Call You Mine

Chapter Six

After his evening classes, Arthit was surprised to find that his father had arrived two hours early and, with the help of his friends, had already brought his boxes upstairs. Not only that, but they'd unpacked half of them and started decorating his room.

His father—a stout man with dark skin and a quiet disposition—saw him standing in the doorway and waved at him, hammer in hand, a wry grin spreading across his lips. It was at that moment that the others in his pack noticed him, and they stopped what they were doing to greet him.

"What is all this?" Arthit asked, looking around in awe. They'd even put up the old posters of classic rock bands he'd loved so much. After the initiation trip, he hadn't felt safe returning to school, so his friends had packed up his dorm for him—these posters included—and he hadn't stayed in a single location long enough to get them out again. He touched the large poster displayed on his right. "How did you guys even get in?"

"I snagged the spare key when we were at the cafe," said Tutah.

"What? How? I had it in front of me the whole time."

Prem sighed and shook his head, a bemused smile on his lips. "You're so easy, Arthit. Give you pink milk and it's like nothing else exists for those first few sips."

"Stop exaggerating. I'm not that bad."

"Sure, you aren't," said Knot, laughing. He tossed him a pillow and a dark, circle-patterned cover. "Put this on and help out. We're not going to do everything for you."

Arthit scoffed and dropped his backpack in the corner, slipping the black and grey case over the pillow as he made his way over to his father. "When did you get here?" he asked.

"A couple hours ago." He put his hand on one of the boxes. "Your mom and I packed up everything we thought you'd need, but if there's something we forgot, let us know and I'll bring it to you over the weekend."

"Thanks, Dad."

"How are your classes? Knot said you were a bit overwhelmed."

Arthit glared at his friend.

"He also said you seemed to be handling it extremely well," added his father, chuckling. "Settle down, Oon. No one here doubts your ability to take care of yourself." He placed his hand on Arthit's shoulder and pressed against it, pushing him slightly toward the door. "Now, walk me to the car. I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?"

"Wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you, would it?"

"You're leaving?" asked Bright, dropping a small pile of books onto the floor by the dresser. "Already?"

"It's getting late," replied his father. "Besides, you boys look like you have this covered."

For a few seconds, Bright and Tutah jokingly made a fuss and whined that he should stay and eat with them. They had ordered pizza, apparently, but Arthit's father declined their offer, citing a supposed promise to his wife and doctor to eat healthier.

"You can stay," said Arthit, when they reached the elevator. He pressed the down button. "I don't mind."

"I know."

The elevator chimed, and the door opened for them. Arthit waited for his father to go inside, then he followed and pushed the button for the first floor. A strangely awkward silence settled between them, and Arthit shifted nervously on the balls of his feet. He placed his arms across his chest and cradled his elbows with his hands.

"How's Mom?" Arthit asked, hoping to chase away the tension. "Has she stopped coughing yet?"

"It's better, but she's still feeling under the weather."