Autumn is a second spring

103. Ties

Fluke stood frozen in place, staring at the man he had been actively avoiding for weeks. Ohm was right there, standing a few feet away, his expression unreadable. It was almost as if Ohm was waiting for him to be done with his meeting.

Fluke had known this moment would come, but he had hoped to delay it for as long as possible. Seeing Ohm now, in the flesh, made the headache at his temples throb even harder.

After he had returned to Bangkok, Fluke had done everything to keep a low profile. He had moved into one of his smaller condos, a place close to the hospital but secluded enough that he wouldn't risk running into Ohm. And yet, despite all his careful maneuvering, fate had decided otherwise. 

The man he had been dreading to see was now standing before him, looking as if he had been waiting.

Fluke sighed inwardly. He had come to the hospital just for a meeting. Just a few hours, and he would be gone. But here he was, caught in a situation he had been desperate to avoid.

Their eyes met, and Fluke knew then that there was no running away. He squared his shoulders and approached Ohm, his steps steady, but his heart hammering in his chest.

"Phi Ohm," he greeted coolly, keeping his voice even.

Ohm hesitated for a fraction of a second before nodding back. "Fluke."

A heavy silence hung between them. Fluke was the first to break it. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in your bed now?"

It was already past the visiting hours and all patients were supposed to be in bed for the evening rounds.

Ohm looked uncertain for a moment, then cleared his throat. "Yeah, actually... I needed your help with something."

Fluke's brows furrowed slightly. "What is it, phi?"

As much as he wanted to keep his distance from Ohm, he knew that the latter wasn't the kind that would go and ask someone for help just like that. There must be something important that brought Ohm to him. 

Ohm hesitated again, his lips pressing together as if debating whether to speak. Fluke waited, giving him time, but when the silence stretched on, he decided to prod. "P' Ohm, what is it?"

Ohm shifted on his feet.

 "Is it about your discharge?  You are being released from the hospital tomorrow, right?" Fluke had been keeping tabs on Ohm's recovery.

He was already told that Ohm's results looked positive and that Ohm was fit enough to be discharged from the hospital without much delay

"Yeah," Ohm bit his lip before finally saying, "I need a place to stay."

Fluke frowned. "What do you mean? You have plenty of properties in the city."

Ohm exhaled sharply. "Have you forgotten? I lost parts of my memory. I don't remember where half of my stuff is. And..." He trailed off, his voice lower, "the doctors especially said that I can't stay alone. Not yet."

Fluke's frown deepened. "Then why not stay with P' Kao or P' Boun? I am sure that they would be happy to have you. Relieved to have you, maybe"

Ohm sighed, looking uncomfortable. "I have already troubled them enough. They have been in and out of the hospital, looking after me, handling everything. I don't want to impose on them any longer."

Fluke rolled his eyes. "Ohm, you know neither of them would think of it as an imposition."

"I know," Ohm admitted. "But P' Kao is married now, and Boun is in a relationship. I don't want to be the burden that disrupts their lives."

Fluke studied him for a moment. "Then why not go back to the Ritprasert mansion?"

The Ritprasert mansion was within the city, not too far from the hospital. Ohm's whole family stayed in the mansion whenever they were in the city. 

The moment the words left his mouth, Ohm's entire body stiffened. His jaw clenched, and his fists curled at his sides. It was subtle, but Fluke caught it immediately.

"I don't want to go there," Ohm said, his voice quiet but firm.

Fluke's instincts kicked in. Something wasn't right. "Why?"

Ohm didn't answer right away. His gaze dropped to the floor, his fists tightening further before he finally spoke, his tone unwavering. "Because I plan on removing myself from the Ritprasert family. I don't want to be associated with them anymore."

Fluke's eyes widened slightly. Of all the things he had expected, this wasn't one of them. Ohm had always had a complicated relationship with his family, but to actually cut ties... That was a drastic step.

Ohm glanced at him, watching for a reaction, but Fluke simply nodded. He didn't question it. He didn't ask why.

Ohm, surprised, tilted his head. "You are not going to ask me why?"

Fluke shrugged. "No. It is none of my business."

He didn't need to ask, he knew the reason.

Ohm looked at him incredulously. "I thought you would ask me not to do it and even convince me to try putting more effort."

Fluke let out a short laugh, devoid of humor. There was indeed a time when he did that. The time when he used to push Ohm to make things right between him and his family, a time when he wanted Ohm to open up more to his family. 

Yet, every single time, those people had disappointed him. The process had hurt Ohm more than before. 

Fluke was not going to repeat his mistakes again. Though he wasn't entirely sure why the current Ohm, who had no memories of the past decade, had the thought of cutting ties with the Ritprasert, he could guess that it might have been from the way Ritpraserts behaved after Ohm gained his consciousness.

All these years, Ohm had tried his best to win his parents' heart, especially his mother's. Fluke knew this story full well.

He knew how much Ohm wanted his parents' acceptance, to be not referred to as 'a mistake', 'an accident' or 'a child that they shouldn't have given birth to'.

Now seeing how Ohm had finally given up trying, Fluke knew that something inside him was broken.

The Ohm in front of him was not the Ohm he had known in the course of their relationship, the one who was mature and calm. The Ohm in front of him was the reflection of the teenage Ohm who had a bit of rebelliousness within him.

Hence it wasn't totally surprising for him to see this Ohm taking a decision that the other Ohm would have hesitated  to take.  

Ohm stared at him for a moment, then exhaled, his shoulders loosening. "Thank you," he said quietly. "This was why I came to you. If I had gone to P' Kao or Boun with this, they would have scolded me, tried to convince me otherwise."

Fluke nodded again. "I get it."