Gemini

The Date

I still don't understand how I started my day expecting to go on a date with May and am now on my way to meeting P'Arthit instead.

Is this good luck or bad luck?

My feet drag as I slowly make my way to the noodle restaurant located nearby. I know that I should be hurrying so that I won't be late to meet P'Arthit in Singto's place but my whole body is rioting at this unexpected change of plans. My palms are sweating, my heart is pounding and there are thousands of butterflies bouncing around in my stomach like an intense no-holds-barred ping pong championship match.

You got this Kong; this is no problem. None at all. You'll just calmly walk right up to P' and say hi like it's no big deal. Because it's not. A big deal that it is. Yep, easy-peasy.

Just as I spot the restaurant, I notice P'Arthit sitting at a table near the window and I practically have to force myself not to hurl at the sudden panic that engulfs me.

Is he early? He was almost never early as kids, always the last to arrive and the first to leave, all in the name of his precious sleep. Was he that excited to see Singto?

Shit, and why does he have to look so good? Did he make an extra effort for my brother or does he normally leave the house looking this done up? His clothes look nice and form-fitting while his hair is styled to the side. I think I can even see a peek of his smooth chest from where the shirt is unbuttoned from all the way from over here. And that damn earring still taunts me, leading me to have inappropriate thoughts in the middle of my freak out. Stupid sexy earring!

Nope. I most definitely don't have this. Mission abort!

What the hell was Singto thinking? He should have found a way to escape May and meet me so we could swap places. We could have exchanged clothes so that she'd never even know the difference. Man, that's a brilliant idea! Why couldn't I have thought of that earlier when he called me?

I'm almost tempted to try to track my brother down to do just that when my P' spots me outside and gives a small wave.

Fuck. Too late.

Returning the wave with one of my own, I make my way into the restaurant and across the table from P'Arthit. Now to find a way to keep my non-existent chill in check for the next hour or so and hope that I don't hurl from the anxiety eating me up from the inside.

"Hi Ai'Oon."

Well shit. In my nervousness, I accidentally called him by his childhood nickname. I'm so so dead.

We used to call him Ai'Oon all the time when we would play together as kids and he never complained, but I can't imagine that he'll be happy to hear the nickname now that he's our senior in college and is supposed to be hazing me, or rather my brother - whom he currently thinks he's with at the moment.

P'Arthit looks startled for a moment before he checks his watch, "Hey. I'm surprised you're a few minutes late. You're almost always early, so much so that I was worried you'd be here waiting for me already when I arrived."

He's not going to say anything about the nickname? Maybe he's just being polite or...does he like that it was Singto that used the name? Ugh...this is seriously making me crazy! I'm gonna go bald from pulling my hair out in frustration at always having to second guess everything he says and does.

But wait a second, always early? Singto is late to everything!

It's actually weird how he manages to always be a few minutes late to everything, even when he would get up at the same time I would and I'd manage to be at least 15 minutes early to the same exact thing.