Over And Beyond #1

Chapter 11

Author's note: hey guys! Here again with the next chapter. I noticed a lot of you are annoyed with Arthit right now; in this chapter I'm hoping you would come to understand him a little more.

On that note, I took some liberty with Arthit's history, because there isn't much known about it, so some of the things here are my creation or deductions I made from studying Arthit so don't think that it is cannon.

So now on to the story. Hope you enjoy it. : )

Chapter 11

I don't want that Kong. We can't just cut off your whole life and move on to be by ourselves. I won't be the reason you destroy your family. Do you even know what you have? Why are you so ready to destroy it?

I was so angry at Kongpob for being so selfish and so carefree. He didn't know anything. When I was young, I was truly loved by my family and I loved them too. Even though we were just three, we were complete, but who knew one day I would be separated from my father, that my mother would nearly lose her mind to grief and I would have to do everything to keep us together.

For me my family was broken, irreparably, and nothing could ever repair it. How could Kongpob ask me to do the same thing to his family, the people who took me as their own? I can't.

"Why can't you understand me?" I asked him and turned to leave. He didn't follow me and though I wanted him to, though I didn't want this injury to fester and become ugly, I knew anymore done tonight would just cause worse hurt so I continued walking, listening to the snap of twigs under my feet to pretend I couldn't hear Kong's choked sobs behind me.

We didn't talk to each other the rest of that day. I went up to his room at least six times to knock and check on him but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't face him. Thinking clearly now, I was appalled at the lie Anya and I told Kong's father. It was far worse than anything Kongpob and I have ever said.

At the time I couldn't even think of any way to stop Kongpob and when Anya said that, I supported her without thinking about it. I was so bogged down by my panic I would have agreed to anything to stop Kong.

Now I stood by his door for the seventh time that night. The whole house was sleeping and only I was awake, staring at the door opposite Kong's, which was Anya's.

I was unable to stop the guilt but I felt a minute less stupid and guilty when I stood by his door and listened to the silence coming from the wooden structure.

"Arthit," Kong's father was at the steps looking at me. He was the last person I wanted to see. I got the feeling he didn't really believe Anya's story and so he didn't tell Kong's mom. It was the only explanation for why she wasn't already all over them since she liked Anya so much.

"Can't sleep?" he asked when we both went downstairs to the kitchen.

Sleep was impossible tonight. I nodded.

"Are you alright? You haven't been talking since you and Kongpob came back from the waterfall."

"I am fine dad."

"It doesn't have anything to do with what you told me, does it?"

I paused before shaking my head. I couldn't pour out my feelings to him or even take back what Anya had said.

"Tell me this, Arthit. Is Anya telling the truth?"

"I—"I opened my mouth to say yes but I couldn't. My chest grew tight with pressure because Kongpob didn't love Anya, he loved me and I won't let him love anyone else. I couldn't bear it, to admit that his love was for anyone but me a second time.