PERAYA ONE SHOTS & SHORT STORIES

4.6 (ENGLISH)

Mei got up from her seat and, like everyone else, approached Kongpob as soon as she saw him at the door of the hospital waiting room.

- "KONG!"

The young man, red-faced from having climbed the stairs as fast as his legs had allowed him, greeted her with a nod, then frowned at the concerned expressions of his friends. After a second, he brought his right hand to his chest and tried to calm his racing heart.

- "I suppose nothing is known yet ..." - he finally said when he could articulate two words in a row.

The girl shook her head while her cousin, with a determined gesture, moved closer until she was a few inches from his ear. All this without taking her eyes off the middle-aged couple who sat at the other end of the room and were speaking in whispers.

Kongpob sighed, recognizing the parents of his now former friend.

- "Apparently his mother found him in his room. He had taken all the sleeping pills that the university doctor prescribed him..."

Kong, upon hearing Mook's words, ran a hand through his hair feeling guilty. Especially when he remembered his conversation with Mike and how, just a few weeks ago, the young man had told him that he was so stressed that he could not sleep well and that he planned to stop by the infirmary to speak with the resident doctor. However, he had never asked him what the doctor had told him ... he had been too busy studying everything he could so he would be able to dedicate himself full time to his Oon during those days that he was going to visit him.

And then ... well ... after what had happened with Mei the truth was that he had tried to spend as little time as possible with Mike.

"I shouldn't have talked to him like that ... I ..."

- "Kong ... I've been calling you nonstop. Where were you?"

Kongpob, hearing his friend's question, tore his gaze away from the pale faces of Mike's parents to turn to her.

- "I'm sorry Mei, I read your message a little less than twenty minutes ago" - Kongpob said as he looked at the faces of his friends.

A lump formed in his throat at the thought of what they would say when they found out what had happened between him and Mike. That, possibly, he was the one responsible for their friend being in the situation that he was in.

- "Don't worry about that ..." - Mook intervened - "I remember you told me that today you were going to accompany Arthit to the airport. Has he left yet?"

- "He left a few hours ago but I started studying so ... well ..."

Mei nodded, much calmer. After all she knew how much he wanted to finish his studies as soon as possible to be able to return to Thailand. Drake, however, frowned.

- "I thought Mike was going to go to your house this afternoon, he told me that he wanted to see how you were now that your boyfriend had returned to his country...".

Kongpob sighed. 

- "Well, you see..."

A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER ...

Kongpob looked towards the floor while shifting uncomfortably in the chair he was sitting on.

- "Don't listen to him ..." - Mei said - "he's only worried about Mike, after all they are lifelong friends"

- "I know but ... I can't help feeling that it's partly my fault ..." - Kong replied as he closed his eyes tightly for a few seconds. Despite that, he could clearly feel Tin's furious look on his back as Drake, next to him, tried to calm him as he grabbed his arm.

Mook, sitting next to her cousin, grunted slightly.

- "It's not your fault ... none of this is!" - she said in a higher tone of voice, causing Mike's mother to turn towards them with a curious expression on her face.

- "But.."

Mook shook his head.

- "It's not your fault that Mike fell in love with you, nor is it your fault that you can't reciprocate it... you were always honest with him. Besides, we all knew from the beginning that you had a fiance and that you love Arthit madly".

Tin, who had heard everything, frowned and opened his mouth to intervene when, suddenly, the door opened and a young woman entered followed by a middle-aged man with a tired face.

- "Are Mike Goldwitch's parents here?"

Both of them quickly rose from their seats and approached the doctor.

- "How is my son?" 

- "Your son is stable but ... I am afraid that he will require the help of a specialist. He is very stressed and that has affected him mentally. By the way, Is someone of you called Kongpob Suttiluk?"

Kong nodded as everyone present turned to him and then looked at the doctor with curious expressions on their faces.

- "It's me..."

- "May I ask what relationship you have with the patient?"

Kongpob frowned.

- "He is my friend or .. well .. let's say he was my friend until recently ..."

The doctor frowned, then jotted down a few sentences on the documents he carried with him.

- "Why do you ask?" - Mike's father intervened, making the man turn to him with an expression so serious that it made everyone worry more than they already were.

- "You see, your son Mike ... I'm afraid he's suffered an episode of stress that has made him confuse some facts. He ... he's asking for his boyfriend ... a young man named Kongpob Suttiluk"

Kong stared at the doctor with his mouth wide open in surprise.

"Him ... his boyfriend?"

- "I ... I'm not his boyfriend ... I'm ..."

The doctor stared at him for a few seconds, as if to make sure he wasn't lying. However, moments later, he sighed with concern.

- "That will undoubtedly complicate everything ... he needs a psychological check but our expert cannot assess him in the condition he is in. He needs him to calm down first and then he'll talk to him. I ... I wouldn't want to ask you for this but ... Could you play along until he's calmer?"

Kong took a couple of steps back.

- "But I .. I can't ... I ..."

However, before he could say  anything more, a pair of hands gripped his tightly.

- "Please!" - Mike's mother exclaimed - "Help my son ... please ..."

END?