A Little Ray of Sunshine

Ch. 7-He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

"Team, did you hear what I said?" Prem asked, turning to the younger, who sat on the elder boy's bed, dressed in a black t-shirt and grey track pants, looking lost and staring intensely at his phone screen. It was the three-week break before the start of the next academic year and Team had come to Prem's home as he was going crazy at his own home, seeing his parents fight and thoughts of Win invading his mind. Also, he was in a dilemma since the previous day when he saw Win's account in the friend suggestions list of his social media page. He had gone through the senior's account umpteen times since yesterday and was still trying to figure out whether it will look weird if he sent the him a friendship request. Team was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't see Prem watching him from the chair next to the computer table. "What are you watching?" Prem asked as he bounced onto the bed and grabbed the younger's phone before Team could even understand what's happening. He knew that he was caught and wished that the ground would swallow him right now, as he got out of the bed.

Prem's eyes grew wide seeing Win's social media page opened in Team's phone. He looked at Team and blinked twice before looking back to the phone. "Are you stalking him?" Prem finally asked after about five minutes of silence. Team felt like a child caught with his hand inside a cookie jar. He didn't reply and lowered his gaze, concentrating on his feet. "You like boys?" Prem asked, this time his voice sounding serious. "I don't know. This is the first time, maybe I do," Team replied in a low tone, his eyes still fixed on his feet. "Come and sit here first. I feel like we are in a court right now, like I am a lawyer and you are a suspect," Prem teased as he grabbed Team's hand and pulled him towards the bed. Team felt a little relieved at Prem's reaction. He wasn't sure how anyone would take it if he said he liked Win. Being judged was something Team feared, the sole reason he never wanted to talk to anyone about his crush.

"Since when?" Prem asked as the younger settled himself on the bed. "Since last year?" Team replied to which Prem's eyes went dramatically wide. "What the? Are you crazy?" Prem gave his typical reaction, throwing his hands up in the air. "No way, no wonder you were being so pretentious when we were having lunch that day when Win joined us and I found it really weird. Woah!!" Team glared at him, while playing with the hem of his tshirt. After he saw Prem calm down, Team asked, "P', you don't find me weird?" to which Prem looked at him in confusion. "If you mean weird as in you liking boys, then no. But not even approaching someone you have a crush on, yes, Mr. Team, you really are weird," Prem concluded. "How can I? I don't even know if he likes boys and how can he like someone like me? You know how clumsy and stupid I am, right?" Team said, before letting out a deep sigh. "You have a valid point. About his preference, this P' can help you find out. But about you being stupid, well, no one can fix it," Prem teased as Team smacked his arm. "I am not really good in giving advices, but let me tell you this. Every person you see may not be perfect as you think they are. It's just the way you see it. See, in your eyes, I am a total player, but in every girls' eyes, I am hot and handsome, and the epitome of perfection," Prem said, as Team rolled his eyes. "It's just the perspective. We all are humans and it's only natural for us to be flawed. And love is all about accepting a person with their flaws than trying to find a Mr./Ms. Perfect for you. So what I'm saying is Win is not that perfect as you think he is. For example, he's not good at socialising, while you are. That boy didn't make any friends for a whole year since he joined our school. The only people he talked to were his bandmates and that too, only while practising. Last year, Dean and I approached him and it took us weeks to get him to say more than two words to us per day. Also, you are really good at swimming, but if we throw him in water, I'm sure that he will drown," Team burst out laughing hearing the comparison. "Woah, I just presented a whole speech," Prem said while dramatically wiping the invisible sweat off his forehead. "So, what should I do now?" Team asked expectantly. "So..okay, here," Prem said, doing something on Team's phone before shoving it to the younger's face. Team's eyeballs almost fell out of his sockets and he let out a scream, seeing the screen. "P'...no, cancel it, cancel it now," Team almost cried as he snatched the phone from Prem's hands and frantically clicked the cancel button. But, to his horror, the page refreshed by itself and the "accept" button was replaced by "friends" button." "That was fast!" Prem smirked as Team sat with his face buried in his palms.

"No Team, don't get weird thoughts. Maybe he accepted the request because you are P'Prem's friend," Team muttered to himself for the 1000th time since Win accepted his friendship request. He was on his bed, dressed in pyjamas, his head positioned against the headboard and lower torso covered with a blanket. Team fiddled with his phone for a few more minutes and finally, taking a deep breath, opened Win's social media page. He scrolled down and choked on his saliva seeing the first photograph. It was Team's handkerchief with a caption that read, "Thank you." Calm down Team, he doesn't even know who gave it to him, Team thought, before dumping his phone on the side table and lying down, closing his eyes. But, nothing could stop the blush spreading on his cheeks and his mouth curving into a grin as Team covered his face with the blanket and wiggled under it to stop the butterflies dancing in his stomach.

As the next academic year started, Team never really got to see Win. The seniors were in their last year of school, and therefore, were too busy. Even if Team saw Win in the corridors, the latter showed no reaction. Team felt upset about it at first. But when he thought deeply about it, Team realised that even strangers in real life could be friends in social media. So, maybe he stood no chance.

"Team, you have to read the news for the special assembly tomorrow," Mr. Theeravit said on a Monday morning, scaring the boy out of his wits. He could swim with lots of people watching him, because when he enters the water, it is just him. But reading the news in front of the whole school was not a good idea. And he had no idea why Mr. Theeravit chose him over others, until later when it slipped from Manow's mouth that every student the teacher asked had said no. He went to the staff room to tell Mr. Theeravit that he couldn't do it, but when the teacher offered him to skip the next English test, Team gave in. While walking back to his classroom, he was still debating in his head whether he should just not do it or may be skip the class next day, when his phone buzzed.

I have news for you. Buy me a chicken burger and strawberry milk from the canteen and come to the photography room during the interval.
Team read Prem's message again and again, trying to figure out if his P' was trying to pull a prank on him. And finally, he decided to go. "Here, now tell me," Team said, placing the burger and strawberry milk on the table where Prem sat cleaning his camera. The elder placed the camera on the table and opened the packet of milk to take a sip, while Team sat on a chair in front of him, nervously shaking his legs. "So, I talked to Win today morning and I think you really have a chance," Prem finally talked. Team looked at his P' in confusion and then his eyes went wide on realising what Prem just said. "Wait, what?" he asked. "Yeah, he's a bi and he's single at the moment," Prem said, taking another sip from the milk packet. "How do you know?" Team asked, his eyebrows furrowed. "Well, I told him that I have this friend who recently revealed to me that he likes guys and what Win thinks of it. The conversation then went from one topic to another and he said that he likes both girls and boys, and that his last relationship was with a boy that ended one year back." Team grinned at the information and then realisation hit him. "Wait P', who's that friend of yours who likes guys?" he asked. "You of course," Prem chuckled, earning a couple of smacks from Team. "So, tomorrow is the special assembly and he's perfoming. It's your chance to make the first move and that is to create a better impression. Dress better and strike up a conversation," Prem advised as the younger got up to leave.

Team wasn't sure if he would follow Prem's advice. But he was happy, very happy, that he forgot that he had to present the news the next day. And today, here he is, in front of his crush, in an embarassing mess, on the verge of tears.