FOURTH NATTAWAT

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Fourth felt a surge of warmth in his hand as Gemini held it and led him away from the crowd. He was somewhat shy to look at the handsome medical student, who had a charming smile. The bold boy kept stealing glances at him, making Fourth's heart flutter. 

As they approached Center Square, Fourth felt a surge of wonder at the sight of the modern buildings. They contrasted sharply with the traditional Thai style of the main campus, where wooden roofs and carved pillars evoked a sense of history and culture. The architecture at Center Square was a blend of European and Asian influences, with glass walls that flooded the space with natural light and metal frames that added an elegant touch.

No wonder why this place attracted a lot of students. Fourth could see some of them walking around, chatting and laughing. Since he had never been here before, everything was new and exciting to him. He turned to Gemini and asked.

"Khun Gemini, where are we going now?"

Gemini looked at him with surprise.

"Don't you know? Isn't this near your Music faculty?"

Fourth shook his head. "No, I just enrolled in the University. I used to study abroad in England, but I had some family issues and had to come back. This is actually my first time here."

Gemini smiled and said, "This is Center Square, the newest and most modern part of the university. It has a lot of facilities and services for students, like a library, a gym, a coffee shop, and more."

Fourth nodded and followed Gemini, who let go of his hand as they arrived. Fourth felt a pang of disappointment as Gemini released his hand. He missed the warmth and the gentle pressure of his fingers. He wondered why he was so drawn to someone he had just met. He shouldn't have these feelings, should he? But he couldn't deny the spark that flew between them.

Gemini had borrowed a small table from the nearby coffee shop and set it up near the fountain. They displayed some souvenirs on it: T-shirts, mugs, keychains, and stickers. They were the only ones who had chosen this spot to sell their goods, while the other volunteers had scattered around the campus.

"This is our spot. I think it's a good one, because it's near the entrance and visible to everyone who passes by." Gemini said.

He then turned to Fourth and whispered in his ear.

"And you know what? You have a secret weapon that make us the best team."

Fourth looked at him with confusion.

"What is it?" He asked.

Gemini smiled and leaned closer to his face.

"Your charm." He said softly.

Fourth felt his heart skip a beat. He could feel Gemini's breath on his cheek and his lips almost touching his ear. He shivered and looked into Gemini's eyes. Gemini winked at him and said.

"Trust me, you have a lot of charm. You just need to use it wisely. Let me show you some tricks."

He then pulled Fourth to the front of the table and faced the crowd of students passing by.

"Hey everyone, come and check out our amazing souvenirs. They're cheap, cute, and perfect for you or your friends." Gemini shouted with enthusiasm.

He then picked up a T-shirt with the Student Union logo on it and held it up.

"Look at this T-shirt. It's made of high-quality cotton, it's comfortable to wear, and it comes in different sizes and colors. And guess what? It's only 200 baht. That's a bargain, right?" He said.

He then put the T-shirt on Fourth's chest and wrapped his arms around him from behind.

"And look how good it looks on this handsome guy here. He's Fourth, by the way. He's new here, but he's already making waves with his adorable smile. Don't you want to support him? Then buy this T-shirt and show him some love." He said.

He then kissed Fourth on the cheek lightly and made him blush slightly. Fourth felt a jolt of surprise and excitement as Gemini's lips touched his skin. He had never been kissed by a stranger before, let alone in front of a crowd. He wondered what Gemini was thinking and feeling. Was he just playing around or did he really like him?

The students erupted in cheers and applause as they witnessed the kiss between two handsome boys. Some girls squealed in delight and shipped them already. They rushed to the table to buy the souvenirs on display. A few boys also expressed their admiration for Fourth and asked for his number, but he politely turned them down.

Fourth noticed some students even teased Gemini and asked if he was dating him. They seemed to be his friends from Medical faculty.

Gemini laughed and answered that they were just friends. But he winked at Fourth and said maybe that would change soon.

Fourth felt flattered by the attention and the affection from Gemini. This boy was so bold. He didn't know what to say or do. He just smiled politely and thanked everyone who bought something from them.

After a while, they managed to sell most of their souvenirs. Gemini congratulated Fourth on his first success and said he was proud of him.

"You did great. You're a natural at this." Gemini said. He then looked at his watch then turned to Fourth and asked casually.

"Look at that. We spent the afternoon selling things and it's late and I'm hungry. There's a nice restaurant nearby that serves delicious traditional food. How about we go there?"

Gemini looked hopeful as he waited for his answer. Seeing Gemini's black eyes shone with excitement and his lips curled into a shy smile, Fourth nodded happily. He liked Gemini and wanted to spend more time with him. He grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. He smiled and said, "Sure, let's go to the restaurant. I'm feeling like I can eat a horse right now."

Gemini smiled brightly and took his hand again.

"Great! Let's go then." He said. "Since you aren't familiar with the campus. Let's me take the lead."

They walked hand in hand to the restaurant, chatting and laughing along the way. Fourth felt a warm feeling in his chest as he looked at Gemini's face. He was so handsome and cheerful, and he made Fourth feel special.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Fourth immediately saw a familiar face sitting at a table near the window. It was Captain, his best friend who had ditched him and not showed up to do the volunteer work. 

He had said he had an emergency on the phone, but it seemed like he had a date with a pretty girl. Fourth felt a bit angry. He walked over to the table with Gemini and said calmly, "Hey, Captain, my dear friend. Fancy seeing you here. I thought you had an emergency."

