From Something To Everything (Bounprem)

191. Past

"I think I have seen you somewhere." That was the first sentence Priya said when Boun was introduced to her.

"That is the oldest pickup line I have ever heard" Ohm commented in a low voice.

But Priya clearly heard it. "I am not hitting on him. Pretty boys aren't my type." She smiled at Ohm "If I were to hit on someone, it would be you, Khun. You are more of my type."

"Ahem!" Fluke cleared his throat, possessively hugging Ohm's neck as he sat on his lap.

"Don't worry, I don't go for taken men." Priya raised her hands in surrender.

"I am sorry, Priya. Even if you want to, you don't stand a chance. Because my Noo is the best." Ohm replied as he sniff kissed his boyfriend's cheeks.

Everyone gagged at the overflowing amount of PDA.

Boun never thought that he would live to the day he would hear something so cheesy from Ohm, the famous Ice Prince. He felt that now, he could die in peace.

"No, on a serious note." Priya turned her attention back to Boun as she had enough dog food that Ohm and Fluke were serving her. "I really have seen you somewhere before"

"Maybe you have met him at some fashion event" Ohm suggested.

Priya was a jewellery designer. She was the one who designed the couple pendent Prem gifted Boun on his birthday.

"I don't think so." Priya frowned as she tried to figure out where she had seen him. "Which university did you go to?"

"Chula?" Boun had no memory of meeting Priya.

Priya's frown deepened again. "Have you ever been to Chiang Mai University? For competition or something?"

"Yeah. Once. For a swimming competition." Boun didn't have good memories related to that competition.

"Maybe that's where I have seen you. My ex-boyfriend used to be a member of the swimming club." Priya said in realisation. "Did you win any medals that year?"

"Of course. Gold in freestyle and silver in backstroke." Boun answered proudly.

Priya's smile dimmed lightly.

Prem who had been in a good mood till now and was silently eating on the side, paused upon hearing Boun. He stared at Boun in disbelief. Then something hit him. He stood up with the food "I am full. I will go throw this in the trash." He walked away without a word.

Even though he didn't realise that there was something wrong with Prem's mood, he did notice the significant change in Priya's expression. "What happened, Jie?"

Fluke who had been giggling on the side answered before Priya could "Do you remember the girl you tried to make a pass on and ended up getting beaten up? That girl was none other than Jie."

Both Fluke and Earth were laughing out loud.

Boun's expression was pretty comical. He looked like he had eaten a bug alive. This was exactly the bad memory he was talking about. "Priya, I am really sorry. There was some confusion that day. I wasn't trying to hit on you. You have to trust me." He pleaded.

"Yeah. It was all a misunderstanding." Ohm advocated "He was trying to hit on the teenager behind you. The one that threw a punch on him."

Boun kicked Ohm under the table. "You are not helping!" He muttered, glaring at his cousin.

Ohm smirked, thoroughly enjoying his cousin's plight.

He turned to Priya with puppy eyes, hoping that she wouldn't tell Prem about that matter. That was when it hit him. That day, the teenager who hit him also called her 'Jie', then did it mean that the person he wanted to hit on was also Prem's cousin? The thought almost gave him a heart attack.

"You wanted to hit on that boy?" Priya asked.

Boun bit his lips. Hitting on the boy sounded better than hitting on Priya herself. So, he nodded slowly.

"Then... it's okay." She chuckled.

"Eh?" Boun looked at her in confusion.

On the side, Fluke and Earth were high-fiving and laughing for some reason.

"What the heck is doing on here?" Boun was totally lost.

Prem came back still sulking.

"Bubbles, I can't believe you turned him into a punching bag for trying to hit on you earlier," Priya said with a mischievous smile.

Prem blinked in confusion.

"Wait! Does that mean that the boy he wanted to hit on that day was Prem?" Ohm asked linking the dots.

"Yes!" Priya answered.

Boun's jaw dropped open as he stared at Prem unblinkingly. Prem was no different. He was also shocked by the revelation.

"That wasn't the first time he was turned into Prem's punching bag, Jie. Every time P' Boun came to Chiang Mai, Prem would gift him with a black eye. It became a tradition you know." Earth said in between his giggles.

"What?" Priya was surprised.

"Don't you remember, Jie? Back when we were ten or so, Prem punched an elder kid for stealing the dumplings that my Yay made for him?" Earth asked.

"Oh! Yes! I remember!" Priya looked at Boun apprehensively. "I remember that he even lost his teeth that day."

Boun wanted the mother earth to swallow him alive at that moment. He remembered the incident.

He was visiting his grandparents in Chiang Mai during his vacations. He was a big fan of the dumplings made by Earth's grandmother. He couldn't get enough of it even after finishing a whole batch of them. He then noticed another plate of dumplings that was kept aside. There were so many dumplings on the plate that he thought that no one would notice if he snuck two or three of them away.

Unfortunately, he was caught red-handed by the chubby kid for whom the dumplings were meant. The kid was so angry that he punched him, making him lose his last milk teeth which was a canine.

Boun still remembered the way he bawled his eyes out both in pain and embarrassment.

"I think I still have the photograph these two took together that day back in my house in Chiang Mai" Fluke added.

That day seeing the two kids fight, the elders intervened. The kids were made to apologize to each other at the price of an extra plate of dumplings.

"Thank God, his hand was in slint when we met this time," Boun said patting his chest.

"Only one of my hands were in slint, Hia. My other hand and my two legs were very functional." Prem hmphed.

"Didn't you guys meet after his slint was removed?" Sammy asked as she joined in.

"No, I met him for the first time in the hospital on the day he got his surgery done," Boun answered.

"How come I have no memory of it?" Prem furrowed his brows, thinking hard.

"I even open the can of drink for you!" Boun said smugly.

"That weirdo was you?" Prem asked sceptically.

"Weirdo?" Boun was speechless. "I was being kind to see that you couldn't open a can of drink and you are calling me weirdo? What is wrong with the generation of kids?"

"Thank you for your generosity, Khun Boun" Prem said rolling his eyes at Boun's drama.