Little Sprout 🌱 A SandLongtae Story.

Chapter 8: Dead - Ringer

LONGTAE

Utterly confused, I found myself standing in front of Chief Phupha and Tian's house. When Chief Phupha opened the door, as if he immediately knew something was wrong, he led me to sit down and called Tian.

My whole body was shivering with myriad of emotions- confusion, fear, betrayal. Was I just used as a substitute for his dead lover? Was any of those we shared together these last few months real? When he smiles at me with those beautiful bambi eyes, was that smile meant for me? When he kissed me, did he imagine it was Ray? I put my face in my hands and kept trembling.

"Tae... What happened? What's wrong huh?" Tian is speaking to me gently as Chief Phupha laid a blanket over my shoulder seeing the shaking.

Looking into Tian's eyes, I whispered "Tell me about Ray''.

Tian was utterly surprised. He had mixed emotions on his face.

"Tae... what happened?" He inquires.

"I went to Sand's place and his friends were there. This guy named Boston hugged me like he wanted to squeeze the life of me. He was emotional and kept calling me Ray. He was apologizing and kept saying how much he missed me. He was mad when Sand finally peeled him off me and was shouting for Ray! Tian, tell me about Ray! Please. I'm so confused right now." Finally my emotions burst at the last sentence.

Quietly Tian replies "Ray is an old friend of mine. We basically grew up together, with Boston. We went to an exclusive school together. I'm not as close to Ray as Boston is, but we were friends. We got along famously, especially because we liked to party, burn our parents money and do drugs. Boston and Ray are inseparable until they went to college and I guess they met new friends that consisted of their group. When we started college, since I was still partying, I met Sand when he was a bar singer and I ran into Ray and Boston every now and then. Then I came here and right about that time the accident happened. Ray died in a car crash, he was driving intoxicated. Apparently, he had been together with Sand but was also in love with another person named Mew. My best friend told me this story since they were at the club that day. A huge fight had broken out as Ray started attacking all his friends verbally, including Sand. Ray had driven out of there at break neck speed despite Sand's effort to stop him. Sand went after him wanting to make sure he was safe. Unfortunately, Sand witnessed with his own eyes how Ray lost control and the car flipped over. It was Sand who dragged out a badly injured Ray from the car that caught fire a few seconds after. Sand risked his life to save Ray who still had a weak pulse. But he was bleeding badly and Sand had not been able to stop it, by the time the ambulance arrived, Ray had bled out. Witnesses swore how heartbreaking it was to watch Sand, cradling Ray in his arms, wailing. Sand had kept blaming himself because apparently it was Sand who set in motion that whole confrontation in the club." Tian narrated. "There's a lot more to the story that you should definitely hear from Sand Tae. They're not mine to discuss, I'm sorry".

"Do I look like Ray?" I whispered in a broken voice.

"I can't deny that I noticed the similarities between you two. Maybe that's one reason it was very easy for me to befriend you when I first came here, you looked similar. But Tae you also look different. It's hard to describe it but physically yes you could pass off as twins even but the similarities end there" Tian explains.

My tears are falling now, "Tian, did Sand like me because he sees Ray in me?"

"Oh my baby" Tian hugs me tightly. "Don't say that Tae. This question, you have to ask Sand. He never struck me as the kind who will intentionally hurt someone nor does he look like the type who takes things like love lightly."

Chief Phupha had looked on with worried eyes as Tian tried his best to comfort me.

"I'm going to try to talk to Sand. Thank you Tian and Chief Phupha." I finally stood up.