SOTUS 143

Chapter 5 FB: Playing Cat and Mouse

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The sound of an alarm rang through from Arthit's room and beyond its walls.

It was the day Arthit finally said goodbye to his mother. That thought made him get up faster than most days.

In the nights ever since his mother's death, he could easily fall asleep. Not that that was ever a problem for him. It was the mornings that had changed. No more snoozing of alarms or lingering in bed moments.

His mother always hated that habit of his. Every morning was a test of his mother's patience. Aside from not wanting Arthit to be late, she lamented the fact that the food she prepared for her son got cold from all the stalling.

Unlike his mother, Kongpob had a little more patience with Arthit's morning grudge. Usually Kongpob uses his charm in creative ways to force Arthit to get up.

Arthit pulled his arms and legs in opposite directions while still laying in bed. He wished his mother and Kongpob were there to see him get up without the need for their nagging.

Wait.

Arthit laid his hands on his bed as if he was looking for something. He sat up and looked around his room from side to side and asked himself, where is Kongpob?

Or was it only just a dream? That he and Kongpob were together just a few hours ago and laid together side by side?

Arthit reached for his phone and no message from Kongpob. He thought that maybe Kongpob had gone out of his room to wander around the house. Yes maybe that's it.

Arthit got out of his room to the sight of his father on the dining table looking over some papers. His father didn't notice him as he was focused on what he was doing.

Was Kongpob caught by his father? Did his father send away the stranger lingering in his house?

Arthit went to the bathroom. No Kongpob. He went to their garden. No Kongpob. He went outside his house. No Kongpob. He went to his parents' room. In case Kongpob got a little lost. Still no Kongpob.

Arthit frantically looked everywhere he could inside his house and no trace of Kongpob anywhere.

Maybe last night was indeed just a dream.

"Who are you looking for? Your mother?" Mr. Rojnapat commented as he watched with amusement his son running around the house like a kid looking for his lost toy

Arthit stopped at his tracks. He must've been running around in circles catching the attention of his father.

"Dad..." Arthit frowned at his father for the semi-inappropriate dad joke.

"Good morning P'Arthit." Mr. Rojnapat greeted his son.

"Good morning Dad." Arthit replied, still sporting a frown on his face, now because he doesn't know where Kongpob is.

"Were you looking for something? What is it?" Mr. Rojnapat asked his son. He was acting naive. Of course he knew what, or rather who, Arthit was looking for.

"Uhh..." Arthit just scratched his head. He didn't know what to say. He could easily explain that he had a friend sleep over but that's a bit out of character for the Arthit known by his parents.

Luckily for him, his father spared him from that.

"If you're looking for a Kongpob, someone came here to get him."

"Oh..." Arthit sheepishly nodded his head. It was a relief that at least he knew the Kongpob last night was real. Although it worried him that Kongpob didn't even wake him up before leaving and the circumstances of him doing so is suspicious.