Chapter 17: Unsuccessful Attempts

"Mueng," Dunk stood up from his seat in haste. "I…just remembered that I have something to do…I'll have to go now, na. See you…"

But before he could make his exit, Phuwin caught a hold of his hand. "Oho, Hia! You didn't have 'something else' to do when you were threatening me a few moments ago about bringing you here? Suddenly you want to abandon us and go your merry way?"

"You really don't want to see us perform, Hia?" Khaotung asked Dunk, putting him in a difficult position once again as he saw Joong finally take to the mic as he sat down on the chair at the centre of the stage.

"I do…but…"

"No 'buts' Hia." Phuwin gave him his best glare, since Dunk had already rained on his parade; he was now going to do the same for him, even though he didn't exactly know what his brother was so worried about. "You either stay here and watch my performance, or I'm never bringing you along with me ever again, even if it means I'll have to walk to college for the rest of my semester!"

With an irritated expression, Dunk looked at the stage and sat back down on his seat. "Fine, fine!" He muttered grumpily. "So…when does your performance start?"

"In about half an hour." First told him excitedly. "Can't wait to get this show started."

Khaotung patted his back, sharing his best friend's excitement as the rest of the team fell into gossiping about their performance while Tutor and Yim shared their excitement about being at such a large venue.

But amid all the excitement, no one noticed how Dunk had hunkered down in his seat, trying to make himself smaller so a certain someone wouldn't notice him. He took the glass of whiskey from the table and gulped it down in one go, thankful that the others were too busy talking about their gig to notice him.

Right at the fifteen minute mark, Luke himself came to call the band behind the stage so they could get their equipments ready and be on standby as Joong finished singing.

"Don't run off while I'm gone, Hia." Phuwin warned his brother before heading backstage.

Fortunately for Dunk, even Tutor and Yim went backstage with them. "We're sorry to leave you alone, Phi…" Tutor held his hands together in a wai. "But we really want to see the band set up…you won't mind, would you?"

"Aye, mai pen rai," Dunk offered his sincerest smile. "You go ahead, go watch them set up. I'm perfectly fine."

"Khob khun na, Phi!" Dunk watched the two boys excitedly run off after his Nong and his bandmates. Only once they were nowhere in sight did he finally stand up from his seat and looked left and right, trying to find the fastest root out of the club.

"Aarai wah?" He asked himself when he found himself ducking down to avoid being spotted. "Why am I acting like some kind of criminal or thief? I didn't do anything wrong na, oye!" 

Clearing his throat, Dunk stood up straighter, before trying to head towards the exit, but as his luck would be…he ran into two very familiar faces.

"Oye…Dunk?" Force Jiratchapong, his peer mentor called out as soon as he entered the club. "Nice to meet you here! Long time no see!"

"Phi…khab." Dunk waied to his senior, already feeling beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "I didn't expect to bump into you here."

"I could say the same for you." Force put an arm around Dunk's neck, propelling him back in the direction of the sitting area. "Come on, let's have a couple of drinks. My treat."

"Phi, that's really kind of you, but I'm really in a-"

"Don't tell me you're going to bail on me?" Force made a sad face, cutting Dunk off. "Come on now! We haven't seen each other in what? Two years? You own me at least four shots! Come on! Don't be shy."

"Khab…" Dunk agreed wearily as he went with Force towards the back where a few people started to wave at P'Force as soon as they saw him.

P'Force had been Dunk's peer mentor when he had been a freshman, but he had graduated two years ago and he had yet to hear from the man ever again. However, this unexpected meet up at the club should've been a joyous occasion for Dunk, seeing that he actually liked P'Force. He was one of the cool guys in their faculty, the guy that everyone, both men and women, fawned after since he didn't really care about gender when he dated. However, when Dunk set his eyes back on the stage, even briefly, it was to find Joong Archen Jirawatthanakul looking directly at him.

Fucking hell! He thought to himself. Was the bastard really watching him or was he way over his head and hallucinating that Joong was actually keeping tabs on him?

He wanted nothing to do with Joong and if he could, he would've avoided him all his life, however, them being in the same faculty, in the same class, meant that he couldn't avoid the fucker even if he wanted to…unless he got run over by a bus or some shit!

And after the 'mosquito bite' that Joong had purposefully given him…why did it feel like he was always looking at him? Always giving him a stupid ass smirk?

"Heyyy…what's up Nong? Why are you making such a mean face at the singer? Do you know him?"

Dunk looked up at the new voice startled, only to find that it was Book Kasidet, P'Force's childhood best friend and his current boyfriend…if they were still dating…

"Of course they know each other, ja." P'Force went over to P'Book, wrapping his arm around his waist and pulling him closer to his body, proving to Dunk that they were indeed still dating. "That's Nong Joong, from the Faculty of Business Administration, same as him. These two have been rivals from the day they set foot in the Faculty."

