Always back to you

Part 13

Kongpob is sleeping deeply, when he feels featherly touches on his hand and then soft touches on his face. The touch is painfully sweet and familiar, he wants to stretch his neck and rub his cheek against it, like a cat, but he doesn't have enough strength.

Through the hum in his ears, there is a voice calling his name. At first he thought he was hallucinating, but as he tries to cancel out the noise and concentrate on the voice, he hears Arthit talking to him softly.

Kong listens to Arthit pleading him to get up, and he feels sorry and painful for him. He wants to open his eyes and comfort Arthit, tell him that he is fine and awake, but his stomach pitter patters at Arthit's soft strokes, and he wants to relish in the feel just a little more.

He is scared it will all be gone as soon as he opens his eyes.

He shudders when he hears the sound of the slap. Why is she hurting Arthit? What is she talking about?

Kongpob listens to their conversation and his heart grows heavier with each word his mae spats. As soon as he hears the door close, he opens his eyes.

"Mae?" he croaks.

"Oh my son, you're awake." she starts hovering around him. "How are you feeling, are you thirsty?" She hands him a cold glass of water, putting the straw between his lips. He sips greedily and asks straight away;

"What was that about?"

"What?" mae pretends not to know what he is talking about.

"Why did you slap my P'? And why did he say you made him leave."

"It's nothing dear. I did that because you got into an accident because of him last time and he abandoned you. This time you got beat up while you were with him. You shouldn't associate with that kinda person anymore."

"Mae!" Kongpob speaks up as much as he could, "how can you say that? It wasn't P'Arthit's fault. Let's blame the people who are actually guilty. Last time it was the driver of the motor bike who was at fault, this time it was those thugs' fault and mine. I'm the one who aggravated them, P'Arthit was the one who actually saved me." Kongpob didn't even know he was strong enough to speak so much, but when his mae talk like that about his P', something inside of him triggered his protectiveness over his senior.

Kongpob stares at his mom intently, he feels like she is hiding something.

"Mae tell me the truth, do you know why he left?"

"I don't know what you're talking about dear." she looks away and doesn't meet his eyes. Kongpob nods and closes his eyes. He is really tired and not in the mood to argue. Later he'll definitely ask again.

****

A week passed by so fast, and they're discharging Kongpob home today. It still hurts for him to walk so he is sitting on the bed while four women roam around him.

He constantly stares at the door, willing for someone he misses so much to come in, but to no avail.

"Kongpob! Are you waiting for someone?" P'An asks him, gently squeezing his shoulder.

"Huh? No. Just thinking."

"You're constantly staring at the door and spacing out P'Kong." Fang says quietly.

When they get home, Kongpob sits on the living room sofa, mindlessly changing the channels of the muted TV.

"Kongpob! Fang is asking what you'd like to eat." P'Hathai nudges him. "What's going on with you? Is there something on your mind?"

"P' tell me honestly. I overheard P'Arthit talking to mae and he said they made him leave. He is not the one to throw words at the wind. Do you know anything about it?"