After the closing ceremony, I and Tay stepped out together through the back door. Tay, who took the lead first, felt like he was filling the doors. In front of the door were Tay's friends. He slid his hand into his pocket with his workbook stuck on his side. I glanced at his back.
“You guys go first. I’ll go home for a second.”
“Home? Why don’t we just do it at your house?”
Are they close enough to visit him at his home?
“No way. Once you come, you’ll be dead.”
“But, that’s the most comfortable place.”
“Anyway, go and take a seat. I’m leaving.”
Tay turned slightly. I stood behind him and took a step back, and then we walked together. We left the building together and walked uphill towards the back door. We did not hold hands when the day was bright. Because there was a student from the same school nearby when we first started holding hands, I asked Tay not to.
We walked together. Even though the route is always the same, walking together in broad daylight was a little awkward. We obviously went together yesterday. I glanced at Tay. They were probably close enough for them to go to his home and study together. I was hesitant to ask, but Tay was the one who spoke first.
“New Thitipoom.”
“…Yeah.”
“Shall we go eat ice cream?”
“Huh?”
“Or let’s go eat. Aren’t you hungry?”
I felt empty for some reason since I couldn’t hold anything. I fiddled with my fingers. And I asked very carefully.
“Aren’t you going to study with your friends?”
“I can go later.”
“…”
“Oh, right, you should study.”
“Then…”
I stopped and turned to face him. Tay stopped as well and gazed down at me. I mentioned it first before Tay said it again. “Shall we go eat?”
I reached out and stopped in mid-air. Tay's gaze turned to my fingertips. He reached up with his huge hands to grab it, then dropped it again. Tay looked down again and made eye contact with me.
“What do you want to eat?”
“Let’s eat pizza. Do you like pizza?”
It’s a good thing I brought money!
I was excited at the thought of standing alone in front of the cash register and handling money. I’ll pay you back in full right away… Although it may not be possible now, I will repay it one by one in this way.
Tay nodded at my words. “Let’s eat two plates.”
I’m sure I’ll be able to repay you… I believe there is a possibility.
~
As expected, Tay ate well. Just because the person next to me eats a lot doesn’t mean he’s a glutton, but it was incredible. There was no one around me who ate as much as Tay.
When I ate one piece, Tay would eat two pieces or even three pieces at most.
Half a slice of pizza fell off every time it was squashed. He would wipe the oil off his mouth with a tissue if it smudged around his mouth, and it wasn’t unpleasant or dirty.
As I drank the cola from the cup with a straw, I frowned slightly at the carbonated beverage. I was hungry, yet two pieces of pizza had filled me up.
“You seem to be eating really well.”
