Happenstance

Hate the Club

Wai was working at the bar again tonight. Contrary to yesterday, tonight was relatively peaceful, or at least as quiet as working at a bar could be. The place was loud with music and chatter, but no one was fighting. It might have been too early for anyone to be drunk enough to start trouble. Wai was serving the clients and cleaning tables when he spotted Korn.

The other was sitting at the same table as yesterday. Still, instead of drinking some alcoholic drink, Korn had a soda in his hand and was looking at something on his phone.

He was alone again, Wai remarked. For a moment, he pondered if he should go see him and say hi, but he decided against it. He didn't know what Korn was doing, but it wasn't any of his business, and he shouldn't care or feel curious as much as he did.

Yesterday, when he had woken up and went about his morning routine, he had almost forgotten that Korn was sleeping on his sofa. However, seeing the other man sprawled all over the couch had warmed him inside-out. He still didn't know what to do with this reaction. Or with the ones that had followed. Because a freshly awoke Korn was unexpectedly a cute one, with his hair over his eyes and his lost look.

Wai had spent the whole day thinking about the mix of emotions seeing this Korn had produced in him and how, now, it seemed that he couldn't get the other out of his mind. Following his late at night thinking session, he concluded that perhaps he didn't detest Korn as much as he liked to say. Maybe he still couldn't find a good enough reason to justify his hatred.

So, when his eyes landed on the other bruised face, something stung in Wai's chest because Korn was carefully moving as if he was in pain. He ignored the sting and went back to work. It wasn't like Korn would let him be closed to him like this. He couldn't simply fuss over the other as if they were old friends when they had spent years fighting and loathing each other.

He couldn't, could he?

The next day, he sat with Pran and their friends in their faculty's cafeteria, eating as they discussed their next project. However, Wai's mind was somewhere else, and he wasn't listening to half the things his friends said, and Pran noticed.

"Is something wrong, Wai?" He asked after observing Wai's unchanging blank stare for a while.

"Wrong? Nothing is wrong. I don't know what you're talking about," he hastily answered. He immediately knew he had made a mistake because now Pran was suspicious, and he wouldn't simply let it go.

"Come on, dude. Talk to me," he said gently, but his eyes were serious.

Yeah, he wouldn't let go now.

"I'm just tired," he tried, but Pran only looked sceptical.

After a brief moment, Pran sighed.

"We'll talk about it after class," he suddenly said as he stood up.

Right, it was time for their next class, Wai remembered. Looking at Pran, waiting for his answer, he simply nodded and followed the other. His friend seemed satisfied for now.

When Pran knocked on Wai's door that evening, he wasn't surprised. He had been wondering when his friend would attack next. Pran had strangely let him go after their classes ended. It was unusual enough for Wai to wonder what the other was planning. So, when he opened his flat's door and saw Pran standing there, holding two bags of Pad Thai, Wai wasn't surprised at all.

He let the other in and prepared the table as Pran put the food on it. Once settled in their chairs and eating, Pran decided it was the perfect time to ask Wai more about his strange behaviour.

"So, are you going to tell me what's going on with you?"

Wai sighed. He just wanted to enjoy his food, not undergo an interrogation.