Just Add Water [End]

007

Pon woke up one morning to find that Sailub was nowhere in the apartment. The bed was empty, the kitchen was quiet, and there was no sign of Sailub’s usual cheerful greeting. Pon checked his phone, hoping for a message, but there was nothing.

“Where could he be?” Pon muttered, glancing around the small apartment. Sailub was usually always there when he woke up, always ready with a warm smile and something kind to say.

He decided to brush it off, figuring maybe Sailub just went out for some fresh air. But as the days went by, Pon started noticing it more often. Sailub would disappear randomly, sometimes for hours. Each time, he returned with no explanation, only a soft smile and a casual, “Sorry, Pon, I was out.”

One evening, after a long day at work, Pon returned home, half-expecting to find the apartment empty again. To his relief, Sailub was there, sitting quietly on the couch.

“Hey,” Pon greeted, feeling a strange mixture of relief and confusion. “Where were you today? You were gone when I woke up.”

Sailub looked up with a gentle smile, but there was something distant in his gaze. “Just... out for a walk. I didn’t want to wake you.”

Pon frowned, sitting down beside him. “You’ve been doing that a lot lately. Going out without saying anything.”

Sailub’s smile faltered for a brief moment, but he quickly nodded. “I’m sorry, Pon. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Pon looked at him, studying his face. There was something... off. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was a feeling in his chest, a quiet suspicion he couldn’t shake.

“You’re not hiding anything from me, right?” Pon asked, trying to keep his tone light.

Sailub’s eyes flickered, and he looked away. “Of course not, Pon. I would never hide anything from you.”

Pon wanted to believe him. He really did. But something just didn’t feel right.

The next day, Pon was cleaning up around the apartment, trying to organize the clutter of papers and folders he had brought home from work. As he was sorting through the stack on his kitchen table, his eyes landed on a familiar signature at the bottom of one of the documents. He froze.

“Hemmawich Kwanamphaiphan.”

Pon’s heart skipped a beat. It was his boss’s signature, clear as day, on an official-looking document. But why would a paper signed by Mr. Kwanamphaiphan be here? Pon didn’t remember bringing any such document home.

Confused, he held up the paper, examining it more closely. His boss’s signature was unmistakable. But as he tried to think back, he couldn’t remember when or why he’d taken something with his boss’s signature home.

“Sailub?” he called out, his voice wavering slightly.

Sailub appeared from the bedroom, his face calm but unreadable. “Yes, Pon?”

Pon held up the document, his expression a mixture of confusion and suspicion. “Why do I have this document from my boss? I don’t remember bringing it home.”

Sailub’s eyes flickered briefly, but he quickly looked away. “I don’t know, Pon. Maybe you left it here by accident?”

Pon frowned, feeling a pang of frustration. “I don’t think so. I’m usually careful about work documents. And this... this is from Mr. Kwanamphaiphan himself.”

Sailub avoided his gaze, his expression guarded. “Maybe you just forgot. It happens.”

Pon felt his frustration grow. “Are you hiding something from me, Sailub? I feel like... I don’t know, I feel like you’re not telling me everything.”