Slowly and steadily, all of them settled into the rhythm and routine of the school. Along with attending their classes, they also made time for their activities and peer-building. Both Sky and Rain were unsurprisingly chosen for the school committee, as they were both serious, hardworking boys. After a lot of discussion, they were given a joint presidentship, because they seemed to work very well together. Ple was also in the Union, and she and Rain were credited with some brilliant ideas for future events. It was at one of these meetings, that Rain was finally, and officially introduced to Phayu. "This is Varain Phi, this is Ple, my sister, and of course, you already know Sky," Som said, simpering, as he was wont to do, whenever Phayu was in the vicinity. The three of them waiied, the smile on Sky's face genuine, on Ple's face similar to her brother's and an almost non-existent one on Rain's.

Phayu was intrigued despite himself. He was used to people of both sexes falling all over him in a bid to know him well, but here was someone who had very nearly dismissed him. But that did not bother him. He was Phayu Venice Theerpanayakul, and someone random, someone who was simply a nobody, he couldn't care less about him. He would just ignore the Nong. But that was easier said than done, when Rain ended up his code-line junior, and he sat in front of the boy, at Last Cheer, tying the ceremonial thread around his wrist. And then something happened that set off feelings in Phayu. Rain smiled, a full blown, ear to ear, a smile that could light up a thousand suns, as he thanked Phayu and then jumped up and hugged Sky and his other friends. Phayu had never quite seen a smile that gorgeous!

But Rain never quite stepped to the forefront. He always stayed quiet, even during codeline dinners, always a thin line between him and the world. At first, Phayu was put out, used to being the centre if attention, not quite sure how he should react to someone like Rain. However, gradually, he began to appreciate the softness of the boy, his sweetness, and his ability to soothe without even uttering a word. Phayu and Rain slowly started becoming friends, especially since he was much of a fixture in Sky's life, and by extension in Pai's and their family's lives. Phayu could especially see a bond between Rain and his Pa, quite likely because both of them had small town roots.

Rain appreciated Sky for letting him be a part of his life, as well as that of his extended family. But more often than not, Rain chose to stay away. He hated being a burden on anyone, and least of all on the people who were not even his. He chose to focus on school work, council activities, and joined an art club, where he began to make more friends, becoming especially close to Dao, from the Fine Arts faculty and his boyfriend Kleun, from the department of Medicine. There were couple of seniors he was close to as well, P'Uea from the Fine Arts as well, and P'King, his boyfriend, from the Department of Computers. Ple would join them often as well, as she was also in the club, and she was close to Rain. She was one of the very few people who knew much about Rain, and felt a lot of empathy towards him. Plus, she hated her brother, and Rain was starting to fill that empty void in her life, someone who cared for her without wanting anything in return. With Rain, she felt safe.

Rain's friendship with Phayu was different however. With the older man, Rain knew there was real danger that he would fall in love, so he always drew a line, but somehow, Phayu refused to let him do so. He had slowly started getting involved more and more with Rain and his group, often arriving with advice, both solicited and unsolicited. It made Ple very happy, and that gave Rain all the more reason to stay away from their senior. However, whenever they spent time at the Theerpanayakul compound, Phayu would ensure that he cared for Rain the most. And his most favourite way to do that? Caramel Macchiato, that he would make for Rain, double shot of the caramel. "Just for you!" he had said, the first time he had made it. Rain started considering that his drink, and that made him feel all warm and pleasurable inside, giving him the hope that Phayu felt the same for him.

Rain was not running late exactly, but he desperately needed coffee before he went in to class, after pulling an all-nighter with his group. They were finishing a project, and mostly everyone had conked off, except for Sky and him, who had managed to do a major chunk, before getting about an hour's sleep. Sky had gone ahead, and he had agreed when Rain had told him that he would get coffee for both of them. He had just placed the order when he heard voices from behind the pillar. "Jeez! P'Phayu's Caramel Macchiato is absolutely divine!" a girl's voice spoke up. "When did you get to taste that? The morning after?" another girl giggled. Rain could literally feel his heart shatter into a million pieces, knowing that, for a man like Phayu, Rain would be one of hundreds, one of thousands, never the one.

But Rain hardened his heart. He was not too far gone. Yes, he had felt a lot more that friendship and affection, maybe even begun the slow slide into love, but he was not as far gone that he could not pull back. He slipped into the seat beside Sky, handing him the coffee. "We were planning to do a party at P'Pai's family's house after submissions today Rain. What do you say?" Sky asked. "Oh! I am sorry Sky. I still need to work on my Art Club project with Dao. Why don't you guys go ahead?" Rain said. "Are you sure?" Sig asked. Rain nodded. He could see Ple looking at him strangely, but he ignored her as he prepared for the presentation. He left immediately after so that the others would not ask any questions, because he was just not ready with the answers.

