THE STORYBOOK

H5: PART 3 (ENGLISH)

Arthit opened his eyes, finding himself face to face with a calendar with black numbers.

JULY 13, 2019

"It worked!" He said to himself as he sat on his bed and watched, with evident disgust, the dozens of beer bottles that were on the floor of his room.

Several images came to his mind then...

Images in which, as soon as he had left Bright's bar, he had entered his apartment with several bottles of beer and liquor. And, without losing more time than looking for a bottle opener, he had sat on the mattress to immediately begin drinking.

All of that with the firm intention of drowning his sorrows and the doubt that was gnawing at him with them...

What if...

What if it ended being true that two years was a long time apart?

What if ... as he had been warned, Kongpob could find someone else during that time?

He won't be able to stand it if that happens... he could not!

- "And to think that my decision would end up generating what I had wanted to avoid ..." - he murmured as he got up and began to collect the empty bottles in several of the bags of the store where he had bought them. Those that were not still full, of course.

DING DONG

The doorbell made him, with a frown, leave the bags in a corner of the room to, with quick steps, walk towards the door of the apartment.

- "ARTHIT!" - exclaimed Knott as soon as the door opened - "I've been looking for you since last night!"

The young man nodded and, without saying anything, stepped aside so that his old friend could enter the apartment.

Knott, upon entering, wrinkled his nose in a gesture that made Arthit smile slightly.

"And to think that he has not seen the bedroom ..."

- "Smells  like beer and vomit" - he muttered to immediately turn towards Arthit - "and let's not talk about the way you do!"

Arthit shrugged.

- "I know I've been drinking a bit too much..."

- "A bit too much?!" - whispered a voice behind him that made Arthit's skin stand up in a matter of seconds - "Do I have to remind you where your little tantrum will end, if you do not start moving your butt now? On a date ... on a date with a truck!"

Mara

Mara was in her apartment.

The young man, ignoring Knott's curious look, looked around the room. Even in the hall ... but there was no trace of his guide.

- "Coooold" - whispered a woman's voice behind his ear.

Arthit jumped so abruptly that, even Knott, looked towards the place where the young woman had been, just a few seconds before.

- "Can you tell me what the hell is happening to you?!" - exclaimed Knott as he looked around to finally fix his eyes on his friend.

Arthit, biting his lower lip, shook his head.

- "It's nothing ... forget about it".

Knott sighed and, sitting down in one of the few empty armchairs  that were free of clothes and old bags of food, looked at Arthit with an expression that made him look embarrassed.

One week.

He had only spent a week without seeing Kongpob and ... his apartment looked like the place of a pitched battle.

After all, it was the young man the one who always took care of those kind of things ...

"I have not been a good boyfriend ..." Arthit told himself as he let out a sad sigh, "I have not done anything for him when ... when Kong has always been there for me".

- "Arthit ... I am here because you have me worried" - Knott said making the young man get out of his thoughts and look at his old friend - "this situation with 0062 ... I do not know ..."

It was then that Arthit noticed the dark circles behind his friend's eyes or the way he was avoiding his gaze.

"He's afraid of telling me something ..." he said to himself as he let out a faint sad smile.

- "You're worried about Kong's matter, right? ... About Kong going to China for two years while still dating me at the same time ..." - commented Arthit while making Knott turn his face sharply to look at him with a clearly surprised expression on his face.

- "Did ... you know?"

Arthit nodded.

- "Yes ... Wad told me last night, you know, when we were in Brigh's place..." - the young man replied as he remembered how his heart had jumped inside  his chest at the news.

He is going away...

He is leaving me alone for so long ...

"I should have gone to see Kong as soon as I left the place," Arthit scolded himself as he let out a slight growl - "I should have tried to talk to him ... and not go to that store to buy the entire batch of alcohol they had for sale ... the liquor is not a good counselor ... it never is! "

Especially when he still remembered how, between bottle and bottle, he had called Kongpob to tell him that he could not continue with him if he went abroad ... that everything Bright and Toota had said to him, after telling them the news, was true ... that their relationship won't be able to go on.

And that had triggered everything ... the fight with Kongpob... his accident a couple of hours later.

But at least now he could do something ...

He could...

- "I'm late!" - Arthit exclaimed as he got up and, with a brusque gesture, jumped over Knott's legs to enter the corridor and thus, his bedroom.

A few seconds later he returned with a jacket and a cap in his hand.

- "I need you to take me to Wad's house!" - He yelled at Knott as he took his purse and put it in his pants.

- "But..."

- "I do not have time Knott ... not when I have an appointment to take care off!"

The young man immediately got up and walked quickly towards the door, followed closely by Arthit.

As now... they had a nong to get out of bed.