Whispers in the Autumn

Long distance

More than one month later.......

Sky woke up from his phone ringing, it was an unknown number. He mostly hated unknown number calls, especially the first thing when he woke up. His hands started shaking, a memory flashed his mind of "the hospital call from years ago". He picked up the call and said "hh..ee.ll..oo" with a tremble in his voice. His mind was remembering the call when he was informed about P'Gun's passing.

"Hello. May I talk to Mr. Naipon Suwannarat?" Said the other person. He sometimes hated his full name being called, that means the person calling him is a stranger and has called him to relay bad news.

"Yes I am Naipon, May I know who is speaking?" The other person was speaking in English, he realized. He checked his phone once again to see the number, it's not starting with +66, it's an international number. But P'Pai just went to London for a business meeting and if it's him calling from a different number, it should have been +44, but it's +82. Where does this code belong to, which country? He thought, before the person on the other side spoke again.

"I am calling from the Korean Government Scholarship program. You have been selected for Seoul National University, University Track in the Department of Landscape Architecture & Rural

Systems Engineering, Landscape Architecture Major. Please submit the required documents to proceed with the next step of the admission. A mail has been sent to you on your email ID. Your entry date to South Korea will be 26th August. We will send you a flight ticket after you send us all your documents. Your ticket will be sent to you by 16th August. No Visa assistance will be provided, whereas the required documents will be provided by us needed for Visa application. Do you have any questions you would like to ask?"

After a few seconds of pause Sky said, "No...nothing now. Is there any number I can contact or email ID where I can ask if I have a query later?"

"Yes please refer to the email you have received, you will get all these details."

"Thank You, I will send all the documents as soon as possible."

The other person disconnected the call after saying thanks again. 'Sky wasn't even serious about applying for this scholarship. He just applied because Rain was applying. Now he got it? That too in the best college possible? How is his life going so smoothly? Is it calm before the storm?' Sky thought. He needs to tell Prapai about it. Will he be happy for Sky? Will he come to Korea with Sky? Will he just end this relationship due to long distance and move on with someone else. Sky always thought Prapai was serious about their relationship. But voices back in his head always made him doubt Prapai.

"P'Pai.... I need to talk to you about something urgent. Call me when you get a chance." Sky dropped a message to Pai.

He got a call in less than an hour.

"What happened Sky? Is everything all right baby? Are you ok? Do you need me? Should I take the next available flight back?" Pai seemed concerned.

"Sorry P' I am all ok. I didn't want to bother you but there is something I need to tell you."

"Tell me baby?"

"When are you returning to thailand?"

"20 more days I need to settle this down for now."

"That will be too late." Sky thought loudly.

"Late for what baby? Don't scare me Sky, if you want I can take a flight back to Thailand and then come back again in a few days."

"Can you? Really?"

"I am booking the next flight back, I will call you back in 15 minutes." He disconnected the call.

Pai called back in 10 minutes.

"Done. I will be with you in less than 24 hours, are you happy now?"

"What time is your flight?"

"I will reach 6:00 am tomorrow morning, Thai airways."

"See you at the airport"

"You will come to pick me up?"

"Of Course. Now you should sleep, it's almost 2:00 am there."

"I Love you baby."

"See you tomorrow."

It was still hard for Sky to say outright in words, but Pai knew Sky's feelings, he never wanted those words from Sky. He once said, you don't need to say those words, I can say for both of us.

Whole day Sky spent arranging all the documents needed for the scholarship, he knew in his heart that Prapai will not stop him from going, Prapai has always encouraged him in doing better in his career. Prapai also once told Sky to shift to London with him to study his masters there as Prapai has a project there which will need 2 years of on and off visit to London, but if Sky is there he can also stay in London for 2 years. But Sky refused, he didn't want to use Prapai's money. People in his family will talk about him behind his back about using his boyfriend's money even before marriage. Sky can tolerate if they say bad things about him, but he can't tolerate people talking about his P'.

His P'? Is Prapai really his? He still had doubts, sometimes when he woke up from a bad dream and Prapai wasn't beside him in his bed he would doubt about the existence of Prapai and check his phone that if Prapai really exists or it's all in his dreams. The first time it happened he called Prapai at 2:00 am and asked if they are really boyfriends or is it all in his mind. Prapai was racing that night. He immediately returned back as he didn't want to stay away from Sky after what he asked on the phone.

Sky woke up at 3:30 am the next morning, got ready to go to the airport. Pai's driver P'Ahn picked him up from his place. The only person Sky had met who was related to Prapai. Prapai wanted to take him to meet his parents but Sky wasn't ready. When they reached there it was 5:52 am. Prapai's flight had already landed and he had already called Sky to tell him that.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

It's nice to breathe Bangkok's air again. He missed Bangkok a lot, or more like the person he left in bangkok. It took him almost 55 mins to collect his baggage before coming out to the arrivals where Sky must be waiting for him. He saw 'a hopping and restless Sky in an emerald green shirt and beige pants from inside who was trying to look inside if he could find his boyfriend in the pool of people' from inside. Smile curled up on his lips.

When he came out completely he found a wide smiling Sky running towards him, Sky jumped on Pai and Pai moved his hand from his bag to hold Sky's waist to support both of them from falling.

"P'.....I missed you."

"I missed you too baby. Let go home."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _