Risking The Hate

Chapter 16: You actually liked me?❤️

I took a deep breath. "I—I didn't punch you in college because I thought you stole club funds. I punched you because I saw you kissing Kao the night before — The night we were supposed to go out to for dinner together. I was angry, and it all culminated when someone claimed you might have stolen club funds. "

"Wait WHAT?"

Tine's POV

I looked at Sarawat who looked even more confused than he did a second before.

"Tine, I have no idea what you are even saying... Wait" Sarawat stared out of the car, trying to recall something. "That night when we were supposed. Yes! Of course I did run into Kao, but Tine I never kissed him. Why would you think I kissed him?"

"Because I saw you Wat, I saw you with him right outside the restaurant. He—he was all over you." I closed my eyes thinking about that night. I had been trying to erase those memories in my head all these years, but turns out, I remembered them all too well.

"Tine, you have no idea--"

"Listen Wat, I really don't care what happened with you and him. Its in the past now. And I don't even have the right to feel bad about it. I just wanted to confess everything because—because I feel so guilty for hitting you. Of course this isn't my excuse for it, I know I was still very, very, very wrong. No matter how I felt, I should never have hit you. I should have never raised my hand at you. I should have never let my emotions get to me like that. Everytime..." I looked at Sarawat, gasping for air, feeling the anxiety build inside me. "Everytime I look at you and I see that scar on your face, I feel this huge pang of guilt inside me and I feel like I am the worst person in this world."

"Tine, I have forgotten all that a long time ago. I was kidding about the scar when I mentioned it before. You don't need to apologize. I forgave you the moment I saw the first aid box outside my dorm that night. I know it was you who left it, don't even try to deny it. I recognized your handwriting on the post-it."

"You knew it was me? That-that was the least I could do Wat, but—but I don't know if I will ever forgive myself for what I did."

Sarawat intertwined both his hands with mine. "Tine, you are the kindest and the sweetest person I know. You lost your temper once and you have apologized for it several times. And this scar, it doesn't make me feel bad Tine, it made me feel happy everytime I saw it because it reminded me of you."

"Really?"

"Yeah" Sarawat smiled at me. "Honestly, I was a bit pissed in the start because I thought it was your engagement ring that caused this scar. But now that I know it was your father's wedding ring, I feel happier about it. Its almost like — like I will carry a part of you everywhere I go for the rest of my life."

"Wat..."

You shouldn't say things like that to me Sarawat, it's just not good for my heart

"Okay how about this — You want me to forgive you, right? Eat these fried fish with me and we are even."

"Come on, Wat..."

"I am serious." Sarawat laughed and picked open the food box. "I think I bought too much. They looked so good in restaurant, I got overexcited. Please share it with me."

I couldn't help but smile back at him. "Okay. Yeah. I'll share it with you. Are we just going to eat it here or are we going back home?"

"I actually already have a place in mind." Sarawat pushed the started the car. "Oh and by the way, I don't know what you saw Tine, but I really did not kiss Kao that night."

"Wait stop.. what?"

"I did meet Kao that night. He was drunk and I stumbled outside the restaurant while I was waiting for you, but I didn't kiss Kao that night, trust me."