Captain looked up and startled when he saw Fourth. He was nervous and guilty. He quickly put on an apologetic smile and said, "Oh, hey, Fourth! Yeah, I did have an emergency, but it got resolved quickly."

He gestured to the girl sitting next to him. "This is Nook. She's a Thai student who studies business here. I met her this morning."

Fourth looked at the girl. She was wearing a pink dress and had long black hair. She smiled politely and said hello to Fourth and Gemini. Fourth did the same and introduced Gemini to them. They decided to have meal together.

As they ate their meal, Fourth asked Captain how he met Nook and what was the emergency he had in the morning. Captain explained that he was on his way to meet him at the volunteer place at the book store when he heard a scream from a nearby dormitory.

He ran to the source of the scream and saw Nook standing outside a room, looking panicked. She told him that her friend Pai had fainted and she didn't know what to do.

Captain turned his eyes to the girl lying on the floor and was shocked when he saw Pai's condition. Her clothes were covered in blood and looked really dirty. She looked like she had just escaped from hell. She had bruises and cuts all over her body. She was barely conscious and mumbling something unintelligible.

He quickly offered to help and called an ambulance. He stayed with Nook and Pai until the paramedics arrived and took Pai to the hospital. They were then questioned by the police.

After everything was done, Nook thanked Captain for his kindness. Captain realized she was still shaking and looked pale; that was why he asked her if she had eaten anything. She said she hadn't. 

Then he suggested that they should go to a restaurant in the campus and have some food. He didn't want to leave her alone.

Nook agreed and went with him. She was touched by Captain's care and thought he was a nice guy. She wanted to get to know him better. She didn't expect to see Captain's friend and realized she was the reason why he ditched his friend. Feeling guitly, she said to Fourth.

"Fourth. Please don't be angry with Captain na. I'm sorry. It was because of Nook. I shouldn't have asked him to stay with me."

"Don't say it like that. Even if you hadn't asked, I would have stayed there." Captain comforted Nook. "Who in their right mind will leave a girl alone in that type of situation?" 

Fourth nodded his head. "Captain was right. You don't need to feel sorry."

Gemini interrupted the conversation. "Sorry Nook, are you talking about Pai, the Economics student?" 

"Yes, it's her." Nook answered.

Gemini saw the puzzled expressions on Captain's and Fourth's faces. He quickly added, "She's a star student in the Economics department. The whole school was in an uproar when she vanished two weeks ago."

"That's why I screamed when I saw her in front of my room like that." Nook replied.

"There have been other missing students lately. But the school board followed the police's orders to keep it quiet until they find out what happened." Gemini knew more than most people because his mother was the dean.

He continued, "Pai's disappearance was the trigger that exposed everything. The students began to piece together the clues and sensed something was off. It's the talk of the town in university right now."

Fourth nodded in understanding. "That makes sense. I saw a lot of police officers roaming around when I arrived at the campus. Captian and I just returned from England and had no idea there were students missing."

Gemini frowned and bit his lip. He was worried about the safety of his Fourth. "Fourth, please be careful when you travel around na. Don't go out alone at night or accept rides from strangers. This is serious."

Fourth felt his cheeks heat up at Gemini's words. He was touched by his concern. He said softly, looking into his eyes. "I'll be careful, I promise. But you don't have to worry about me too much. I can take care of myself."

Captain felt curious about the close and intimate interactions between his friend and Gemini, but he quickly got distracted and stopped thinking about it when Gemini asked Nook something.

"Is Pai, your friend, okay?"

Nook shook her head sadly. "We don't know yet. The hospital hasn't given us any updates. We're still waiting for news." She sighed and looked at her phone, hoping for a call or a message.

She and Captain then told Gemini and Fourth about the strange thing that happened when Captain helped the paramedics carry Pai downstairs from Nook's dormitory room. Pai's body was so cold that it made Captain shiver. Her skin was cold like ice and pale like a corpse.

"It was like she was frozen from the inside." Captain said, rubbing his arms. "I've never felt anything like that before. It was creepy."

Nook nodded in agreement, and said, "Me too. I don't understand what happened to her. She looked like she was already dead, if not for the fact that she was still breathing when I checked under her nose."

As they were talking, a loud thunderclap startled them. They looked outside and saw dark clouds gathering in the sky. The wind was picking up and the rain was starting to fall.

Gemini felt a sudden chill run down his spine. He had a bad feeling about this storm. He sensed something ominous and unnatural in the air. He glanced at Fourth, who seemed to share his uneasiness.

Fourth felt a strange pressure in his head, like a headache was coming on. He rubbed his temples and tried to ignore it. He reached for his necklace, which had a strange jade pendant that he always wore. He didn't know why, but touching it somehow made him feel better.

Gemini noticed that Fourth was not okay. He saw him rubbing his temples and clutching his necklace. He asked him with concern, "Are you alright? Do you need anything?"

Fourth smiled weakly and shook his head. He said reassuringly, "I'm fine, don't worry. It's just a minor headache. It'll go away soon."

They decided to finish their meal quickly and leave the restaurant before the storm got worse. They paid the bill and got up from their seats. As they walked towards the exit, they heard a loud scream from outside.

They ran to the door and saw a horrifying sight. A huge bolt of lightning had struck a tree near the restaurant, splitting it in half.

They stared in shock and disbelief at the scene. They felt a surge of fear and dread. They realized that this was not a normal storm. This was a sign of something much worse to come.

----I hope you are hooked by the story so far and eager to find out what happens next. ^^----