CHAPTER 18: REMIND
It is true that Phun drives pretty fast, but it's almost 10 pm by the time we get to see the beach in Bang Saen. He and I decide to park the car near a sidewalk so we can get a late dinner in a restaurant. We choose this particular one because we see that a lot of students in the area are the patrons.
"Lots of people, I bet the food here's good." This is what my chariot tells me which causes me to break into a big smile. This means that I'm not the only one who thinks that a crowded restaurant equals to good food. Heh heh. I should rub this in Ohm's face once I get back. (He is always calling me a weirdo every time I tell him this. How am I wrong about this exactly?)
Phun shuts the engine off, then he makes sure I'm wearing the jacket properly before he opens the car door.
For some odd reason, it feels like we're making a grand entrance when we enter the restaurant. All eyes are on us. It might be because of the student uniform with the school's initials showing, plus the blue shorts that are making people turn their heads. But if I think about it carefully...
The person I am with is too good looking. -_-"
Basically, it's the combination of the two. One guy is handsome and the other is wearing a school uniform so we end up standing out. It's only natural that I tense up when I realize that all these strangers are staring. However, Phun seems pretty relaxed. I can't tell if he is aware that everybody in this restaurant is staring at us. -_-"
Screw it. I'm gonna stop caring. -_-"
A hostess finally helps us find a table after Phun and I spin around looking for one for a long while since we couldn't find any seats. I sit down but I'm still confused whether what kind of place this is. Is it just a restaurant or is it a bar? I notice that some tables only have drinks on them and there aren't any food. (What the heck?) I'm also wondering whether being in this place while wearing my school uniform is really okay or not.
I find the answer to my question when I see students wearing their uniform next to our table ordering beers -_-"
A loud voice from someone ordering food interrupts my messy train of thoughts. "We'll have...spicy pork skin salad, spicy minced meat salad, fried chicken tendons, chili crispy crackers, and a tower of Heineken." Goddamn him. I thought those dishes sounded odd. I reach over and smack this honor student on his head. "Order me some real food! Fucking hell!"
"Eh?! You didn't have any dinner yet?"
"No..." When was I supposed to find the time to eat? I was too busy talking to Yuri this evening. I wasn't in the mood to do anything else when I got home since I was so troubled. Then I ended up packing a bag and went all the way to Phun's place. At first, I thought I was just gonna spend the night there. But the owner of that house decided to schlepped me all the way here. Talk about having good fortune when it comes to traveling.
"Order something then." Phun tells me as he passes the menu over despite the fact that he never actually opened it and looked beforehand. So why the hell did he keep it all to himself in the first place? I don't get that either. I scratch my head as I look through the menu for exactly two seconds. "Fried rice...that's it."
"How creative of you, Noh." This jerk has the nerves to say something. Well, whose fault is this?
"You already ordered us some beer, what the hell am I supposed to order? They go well together. That's all, p'." I pass the menu back to the waitress with a small smile. That was enough for her to be smitten. Heh, heh. Sometimes us guys need to put our art of seduction in practice once in a while.
"What's with the smile? Were you flirting with her?" This jerk wants to start another fight with me.
"What the fuck are you talking about? I'm starving. Nobody else is always full and happy like you are."
"Exactly." Hmph. He wasn't this much of a smartass when we weren't close, right? Jeez, I shouldn't have let this happen. There is an irksome expression on my face as I tap on the table with the tip of my fingers along with the band that is playing in the restaurant.
This restaurant actually has a live band. They're playing easy-listening music like any other small bands would. I count about five members in all. I get the itch to get up and join them on stage. Oh, speaking of playing instruments, this reminds me of something.
"I went to the student council office to drop off the proposal for the Christmas Festival around noon, but I didn't see you there."
"Eh? It's not like I'm working as a security guard in that office. It was noon, I had to go get some lunch!" Oh, so basically I just asked a stupid question then? This is pissing me off. I'm in no mood to argue with him, plus I'm already starving.
I give him a wry smile mocking him and force out a laughter, "Heh, heh. So is the food at the convent's cafeteria any good, khun Phun?" I only meant to say it as a harmless sarcasm remark. I had no idea Phun would actually be taken aback by this.
"They're fine..." Phun gives me a short reply and goes quiet. I raise of my brows as I begin to ponder. So Aim must've found out about what Phun did when they had lunch together.
"I ran into your underclassman at the convent too. That one 10th grader." He continues to make small talks with me while he reaches over to accept the our first dish, the spicy pork skin salad, from the waitress. The zesty scent of the lime kicks me in the nose. I'm drowning in my own saliva and I continue to get hungrier.
I raise my fork intending to stick it in one of the pork skin before I carry on with the conversation. "Oh, Per usually goes there and have lunch with some of the girls." But since I was too busy talking and Phun was quicker than me, he snatched the piece of pork that I had my eye on and shoved it in his mouth. "Asshole." I couldn't help myself.
"Yeah, I wanted to mention that I see him every time I go over there, haha." He tells me as he chews the piece of pork that was rightfully mine. Soon enough, the rest of the dishes we ordered begin to arrive at our table along with a tower of beer. "It's only natural for my club members to so enticing just like the president of the club." I had my chance to one up him so I took it. He can't help but snicker.
