Beloved Dear, Look At Me For Once | ✔

Chapter Nine

He needed to ask him questions.

He had thought as he had eaten the breakfast that morning,

That would be the least of trying to get to the root of this but at least it would be a start.

But the problem was, he always failed to call him, let alone talk to him.

Before heading out to go to make merit, on the way to the temple, in the temple, after merit making, heading out from the temple and so many more moments that he could make a whole soft board fill up with thumb pins for it has been four days since they went to make merit yet the most he has been able to talk to him was through his father,

And that too only once!

He face palmed himself mentally, sitting in his room while polishing his shoes for the interview he has three days later,

Resuming his work, he pondered over how to start this conversation with him,

Over how to reach a conclusion with this,

Because one thing was for sure; he didn't want him to be stuck in this painful, loveless marriage anymore at least.

So today when it was near lunch timings of corporate job employees, Tay was already on the way to his office, after spending an hour in making himself look presentable,

Sitting in the tuktuk, Tay grazed his thumb over the stem of the umbrella, over the N of Thai letters custom printed just above the handle,

He had grabbed one because no matter how fancy it might seem to someone, the days were getting sunnier and hotter,

And he neither wanted to walk long hours with the heat glaring down his head nor admit the reason why did he take it in the first place.

The tuktuk stopped then as he looked up, "From here starts the commercial office area."

Gazing out from the corner of his eyes first at the modern and tall buildings, Tay quickly paid the fare, getting down and opening the umbrella as he swirled back into a memory while hitting the side path.

It was a monsoon of almost seven summers back,

Joss had taken a liking to his neighborhood and had often visited him there,

One such time being them walking around the area pointlessly, just talking about this and that and holding hands when the clouds had thundered over their heads.

Raining the very next moment when Tay had run to take shelter in the nearby bus stand,

Not realizing that Joss had left his hand at first until he turned around, seeing the man of his dreams smiling brightly and enjoying the rain with open arms,

He couldn't help but smile then too yet he had called,

"Joss! Come here! I know you aren't used to getting soaked in the rain! And I don't want you to fall sick! We have exams in a week!"

But Joss had just shaken his head, his hair splashing water as he had played in the rain, laughing wholeheartedly then slipping as he had hissed for him,

Running up to him then,

"Are you okay?"

He had remembered asking pretty worried but Joss had laughed filling his chest with happiness as he had offered him the shelter of an umbrella,

Umbrella?

That's when his eyes had fallen at it as Joss had taken it from his hand,

The letter N imprinting on the deepest of his memories as Joss had thrown it away then, allowing them to fully enjoy the rain but making Tay halt in his steps,