Him and I

Of devastations and disappointments

Complete silence followed after Rain and Sky had finished recounting their story. Most of the people in the room had tears pouring openly down their faces, but no one said a word. Rain and Sky looked up, and were shocked to see the distress on the faces of the people on their behalf. They had thought they will get pity and sympathy, but they hadn't expected this much of empathy from these people. They looked at Phayu and Pai, who had still not looked at them. They were still staring on the floor, and their faces were not clearly visible to the two younger boys. They wanted to see the expressions on the faces of the older boys, and wanted to hear what they would say to them.

"Were you raped?" Phayu's softly asked question fell like shards of ice into the already chilled atmosphere. He still hadn't looked up, but his whole family looked at him in fear. There was something in his tone that alerted everyone, including Rain and Sky. "No Phi, I was not," Rain said. "And Sky?" he asked, in the same monotonous tone. "No Phi, me neither," Sky said. Phayu and Pai stood up. They looked at their family members. "We will be back," they said, and left without looking at Rain and Sky. For a moment, both boys were devastated. But they then understood that it was for the best. At least they knew where they stood with Phayu and Pai. They tried their best not to feel disappointed, but somehow they could feel their hearts breaking. Without even realising, they had been hoping for a more favourable response from the two seniors.

"Rain, I know this has been hard on both of, this retelling. But I hope you will take out some more courage and strength from the fact that we are with you, and talk to the cops for us. You need to tell them what exactly happened yesterday. How you ended up here. Your testimony is the only thing that will help put those two behind bars," Pete said, as he stroked Rain's head again. The Theerpanayakul family could not believe how badly these two boys had been treated. For them, their boys meant the world. It was true they loved their partners beyond reason, but Phayu, Pai and Dao were their heart and soul. The whole family was always bound together by love and warmth, and hearing these two boys' story made them realise that there were people out there who lived out in the cold. It was made worse by the fact that Rain and Sky seemed like genuinely beautiful and warm people. After hearing everything, even Kinn, Vegas and Kim, who hardly ever showed their emotions to anyone outside their family, had tears in their eyes. And what bothered and disappointed them more were their sons. They had expected a totally different reaction from Phayu and Pai, not expecting them to walk off, not even looking at or talking to Rain and Sky. They had seen the devastation on Rain and Sky's faces, even though they tried really hard to hide it.

"I will do it," Rain said. "I want to end this once and for all. And I want to know why they did it, why they targeted us in the first place," he added. "Rain, just a while more. You have been brave this long, you and Sky. We promise that, from today onwards, nothing bad will happen to you. From today, you are our family," Thankhun said, as he stood with his one hand on Sky's head, and the other on Rain's arm. "I will let the cops know. They will interview you here. Don't worry about anything from now on," Arm said, as he pulled out his phone. "Why don't you both rest for a while now? We will go and arrange some food for Sky and your friends," Vegas smiled at them.

"It's okay Uncle. We will get something for all of us at the hospital canteen," Sig said politely. "There is no need for that. Food will be here in an hour's time for all of you. And as far as Rain is concerned, he is still on IV. So let him sleep and rest for a while. As it is, he can't seem to keep his eyes open," Pete said, as he smiled indulgently at the sweet little boy, whom he had come to love like his own, who was now nodding off, because of all the effects of the anaesthesia and other medications in his system. That he had stayed awake this long in itself was a miracle. Por immediately went and lowered the bed so that Rain could sleep comfortably, while Yihwa adjusted the pillows. "Rain and Sky are really lucky to have friends like you," Thankhun said, smiling at them. "Let's go Khun Nu. Let them rest. You kids, you can come with us. We will arrange food for you outside. You should also sleep Sky," Porche said, ushering everyone out.