A Vihokratana's tragedy

9. The accident

"New, I didn't remember saying that, and Nanon will actually invite his friends to our farmhouse. I'm sorry." Once they were in their room, Tay started apologizing to New. He felt he needed to.

"I'm not mad at you, Te, so stop apologizing. It's a good idea to invite Nanon's friends to spend their vacation together. I'm just frustrated with the situation. For the past few days, I've noticed how Frank has been giving Pluem the cold shoulder. I know you didn’t notice," Tay looked down, feeling guilty. "And you don’t need to feel guilty because we both know how good Frank is at hiding things. I was happy that Pluem came to me to talk. I thought this vacation would give them some time to work things out. They need to talk, but now even Frank is asking if he can bring his friends too. And this is the first time he would bring them. So I can't even say no anymore. I'm just—" New sighed, trying to shake off the exhaustion.

Tay stepped forward, pulling his husband into a tight hug. With a smile, he said, "It's okay, Hin. Our boys will sort things out on their own. They can’t stay mad at each other for long, that’s for sure. And if they still can't, then we’re here to help them, right?" New nodded, relaxing in his husband's embrace.

....

"So, you’re coming to spend the vacation with my family." It wasn’t a suggestion; it was an order. One that Drake couldn’t refuse. Frank wanted him there. Drake was happy. Frank thought of him. Yes, very happy. He agreed to come.

Frank smiled. "Also, can you help me with Chimon? I want him to come too. Pluem will be there, but he isn’t bringing any of his friends, unlike Nanon and, well… me." Right, he still hesitated to call Drake his friend, but there was some progress. Yeah, definitely.

"I’ll help you with that. Don’t worry," Drake replied.

And then, the devil appeared. As they spoke, Chimon walked into the classroom with his usual sunshine smile, waving toward Drake and Frank.

"Wave your hand, Frank. It’s common courtesy," Drake whispered, nudging Frank’s elbow. Frank reluctantly waved back at Chimon.

....

"Hurry up. Say what you want, then leave. I have patients to take care of." Win's tone wasn’t harsh, but it was firm enough for Dew to understand Win’s mood. And Dew knew that one wrong word could even end their friendship. Yet, Dew chose the wrong words.

"Can you just go back home?"

Win scoffed at Dew's words. His reaction was so loud that even the people at the table next to them glanced over. This was why Dew hated having personal talks at cafes, especially this one, right in front of Win's clinic.

"You must know what your best friend did, yet you’re here to lecture me to go back? You’re not in a position to tell me what to do."

"And trust me, I know what he did is wrong, and I know that I’m just as wrong in telling you to go back. But please, go back. He’s drinking every night and working like crazy during the day. He’s not listening to me." Dew paused, watching Win’s expression. There was no change. He continued, "Go back. Talk it out. And if you can’t anymore, then get a divorce. Let each other go, for God’s sake. I can’t watch you two destroy each other." Dew’s voice was raised, but not screaming. He was showing his frustration, and it seemed to have worked. He saw a flicker of change in Win’s eyes. "I’m your friend, and I’m his friend too. I can’t stand seeing you two hurt each other. You can’t go on like this—fighting, hurting, apologizing, and making up, just to fight again. And I can’t always be there to help you when I don’t even know the root of your fights. Sort this out before you two hurt each other so much that there’s nothing left for each other. And no. It’s not just you I’ve lectured. It’s him too." Dew stood up and left the café, paying the bill before he went.

....

It was already midnight. After Win’s shift ended, he went to a bar, hoping the drinks would help him forget Dew’s words, but they didn’t. Neither the alcohol nor the loud music could drown out what Dew had said. As Win drove home, the word "divorce" kept ringing in his head.

Divorce. Divorce. Divorce. Divorce.

Then—bang. Win’s car hit something. Or... was it someone? The car stopped abruptly, the seatbelt keeping him in place. His heart raced, his legs went numb. Did he kill someone? He was someone who saved lives. He was a veterinarian, trusted with people's most precious companions—their pets. But now... did he?

Win flinched as he heard a knock on his car window.

"Win." It was a soft, tired whisper, almost inaudible.

"Br-bright?" Win saw Bright outside the window. "Shit!!!" Win rushed out of the car, slamming the door so loudly that it echoed in the empty tunnel. He saw blood on Bright’s elbow.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Hey, Bright!" Win held Bright in his arms, noticing that it wasn’t just his elbows that were bleeding—his knees were too. "Let’s get you to the hospital."

Bright managed to get into the passenger seat, and Win hurried to the driver's side. As Win started the car, Bright’s bloody hand rested on his arm.

"Stupid. Let’s just go home. They—" Bright sighed, exhausted between words. "They’ll call the police if we go to the hospital."

"Have you hurt your head too?!" Win shouted. "You need to go to the hospital right now. I’ll handle the police."

"Of course, the police can be handled, but it will be..." Bright sighed again. "A nuisance."

"Yeah, right. That’s the bigger problem when you can’t even speak properly," Win muttered as he drove to the hospital.

....

"We're going there, and that's final." Gun hung up the phone, glancing at his tense husband. "The injuries aren't major. Just some rest, and he’ll be fine. Both were drunk. The hospital has already called the police." Off nodded, grabbing his car keys. "I’ll check on Chi first. You get the car." They both went in opposite directions.

....

Frank thought he was just being paranoid when he felt someone opening his door. It was so late at night that he wasn’t even sure what time it was, and he was half asleep. But then he felt someone staring at him. Now fully awake, he didn’t have the courage to open his eyes and look up to see if he was right. After dinner, Nanon had told him how ghosts try to lure their prey between 12 and 3 a.m., and Frank was sure it was that time. He didn’t believe in that nonsense, but his heartbeat said otherwise, and he was afraid of having another panic attack. Damn it, why did he forget to lock the door tonight? He clutched the blanket.

"So, the internet was right!!" Someone whispered excitedly. Frank recognized the voice.

"What the hell, Non?!" Frank threw his blanket off and whispered-yelled at his younger brother. "Are you kidding me? It’s this late, and you want to prank me?"

"Not 'want,' bro. I did it. You looked so funny, all scared, clutching your blanket like a puppy." Nanon struggled to suppress his laughter. "Seriously, you're such a scaredy-cat."

"Okay, enough. Stop laughing before I kick your ass."

"Yeah, yeah, I stopped." No, he didn’t. "Actually, I read online that no matter how deeply you sleep, you can tell if someone’s staring at you. I just wanted to see if it was true."

"What are you, five? Waking up in the middle of the night just to prank me?"

"Not just to prank you. I need your help with something." Frank raised an eyebrow. "You know Ohm, right?"

"Ohm who?"

"Ohm Pawat. The guy Dad had a small quarrel with at the mall. Remember? Dad said he was a bad influence after they came home."

"Oh, right. But it wasn’t just a small quarrel, Non. It was a full-blown fight where the mall security had to step in. But what about him?"

Nanon fidgeted before blurting out, "He’s comingtothefarmhouse. He’s thefriendIwastalkingabout!!"

....

A/N: I know I said I would update sooner, but I got busy and didn’t have time to write the chapter. That's why I didn’t update last Wednesday either. Sorry for the delay! From now on, updates will be random, whenever I write. Thanks for your support. Stay safe.