Sarawat's Story

Part XI: The SarawaTine Implosion

I was back to normal by Friday afternoon. I didn't have any classes Friday mornings, so I was able to sleep later than usual. The overwhelming emotions I had felt for Tine the evening before had subsided. My ankle was also healed, and when I put pressure on it or jumped on one leg, I felt no pain at all. The soccer team had a game on Saturday, and I was happy that neither my ankle nor my emotions would distract me.

I wanted to show Tine that my ankle was completely healed. He worried about me, and I didn't want him to think that I had caused myself more pain just to hang out with him at the expo. Tine's classes on Friday were in the Law Building, but I didn't know exactly where. I decided to walk to campus to surprise him with lunch: a turkey sandwich, some potato chips, and a bottle of apple juice, all from a small corner store near campus. Also, I wanted Tine's friends and everyone around to see how much I cared for him. To me, showing Tine's friends that I was willing to come to campus on my day off just to bring Tine lunch would make me seem like the perfect guy to take care of him. Ohm and Fong could easily sway Tine's opinion of me, and I needed to make sure they were on my side rooting for me.

I walked through the first floor of the Law Building, peeking into classrooms to see if I could find Tine, Ohm, or Fong. The lunch break had just begun, and the hallways filled with students and instructors. I searched for either of the three in the crowd, but after a few moments I gave up. I walked into a stairwell to go up to the second floor to search.

I was about to walk up the stairs when I heard Tine, Ohm, and Fong talking as they walked down the stairs towards the first floor. Quickly I ducked beneath the stairs before they could see me, and luckily for me, they stopped on the landing between the first and second floor to talk. Tine was talking and at first I wasn't paying much attention to his words. Then he mentioned my name. "... and that's what Sarawat said last night, Tine said. He paused, then asked, "What do you guys think?"

Ohm instantly replied, "He likes you, Tine." Fong agreed with an "Mmmhmm."

"We're just friends," Tine insisted.

Fong laughed. "Sarawat clearly likes you as more than a friend."

"You think?" Tine asked.

"Yes!" both Fong and Ohm yelled together.

I wanted to yell "Yes!" too. Tine still had doubts about whether my feelings for him were real. I had said and done everything I could think of to assure him that I was romantically interested, and even his friends were aware of my feelings. But for some reason, it felt that Tine was unable to tell if I was being serious with him. That beautiful, oblivious idiot, I thought to myself. I would have to flirt with Tine more directly.

Fong asked Tine, "How do you feel about him?" My ears perked up and I held my breath.

"He's so pushy," Tine answered straightaway. "And he's so aggressive. Sometimes I think he's more dangerous than Green!"

As Tine, Ohm, and Fong laughed, my stomach sank. I had never thought of myself as being that aggressive. Granted, there were moments where I had pushed the boundaries to see how Tine would react, but he hadn't seemed especially bothered by my forwardness. I had even tried to not be as forceful as I had been before, but my feelings for Tine did make my behavior a little unpredictable and inconsistent. Still, I hadn't thought of myself as being a bother, yet it seemed as though I was the nuisance.

"But," Tine continued, "he's not all bad." He paused. "Sometimes he can be nice and sweet, and not an asshole or pervert."

I smiled. Tine thinks I am sweet! Although minor, hearing Tine call me sweet felt like an angel had whispered it in my ear.