Always you (PONDPHUWIN)

Chapter 10: The Breaking Point

Despite the progress they had made, the tension between Pond and Phuwin was far from completely resolved. The ultimatum that Phuwin had set was still fresh in both their minds, and while they were both committed to making their relationship work, the underlying issues continued to simmer just below the surface.

The breaking point came one evening after an exhausting week for both of them. Pond had been dealing with mounting stress at work, and Phuwin had been preoccupied with a major art project that was nearing its deadline. They were both stretched thin, and the cracks in their relationship, once again, began to show.

It started with something small—a misunderstanding about dinner plans. Phuwin had mentioned that he would be working late at the studio and might grab something to eat with a friend afterward. Pond, already feeling neglected after a week of long days and little quality time together, had misinterpreted this as Phuwin deliberately avoiding spending time with him. By the time Phuwin returned home, the tension was palpable.

"I thought we agreed to have dinner together tonight," Pond said, his voice edged with frustration as Phuwin walked through the door.

Phuwin, exhausted and not in the mood for an argument, sighed as he set down his bag. "I told you I might be late, Pond. I had to finish up at the studio, and then I grabbed a quick bite with a friend."

Pond's frustration quickly morphed into anger, the stress of the week boiling over. "A quick bite with a friend?" he repeated, his tone incredulous. "It feels like you've been avoiding me all week, Phuwin. I thought we were supposed to be working on this—on us."

Phuwin turned to face him, his own patience wearing thin. "We are working on us, Pond. But that doesn't mean I have to spend every waking moment with you. I need space to breathe, to work on my own things."

"That's not what this is about!" Pond snapped, his voice rising. "You're pulling away again, just like before. How am I supposed to believe that you're still committed to this relationship when you're always putting other things—and other people—before me?"

Phuwin's temper flared at Pond's accusation. "I'm not putting anyone before you, Pond! I'm just trying to maintain some balance in my life. I can't be everything to you all the time, and it's unfair of you to expect that."

Pond's fists clenched at his sides, his emotions spiraling out of control. "So this is how it's going to be? You doing whatever you want while I sit here waiting for you to throw me a scrap of attention?"

"That's not what I'm doing!" Phuwin shot back, his voice shaking with frustration. "But if you keep suffocating me with your demands, then maybe I will start pulling away. I can't live like this, constantly under pressure to meet your every need."

The words hung in the air between them, heavy with the weight of unspoken fears and unresolved tensions. It was the moment they had both dreaded—the breaking point they had been trying so hard to avoid.

As the argument reached its peak, the room seemed to crackle with the intensity of their emotions. Phuwin's heart pounded in his chest, the weight of their relationship bearing down on him like a suffocating blanket. He could see the pain in Pond's eyes, the desperation to hold onto what they had, but he also knew that they couldn't continue like this. Something had to give.

In the midst of their heated exchange, Phuwin felt a sudden clarity, a realization that they were standing on the edge of a precipice. If they weren't careful, they could lose everything they had worked so hard to rebuild. He didn't want that—neither of them did. But how could they move forward if they kept circling back to the same destructive patterns?

Phuwin took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "Pond," he said quietly, his voice steadying as he tried to deescalate the situation. "We can't keep doing this. We need to take a step back and really think about what we want—for ourselves, and for each other."