With Gorya gone to accompany Lita, I was left alone (again) to wrap all the flowers and deliver them to Lita’s home address. MJ excused himself by saying he had somewhere else to be while Kavin volunteered to stay and help me. While I was hoping he’d stay I didn’t think he would actually much less help me wrap the flowers. A guy like him surely had better things to do or somewhere else to go or someone else to spend time with. It was dark when we finished. He joked that his back hurts. I watched him as he tried to leave. Truthfully, I wanted him to stay. Maybe he read my mind or maybe he too wanted to stay because he turned around, lingered and blurted he was starving. I smiled. I was happy.
We decided to eat the yogurt outside the shop. He kept teasing me to which by now I have become accustomed. As much as I’d like to remain in this little bubble of serenity with Kavin, I couldn’t help but worry about Gorya. What we ended up watching on our video call was super chaotic. Thyme and Lita were having a pillow fight in Gorya’s house! When I went to sleep later that night, I kept replaying the events earlier including Kavin sneaking a spoonful of yogurt from my cup.
In the recent days, billionaire Pakorn has been on the news due to his ailing health. Gorya and I wouldn’t know or understand yet the whole impact of this situation in our lives until his untimely death was announced. Our shop was among the few flower shops tapped to provide the flowers for the funeral. While Gorya and I were preparing the flower garlands Kavin tried to explain it to us. It was then that Gorya and I saw the great divide between our families and the families of F4 and their likes.
My father is an ordinary office worker who earns an average income while my mother is a plain housewife. As I stood by the sidelines, I saw Kavin walked to the front along with his parents to pay their respects. From my research, I learned that Kavin comes from a long line of family members with military backgrounds and high-level government positions. They were decent and respectable people which makes me curious how Kavin ended up being a major playboy.
Anyway, Gorya ends her relationship with Thyme and Thyme agrees to date Lita. I was filled with worries and concerns as well as doubts and confusions. In order to understand what was going on between our friends, I was in constant communication with Kavin. I couldn’t dare ask him personal questions yet. Our main topic is mostly about the complicated situation of our friends.
Gorya continues to distance herself from Thyme and F4. Through the help of Talay, Gorya found another part time job. I still don’t see why Gorya is friends with him. Gorya landed herself in trouble again when she received another F4 red card. She was the target once again of bullying at Kocher. Now that I know F4, I don’t believe they would do that to Gorya.
I was so engrossed in Gorya’s life that I’ve forgotten about the graduation ceremony at Kocher. F4 was among the graduates. Inspired by Gorya and encouraged by Uncle Ga, I went to Kocher with a bouquet of hydrangea adorned with assorted flowers that I made myself. As I stood there outside the auditorium lobby, MJ and Ren spotted me. I congratulated them. MJ noticed the ‘flower of love’ garland and teased me if I planned to profess my love to someone. I was embarrassed but thankfully they didn’t tease me again. I found out that Kavin was their class valedictorian. Him? Seriously? I didn’t think Kavin was the studious type; Ren perhaps. But as MJ explained to me having an uncle who is the education minister has its advantage. There again is that reminder of the great divide between our social status. And as much as I’d like to call it unfair for those who worked hard and deserved to be the valedictorian, Kavin’s speech was meaningful and well delivered. Plus, he really looked good standing there on the stage. I loved the valedictorian speech so much that I had it memorized by heart.

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C.S. Lewis
As we are transitioning into adulthood, have you ever contemplated on how your life in this school has been? Many dwells on bad things. Many want to go back to fix the past. It’s not uncommon. We are good at remembering our mistakes. Everybody hurts in their own way. In the end, we all have to move past it.
No one can get on a time machine and go back to fix the past. I wish everyone remembers the past and looks to the future. I firmly believe that teenage life is about making mistakes and growth. Don’t keep looking back and forget to look at a beautiful thing in front of you. But keep your pain and learn from it.
From today on, I want you all to believe. A forward path is awaiting us, no matter in which way. I wish everyone strength and the ability to appreciate life. It may not be perfect but that’s life. Believe me, a better future is waiting for us to run toward it. I wish everyone enjoys their new journey. I wish you all good luck in your chosen path.