Redemption

Header photo credit: @withdrakefrank IG

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Mill was laying on his bed after a night and day taking care of Tine. Now that Tine's friends were with him, he could go home to get some sleep. It was almost midnight. He was dead tired but he couldn't sleep. He felt that he forgot something but he couldn't figure out what it was. A loud sound coming from his phone startled him. Lazily he picked up his phone from his nighstand. It was a call from Chat.

"You better have good reason to call me this late!" Mill was barking towards his buddy.

"Hey listen to me first! Have you talked to your Nong? I bumped into him at Jae Tun's Cafe. He asked me about you. I told him that we didn't make it to our show yesterday night because we took Tine to the hospital. I thought you already told him. He seems really dissapointed and sad. Go appologize to him right now! I know you are an asshole but you don't have to be so rude to him. He is a good kid."

Mill was sit frozen on his bed. Phukong.... He felt really really awful right now. How could he forget? He really needed to talk to Phukong asap.

"Chai. I will call him now." And the phone call ended.

He was staring at his phone, considering whether to call Phukong or not. He felt that a phone call was not enough. After thinking for quite awhile he stood up, grabbed his jacket and headed to the door. He rushed to Jae Tun's cafe and hoped that Phukong was still there.

He ran to get in to the cafe and scanned the area to find Phukong. To his dissappointment, Phukong was not there anymore.

"Hey Mill! What are you doing here? We are closing. Do you miss me that much to come this late just to see me?" P'Jae Tun's teasing voice was loud in the almost empty cafe.

"Sawadee P! Do you know where Phukong is? Chat said he was here." Mill didn't waste anytime and asked Jae Tun.

"Awww that poor Nong. He was sitting here alone for quite sometime so I chat with him a little. He was here yesterday too. He waited for your show but you didnt make it. Hey!!! You didnt't appologize to me yet! So what was your excuse yesterday? I had to flip the earth just to find for your band replacement!" Jae Tun acted like she was really mad when in fact she was just teasing Mill.

Damn! He felt a pang on his chest. What is this guilty feeling? Mill is quite. Jae Tun had to shook him out of his daydream.

"Hey Mill, I was just kidding. Are you okay?" Jae Tun expressed her concern.

"I'm okay P. But someone is not. I need to go. Thank you P and I'm really sorry. I will perform another day for free to make it up." With that Mill left the cafe.

Mill was walking toward a mini soccer field where he usually played soccer with his friends. And with Phukong....He remembered the first time he teamed up with that boy. He was really impressed. Phukong was a great player and a perfect sidekick for him. They were so much in sync that he felt like they can communicate just with their eyes. They scored a lot of goals and won the game. That was when he realized that this annoying boy was actually so fun to have around.

And there he was. He saw Phukong was sitting alone on the bleachers. Suddenly, Mill dind't have the gut to face that boy anymore.

Phukong felt his phone vibrated in his pant's pocket. He took it out and saw the caller ID.

'P'Mill is calling....'

He hit the green button.

"Yes, P?"

"Hey....I'm sorry, I didn't show up yesterday. Something.....something came up." Mill felt a lump in his throat.

"Your friend, P'Chat, told me that you needed to take P'Tine to the hospital. I understand. I guess P'Tine needed you more than I did. But don't worry about it. I'm going to hang up now. The movie is about to start. I have a date."

"Is that so? But why am I seeing you all alone on the bleachers?"

Thump....Phukong was frozen. His heart beat faster. 'P'Mill is here....' He was caught red handed lying to Mill. He turned his head a little and saw Mill were standing on the side of the field.

"Should I come to you?"

"You better not P. If you come right in, I might not let you go to P'Tine again."

Mill was taken aback. He stood still not moving. He hestitated to make a sound.

"Ok....I get it. Then....Bye now." There he said it.

"Good luck to you P'...."

This was it. He ended it. He was the one saying goodbye to Phukong. He was the one who walked away. But why did his feet don't want to go? Why was he still standing there watching Phukong? He couldn't breathe. The air left his lungs. Watching Phukong's slumped shoulder and shaking body from crying made him breathless and hurt him so much. He couldn't deny it anymore. He didn't saw Phukong just as a brother. Without wasting anymore seconds, he ran to his boy.

"Where is the annoying and all smiley Phukong? You look really ugly when crying." Mill stood in front of Phukong with his teasing smile while holding back his own tears.

Phukong looked up and surprised. 'Is this real? Is this really P'Mill standing in front of me and he smiles? He fucking smiles?!' Phukong couldn't believe his eyes.

"P'....?"

"Why are you still sitting? Come on! It's past midnight already. Let's go. Go home with me." Mill extended his hand to Phukong.

"Go home? With you? Did I not make myself clear? I said that I would never let you go if..." Phukong didn't get the chance to finish his sentece because a crushing embrace make him dumbfounded.

"Then don't let me go! Don't let me go for the rest of your life because I won't! I won't let you go from now on! Go home with me....and be with me forever. I will make it up to you. I will redeem myself so you will forgive me for being an asshole to you this whole time." Mill was saying these words while crying his heart out.

Phukong couldn't belive his ears. But he was more than ready to gamble his heart for his P'Mill. He knew that he might get his heart broken in the future. But to hell with it. He just wanted to be with P'Mill.

"You better not P! If you do that, I will break your leg again!"

They are still in each other's arms for some more and didn't say anyting, just enjoying the moment.

"Hey P, why are you still crying? Come on, let's go home!"

Mill remembered his hug with Tine yesterday when he comforted him at the hospital. At that time he hugged Tine because he saw that Tine looked so fragile and needed a hug. That was just a friendly hug. Just like when he hugged his other friends like Chat when he needed some support. But right now, holding Phukong in his arms was different. He wanted to make this boy happy. He won't let anything hurt him and made him cry ever again. Seeing him cry was killing him. Being in Phukong's embrace he felt comfort. He felt serene. He felt relieved. He felt....happy, really happy.

"Hey P, why are so quite? Stop crying okay? You make my t-shirt wet! You are a senior but crying non stop. Are you not shy? Look at you! Such a big baby."

Here it is. His teasing Phukong was back.

"I love you. Your P'Mill will be good to you. I promise." Mill reluctantly loosen the hug. He will hold his nong as much as he like later, away from the outside world, safe in his room. He saw Phukong smiled. And after awhile in years, he finally....finally felt....alive.

End.