Be Careful What You Wish For

Part 1

Mix opened the door to his condo and was immediately greeted by silence. All of his cats were still at the cat hospital, and this one time he was grateful. He let the exhaustion drip through his body and settle into his bones.

He sighed heavily as he sat down on the couch and stared at the wall. He knew if he looked at how long his day had been he'd just get wound up again. This job required so much of his energy and spirit. His introverted soul was absolutely drained.

He pulled his favorite book from the couch cushions and gently touched the frayed edges of the front page. The Manga drawing of the character he fell in love with, the character that helped bring him fame and fortune, the character that his on-screen partner and close friend gave him, Phupha, stared up at him from that cover.

He couldn't believe he only got to play with him one more time. That was it. A Tale of a Thousand Stars was officially over.

A tear touched the edge of his eye, but he refused to let it fall.

Slowly, as if touching something fragile, he opened the book. This was the last time. He promised himself after this evening, he was going to let the story and the characters go - completely. After all, as Earth reminded him all the time, he was Mix Sahaphap Wongratch, not Tian Sopaditsakun. Earth was Earth, not Phupha Viriyanon.

"I know, I know." Mix spoke to the room at large. He could almost see Earth glaring at him. "Just one last time, okay? I'm going to miss him."

Mix was actually very glad that Earth wasn't near to hear that. Every time he mentioned thinking Phupha was cute, or mentioned falling in love with him in the media, Earth would seem to get jealous. The struggle was real.

He thought of Earth and a small smile played across his features. Something felt different lately. It almost felt like they were going somewhere. Mix couldn't quite believe all that had happened since Moonlight Chicken aired.

He shook himself. It was probably at least half in his own head anyway, fueled by the overactive imaginations of their fan club. They always picked up on every little detail and gesture and then trended it on Twitter. Mix could barely keep up with all the fun and shenanigans.

He shook himself out of his daydream and grabbed his book. He figured he might as well take a shower and read it in bed. That would be way more comfortable. He headed upstairs and took the fastest shower known to man. He really couldn't wait to call it a day.

He lay in bed and opened the pages of the book. The world around him disappeared, replaced by the mountains and forests of Chiang Mai.