From Something To Everything (Bounprem)

57. Peer mentor

The conversation Boun had with Prem ended in a huge argument. Boun understood that he had lost Prem forever. Or it could be said that he realized that Prem had never been his.

Even though he had expected the outcome, when it became a reality Boun was having a hard time excepting it.

He had always thought that the connection he felt with Prem was two-sided. Little did he think that Prem didn’t think so. Their connection turned out to be so brittle that a single mistake had taken away their lifetime worth of happiness together.

When Bosston had asked him to attend the gathering at the club as a part of a celebration of something he had no idea about, Boun was actually reluctant at the beginning. But he had run out of alcohol at home and he was badly craving for it to blur the growing pain in his heart. He ended up choosing to join the party.

The attendees of the celebration were all his friends whom Prem collectively referred to as the ‘football match gang’ along with a few others whom he barely recognized.

Boun didn’t believe it when Talay said that Prem would attend it as well because he knew that the younger wouldn’t want to see his face. Yet when he saw Prem arrive at the venue, he couldn’t take his eyes off him.

Their eyes met briefly for a few seconds before Prem looked away.

Boun was sitting at the bar counter away from the crowd while Prem was sitting with the whole gang occasionally making small remarks about what others were saying.

Prem could feel Boun looking at him. He was afraid to look up. Even though he had gained the courage to be in the same room as Boun after having won the argument with Boun the other day, he was still scared of Boun, especially when the elder was drunk.

Both Boun and Prem remained seated in their seats while others hit the dance floor grooving to the music the DJ was playing. Neither of them was in the mood to dance.

Prem lost the count of vodka shots Boun had downed that night. His whole attention was placed on Boun and vice versa. He saw Boun ignoring the people trying to hit on him. Boun’s burning gaze was making him somewhat nervous. He grabbed the drink in front of him and drank it in one go. He took out his phone and started fiddling with it to avert his attention.

“Did you guys have a fight?” Talay took a seat next to Boun on the bar counter.

“Is that what he told you?” Boun asked not even sparing a glance at his friend.

“No. He didn’t tell me anything. I just guessed. Ever since we came back from Pattaya, I haven’t seen the two of you apart when you are in one room.” Talay snickered.

“We didn’t fight. Just some misunderstandings.”

“Then go clear the misunderstanding instead of torturing each other with silence.”

“It’s not easy as it seems.” Boun stood up. “I am going to the restroom.” Boun excused himself.

Prem could see Boun swaying as he walked. He knew that the elder had already passed his quota of alcohol for the day.

More than an hour had passed since Boun left for the restroom. Yet there was no sign of him returning. Prem who was constantly checking out if he was back, grew worried. With the amount of alcohol Boun consumed, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he passed out in the restroom.

After complimenting the idea for a while, he went to check out the restroom.

When Prem got to the restroom, Boun was nowhere to be seen which made him anxious. He saw Boun’s phone and wallet on the restroom floor. He picked it up and checked to make sure that it was Boun’s.

Prem started wondering if Boun went back home without him noticing. He headed to the parking lot and saw that Boun’s car was still parked there.

‘Maybe he had taken a taxi back.’ Prem thought. ‘No, his phone and wallet are with me. How can he pay for the taxi?’ he turned around. ‘or maybe he had hooked up with someone and went with them.’ He started sulking. ‘Why the hell am I worried about that jerk?’ Prem wanted to curse at himself.

Despite thinking of many possibilities, Prem continued to look for Boun.

“Prem!” He heard a sound from behind. He turned around to see his peer mentor, Tonnam.

“P’ Tonnam, Swadee Khrab” Prem waied.

“Swadee Nong. Why didn’t you call me when you are here?” The senior asked.

“I totally forgot that this pub belongs to you.” Prem chuckled.

The duo caught up for a while.

“You looked like you were looking for someone, need some help?” Tonnam asked.

“Khrab Phi. My friend drank too much tonight and went to the restroom. And now he is missing. He even left the wallet and phone behind.” Prem showed the phone and wallet to Tonnam.

“Let’s take a look at the CCTV then. Maybe you will be able to find where he went.” Tonnam suggested.

“That would be great, Phi. Thank you so much.” Prem was relieved hearing that Tonnam was willing to let him take a look at the CCTV.

“Hey, Prem. Don’t thank me. You are treating me like a stranger now.” Tonnam patted Prem’s shoulders. “Next time you come here, give me a call. The treat is on me.”

“Sure phi. I will make sure to empty your pockets.” Prem joked.

The duo headed to the security office.

Upon seeing their boss enter the room, the security personnel in charge of watching the CCTV waied.

Tonnam talked to his staff and asked them to assist Prem to find his friend.

“Prem, just tell them the details, they will help you,” Tonnam said after introducing Prem to the staff.

“Which restroom did you say he went to?” the security personnel who sat in front of the screen asked.

Prem answered the question and filled him in with the information on time. It didn’t take the staff long to find the footage of Boun entering the restroom. They carefully watched the footage.

A few minutes after Boun entered the restroom, they saw two men who looked sneaky entering the restroom. The people inside the restroom other than the three men left one by one.

After almost fifteen minutes, the two sneaky men half-carried-half-dragged an unconscious Boun out of the restroom.

“Are they your friends?” Tonnam asked staring at the screen.

“No. not mind and I don’t they are his as well.” Prem’s eyes were glued to the screen. “Phi, can you check where they are taking him?” he requested the staff.

The security personnel traced the two men taking Boun to a private room of the club.

“Prem. Calm down.” Tonnam said seeing Prem’s enraged expression.

Prem looked at his senior silently calculating in his mind.