Extraordinary

Status: In A Relationship

Arthit feels like he’s still inside the shuttle.

    The next morning brings Arthit back to his office since Christmas is not an official non-working holiday, and as he types away on his laptop he can still picture Kongpob’s spaceship every time he blinks.

    From the cool metal surface to the pristine condition of every equipment – Arthit had touched it all. He can still feel the vibration left from that night when Kongpob started explaining what machine does what, and Arthit felt like a kid in a museum, seeing things for the first time.

    It was elevating – something Arthit hadn’t thought about experiencing at this age.

    But most important of all, Arthit is still aware of the gear he gifted Kongpob which is now in his possession, neatly pressed against the folds of his wallet.

    He pauses as he types, looking around as to not get caught smiling – because he is, smiling – he just can’t help it.

    Looking back from last night, Arthit had never imagined he’s capable of such cheesy, romantic, gesture, and as he was recalling the events from last night a blush starts to form on his cheeks.

    Arthit’s about to go back to work when a notification pops in from his screen.

    He frowns.

    He doesn’t usually use Facebook – Arthit doesn’t like how they mine data from their users, he only uses it to get in touch with his co-workers and managers, and the occasional ‘how are you’ from his relatives in the provinces, but other than that his profile is pretty bland.

    Arthit opens it nonetheless. He expected it to just be another useless notification from some unknown page – proof of data mining, but his eyes almost bugs out from their sockets when it’s an entirely different one.

    He reads: Kongpob Suthiluck sent you a friend notification.

    Now, Arthit has tried his best to steer Kongpob away from social media, but he figures it’s only a matter of time until his boyfriend discovers that kind of black hole.

    Boyfriend.

    He just referred to Kongpob as his boyfriend in his head, and it’s enough to send Arthit into an internal frenzy where he looks around the office to note if his co-workers noticed the blushing of his cheeks.

    Thankfully, they all seem preoccupied with whatever emails they will ignore for the day.

    Arthit sneakily clicks the notification, prompting him to Kongpob’s page.

    The company is not that strict when it comes to social media use, but since he’s an engineer, they don’t really have much use for it aside from messaging their managers on the field.

    First, Arthit is greeted by Kongpob’s profile picture, a carefully taken portrait Arthit guesses as Kongpob’s workmate’s doing. Secondly, he reads his boyfriend’s profile with ticking nervousness like he’s browsing through something illegal. 

    Kongpob doesn’t have much on his profile – proof of its newness. In his feed is the profile picture Kongpob had uploaded not an hour ago, and a photo of Kongpob and his co-workers with the cats on the background. 

    There weren’t any status yet, but Arthit’s heart skips a beat on a particular post on his feed.

    It reads: Kongpob Suthiluck changed his status from single to in a relationship.