Bad Boyfriend

Virgin

"Right there, at the red gate." Rain says timidly and Phayu brings the bike to a stop in front of his house.

Rain quite literally hops off as his feet could hardly reach the ground while seated on top of Phayu's bike. Meanwhile, the latter just sits there with his long legs outstretched. Rain low-key twists his mouth in envy, bitterly thinking, "Show off."

Phayu holds his helmet in one arm then uses his other hand to retrieve the one Rain is handing back to him. Then he glances at the quaint house just behind the red gate with a red mailbox and somehow, it really does make him think of Rain—small and quirky.

Rain stands awkwardly between his house and Phayu, not knowing whether to go inside or wait for the other to leave first. He fidgets with the hem of his shirt and Phayu notes this, assuming that's his cue. "I'll get go-" He starts to say when...

"Rain?"

The boy whose name was called suddenly whips around and sputters, "M-ma."

Phayu follows his gaze to find an older and elegant looking woman coming out of the house and crossing the small front yard in order to open the gate and greet them. "I didn't know we were having a guest." She smiles warmly at Phayu who then lightly bows his head.

"Uh, no, ma. P'Phayu was just leaving." Rain pipes up, shaking his hands in front of his chest. "Right, Phi?"

But his mom seems to be more interested in getting to know the guest than what her son has to say. "Phayu?" She repeats the name to herself then smiles widely. "Oh! Isn't that the name of the student who inspired you to go into architecture? After the open house, Rain couldn't stop raving about your project." She tells the young man giddily.

"Ma..." Rain whines under his breath.

"Is that so, auntie?" Rain almost chokes on his own saliva upon hearing Phayu call his mother 'auntie' and pays lip-service on top of that. "Rain is such a promising student; I'm flattered to know I influenced him in some way."

What the? He sounded like a completely different person just now, Rain thinks to himself. But he jumps a little when Phayu's eyes flick over to him and stay on him for quite sometime. The poor boy has to fight for his life in order not to blush furiously under his gaze.

Thankfully, his mom pipes up again, "I have to fix you a nice meal since I have you to thank for making my Rainy an architect-to-be. And you don't ask but I make a mean steak!"

Okay, maybe not-so thankfully.

Rain bounces anxiously on his heels then, telling his mom, "Ma, P'Phayu is busy. He already gave me a ride; let's not bother him further."

"Aw, is that so, Phayu?" She asks, pouting a little. From this angle, she and Rain show a striking resemblance.

Phayu smiles regretfully and tells the older woman, "Unfortunately, I have a prior commitment."

At this, Rain discreetly lets out a sigh of relief. Phayu? In his house? Now, that's just too much even if he is pretending to be Phayu's lover. But his relief is short-lived when the senior student adds, "But I look forward to trying your cooking next time, auntie."

Rain's eyes blow out wildly and his head whips from left to right, from Phayu to his mom and back as the two make plans without consulting him as though he's totally invisible.

"Really? I'll be counting on it." His mom chirps and Phayu nods and replies, "You have my word, auntie."

Phayu then turns to Rain who's still frozen in shock and says almost ominously, "I'll see you tomorrow, Rain." At which Rain swallows thickly. He's dead meat.

~~~

When Rain arrives in class the next day, he sees Som sitting on his chair, facing Sky.

"Get out my seat." Rain mutters to which Som moves from his seat to Sky's desk, now sitting between the two. Sky makes an annoyed face but brushes it off and turns to Rain. "So...what happened yesterday?"

At this, Rain mumbles, "What are you talking 'bout?"

"About Phayu taking you home!" Som exclaims, prompting Rain to slap his lips and glance around anxiously. "People might misinterpret if you word it like that!" Rain hisses.

"Sorry." Som mouths sheepishly but he doesn't drop it and asks, "What happened after he brought you to your place? Did you...let him in?"

"No!" Rain exclaims albeit still quietly. "Are you guys crazy? My mom is there."

"Auntie was home?" Sky chimes in curiously. "Did she meet Phayu?"

Upon getting reminded, Rain practically deflates and slumps down on his chair. "Mm." He hums to which the other two lean closer and chorus, "She did???"

"Does she know you two are dating?" Sky adds.

"No but..." Rain suddenly sits up straight and crosses his arms over his chest, muttering, "That cunning Phayu, he's so cold to me but when it was my mom, he suddenly acted like a perfect gentleman. What a sly fox! He even looks like one!"

But Sky comforts him by saying, "Never mind that, what matters is auntie doesn't know. It could get complicated if she develops an attachment to Phayu." Sky leans back on his chair and starts massaging his temple in circular motion.

"This is all P'Phayu's fault." Rain grumbles. "If only he left right away after dropping me off, my mom wouldn't have seen him and started yammering about how I idolized him when I was a freshman. I'm so embarrassed. What was he waiting around for anyway?"

"Maybe...he was waiting for a goodbye kiss." Som teases, earning a punch on his arm from Rain.  "That's not a funny joke."

"Ow." Som groans, massaging the sore spot. "Who said I was joking anyway?" He claps back at Rain. "Man, I feel sorry for Phayu, he's stuck with a clumsy virgin for a boyfriend."

Rain's eyes widen the size of saucers and so does his mouth as he lets out a muted gasp. 

"Did I lie?" Som continues. "I bet you've never done it."

"At least, I'm a virgin by choice! You're a virgin because no one wants to do it with you!" Rain retorts, both boys acting like petty kids and sticking their tongues out at each other. That is until they hear a raspy voice that easily sends shivers down their spines.

"Mr. Varain."

Rain turns his head slowly and sees their teacher, Ms. Nadia, glowering down at him. "I don't tolerate such vulgar language in my class." She pushes her glasses up her nose bridge and turns to Som. "And you, I don't remember you being my student. Go to your own classroom."

"Y-yes, ma'am." Som salutes and hurriedly escapes, leaving Rain to deal with the repercussions.

"Oi, Som!" Rain calls to no avail and only gets a wicked grin from the other. The poor boy looks up to meet his teacher's unnerving gaze and she then tells him with pleasure, "Mr. Varain, stand outside of the classroom for 15 minutes."

~~~

Rain feels so embarrassed as students and teachers alike pass him by, giving him weird or curious looks. He wants to leave or go back inside but Ms. Nadia is keeping an eye on him from the classroom.

He inwardly groans, then his eyes turn sharp. "That idiot, Som." He hisses, murder on his mind. "This is all his fault. If he didn't tease me, heck, if he didn't screw up in the first place, I wouldn't be dating P'Phayu."

"What?" A low yet gentle sounding voice asks from behind Rain. He instantly recognizes it and he once again finds himself getting frozen in place.

Could his luck get any worse???

Prapai circles around him then and asks to his face, "Who screwed up? And...why is that the reason you're dating Phayu?"

Crap!