Phayu looked up as Sky came in, followed by his group. Surprisingly, Rain was missing. "Rain?" he asked and Sky looked at him. "He is working on some club thing Phi," Ple said, batting her eyelids at him. Phayu was a tad bit disappointed but he quickly shook his head. Rain was just a friend. Him being there or not should have made absolutely no difference to him, so he busied himself in his work. That is, until his phone pinged, as it did for the others. It was obvious it was a common notification. "What the fuck?" Sig said, his voice shocked, and what Phayu saw, made him forget asking Sig to check his language. "Is that Rain?" Ple's voice reached him over the buzzing in his ears.

Had he thought Rain was simple? Quiet? Insipid? Boring? Well, he was now swallowing his words. The pictures that were posted by him on Instagram was of one of the most amazing looking people Phayu had seen. Dressed in all black, skinny black jeans, ripped at the knees, a black t-shirt with the word 'Freezer' written on it in icy blue, black ankle boots, blond hair pulled back in a pony, kohl lined eyes, black nail polish and most likely pink or red tinted lip-gloss, making his lips sparkle and plumped up, Rain was the epitome of everyone's wet dream. Women and men alike were dancing around him as he moved to the groove, his body lithe and sexy. Phayu could feel his jaw drop. Where had this boy been hidden all this while?

Rain was having the time of his life. When he had spilled to Dao and P'Uea about what had happened, they had insisted that Rain should forget and move on. They had forced him to go shopping with them, dragging their boyfriends along with them. Once they had gotten him dressed in what they felt was the perfect clothes, Uea had done his make-up, giving him a natural look, knowing that Rain was gorgeous enough to go without it, but still wanting to give him a boost. And then they had hit one of the best clubs in town, thanks to King, who had a lot of connections. Rain was not one for alcohol, and his group didn't force him either, choosing to let him dance and enjoy instead.

After he was tired out, he sat at their table, chin propped into his hand, looking around the club and enjoying the ambience. "Thank you guys. I really needed this," he said. "What is your next plan Rain? How are you going to avoid P'Phayu? He is your best friend's boyfriend's cousin, and also your codeline senior. You can't run from him all the time," King said, leaning back against the velvety cushions of the VIP area. "I know, and I don't intend to. But the line needs to be drawn somewhere," Rain said. "You said girls were talking about him. As far as I know, I have seen him with guys too," Uea said, concerned about his young friend.

"So he is bi? Well, it doesn't matter. I don't want to be one of many, it's as simple as that. I have promised myself that when I find someone for me, I want a person who will not only look at me, but see me, see all of me! I don't want something half-hearted where I am liked just like all others in his life are being liked. I don't want him to love me as much as he loves others, I want him to love me the most. I am not going to settle for being relegated to the sidelines just because he has too many people he wants to please," Rain said, a mutinous set to his mouth. "I agree with Rain. He has all the rights in the world to decide what he wants to do," Kleun said. "So, what will be the next step for you Rain?" Dao asked. "Well, first and foremost, I need to step away from him. I was falling for him, but if I start to stay away, maybe it will be easier," Rain said, staring at the dance floor, missing the worried looks his four friends shared.

Nothing changed, yet everything did. Rain was the same, sweet, quiet, helpful, working hard on his studies and all other clubs activities, including the student council. He was always in time for meetings, doing what he had to do, with a smile. He did any task he was assigned, and still was the creative brainchild behind most of their projects. He still laughed and joked and ate with them.. basically did everything that he used to. But he stopped doing hanging out with them beyond college, especially if they were invited to the Theerpanayakul mansion. If Rain found out P'Phayu was coming the Uni for some work, he would make himself scarce. He completely and totally avoided Phayu.

Atfirst, no one realised it. But slowly and steadily, not only his friends, butalso the Theerpanayakuls began to notice the changes. Pete even asked Sky aboutRain several times, but Sky had no answer either. However, they were soon inundatedwith their final exams and these things were put out of everyone's mind. Skyhad decided that after the finals, they would talk to Rain, and he would invitehim over to the Theerpanayakul house as well. But before that could happen,Rain left, and when Sky hurried back to the dorms, he realised that Rain hadleft from there too. It was a very subdued and sad group that went to celebratethat night.