call out my name [2gether]

CH 12 💭

THE SWEET (?) KISS OF A LOVER (I).

"Have you thought about me today?" Tine asked eagerly as soon as Sarawat stepped through the doorway of his room. He staggered to a halt, mind going blank at the sudden assault from the ghost, thoughts still swimming after his conversation with Natty. "C'mon, Wat! You need to help me here," Tine muttered sulkily as he floated around the other man, his wide shoulders dropping at the telling silence. "We need to figure out how to meet Pear. Don't you want me out of your hair too?"

Sarawat frowned as he threw off his Vans briskly by the door and stomped over to the bed, flopping down on it. He combed a veiny hand through his hair, leaving the disheveled strands to slowly slide back into place, framing his chiseled face on each side. Sarawat stared with an unreadable expression at Tine, who was fidgeting a little ways away from him.

"Tine, how the hell did you end up at the riverbank with me? It feels like we're missing something."

The ghost inclined his head curiously at the sudden question, dark hair sliding over his round eyes and creating shadows on his otherwise bright face. The young man bit his lower lip while thinking.

"One moment I was just floating around the room and in the next one I was uh, really close to you," he said timidly and then chuckled at his own silly explanation, one hand rubbing at his nape. "I dunno, it felt like I was in your pocket or something, if that makes sense." Tine glanced at Sarawat from under his lashes, trying to gauge his reaction. "Then I felt this energy and that's when I found myself standing out there, like this." He gestured along the length of his own body.

In his pocket?

Sarawat rushed up to his feet abruptly and beelined for his denim jacket that had been carelessly discarded on the swivel chair. His hands searched frantically through the pockets until he found the guitar pick inside one of them. Sarawat clutched the flat, small object in his hand. Shit. This had to be it!

This had to be the piece of item that Tine was bound to. It was the only object that Sarawat had mindlessly picked up during these past weeks, not even thinking to examine it further since he had so many guitar picks strewn about his things, even though most were suspiciously missing at the moment – well besides this one. He creased his brow, fist clenching harder. But how the hell had something of Tine's gotten inside Sarawat's things?

"What is it?" Tine asked curiously, hovering closer to the other guy. Sarawat quickly stuck his hand inside the pocket of his slacks. Which was not suspicious at all.

"Nothing, I just remembered that I forgot my lighter in the jacket." He pulled out a lighter from his pocket instead, hiding the guitar pick altogether. He did not want Tine to know about this, not yet. Sarawat rubbed at his long neck with his other hand, looking away as his lips parted slightly, thoughts rushing wildly inside his head.

This revelation meant that Tine was one step closer to slip away trough Sarawat's fingers and disappear into the thin air like drifting smoke against a clear blue sky. An irrational darkness seeped into his mind, blanketing everything in sticky possessiveness, weighting down his heart. Sarawat did not want Tine to leave, at least not until he had figured out where this magnetic pull came from, drawing him into the deep, ice cold waters like the voice of a siren. Sarawat was a drowning man and he needed to figure out how to get out.

He leaned back against the edge of the study table, looking down at his feet to hide his murky eyes, aimlessly spinning the lighter between his fingers.

"Uh, Tine. I don't think that talking to Pear will be the solution." Sarawat's eyes flickered upwards, he stared at the ghost from under his black lashes for a tiny heartbeat before casting his eyes to the side. "We should probably try to find out why you died first."