Autumn is a second spring

36. Prick

Fluke yawned as he settled on his seat inside the minivan. It had been a long and exhausting day. He glanced at his phone to check the time. It was already past midnight.

He had texted Ohm earlier, telling the latter that he would be late and to go to bed instead of staying up to wait for him.

Prem entered the van soon. He too had scenes to shoot till late. "Did Sammy already leave?" He asked while slumping on the empty seat next to Fluke.

"P' Ton picked her up earlier while you were shooting." Fluke took out his neck pillow and put it on his neck. He was planning to catch some sleep.

"Damn that Jee! We would have finished shooting if not for her NGing for a hundred times"  Prem complained. He was planning on going home earlier to surprise Bew. But the fall fell through as the shooting hours elongated

"Relax" Fluke covered himself with a warm blanket. "She was just under the weather today."

Prem tsked and closed the van door.

Soon, the van started moving.

Just as Fluke was about to fall asleep, Prem poking him with his index finger "Hey, are you sleeping?"

Fluke was irritated that he was woken up "No, I was swimming. Wanna join?"

"You don't have to be so sarcastic. There is something I wanted to ask you." Prem shifted on his seat "About that story of the pitcher plant you told me about the other day."

"It's Venus fly trap, you idiot. Not pitcher plant"

"Aren't both the same?"

"They are both carnivorous plants, but they are different species. One looks like a cup with a lid and the other looks like this" Fluke flapped his hands to show how Venus fly trap worked.

"Same difference," Prem said dismissively. Things like these go over his head every time. "Why did you tell me that story? Is it because I ate a lot of spicy food recently that you are worried about my stomach?"

Fluke licked the inside of his cheeks, trying his best to hold himself back from smacking Prem on his head. "The moral of the story was that sometimes letting go is the better option." He explained patiently.

Prem blinked for a few seconds and suddenly snapped his fingers. "I get it! It is because of that gift voucher? I knew it!" He slammed his hand on the handrest of his seat. "You want that too right? Are you going to fight with me if I don't let go of it?"

Fluke slapped himself internally "Just forget what I said." 'I should have used my saliva and time on something else'. He muttered to himself, as he turned the other way to resume his sleep.

"Bitch, you are not going to sleep after insulting my intelligence like that" Prem pulled off the blanket that Fluke had wrapped himself in. "Explain to me what the heck you meant by that?"

He was sure that Fluke had some inside meaning while telling him the story and it was not something as silly as he guessed. He could identify that from the tone Fluke had used back then.

Fluke sighed, losing the last ounce of sleepiness left in him. "We three are worried about you. About your relationship with P' Boun to be exact. We feel that P' Boun has changed a lot and is not who he used to be. We just think that you are getting the shorter end of the stick in this relationship."

"Oh, that's it" Prem let out an airy chuckle. "Did Sammy tell you something?" He knew that Fluke wouldn't bring that topic up out of nowhere if Sammy hadn't said anything. 

"She said nothing."

"She egged you against Hia, didn't she?" Prem scoffed. "I knew she would do it. She's been talking shit about Hia a lot these days." 

"Is that why you snapped at her?"

"I didn't mean to snap at her, alright. It's just that... I don't want her to judge Hia or my relationship with him. She is an outsider and she knows nothing about what is going on between the two of us. She shouldn't go around passing comments like that."

"She didn't say anything it others. I just between us friends. She meant no harm. She was just worried about you, Bub."

"I don't want you guys to worry about me. I am not a kid! I am a grown-ass man just like the three of you. I know what is good for me and what is not. I don't need your opinions on that! My life and my relationship are none of your concern!"

Fluke could finally understand why Sammy was so hurt. "I'm sorry. We should have minded our own business." He quietly picked up the blanket and wrapped it over himself, attempting to fall asleep again.

Prem's words had cut him deep. It was unusual that Prem would ever use such a tone on him. He couldn't sleep no matter how he tried.

A few minutes later, he heard some silent sobs from the person next to him. He slowly opened his eyes to see that Prem was crying while looking outside the window.

He raised the handrest and pulled Prem into the blanket. "Get some sleep. We have shooting early tomorrow morning."

Prem sniffled and hugged his waist "Can't you guys just support me in this? Why do you all have to discourage me like this? It is already very hard for me, and you guys aren't making it any easier for me."

Fluke wordlessly rubbed his back.

"Flukie, say something" Prem pleaded.

"I am not in a good mood, Prem. I don't think you will like it if I speak now" Fluke said flatly.

Prem looked crestfallen by Fluke's response. Fluke had the habit of addressing him as 'Bubbles', his childhood name, when they were alone. But now, Fluke addressing him as 'Prem' was a clear indication that the latter was upset. "Flukie, I can't explain the situation to others, but you know what is going on right? "

"No Prem. I seriously don't have any idea what the situation is. All I know is that you are being a prick to us nowadays. "

Prem sat up looking guilty "I'm sorry" he said softly. "I just can't take it when everyone is being against Hia. I love him, Flukie, with all my heart. I might whine to you about him but that doesn't mean that I love him any lesser than I did in the past. Can you please not have such a huge prejudice against him?"

"Alright" Fluke said indifferently. "We will stop being nosy about you two."

"Fluke, that is not what I meant"

"Then, what the fuck did you mean, Prem? What the fuck do you want us to do?"

Prem tugged up his lower lip, carefully arranging his thoughts and words. The last thing he wanted was get another one of his best friends upset.

"Since you are unwilling to answer that, you shouldn't except us to think otherwise." Fluke shut his eyes.

"No, I will answer. I will answer!" Prem grasped Fluke's arm.

Fluke glanced at his phone "There is seventy-two minutes before this van reach my place. I hope you can 'answer' me within that time."

Prem gulped hard. He had never expected that the little grievances he shared made such a huge prejudice against Boun in his friends' minds.