Beyond The Fine Line

Chapter XLV - Gravity

The night felt thick and unmoving, weighed down by the aftermath of the chaos. Sirens lingered in the distance, faint but constant, cutting through the quiet streets. The usual city sounds were muted, replaced by an uneasy stillness that seemed to cling to everything. The warm, heavy air carried the remnants of tension like a storm that never came.

Win leaned against the wall, catching his breath, while Aom sat on the ground, her quiet sobs filling the tense silence. They were both shaken, not just by the violence but by the way the police had turned on Sean and Fort, arresting them without hesitation. It felt like everything had flipped in an instant – the people who were supposed to protect the innocent had shown only contempt. It cut deeper than a group of bigoted idiots attacking the meetup.

"Hey," Win said softly, crouching in front of her. "Everything will be okay."

Aom looked at him with tears in her eyes. "How can you be so sure? We don't even know where they took them, and even so, no one will listen to us."

His shoulders sagged as he realised that she was right. No one ever cared about justice when it came to people like them. He had seen it too many times – stories of pain and struggle that never made the headlines, cries for help that were drowned out by indifference.

Win had learned to compartmentalise and push forward for the sake of those who couldn't, but every new story still left its mark, weighing heavier on him with each passing day. He held onto hope because giving up wasn't an option, but it was getting harder to ignore the cracks forming beneath the surface. His defiance could only take him so far... and even for an optimist like him, things began to look utterly helpless.

"There must be...," he trailed off, gripping his phone tighter. "I know someone who can help us."

"Who?"

"Sean's boyfriend," Win replied, scrolling through his contacts. "He's a lawyer, and I'm sure he will know what to do."

She looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Do you really think he would help Fort as well?"

"Of course," he reassured her, dialling the number. "I just hope he is not too busy and can answer the call. It's mid of workday for him."

Win was growing progressively more anxious as another call timed out. He figured Jay must have been in a meeting and had his phone on silent, but he wouldn't stop. He feared something might happen to them, given all the mess with Chaiyawat.

Finally, as they approached the main street, the call connected, and a familiar British accent drowned out his anxiety. He put the phone on speaker and huddled close with Aom, explaining everything that happened in hushed voices.

Jay remained silent for a moment, wondering if Sean had anticipated something like this when he turned on location sharing after leaving the association's building. Either way, it had been a smart move and a change from the last time Sean got into trouble. He breathed a sigh of relief as the map pinned him at a police station not far from the university.

"Are you two safe?"

"Yeah, we are pretty far from the square now with an easy way home," Win responded, looking at the nearby bus stop. "But what about Fort and Sean?"

"They are at the police station. I will head there now, find out the charges and see if it's possible to bail them out."

"But they didn't do anything wrong," Win protested.

Jay sighed but decided to not tell him how often it happens. There was no need to scare him even more with possible consequences. "I will do my best to get them out of it. But in the meantime, send me your video and don't post it anywhere yet."