Love Sick : The After Story

Our Present

[Noh's Point Of View]

I open my eyes to face with the bright rays of the sunlight that pierce through the window and warm my face with their heat. Darting my eyes away from the window that faces me, I look into the alarm clock on the nightstand, finding three digits painted in a vibrant red color and curse mentally. It's barely 8:17 am and that means that I've only been sleeping for four hours! Damn it! Couldn't he have closed the window before leaving?! He knows that I'm an easy sleeper!

Turning on my other side to face the darker side of the room, I close my eyes and try to go back to sleep but the minutes are passing me by and I grow more aware of my surroundings. Like the fact that the other half of the bed is empty, just like it's supposed to be. Or those clothes that are sprawled all over the carpet, reminding me about last night events. Or that smell that fills my nostrils and arouses me. 

Unconsciously, a smile creeps in my face and my annoyance slowly melts as I recall what happened last night. (Seriously Noh! It's way too early to get dirty thoughts! Get a grip of yourself!) I shake my head to get rid of those thoughts that I know aren't very innocent and decide to start another one of my present days. It was going to be impossible to fall back asleep now that my mind was fully aware. I could just come back and take a nap later before work, anyways. 

As I seat up to do my morning stretching routine, I look around the small square room and frown at what I encounter. The room was very messy and if sex had a smell, this would be it. (Phun's cum had such a strong odor, man.. To make it worse, the bastard hadn't even thrown the condom he used yesterday in the trash can.. It was going to stain the fucking carpet!) There was also clothes thrown all around the room -some of them those that we wore yesterday before *coughs* doing that (Noh! Don't go there again!) while others were dirty laundry that we had been to lazy to pick up from the floor (When did we become pigs?)

By the looks of it, it was going to be a busy day for me. It was my turn to do the chores around our apartment. It had been two weeks since we had agreed on that and I had been postponing it for later, but I knew that if I continued pushing it, our apartment would rot. I also had to go to the washateria and do the laundry and not to forget, do the groceries. If I was thinking about taking a nap before work, I would have to start with the cleaning now!

I stand up from the bed and pick a pair of boxers from the floor -those that I was wearing yesterday before doing that. I smell them to make sure that they are clean enough to wear before putting them on. I start to pick up all of the clothes from the floor, throwing them in the laundry basket. As I do that, I come across the shirt that Phun wore yesterday and allow myself to smell it. It still has his scent. It still smells like my Phun. 

My mouth forms a smile as I think about how much time has gone by already. It's been six years since I fell in love with the insanity that it's Phun Phumiphat. It had been six years and a part of me still was in disbelief. I still remembered an essay I wrote for homework when I was in my freshman year. The topic was, "How do you expect your life to be ten years from now." The essay I came up with consisted of college, girls and music. But it's funny how much a person can change in a small period of time. If I were to do that essay again, my answer would probably be about Phun (and about music he he.)

I used to consider myself an independent individual. Depending on someone else was for the weak, I thought. But today, I find myself needing him more than oxygen. He makes me stronger. I feel I can do anything as long as I have him beside me. And although my life isn't what I've always wanted, I'm satisfied if he is with me. 

You might be wondering what my life has turned out for me to say this, right? Let's say it didn't go as I had planned. 

After we graduated from high school, my plan was applying for a scholarship and go to college. Get a degree and spend the rest of my life without a concern. But guess what? I was declined a scholarship. Well, I guess that was expected. I mean, I was never that smart to begin with (I was very hopeful though.. -_-) Thankfully, I wasn't the only one that didn't get to go to college. Ohm, Keng, Film and Per went through the same thing. (Alright! That's not something I should feel grateful for but at least, I was never alone.) Although my parents offered to pay for my tuition, I declined their money and told them I didn't want to go to college. I didn't want to owe them more because if I ever brought shame to the family (and most probably I would) then I would feel more in debt towards them. I could have asked for a loan but the thought of having a debt scared me very much so I decided against it. Resigning to the idea of not getting a degree, I felt like a nobody. 

That time was very hard for me. Since I didn't have experience in anything, nobody wanted to hire me. I applied for a thousand jobs but no one wanted to take me in. (Should I blame it in my looks?) Feeling hopeless, I fell into depression. But one day, Ohm came up with the most stupidest idea. "We are going to form a band and become famous!" He declared with confidence, as if he could read the future. The four of us looked at each other before laughing at the delusional bastard. People looked for perfection and we clearly didn't have it. The chances of reaching fame were very slim, regardless of the talent we had. But saying no to Ohm was not an option. Once he puts his mind on something, he would get it no matter what. He kept pestering us -calling us day and night- until we gave in to his crazy plan to conquer the world with our "talent". 

We started by performing in the streets as if we were beggars. It was so embarrassing, man. Nobody would pay attention to us. People would pass us by as if we didn't exist. I finally understood the hardships of being a beggar because I felt like one of them. (I even swore I would never ignore a beggar again.) Just when we were about to throw the towel and go home, a miracle happened! The owner of a bar saw us performing and offered us job as daily performers at his bar. The payment is fair and the bar is quite popular too (sometimes celebrities come to visit!) so we get a lot of tips. It's been three years since we have been working for this bar and I can say I no longer feel ashamed of my life. I'm doing what I love and getting paid for it. What else could I ask for? 

On the other hand, there is the great Phun Phumiphat. His teacher recommended him to one of the best universities in the country. Like it was expected, he got accepted immediately and with an all-paid scholarship (That smart bastard!) His dream had always been being able to help as many persons as he could, so he chose to study to become a doctor. (Don't ask me what kind of doctor because no matter how many times he tells me, I keep forgetting.) Since my pay isn't enough to maintain us both, he also works part time at Starbucks. He takes his classes during the day and works during the afternoon. Isn't he the perfect boyfriend?

Oh! Did I forget to mention that we have been living together for two years now? Actually, living together wasn't in our plans either, at least not until we were ready to walk on our own. However, things took an unexpected turn again and Phun was thrown out of his house. My heart still aches whenever I recall that period of our lives and at how helpless I felt and still feel. Ever since then, Phun has practically become a stranger to his family, Pang in exception of course. I wonder if things will ever get better.. or if he will be alone for the rest of his life. 

I groan when I cut myself with a broken corner of a plate that I had been mindlessly washing. I look at the cut where a small droplet of blood is pouring from and bring my finger to my mouth to lick the wound (Hey! They say that licking your wounds can help stop the bleeding and ease the pain.) I turn to look at the clock that hangs from the wall and realize that I've been lost in my thoughts for half an hour. It hadn't been in vain though. I had managed to clean the room and I was about to finish with the dishes. I smile to myself triumphantly and decide that I should take a shower before doing the rest.

As I head towards the bathroom, I hear the bell ring throughout the apartment. "Hmm? I wonder who is coming so early in the morning..?" I murmur to myself before walking towards the door to open it.

The unexpected face that greets me on the other side of the door makes me widen my eye in surprise. 

It's Phun's mother.