Here All Along

chapter - 30

While we were in the plane, Win asked me if he could stay with me for a couple days. I could understand why he didn't want to be alone. I told him he could and messaged Adam to not receive me from the airport as i and Win would be going to my apartment together. I could sense his unwillingness but he said he understood. I had told him about aunt Irin over texts. However, when we reached at the airport, Win got a call from Kavin who said he was already there to pick him up. Before Win could refuse, we saw him waving from a distance.

"Hey..you okay?" Kavin asked after kissing Win, "how's your mom?"

"She's stubborn. Let's see what happens."

"Shall we go?" Kavin asked.

"I'll be staying at Bright's place for a day or two" Win replied, "you know with all this news.."

I chewed my gums, apprehensive of what it was gonna look to Kavin especially now that I knew he didn't like my proximity with Win.

"I understand" Kavin said, "you can stay at mine. I'll take care of you."

"It's not just about me, Kavin" Win sighed, "Bright needs me as much as I need him. I don't want him to be alone -"

"He has his boyfriend, doesn't he?" Kavin said, smiling gracefully at me. I could see he was trying to be polite which i wanted to admire about him. It must have hurt him to learn that his boyfriend was not seeking comfort from him in his low times. I felt bad for him but relieved to see his efforts with Win, even if the timing did not please me.

"It's okay, really" i assured Win, "Kavin is right. Adam texted me now saying he's coming to pick me up. I'll be fine. You should stay with him."

Win's forehead creased as he watched me closely, a strange expression drawn in his face before he nodded slowly.

"Okay. I'll call you then. Bye" saying that, he hugged me quickly.

They left. I stood there for a few minutes before finally walking out of the airport and calling a cab.

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A week passed. Win had begun to sign up more and more for even smallest of contests held in and around Bangkok. He was already one of the most popular young adult swimmers in the city. Few months earlier, his coach had him join one of the agencies under Thailand swimming association, called Water Wings which helped him now in getting recruited as a swimming coach for children for two months. It was a modest pay and the only reason he made it was because he was an extraordinary swimmer and a highly skilled contestant of the Water Wings.

The first thing I did after coming back was to apply for a residence premium at my company. The custom of Orange bricks.Bkk was such that every employee used to have twenty thousand baht stored under their names that they could draw either for a residence premium or after their service in the company. I talked to phi Earth regarding aunt Irin's migration to Bangkok. His apartment was relatively small and it was given that both phi Earth and Win would live with aunt Irin. He refused at first but i was persistent about renting a modest condominium for the three of them for the time being until phi Earth could fix a way out. When i told Win, his reaction was not much different from phi Earth's but he admitted that we did not have much time to consider other options. It was an exhausting process - looking for an accommodation that would be near all of our work place and the hospital so as to save the cost of traveling and shifting them as soon as possible. We had started to constrict our luxuries as much as we could. Adam offered me to move in with him for the time being so i could save the expenses. It was the fact that he offered it with an assurance that i could reject it without feeling imposed moved me. There was something irresistibly attractive about him being both - worried about me and respectful about my dignity.