Rain in the Sun

13 - A Sudden Turn of Event

I smile as I tighten my hold on this limited edition manga of One Piece. He loves reading them and I remember him complaining that he didn't get to buy this one since they're already out of stock the moment he wanted to order it. I, on the other hand is fast enough to be able to grab a copy for myself. This is one of my priced possessions and I'm willing to give him this. It will also serve as a symbol for the starting point of Kongpob Suthiluck pursuing Arthit Rojnapat.

The plan is to go back on Sunday afternoon which is tomorrow but I just can't stay put any longer. Once I felt like I was given the sign I'm waiting for, I just have to see him. And so I'm back this evening. After helping Nai find his dorm which he'll be sharing with another transfer student, I am now waiting for the elevator to stop on my floor.

Nai is lucky to grab a room in an instant. The previous occupants of that room are sisters and need to migrate to another country. I had a hard time in finding one. Luckily, the building owner is in need of money and offered Arthit's room to be shared with me. Thinking about it, it lead me to get closer to him and that thought made my smile wider as I reach my floor. It sounds like a destiny.

When I open the door, I was met with darkness which made me frown. Arthit doesn't like to sleep with the lights on so it's always dark whenever we sleep. But the difference from that and now is that, aside from the darkness, the room also feels cold. Like there's no one inside.

Reaching for the switch, the room soon is filled with light and what made my frown deeper is that the bed is being occupied with no one. Where is he?

I fished out my phone and immediately dialed his number. A female voice of the operator greeted me saying that the line can't be reached. Now I'm getting worried. His not in our room and his phone can't be reached. It's almost 10 in the evening. Could he still be out with his friends?

This time, I dialed Knot's number and after a few rings, Knot answered it.

"Hey Knot, is Arthit with you? He's not in our room and I can't reach him."

"You're back? I thought you won't be back until tomorrow afternoon?"

"There was a change of plan. So tell me, is Arthit with you?" I repeated. I really want to know where he is right now because my guts are telling me something is wrong.

"I ah... Well, Kongpob," he hesitated which made me all the more worried.

"Just spill it, Knot! Where is he?" I know I shouldn't have shouted at him but my temper and worry are getting ahead of me.

"Fine. Just calm down, Kong. I'll tell you where he is." He paused for a moment. What's making him hesitant? All this prolonging is just making me worry more and more. Where is Arthit? Why can't he tell me right away?"

"He's in the hospital. We're all here with him right now."

What? I feel my heart stopped. Arthit is in a hospital? What is he doing there? Did something happen to him? Is he okay? Maybe he's just keeping a friend company. That can be it, right? It doesn't mean that something happened to him, right? Right?

The next thing I know, I'm already walking the white corridor, the smell of disinfectants and antiseptics assaulting my senses. I see Knot standing in front of a room and I half-run towards him.

"Where is he? Is he okay?" I ask right away, not caring how I sound or how I look. I just want to know how Arthit's doing. I want to know that he's okay and out of danger.

Knot smiled a little and pats me on the shoulder. "He's doing okay although a little hurt. You worry too much, Kong," he said and opens the door. He walks in with me following silently.

The room is filled with a lot of people but my gaze automatically went to him. He's lying on the bed with his eyes closed. He has a gauze pad on the left side of his forehead and my eyes immediately went to Knot, asking for explanation.

"Calm down, Kong. Like I said, he's just a little hurt but he's fine. There's just a little accident this evening. He'll surely wake up tonight and once he's awake, he's free to go home. There was no reason to be confined but he's unconscious so Dae's father allowed him to stay here for a while as well as us."

"Dae?" I asked, finally calming down. Knowing that Arthit isn't badly hurt made me relax a little.

"It's me." A shorter man came forward and introduced himself. "My father owns this hospital and I ask him to let P'Arthit and the others stay here until P'Arthit wakes up."

I look him from head to toe and back to his head again. Who is he and how does he know Arthit?

"He's a transfer student, Kong."

Tew's here? I looked around and find the familiar faces of my friends as well as Arthit's but aside from this guy, I was surprised to see Wad here. He rarely to attend classes and he's not close to anyone of us so what is he doing here?

Tew walked closer to us. "Dae is one of the transfer students. He's really quiet so I wanted to make friends with him. He refuses to talk to me or to anyone which makes me adamant on making friends with him. Just a while ago, I saw him in the park and I immediately approached him. I started teasing him but he got annoyed. He tried to get away from me but he ended up colliding with Wad who's walking in the park. Wad was using his mp3 player and when Dae bumped on him, his player fell on the floor and got broken. That made him mad and pulled Dae on his shirt. Coincidentally, Arthit and the others are also in the park. When they saw what's happening, they immediately approached us and tried to stop the fight. Wad won't let go of Dae and Arthit tried to pry Wad off him but Wad accidentally pushed Arthit none to gently. Arthit ended up hitting his head on the ground and he was unconscious since then."

Hearing the entire story, I felt my blood boil and my eyes immediately went to Wad instead. "What have you done?" My voice sounds low and dangerous.

"I'm okay, Kongpob."

I gasped and my body automatically turns to his lying form on the bed. All of a sudden, my mood isn't so bad anymore. My lips curved upwards and I moved my feet towards him only to be halted when a shorter man ran towards him.

"P'Arthit! You're finally awake!" Said man went to his side on the bed and held his hand. The audacity! Who is this little creature holding my Ai'Oon's hand so confidently?!!

"Yeah. Are you okay, N'Dae?" Arthit asked him and he's smiling at him. Why is he smiling at him? Why is he using gentle voice to him? Who is this little creature that he's basking in the warmth of my sun?

Little creature nods his head and smiles at my Ai'Oon who reciprocated that smile. I feel like crying. I was only away for a few days and someone is already trying to steal his attention. Just when I have decided to finally pursue him, this little creature dares to enter the picture. Why is this happening to me?

Arthit tries to move himself to a sitting position and I was about to help him but this little creature beats me to it. Off your hands! Ugh! I'm losing my patience. Someone, help me!

"This is Dae, Kongpob. He's 2 years younger than us but he's smart and got accelerated for 2 years. He's our classmate now." Arthit explained looking at me. He then stood up and took his bag from the sofa. I was watching him and wondering what he'll do when he approached Wad. That got me alert and stood right beside him in records time. Wad looked at him but immediately dropped his head.

"Do you have anything to say to me?" Arthit asked in a stern voice that even I felt the chill.

Wad didn't speak for a few seconds but then replies with a small voice, "I'm sorry."

Arthit smiles and I think he's really beautiful. "I know you are sorry. I know you didn't mean what happened. It was an accident. And for that, I forgive you."

Wad finally looks up at him, his eyes shows how sorry he really is.

"Just avoid being angry all the time and also, try going to class regularly. You can also join us on our lunch. Having friends will make one's day brighter and life easier," he added before telling everyone that he wants to go back.

Watching him makes me wonder. How do you fall deeper in love with the person you are already deeply in love with?