Distant Signals: The Love Between Us

Chapter Twenty-Two

When Kongpob gave Arthit his gear at the beach, he intended for it to be his confession. He didn't expect Arthit to have no idea what it meant, and although he was relatively sure that Deer filled him in afterward, he'd clearly overestimated Arthit's ability to interpret romantic gestures. How could giving him his gear—his heart—be anything other than romantic? Did he think Kongpob gave it to him because they were just such great friends? The mental gymnastics Arthit had to dance through to remain uncertain of the nature of Kongpob's feelings both amused and exasperated him, but he should've expected it.

Fine. If Arthit needed to hear it directly from him to believe it, then he'd confess verbally and in such a way that left no room for any other interpretation.

Nervous, Kongpob released a deep breath and fixed his sleeves for the hundredth time since he arrived at the mall. He'd anticipated Arthit being late, but he still arrived early, just in case. As expected, Arthit showed up almost twenty minutes past the time they'd agreed to meet, looking adorably disheveled and out of breath.

"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?" He huffed, and put his hands on his waist, arms akimbo. "How could you call me out this damn early?"

"Is 11 a.m. early for you?" he teased.

Arthit made a face at him, seemingly unamused. His eyes then shifted to Kongpob's body, giving him a once over. "Woah, look at you all dressed up!"

Kongpob looked down at himself. He had taken extra care in choosing what to wear today, but it wasn't all that different than his usual fashion. Arthit, on the other hand, wore a t-shirt and jeans and his hair clearly hadn't been combed before he left. Kongpob smiled. Arthit was too cute.

"Well? What is the thing you want to buy?"

"Come this way. I want you to help me choose." Kongpob led Arthit to a small gift shop and looked around for a few minutes before finding what he was looking for. At some point, Arthit had wandered off, but he returned, looking at him curiously. Kongpob help up two stuffed animals. Both were bears, but one was fluffy and white with a purple bow, whereas the other was a bit smaller than the other, but was brown, and wore a sweater. "To you, which is cuter? I want to buy one of these, but I can't decide which."

Arthit wrinkled his nose and poked the white bear. "I didn't know you had this kind of taste."

Oh my god. Kongpob fought the urge to laugh. "That's not it," he said. "Tomorrow is my niece's birthday, so I'm buying her a present."

"How old is she? So we know what to get."

"Three years old. She's my sister's daughter."

Arthit nodded slightly, seemingly considering what he'd said, then his thoughtful expression abruptly switched to one of surprise and curiosity. "You have a sister?"

Kongpob nodded, his stomach fluttering. "Two, actually. They're almost ten years older than me." He looked down at the bears, trying to act casual and not at all affected by the fact that Arthit had asked him a personal question first, which meant he could ask one back. "My mom and dad weren't expecting me." Kongpob paused for a few seconds, then asked, "What about you? How many siblings do you have?"

"I'm an only child."

Damn, thought Kongpob. That put an end to that line of questioning.

"Are you really going to buy a plush toy?" Arthit asked, taking the white bear and frowning at it. "There are so many other kinds of toys, something that'll help with child development. Listen, I saw on the internet that there's this play dough that you can mold into LEGO parts or roll into various shapes."