"Jing la?" P'Book looked at Dunk and then onstage at Joong. "Why aren't you guys friends instead? If you're in the same faculty."

"Oh, they're better off as enemies, trust me." P'Force laughed, making Dunk raise his eyebrows. "They've been competing from day one. First for the Faculty Moon, then the Most Popular votes, then the Student Council President votes, then the exams. Honestly na, whenever I see them fighting, it's like watching sparks flying everywhere! Like those enemies to lovers tropes in the novels? I feel like shipping them together so bad!"

Dunk almost chocked on thin air. Shipping? Sparks? What the hell was his Phi even talking about?

"Oh, stop it!" P'Book slapped P'Force's shoulder's not-so-lightly. "I should cut off that stupid monthly subscription you have to that romance bookbox thing! It's making you cornier day by day."

"But I thought you like it when I'm horny…" P'Force offered P'Book a cheesy smile while batting his eyelashes, which just earned him another one, this time to his chest…and Dunk was pretty sure that even people from Chiang Mai could hear the sound of that slap.

"Corny, ai sat, not horny!" P'Book looked like he could very well murder P'Force and bury him in the bar itself. "If you keep this up, you're sleeping on the couch tonight!"

"Oye! Enough you two!" P'Mark Pakin, another one of Dunk's seniors but from the Faculty of Engineering, cut off the two love birds before everyone at the table started barfing. "Have some respect for the single community, ai hia! Or we're gonna leave the two of you to flirt all alone."

Thankfully, the drinks arrived at the right moment and P'Force finally unattached himself from his boyfriend to distribute the drinks. "Alright, alright! Here you go! Enjoy everyone!"

Dunk finally picked up a suspicious looking pink shot and clinked his glass with everyone at the table before downing it in one go. The liquid burned its way down his esophagus but for the first time in a while, he felt alive. 

"Yeah! That's it! More shots, phi! Keep them coming!" Someone shouted from the table and when the next round of drinks came, Dunk was once again provided with a shot, this time something blue, and he was yet again downing the shot.

The music in the bar came to a stop and everyone's attention snapped to the stage. Dunk saw Joong bowing to the audience to a huge round of applause, and somehow, the alcohol must have gotten to him as well since he too found himself clapping along with the others.

And then he saw Phuwin and his bandmates get on the stage and the audience once again erupted in cheers. 

"That's my Nong!" Dunk called out, extremely proud of his little brother as he clapped with the rest.

P'Force and his team also joined in with their thunderous clapping and cheered on Phuwin's band. By then, Dunk had probably lost count of how many drinks he's had and he was starting to feel dizzy with all the loud music and the overcrowded room.

"Excuse me, Phi." Dunk got up from his seat on unsteady feet. "I'll be going now."

"Where are you going?" P'Force asked him, looking concerned. "You're too drunk to drive."

"I'll get a cab, Phi." Dunk offered a small smile, already feeling like the whole world was spinning. "But I have some work to do. I really should be leaving."

"Be careful, na?" P'Book called out as Dunk turned and left. "Text us when you're home."

Dunk vaguely heard P'Force saying something along the lines of 'he's not your kid' to P'Book, but he didn't care. He was supposed to get out of there a long time ago, and yet, here he was, drunk as a skunk and wobbling on his feet as he made his way past the wild dancers in the club as he stumbled across the bathroom door. He couldn't go out looking like shit. He wanted to sober up a bit first before he left.

He entered to find the stalls almost empty and headed straight to the wash basins to throw some water onto his face. He could hardly see his own reflection in the mirror, his vision hazy.

"Shia, oye." He held his head in his hands. "Why did I have to drink so much?"

"Why are you asking that to yourself after you're dead drunk?"

Startled by the voice from behind him, Dunk turned around to come face to face with none other than the last person he had wanted to meet…Joong.

"Ai sat! Are you following me?" He backed up against the sinks, getting as far as possible, which wasn't much because he was pretty much trapped between the sink and Joong.

Joong's lips tilted up in a sly smirk as he took a step forward, almost until he was toe to toe with Dunk. "Shouldn't I be asking you the same thing?" His eyes lowered to Dunk's plump pink lips before raising back to meet his light brown orbs. "Tham-mai? Can't get enough of me?"

Dunk was trapped. After his several unsuccessful attempts at escaping Joong Archen, he was now exactly where Joong wanted him. And maybe it was the alcohol speaking…or maybe he had finally lost his mind…but for some reason, the only thought going through his mind was…why did Joong's lips so good?