"Probably not as enticing as I am." Okay, that took some shameless guts to admit that. I glance at him as he mockingly cocks one of his brows at me.
"I agree, which is why that older lady is dying to take you home." I noticed that this college student near our table has been staring at my friend with glowing eyes for a long while now. I pretended not to notice since I thought it'd be safer that way.
"There's one behind you too." Phun retorts with a smile. I think it would've been better if he had never said anything. Heh heh. I shrug at him to show that I'm not paying attention to what he said before I pour myself a glass of beer from the tall tube. I figure I should have a glass as a rinse.
The foam quickly reaches the top of the glass forcing me to take a sip in a hurry before it spills over. I notice that there's this somber feeling coming from the left side of my chest.
I've never liked when I get like this. It's like there's something preventing me from laughing and smiling happily. I may be getting smart with Phun and throwing some insults his way which makes it seems like everything is normal. But deep down inside, the truth of the matter is that I'm putting on a mask to hide my sadness from him. I'm keeping it hidden even though I know that there is no possible way to escape from this. But at the very least, I'm able to trick myself into thinking that I'm doing fine, if only just for a moment.
Our conversation dies down as Phun continues to sip his glass of beer quietly and stops trying to aggravate me. I sneak a look to see that his eyes seem to be awfully dull and vacant. Sometimes I can't help but wonder what the owner of those eyes are thinking.
I think back to Phun's kiss in the car. It felt so lonely, as if he wanted to implore for something to happen. I'm not sure if this is just my imagination, but it seems Phun has plenty of things on his mind just as much as I do.
The sad melody from the song Thank You is playing as I continue chucking my glass of beer. If one were to not pay attention, I'd probably resemble an old uncle whose boss had reduced his salary (which you will see many when visiting beer gardens). Phun probably thinks of the same so he decides to grab my arm to stop me before I finish my fifth glass as if I'm on a non-stop hits hour.
"Yo! You haven't even eaten yet, remember?! Are you trying to kill your stomach drinking like that?" Just as I suspected, he scolds me and snatches the glass from my hand. Heh heh. I heard that you were the one who ordered this though? Now you're trying to stop me from drinking? Heh heh. Bastard.
I provokingly shrug my shoulders at him and end up drinking a glass of water to clear my throat before I get started on the huge plate of fried rice. Meanwhile, Phun seems to be happy with his fried chicken tendons.
"Yuri came all the way to the school to see me, I got really anxious." I start another conversation to end the silence at our table (but with the band still playing in the background). I notice that he flinches for a second. I guess he was lost in his own thoughts too.
There is a small flash in Phun's eyes, then he slowly gives that same smile he usually does. "Oh, really? What happened?"
"You really need to come out with new rule for the buzz cut head trolls at our school. They were all gawking at Yuri. If I showed up a bit later, she might've been kidnapped by then." I complain to him as I chew the food in my mouth. I keep hearing the person sitting opposite of me breaking out in laughter occasionally.
"You're calling them buzz cut head trolls, but you don't exactly have a head full of hair yourself." Oh, this asshole! I don't mind if he insults me, but he smacks me in the head too? This is how a fist fight starts.
I quickly shove his hand away. "This is called a skinhead, asshole!"
"Are you high or something? This is no fucking skinhead. Why did you bring Yuri up out of the blue anyway?" Right, why did I do that? I really don't want to tell him that Yuri came to me about him.
"I don't know. So how are things with you and Aim?" I feel it'd be smarter to quickly change the subject. I really didn't mean to ask such a question with any implications, but it did end up catch him off guard.
"We're so-so..." Phun answers me in a low voice. He pauses for a moment before he continues.
"I'm still handsome and she's still hot like always." Oh, this fucking asshole! I'm starting to hate you now!
I don't know what else to say (since they happen to be true) so I pretend to choke on the rice and drink some water. I shoot him the middle finger but he laughs at me as if he's really enjoying this. This irritates me even more.
I ought to stab you in the eyes.
I place my empty glass of water on the table before I pick up my utensils to continue eating. However, I let a sentence slip out of my mouth.
"That's good. I was afraid that you'd forget about the the front now that you've tried the back. Hahaha." I laugh. I'm laughing. Even though it's not really that funny at all. I'm not laughing on the inside. There are the sounds of laughter coming out of me, but they're not real. Inside, I feel as if there are a thousand knives stabbing my heart.
The louder I laugh, the more I realize how pathetic I really am...that is all.
"Heh heh." Phun forces some chuckles out of him before he leans over to pour some more beer in the glass that is nearly empty.
But then he says the following words with no emotions in his eyes.
"Nah, I wouldn't..."
There's a sharp pain running through from my toes all the way to my heart when I heard those words. I raise one of my brows at him, like someone who is accepting this fact.
See? Didn't I tell you that I'm the stupid idiot that is ruining everything here...?
*"Forgetting the front now that you've tried the back" is the literal translation of an idiom but in reverse. The original is "Having the front and forgetting the back" which refers to someone abandoning those that helped put you in a more advantageous situation. In this case, Noh made a double entendre where he implies (with hope?) that Phun has left Aim behind now that he slept with him.
