Him and I

Of fear and fun

"Rain? Teun!! We don't want to be late! It's the first day!" Sky's voice filtered through. Rain groaned as he opened his eyes and the sunlight hit them. "Coming!" he called out, sleep clearly clinging to his voice. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and stumbled his way into the bathroom. It took him around 20 minutes to get ready and wear his uniform, the black pants, white shirt and black tie were designated to the freshmen, and it gave Rain a sense of familiarity and belonging. He came out of the room, to see Sky pouring the coffee. "Eggs and toast fine?" he asked, and Sky nodded. "If you are not in a mood to cook, we can eat at the college," he said. "It's gonna be a hectic day, plus we can't go looking for stuff on the first day," Rain said. "Jing," Sky concurred, and sipped his coffee as he watched Rain cook. Rain soon slid the plate with two fried eggs and 2 slices of toast in front of him.

Although both Sky and Rain could cook, thanks to Uncle Jom, who had taken it into his head that both boys would eventually live alone, Sky had been more about Thai cuisine and Rain had mastered Western. They could both make everything, but both boys took turn to cook whatever they felt like eating. It balanced out the efforts, plus they both knew that the School of Architecture was no mean feat. And they had to work hard in their co-curriculars as well. That was the deal that would keep their fathers off their backs. They had decided to give it their best shot and not get involved in anything other than their prescribed life. They were both homebodies, not very fond of partying, and they had each other, so that meant, even if they made new friends, there was no need to please anyone.

And love was out of the question. It was not that they didn't believe in love, or that they did not want it, but both Sky and Rain had seen the downside of loving and trusting someone. Even today, some of the nightmares they woke up from seemed like real sensations not to be ignored. Several nights, they would crawl into each other's beds, to escape the harsh reality that was their life. This was their pact. Never a locked door, which is why having a partner was somewhat an indulgence they could not afford. It's not that they had closed their doors to the idea of having someone in their life, but as of now, college and a new life awaited them, and that was of paramount importance. For them, this was their first step towards overcoming their fear.

"Mine or yours?" Rain asked. "Mine. Yours is a bit flashy, especially because it's that colour," Sky said. Rain nodded. His car was his baby, and the one indulgence of his life. His eyes had fallen on it and for the first time, he had asked his father for something. His father had agreed, saying that if he could make one-third of the money the car cost, he would cover the rest. Rain had immediately accepted the challenge, knowing it was the best he could get. He had worked hard throughout summer, doing several petty jobs, and had, at the end of it, presented it to his dad. The very next day, the keys to the car were in his hand, and the car itself sat, a pristine red, in the garage. Sky had taken one look at it and rolled his eyes and sighed. "Don't you think you went a bit over the top?" he asked. "Love is love Ai'Sky," Rain had giggled, and Sky had conceded defeat. Seeing Rain laugh like that had been a relief, and anything was acceptable if Rain was happy.

Rain and Sky joined the throng of kids their age lining up to complete their registration. "We need to register for our clubs too," Sky whispered. "I know. Gonna stick to Debate here too?" Rain asked. "Hmm, yeah. And try for the council as a volunteer. As long as we do what is expected and keep our heads down, we can live how we want, remember?" he said. Rain nodded. "You can sign up Nong," the seniors in the front called out, and both Rain and Sky signed the forms. "Rain, go sign up for your clubs, I will go for mine. Let's meet in one hour in front of our faculty for lunch. How does that sound to you?" Sounds perfect ya," Rain replied. "Will you be okay though?" they both asked each other at the same time. They both smiled at each other, and nodded. "Let's get this done Sky. The sooner we finish, the sooner we get home," Rain said. They both parted ways.