Stories of LITA 1

X - Home Run(ning to you) 6

They helped Rain settle on Phayu' bed, blanket tucked around him, and then left Phayu and him alone. Phayu sat on a chair next to the bed, head still bowed, fidgeting with his fingers. "How was Seoul Phi?" Phayu's head shot up in surprise! "Next time you must come with me. I will show you some incredible things," Rain said blithely. "How did you know I was in Seoul?" Phayu asked. "Is that important right now?" Rain asked. Phayu shook his head, ready to grovel again, when Rain spoke up. "Why don't you tell me everything from the start?" Rain asked. Phayu's head snapped up yet again. "What do you want to know?" Phayu asked. "Everything you want to tell me," Rain said, still not answering his question directly. Rain would not ask him about Ple. The silence stretched for so long that for a moment, Rain thought Phayu would not say anything.

"When Ple was 13, her brother Som, who would follow us around everywhere, went and told his parents that I was his mate. The parents immediately started arranging for an extravaganza to announce that the oldest from the clan had found his mate. That's when Ple stepped in and said that Som was wrong and we both were dating already. I was shocked, but I played along, knowing she must have said all that with something on her mind. Later she told me that since she was a beta, her parents didn't have much use for her. And that Som was trying to trap me into marrying him. Of course, we couldn't get married right away, but if we were betrothed, then he could become popular, gain a... a trophy if you will, on his arm. She did not want me to go through that, because she was sure I had a mate somewhere, waiting for me. She was my best friend, and she just wanted the best for me."

"Even after that incident, many people would come and tell my parents that I was their mate. So I started telling everyone that Ple was it for me. That way, both of us could be at peace from this whole 'mate madness', a word that I made up, because I was so fed up of people trying to force me to be their mate. But honest to God Rain, except for one kiss when we turned 18, which we had just to see if we were actually compatible, we never touched each other. While we both didn't realise it, we were both waiting for our actual mates. If I am being truthful to myself, I can tell you, I didn't want a mate. Maybe because whatever had happened to me made me very disillusioned. Then that day, you walked onto the baseball field. Your honey and citrus scent coated me like a warm blanket, like it was made for me," Phayu said. "You got my scent?" Rain asked, a puzzled look on his face. "Yeah. Why?" Phayu asked. "I was using my strongest scent blockers that day," Rain said, a weird look on his face. "Then..," Phayu trailed off.

"Fated mates," Rain sighed. "But why do smell like bitter chocolate now Phi?" he asked, tilting his head to one side. "Because I am a dumb piece of shit. All my life, I kept saying I never wanted a mate. Then I ended up with one who was so amazing, but I didn't even understand how I was hurting him. I can't blame you Rain, if you hate me. Even I hate myself. And I know my family is disappointed with me as well," Phayu said. "I never wanted a mate either," Rain said, making Phayu look up at him. "I was born in Korea, and then my parents moved to the US. I stayed there till I was 13, until my parents were killed in a shootout at a local grocery store. I then went to Korea, where my father's family was, but they were all busy in their own lives. I lived there about an year until I was shipped to Thailand when I was 14, to live with my maternal grandparents. That's where I met Sky. We became friends pretty quickly, considering neither of us had other friends apparently. Misfits call to misfits I guess."

"When I was 16, Sky and I had gone to a mall to shop. Sky had just met P'Pai and bonded, so he had P'Pai's scent all over him, even though they had not mated, unlike me. There was an arcade in their basement and we were playing games when someone approached us. It was another Alpha. He wanted to have some 'fun', as he put it, and I was a good target," Rain said, as he closed his eyes and rubbed soothing circles on his belly. Phayu clenched his fists in helplessness. His mate had already been through so much, and he had added to Rain's misery. He was seriously an asshole. "He became very pushy and we barely managed to escape. He had tried to mark me, and that scared me like nothing else. So Sky and I got these collars made, which we could wear on our own, but only the other's fingerprint could open it. It was the only way to keep us safe. So when I met you, I felt the pull, but soon after, I came to know you have a girlfriend. I don't mess with taken people Phi, so I stayed away from you. But the day you got your rut, I kind of broke, because it triggered my heat as well," Rain said, looking into Phayu's eyes. "You were too far gone, but I could have stopped and walked away, but I couldn't ignore the call of my mate Phi, it was just too hard," he added.