To Hold Tight or to Let Go

Chapter One

When the plane touched down in Thailand, Kongpob didn't know what to feel about being home after a year and a half of studying in Japan. When he left, he'd honestly put everything out of his mind, focusing heavily on his tasks in Japan, so much so that he completed his program before the original deadline.

Now that he was back in Thailand, it was as if everything he'd blocked out was suddenly coming back to him. It was easy to avoid things when you removed yourself from it. And the moment he stepped through the gates his first thought was, I wonder how Arthit is. Why was he was the first person that Kongpob thought about?

At the arrival gate, Kongpob saw his mother waiting for him. She bounced up and down and clapped when she saw him and Kongpob smiled, excited to see his family again. He pushed his cart over to her then quickly gave her a hug. The moment he did, his body went stiff in her arms. He inhaled slowly, then backed away from her and looked down. Peppermint and cologne. Arthit's scent. Kongpob knew his mother still talked with Arthit but he just didn't know it would be this often.

Kaiya brushed at his bangs and smiled softly. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm okay," he replied. "I just missed home."

"Aw, my baby boy. Let's go."

They walked through the airport and Lee was outside to help them pack his bags into the car. Kongpob and Kaiya got in the back seat together and Kaiya immediately held his hand, squeeing tightly.

"I missed you a lot son," she said. "So many times I wanted to fly to Japan and demand that they give me my son back."

"So extra," Kongpob chuckled.

"It's true."

Kongpob sighed and chewed on his lips. Before he could control himself, he let the words spill from his mouth. "How is he?" Kongpob asked.

"Hmmm...he's better," she replied softly.

"That's good," Kongpob mumbled.

"Why do you ask? You've went this entire time and haven't asked me anything about him. Why now?"

"Guess I was distracted before," Kongpob shrugged.

"Me and your dad have something to tell you," she told him.

"What is it?

"We'll tell you when we get home."

That made Kongpob nervous but he put it out of his mind until they arrived at the mansion. He had already paid for his own condo but his parents wanted him to stay the night with them once he returned from Japan.

In his bedroom, he went through his luggage so he could get some laundry done before he went back to his own condo. When he spotted the wooden box tucked away in his suitcase, he had an immediate flashback.

"You've missed the point of the assignment."

"I—I don't understand sir. How did I mess up?" Kongpob asked his teacher.

"All I see is the numbers. Where is the actual content? You didn't really hit the mark of what I expressed you to do."

"But I thought the numbers were what mattered," Kongpob mumbled.

"It may be economics but the population, meaning the people matters. How can you create a project proposing the renovations of condos for the right amount of money economically but in a neighborhood where all the residents would have to move to accommodate such costs?"

"I didn't think about that," Kongpob replied.

"I'm giving you a failing grade for this project. If you want to earn a passing one please complete it within the next week." After that, he packed up his briefcase and left Kongpob alone in the classroom.