Roommates - Not in Bangkok anymore [completed]

Chapter 20

A/N: about the second part of this chapter: I realize that the rules for this school are unrealistically laid back for a real boarding school. But for the sake of the story, I didn't want to deal with the additional pressure of having a completely hostile school environment that would make it impossible for them to ever be open about their relationship. There will be enough push-back even so. The advice Ms. Trimble gives is what a decent sex ed teacher would probably give you in Western Europe, though. (I actually originally planned to have this entire talk happen "off-screen", but I found it refreshing to have Can in his blunt curiosity talk to a teacher who was also unfazed about everything.)

Tin's POV

Almost a full week had passed and at this point, Tin couldn't even imagine how he was ever able to sleep without Can next to him.

Today was Friday and Can had an early training session, while Tin's first class wouldn't start until ten o'clock.

Since he had woken up with Can as usual, he now took the opportunity to write in his diary again and trying to make some progress in figuring out his own life.

Most of Tin's free time during the week had already gone towards finding an answer to McNeil's question. If he pretended there was no pressure from his family, no expectation as the heir to Medthanan Real Estate, what would he want to be?

He had come to ask himself the question in this way, because if he concluded that taking over the family business was what he truly wanted, he could always go back to that.

It was surprisingly difficult to even see himself detached from this burden.

Similarly, it was difficult seeing his future detached from Can.

Even though his completely besotted heart wanted his future to be whatever Can needed him to be, he still had enough of a rational brain to understand that it would be utterly foolish to tie his entire future to Can after barely dating a week.

The pressure it would put on both of them could easily crush them. He wanted to stay together and he had felt reassured that McNeil had thought they were a good match, too.

But upon reflection, he understood that they had a better chance actually making it, if they made sure that they would each have their own independent dreams. They could then link up their individual paths, rather than tying their fates together from the onset and resenting each other for it if things got tense.

He had never properly acknowledged just how much of his life had been on autopilot before Can had crashed into it.

He had taken the classes his parents had wanted him to take, he had made sure to get good grades to immunize himself against any reproaches from his family and also as an insurance for himself that he would have a good resumé if he ever fell out of favour.

But did he enjoy classes like business and general economics, history, and politics because he knew he needed these things in his role as future CEO and president of Medthanan Real Estate, or did he enjoy it because he had a personal interest in these subjects?

How was he supposed to know the difference?

In a similar vein, he had always had a knack for languages and was actually at the top of his English, French and German classes (Latin didn't count) – but he had always seen these as a means to an end rather than something he wanted to make a career out of. The same could be said about arts. He enjoyed arts classes, but he didn't feel like he was good enough or burnt enough for his creations to try and become an artist.

It hadn't taken him long to end up doodling into his diary again instead of writing down his thoughts – and he found himself distracted from his own search for answers by wanting to read up on football more.