The Red Thread of Destiny

Chapter 13: First time apart

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."

"Ah! This feels do good! We really needed this break, right guys?" Nut asked. A collective 'yes' went up from the group. They had arrived in Ko Phangan earlier that morning on a chartered flight and after a lovely breakfast spread prepared by Rain's grandmother, they had taken off for the beach, fully ready to relax and destress. They had played in the water for a while, and were now lying on the beach, next to each other, as the water lapped at their feet. "This is seriously turning out to be one of the best holidays of my life," Yihwa said. "What do you mean?" Sig asked. "I have told you guys about my bad experiences in school na? I hated being with my classmates, so I was simply alienated by them on trips, so much so, that I stopped going for them. This is the first trip with friends that I have been to in last 8 years or so," she said, her voice cracking.

Rain, who was lying right next too her, immediately sat up and held her hand. "Then in that case, let's make your first trip in 8 years or so a memorable one!" he said, tugging at her. "What are we going to do?" she asked, as she sat up. "Well, since the day is a bit over, let's go to Panburi first. It's a bit of a drive, but Dad keeps his 4WD in Gampy's garage. It can comfortably seat all of us. Let's leave now, I will let you know the rest of the plan as we go?" Rain said. "Cool, then let's go freshen up and change, then get going?" Sky asked. "Yes, the sooner we can leave, the better. That way you guys will be able to check-out the local market and cuisines at the village," Rain said, excited to show his friends everything!

In half an hour, all of them met downstairs, and Rain took the keys to his Dad's car from his grandfather. It was something his dad kept around so that they could all travel together whenever they came to Ko Phangan. As Rain drove, with Yihwa in the passenger seat, all of them picked out their favourite songs as they sang along, enjoying the fresh air and beautiful scenery. They were all completely relaxed and looking forward to a fun-filled three days!

Korat, site of the new resort, around the same time –

"And this is exactly how it will look," Phayu explained to the construction team. Since earlier that morning, Pai and he had been discussing the various aspects of the construction with the team. There had been lots of points that had come up, and needed to be clarified. The construction needed to start as soon as possible. While there was no set deadline, this was the first major project that Phayu and Pai had taken up as Venice and Prapai Theerpanayakul, next generation of the family. They had done everything in this project, right from the procurement of the land, to getting all the permits and Phayu had designed the resort himself. Pai had been the one to get the quotes for the construction crew and finalise the team. The two of them had worked day in and day out to ensure that this project would be a success. This project would be their first step into eventually taking over the family business.

"How is it going Phayu?" Pai asked his cousin. "We are almost done. What did Papa K say? Why did he call?" Phayu asked. "The casino at Ko Samui is facing issues with fake money coming in. Dad and Papa V want us to handle it before we go back to Bangkok," Pai said. "Shia! I was hoping to get back to Bangkok before Rain gets back on Sunday. I am already missing him," Phayu said, completely crestfallen. "Dude! You are totally a goner!" Pai laughed. "I can't help it Pai. He makes me feel alive, makes me want to be myself, do my best. It's becoming harder and harder to let go," Phayu confessed, his voice holding a wealth of pain. "And I feel worse because I keep feeling that I am not honouring Amy's memory."

"Ai'Phayu, Amy is long gone. You have all the rights in the world to move on. I am not asking you to forget everything, because, not only is it impossible, but also because our past really shapes our present and future and is a lesson we learn. But you have been pursuing Rain since two months. If you pull back now, you will hurt that boy," Pai said, in complete seriousness. "Plus, umm.. mmm...," "Spit it out brother!" Pai said laughing. "We kissed!" Phayu said, groaning. "So are you saying you are upset about kissing him?" "No! It's not that! I loved every moment of it. It's just that..." Phayu trailed off, unable to put his thoughts into words. "Phayu, you know that you can tell me anything, right? I may not be able to give you any advice, but you know I will not judge you and I will be your support," Pai said, placing his hand on Phayu's shoulder, a serious note entering his voice.