Marriage Contract

[10]

In the bathroom, Kongpob washed his face in the sink. He had tossed and
turned for so long earlier in night, all the sweat on his body had now dried,
leaving him feeling rather oily[dirty].
Smearing the clear liquid over his face
one last time, he shook his hands dry, opened the door and left the lavatory.

He had taken no more than a couple steps outside the small room before
being suddenly held by his waist, then lifted into an embrace, in an action so
swift it caused a yelp to escape him.

Hearing his cry, Arthit responded,
"What're you yelling about?"

"You..first just let me down." Kongpob whispered.

[T/n: I think this line got misheard while he whispered]

"I still haven't left you, so you hate that I'm still here." Arthit said.

"..That's not what I meant." Kongpob corrected.

"Then just be quiet." The man added.

"... oh just forget it," the boy thought. He was not in the mood to talk anymore either.

Once he was returned to his seat on the bed, Kongpob's eyes caught sight of
the man's feet, especially the shoes that now covered them, prompting him
to ask out of curiosity, "Where did you get those shoes?"

"l bought them." Arthit simply stated.

"When could you have found the time to buy them?" After all, he was only in
the restroom for maybe two or three minutes.

"while you were sleeping" Arthit replied, pouring a glass of water before handing it to him.

"..." Kongpob was once again left speechless. It turned out that man had
had a new pair shoes but neglected to tell him, making it so the he had to
borrow the one's the man wore since other than the man himself, there was
no one else there.

Noticing Kongpob had not yet reached for the cup being handed to him, Arthit picked up the smaller man's hands himself and placed the filled vessel within them, all the while sneering, "Is it your stomach that's hurt or your hands? Do you want me to feed you too?"

"No." Kongpob shook his head.

Meanwhile, Kongpob became aware of something of his own, the realisation
that since earlier that night, he seemed to have built up a higher tolerance
towards Arthit's sharp tongue. As he held on to the cup and brought it to his lips, he caught a glimpse of the older man's foot pushing the trash bin
beside the bed, then stepping on the pedal to open up the lid, saying, "Rinse
your mouth out first."

Having vomited quite a few times earlier, the lad did feel his mouth was
indeed tinged with a bitter taste. Amazed by Arthit's attentiveness, he
did as instructed, using the warm water to wash out his mouth which unsurprisingly, left him feeling much better afterwards.

The used cup in his hand, containing the left over liquid, was soon taken
away by Arthit, who made his way to the bathroom to dispose of the remnants.

Next, the man switched the old cup for a new one, filled it with water then handed it to the boy again, "Drink some."

"Thank you." Kongpob accepted the glass and took a drink. The warm water
flowing into his stomach, made him more at ease.

"Im going out to get you some congee. If anything happens, just push the
button by the bedside." The man announced just as he started for the door.

He had not gotten very far before Kongpob quickly caught hold of him, "You don't have to trouble yourself, I'm not even hungry."

Arthit turned his head to look at the boy, his gaze then dropped to his own arm where the boy held, "Let go.!"

Kongpob immediately released his grip.