6 Years After • Completed

ii. Samorn

Samorn. Kongpob's fiancée is that one woman anyone would kill to have. Samorn's more than beautiful– with her sun-kissed skin tone, tantalizing doe eyes, and plump lips always stretched in a smile– she's more than that.

Intelligent. Sophisticated. Human Rights Advocate. Environmentalist. Good with kids. Not an ounce of evilness in her. She always tries to see the goodness in everyone. So really, she's close to perfection.

She's also an animal lover, actually, and that's how she met Kongpob, Samorn's a veterinarian. When Kongpob came in her clinic one day holding his sister's sick dog, Samorn's immediately smitten but Kongpob was different. Kongpob was closed off to her, he often came off as rude when he's speaking to her but all Samorn responded to his rudeness was a bright smile. Samorn didn't waste any time, she confessed to Kongpob, and a week after, she began to court him. She's always been patient to him and not once did she give up on Kongpob when the latter rejected her.

Kongpob rejected her many times but every time he did, it did not fail to hurt her until one day, probably just to stop her from bothering him, Kongpob said yes on a date. One date went on another then another... until they became the best of friends and they began to travel together. And right in front of the most beautiful sunset Samorn had seen, on the top of a mountain, Kongpob asked her to be his girlfriend, and Samorn's more than happy to accept. She had been waiting for it for months. And that's the start of a beautiful relationship. People around them always tell they are two fools in love with each other. Maybe they are, but the only thing important for Samorn is they are fools for each other.

But not every day was a happy day for them, especially for Kongpob. Sometimes, there were times Kongpob would just stare at the space whenever he sees someone drinking pink milk, Samorn realized. And although Samorn's dying to know why she didn't ask him as she didn't want to pressure him into telling her. When Kongpob's ready, he's going to tell his past to her.

Alas, Samorn discovered the reason when Kongpob finally introduced her to his friends. Kongpob's friends looked at her warily, they were awkward around her, complimenting her for not more than a sentence, just giving passive comments of "She's good, Kong." "She's beautiful, you two look good together."

They were close-lipped but someone slipped. Wad.

"You remind me of P'Arthit."

Everyone suddenly became silent. It was the first time Samorn heard that name. Arthit. Samorn felt her boyfriend tensing beside her.

Aim elbowed Wad but it was too late, Samorn realized 'Arthit' was the reason for her boyfriend's sudden sadness.

"Who's Arthit?"

That night, Kongpob told who Arthit is.

Arthit.

Arthit Rojnapat.

That one guy Kongpob can't seem to let go of.

Samorn was hurt when Kongpob told her the reason why was he rude to her at first because Samorn reminded Kongpob of Arthit, that ex who suddenly left Kongpob. Samorn couldn't help but to think that maybe... just maybe, Kongpob's with her because she's like Arthit because she reminded him of his past but Kongpob promised to her that night, he'd do everything to forget Arthit.

And Kongpob did what he promised her, he moved on from Arthit.

But now, two months before their wedding, Kongpob suddenly returned back to his old self and it's been a week already so Samorn did what she has to do.

Samorn sees Kongpob sitting on the couch, greatly concentrated on his laptop he's holding. Samorn doesn't want to pry, but when her eyes pass by his name, her heart clenches painfully in her chest.

Arthit, back to confuse Kongpob once again, signed on the letter, Samorn can't help but to utter in a pained tone, "So, it's him."

Of course, it's Arthit. It has always been him for Kongpob.

Kongpob's eyes widened and he quickly closes his laptop and puts it away. "I-it's nothing."

Samorn shakes her head and sits beside Kongpob. She holds his hands to hers. "Kong, you've been like this for a week now, maybe since you got this letter from him?"

"I'm sorry. I'm just thinking lots of things right now but I'll be okay. I'm going to forget this."

"I don't want you to Kong, you need to face this that's why I arranged this for you," Samorn pulls out several papers and gives it to Kongpob. "It's a vacation, for a month, my cousin works there and I want you to go there. He said it's a place you can go to let your frustrations out."

"What? Why just me? How about you?"

"Kong, I think we need some space right now so you can find yourself once again."

Kongpob immediately shakes his head, pulling Samorn to a deep kiss. Samorn sighs at the feeling. "No, this is nothing. You know, I don't love him anymore. It's just you now."

Samorn gives Kongpob a sweet smile. "We need this, you need this. You need closure from him and maybe, you know when you're away with me for a while," Samorn's tears slowly fall down but she still smiles through her tears. Kongpob wipes her tears away but the more Kongpob touches her, the more her tears fall down. Samorn holds Kongpob's hands.

"Maybe you're going to realize you love me more than him, maybe?"

"But I love you-"

"You're bothered by his letter Kong, he still affects you."

"I'm just confused."

"That's why I'm telling you, you need this."

"Are you breaking up with me?" Kongpob asks with a pained tone.

"No. No. We're still together, but the wedding will be on hold until you come back to me again," Samorn caresses the back of Kongpob's hand with her thumbs. "But if you didn't come back to me anymore, I'll try to understand and I'll accept it. I know it's him you picked."

Kongpob starts to cry as well and he sticks their foreheads together, whispering sweet nothings to her.

"I promise you. I will come back to you. I will, Samorn. I will," Kongpob cups her cheeks and kisses her forehead, smiling gently at her. "From the day I proposed to you, I have let go of my excess baggage already."

But they need this, Kongpob needs this, he needs their closure so Kongpob can move on together with her. Not with Arthit.

She knows she can't beat Arthit. Kongpob will never love her the way he loved... loves Arthit. She is just not Arthit and she accepts that.

But still, Samorn holds to that one hope, that maybe, Kongpob finds it in his heart to love her more. That Kongpob will realize Arthit's nothing but a past, a figment of what was once a good memory.

Samorn pecks Kongpob's lips and smiles when she feels Kongpob pulling her in his arms. Kongpob squeezes her. "Come back to me. I need you to come back to me."

Kongpob buries his head in her neck. "I will. You are my home."

But why didn't that ease her feeling?

Because Samorn knows that Kongpob may always tell her she's his home but Arthit will always be Kongpob's world, his everything. Arthit will always hold Kongpob's heart.

Samorn's tears slowly begin to fall. It's unfair. She's been the one with Kongpob for 6 years. She's been the one who mended Kongpob's heart back when Arthit crushed it. She's been with Kongpob when Arthit left him.

Arthit left Kongpob, but why is that at the mention of Arthit's name, Arthit can still have that effect on Kongpob, an effect she knows she can never give to him. It's breaking Samorn's heart but Samorn's still willing to fight for Kongpob's love. Can you blame her? She's just a girl who happens to fall in love with someone who's destined with someone else.

And Samorn could only pray to God that Kongpob would never meet Arthit again.

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