Chapter 22: Waited too Long

"Ahem!"

Phuwin had to pull back from the kiss when he heard someone clear their throat loudly.

Pond was frozen solid in his chair, and when Phuwin moved back, he found his eyes as big as saucers and a deep blush covering his cheeks. He couldn't meet Phuwin's eyes and as soon as the kiss ended, he turned away to look anywhere but at him.

Phuwin touched his fingers to his lips. They felt all tingly and his heart thudded inside his chest like a wild hummingbird wanting to escape. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Pond looking nervously as he lowered his head, his long bangs covering his eyes from view.

Didn't he feel anything? Phuwin asked himself. Does he even like me? Or had I been mistaken about his feelings all this time?

"Alright everyone," Mark's voice snapped everyone's attention back to him as he stood up from his seat, pulling Ford along with him. "We'll be heading home now. It's getting late."

"Yeah…I think…we should head back as well." Fah called out to Pim, both now seemingly uninterested in the activities of the group now that they knew the lead singer didn't have any interest in them.

"Let's go everyone." First put down the empty bottle of beer he had in his hand. "We'll see the rest of you at school next week."

With that, one by one, everyone started to get up and leave, bidding goodbye and goodnight.

Phuwin got up from his seat as well, disappointment heavy in his stomach. He looked over at Pond, but he was still in his seat, seemingly distracted as he said goodnight to everyone. 

Pond's friend, Aun, who had been the one to invite the girls, was now passed out drunk beside Pond and when Khaotung asked him when will he get home, Pond replied that he would like to send his friend back first before he went home.

Even more disappointed, Phuwin turned and left, swinging his guitar strap over his shoulders as he headed for his car.

The parking lot was dimly lit and the constant honks or car horns and the chatter of people coming in and out of the club provided a noisy backdrop where Phuwin could momentarily forget about what had just happened.

He couldn't believe that he had read the room so wrong…

Pond…didn't seem to like him at all…did he?

But then…why was he always making sketches of him? Was that just…simple admiration he felt towards Phuwin? Like an artist admiring a muse?

Was that all he was to Pond?

His mind was a jumbled mess of emotions and his frustration was evident as he opened the driver's seat door and then slammed it shut hard enough that the entire car shook from the force of it, when he remembered that he hadn't placed his guitar in the backseat yet.

He let out a frustrated sigh as he went to the back and placed his guitar in the backseat before opening the door wide and sitting inside with his legs hanging out of the car.

When his phone buzzed inside his pocket, he plucked it out and saw a text from Dunk.

'Get me some pork dim sums on the way home; I'm hungry. Ah…and remember to get in through the back door when you arrive. Pa and Dad are home already and asking about you.'

"Mang oye!" Phuwin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You came to ruin my fun and you still don't getting on my nerves now that you're home? Ai HIA!"

But Phuwin knew that it wasn't Dunk's fault that everything had gone south…it was his own mistake for getting ahead of himself. 

Now what was he going to do? How was he going to face Pond ever again? What if today's incident made him weary of Phuwin and he chose someone else as his muse?

"Shia!" Phuwin sighed. "How do I get out of this shit?"

*

"So? How long are you going to sit there looking like a sad puppy?"

Startled by the feminine voice that he hadn't expected to hear, Pond looked up at P'Luke and his fiancé, his older cousin, sitting on the chairs opposite to him.

"P'Nirin? When did you get here?" Pond looked at P'Luke, but he just shrugged with a smile, not divulging any information on how long they had been sitting opposite to him.

But he didn't have to wait long for the answer, because P'Nirin couldn't wait to answer him herself.

"Ever since we saw you freeze up after your long time crush decided to kiss you." P'Nirin gave him a sly smile. "What happened? You keep fanboy-ing over that guy and when he makes the first move…you just freeze up? How rude is that?"

"H-how did you know a-about…" Pond's eyes were as huge as saucers, unable to comprehend how his cousin had been able to find out about his crush on Phuwin.

"Oohhooo!" P'Nirin tsked in disappointment. "I thought you'd be more surprised if we didn't know. Ai Pond! You're so obvious that even aliens from Mars can see that you're head over heels for that boy! Then why didn't you seize the opportunity?"

"It's not like that na, Phi…" Pond scratched the back of his head. "Phom…I just got nervous…I didn't know what to do…"

"Aw? What do you even mean 'what to do'?" Nirin looked at him in shock. "When someone kisses you, especially someone you like, isn't it natural to kiss them back?"

"But…" Pond was getting short of excuses. The truth was, he had indeed been frozen in shock.

When Mark had made that outrageous request, he had fully expected for Phuwin to turn towards Fa and kiss her. His heart had sunk at the thought of that happening and he had almost given up hope. But when Phuwin had turned to him instead and pulled him in for a kiss, Pond had been completely frozen in shock

How could it be that his crush…that man he had liked for so long, was now kissing him? That too in front of all of his friends?

It had not only caught him by surprise, but had left him utterly flabbergasted, which is why he had also 'forgotten' to react to the kiss.

Now, he couldn't help but regret his decision, especially when Phuwin had left without even saying goodbye to him.

Had he…offended him? Did he not like the kiss?

Because Pond could still feel his lips on his, the tingle from earlier returning with vehemence with the whispers of his memory.

"Did you know how sad he looked? I think he thought that you didn't like him." Nirin sighed now, nudging Luke with her elbow as she saw the change in Pond's expression. "Maybe he now regrets kissing you…after all, it seems like he may have gotten the wrong idea…"

"Karthot na, Phi." The chair scraped on the floor as Pond hurriedly got up from his seat. "I have to go."

"Oh? Go where? What about your friend?" Nirin asked just to tease Pond, but was glad when Pond moved away from the table regardless, indicating that her trick had worked.

"Please take care of him for me, na?" Pond told her. "Call a cab and send him home."

"I'll take care of it." Luke said from beside Nirin. "You go ahead and get your boy."

Pond turned and left without another word and Luke turned to Nirin with raised eyebrows. "That went smoothly."

"Of course." Nirin smirked. "These tricks always work. How do you think I managed to get you before anyone else could?"

Luke loved it when his wife-to-be brought out her sassy side. "Of course, your highness." He smiled at her twinkling, mischievous eyes. "I fell in love as soon as I saw that sweet smile of yours."

"Aww! Sweet-talker! No wonder I fell for you."

Nirin leaned in to give him a kiss before placing her head on his shoulders with a sigh. "I hope everything goes well with those two."

"I hope so too." Luke smiled. "But I'm not worried. I think your trick worked well."

*

Phuwin got up from his back seat, not knowing why he was even sitting here wasting his time in the dimly lit parking lot of the club.

With a sigh, he turned to his car, his phone still in his hands as he searched for dim sum places nearby. His brother had requested for them after all, and it would be hell if he didn't get him those dim sums.

But just as he closed his phone and placed it inside his pocket, footsteps from behind him made him whip around to look at who had just tried to sneak up on him…and he came face to face with Pond.

His heart gave an involuntary thud inside his chest as he saw him panting with his hands on his knees, his long hair a mess on his forehead as he moved his head to flip back his bangs.

"Karthot na, Phuwin…did you wait too long?" Pond asked, his voice sounding breathless as he stood up straight, towering a few inches above Phuwin.

"Mai…" Phuwin wondered why his own voice sounded so breathless as he answered Pond's question. "But you were almost too late."

"Oh?" A small smile lifted Pond's lips to the side. "That's good to know. That I still have time…"

"Huh? What are you…"

But the rest of his question never made their way past Phuwin's lips…because Pond's lips were on his the very next instant…and his lips were set on devouring him whole as he felt his breath abandon his lungs.