"I hope you've gotten enough pictures to paste on your notebook now. The sun's already set and we still have a few hours of driving ahead of us."
I took a final glance at the view of Mae Salong as I registered its aesthetics in my mind. Now that the sun has set and nothing but the lights from the downtown area could illuminate the mountains, the landscape seemed like an enigma.
We bid our goodbyes to the kind people of Mae Salong and took off on our way home. The night sky guided us as we travelled down the slope of the hill, until we reached the downtown Chiang Rai where the night market was situated. Countless of people could be seen as they bargained through random goods, and the loud sound of traditional thai melodies can be heard as we passed through the market.
When we entered the city of Chiang Mai, I was instantly reminded of the life that I temporarily left that morning. One by one Tawan's bike came across the cars, until we reached the highway where the commercial areas stood. A few minutes more and the bike stopped in front of the building where I live.
"See you at school tomorrow, get some rest now.", Tawan said as he escorted me to the entrance of the building.
"Now that I think about it, you remind me of something.", I said before Tawan could hop on his bike.
"What, your high school crush?"
"No. You remind me of Mae Salong."
I made the distance between us shorter as I walked back towards him.
"In the morning, it shone bright and revealed its beauty to the people. In the afternoon, under the faint rays of the sun it looked fairly majestic, but also relieving. And at night, when nothing but the moon illuminates the landscapes and there is barely enough for us to see, it depicts an enigma that makes me wanna venture into the unknown."
Just as I spoke the last word, the world behind me halted and turned blurry, keeping only the image of the boy in front of me crystal clear. I leaned towards him and rested my head on his chest, the faint sound of his hearbeat echoing through my ears. He smelled of the country side, like the faint earthy smell of the earth in the morning. The sweet fragrance of his cologne merged with the scintilla of Mae Salong, creating an inviting aroma that made me feel like I was still in the premises of the inn where we stayed at.
"Thank you for today."
I had a lot of words that came to mind to express my gratitude towards Tawan, but only those words came out of my most. It was the happiest I had been in a long while, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him. For some reason, I knew that he knew I meant more than that.
I took my time as I rested on his broad chest as he didn't seem to mind me doing it, but I let go just after a few moments. Some of the people outside were already staring at us, but we both didn't mind the glares.
"Thank you too, for the good time.", Tawan said as he bid goodbye to me, driving away and off to the road until he was no longer in sight.
That night, I slept the first time in a year without having to play a song through my speakers.
YOU ARE READING
Chasing the Sun
RomanceAt a young age of eighteen, New was living the life of a teenage boy diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. With his life hanging by a thread, he realized that it was too short to be spent on memories that will only result in melancholy, and so he chose...