A TWIST OF FATE

SLEUTHING

Tay Tawan

I stretched my body yawning loudly. The sunlight streamed into the room and I covered my eyes to block the light. What time was it? I looked at the bedside clock. It was 7.00A.M

Newwie's side was already empty.

Didn't he want to sleep longer? He had agreed to sleep in his bedroom last night because, some delivery guy might wake him up early in the morning, but surprisingly, he was nowhere on sight.

I looked around, the room wasn't huge but was pretty neat....and there was something about it which felt different from my own room back home. It felt warm and cozy.........it was difficult to put in words but the room had a homely feel to it.

My own bedroom always remained too perfect just like a hotel room... Sometimes, I felt like a guest in my own room, except for my toy cars adorning one side of the wall the rest hardly seemed to have any human touch.

New had fairy lights in his room, piles and piles of books and framed and unframed photos everywhere. I smiled seeing some of those photos. He was quite chubby and cute when he was a baby.....of course I still found him cute😁

But I felt a strange tug in my heart, seeing the smiling baby New in the embrace of his parents. In his teen years it was only his mom with him, but both still had wide grins everywhere. Even small things like playing, eating, singing, washing, studying, cooking were captured in those photos and everything looked like fun, as if he was enjoying every moment of his growing up........... He really had a happy childhood.

Not that I had an unhappy childhood but it was stricter, with a long list of do's and don'ts because as my dad used to say "We Ratanawadis cannot behave like ordinary people Tay. You need to understand that we have limitations and boundaries which should never be crossed."

I sighed.......I couldn't help but wonder (probably for the first time in my life) how different my life would have been if I were not a Ratanawadi........but a Vihokratna. What kind of a life did my birth parents have? Were they happy? Were they struggling? Would they have loved me just like this Thitipoom family?

"You are up?" Newwie's voice broke my chain of thoughts.

He had a tray in his hand which he placed on the study table.

"Hmm.."

"I thought you might want to sleep longer."

"I would have, but the bed felt cold and lonely without you beside me ...." I turned and gave him a wide smile.

"Are you flirting with me Mr.Tawan......." He said curtly, though I could see his lips curve into a faint smile.

"Maybe...." I said as I dug out my toothbrush from my bag.

"Get ready and have your breakfast, we will go out in a while."

"Go out?? So early? Hmmm....... I like morning dates" I smiled.

"We are not going on a date." He said rolling his eyes.

"Why?" I was disappointed.

"Because we are not dating .....yet"

"Why aren't we dating yet?"

He didn't reply instead, he pushed me towards the bathroom. "Go get ready fast. You stink...."

He seemed already showered and dressed.

"Why are you up so early New? Didn't you want to sleep in late?......or maybe you just wanted to sleep with me and had put up a pretense in front of your mom last night...." I kept my back towards him, as I stared at his reflection in a mirror through the open bathroom door.