Another Me, and You

Fragment No. 6

This is the first time Arthit decided to hide what he is feeling so tight inside his heart. He ignored the concern looks Knot throw him almost everyday now. He shrugged off the attention Kongphob give to him when it became too much. It doesn't sit well in him, robbing what someone should have.

Out of the blue, Bright hit his head and claiming he would visit his dorm on Thursday afternoon. All of Arthit's grumbling fell on deaf ears.

"Ai' Arthit, do you have a dream?" his stupid friend asked once they were inside his dorm room.

"Huh? What the hell are you on about?" Arthit suspiciously look at him. Bright only shrugged, perusing the mangas on Arthit's wall absent-mindedly.

"Well.. you have a good grade, doting parents, caring friends, and even have a perfect lover." He grinned at Arthit. "So your dreams might already fulfilled na?"

Arthit raised an eyebrow. Bright was acting strange today. "What is it, Bright? Don't talk nonsense, out with it already."

"I want to open a bar, think I can do it?" his friend slumped beside him on the bed.

"Well.. why not? I also can't picture you doing an office job." Arthit said honestly. It earned him a loud laugh from Bright.

"Thank you na, Arthit. It seems you really understand me." Bright said between his laugh, he even had tears on his eyes as he continues his antic.

"And?"

"My mother wants me to do anything that makes me happy. Because she couldn't do what she wished for herself to be an academician. My father will only let me do whatever I wanna do once I earned my degree." Bright shrugged. Arthit give him a look, because Bright still won't say what he needed to say.

"Ohh.. Arthit. You're no fun nowadays. It's harder to make fun of you." Bright bemoaned, and then sighed. "Ah. What I want to say is, Ai' Arthit, you don't look happy recently." Bright countenance became serious. "Everyone is worried. And I had enough, so I came to ask you directly. What's wrong with you, Ai' Arthit?"

The ex-head hazer just stare at his fellow hazer blankly. His lips move, but no words came out. He fist his hands and closed his eyes tightly. This is what happened when he decided to hide his feeling. He wasn't a good liar. And.. his friends.. Oh God. He knew that he is not their real friend, but Arthit want to talk so bad..

"Ai' Bright.." a hoarse voice came from him. "Do you believe in alternate universe?"

Bright let him talk, not once he interrupted. He listen so seriously there was a fleeting thought inside Arthit, because he never seen Bright this serious in his life. After he finished his tale, his friend frowned in deep thought, hands crossing on his chest.

"Ai' Thit." He finally started talking again after some time. "I won't say whether or not it was true that you're from alternate universe. But, don't you think it would be better for you to let go of this notion? After all, you also deserved to be happy."

Arthit smiled bitterly. "I want to. I want so much to let go. But there's a fear inside me that-"

"What is it, Arthit?"

"I don't want you guys to leave me. I don't know what I would do once Kong realized that I am not P' Arthit that he loves and decided to leave me alone." Bright had to blink a few times at him to make sure he really said those words. He sighed when Arthit didn't say anything else.

"Ai' Arthit.. it hurts me to say this, because holly hell. You might be not my friend I knew. But, you're also my friend? Wait, this is confusing.. anyway. We're friends now, so no way in hell I would ended our friendship. Even though it's easy for me to break up with my girlfriend, doesn't mean that I would suddenly decide not to befriend you again."

"Bright.."

"Never think we would leave, Ai' Thit. We're your friends now, don't make us worried. Knot even had his first grey hair because of you. Our friends deserved your apology for worrying them."

A tear run down Arthit's cheek. "I will."

"And one more thing, Ai' Thit. Talk with Kong."

****