Unknown

"I didn't expect that he would discover my other identity like this. Even though I rehearsed it many times in my mind, I am still worried about what he would think of me."

Rain

He continued to play the song on a loop as he walked home, watching the video, when suddenly a message alert caught his attention. "Shit! I am late!" he shouted as he raced home.

Phayu

Phayu came down the stairs to his bandmates waiting for him, discussing something. "So? Did you find him?" Pai asked. Phayu shook his head despondently, sitting on the stairs. "Did you really see him?" he asked. "Yes! I let him in," Pai said. "What? Who?" Fah asked. "Just that guy," Yihwa said slyly, snapping her fingers in front of Phayu, making him blush. "Seriously? Don't tell me Rain came? Was it him?" Cho asked. "Rain came here today?" Fah asked. "Yup, he was standing in the front," Yihwa said. "Why didn't I know about it? Why didn't I see him?" Cho asked. "I didn't see him either," Phayu said, sighing. Pai patted his head. "Alright, let's chat as we walk," he said. "Let's go," he said to everyone else. "Let's go find something to eat," Fah said. "I am not going," Phayu said, standing up. "I have to go help mom close the stall," he added. "Are you really not coming?" Yihwa asked. "Do you want to get some takeaway with you?" Pai asked. "No, no. You guys go ahead. I will see you soon," Phayu said. "Okay, take care buddy!" Cho said, as Phayu left.

Phayu's mom was cleaning the tables as he arrived. "You are back?" she asked, immediately coming to the entrance. "I am back," Phayu said, smiling at her. "Did your performance go well today?" she asked. "It went well," Phayu said. "You were in such a hurry when you left today. Someone came to look for you," she said. "Who?" he asked. "I have never seen him before. It was a guy. About this tall, thin, really cute, sort of Korean looking. I have never seen him before," she said. 'Was she talking about Rain?' Phayu thought, as he unbuttoned his coat. He quickly changed and made his way to Rain's house with a packed bowl of soup, smiling at the thought of seeing him again.

Rain

"In the next class, I want to hear the beginning and the end of this piece," Rain's music teacher said, as he walked her to the door. "Yes Ajarn. And sorry for being late today," he said, waiing politely. "It's okay. Just make sure it's not repeated again," she said, reaching out, seeing Rain close up into himself. Rain was about to go in after the teacher left when his security guard called him. "Khun Rain, a Khun Phayu left this for you. Since you were in class, he asked me to give it to you," he said, handing Rain a food parcel. Rain took it and thanked the guard. Rain smiled as he watched the soup heat. He took the note that came with it. He knew this stationery. It belonged to his black tea angel. He leaned back and stared at the note. Then he took out his phone and looked for Phayu's Instagram and followed him. He then went on and liked all of his pictures.

Phayu

Phayu was leisurely walking back home when his phone pinged with a series of notifications. Puzzled, he dug it out from his pocket.

@rainydays: Thanks for the egg soup.

@rainydays: Next time it will be my treat. This is my number.

"Rain?" Phayu was thrilled at the messages and quickly followed him back and saved his number as well. He whooped a resounding yes, causing passers-by to look at him weirdly.

Rain

Rain sat down with the hot soup, super excited for a repeat of the taste that had warmed him and made him so happy. He saw his phone, and saw messages from an unknown number and understood immediately that it was Phayu. So he immediately saved it.

Phayu🌪️: You are welcome. This is Phayu.

Phayu🌪️: Did you like the taste?

Me: It's very good. I knew it was you.

Me: I like it very much

Suddenly he heard the door opening and turned his phone upside down. "Rain, we are back," his mom said. "How come you are back earlier?" he asked. "Well, we got done, so we came back," she said. "Did you behave well when we were not here?" she asked. "Yes mom," he said. "You seem to have lost weight. Did you?" she asked, going closer to him. He shifted uncomfortably. "What's with this egg soup?" she asked, stirring it. "I recently discovered this..," he trailed off as she picked up the bowl. "Don't eat these unhealthy things," she said, upturning the bowl in the kitchen sink. Rain felt shattered.

"How is your homework going nowadays? Are there any problems?" Rain's father asked him. Rain missed the question as he was watching his mother. His father knocked on the table. Rain was startled. "Your father is talking to you, and you are looking around?" his father said. "Each of your teachers told me that you are not attentive in class and no one praised you. You still have not decided on your college. Can you be more self-aware? Listen carefully. You are about to run for President of the Student Union. I have already spoken to Uncle Anuman. You can ask his son Sky to help you. Don't let me down again," his father said, as Rain listened with his head lowered. "Enough now, relax everyone," his mom came forward and said. "Don't use the same method that you used on your employees, on your son," she said. His father left abruptly after that. His mom told him about the food she had ordered for him, but all Rain could think of was the soup that Phayu had left for him.

Phayu

Phayu sat in his room, listening to the track that he had recorded with his bandmates, trying to ensure it's quality. Once he was satisfied, he sent a voice message to Pai.

Me: Pai, I have sent you the audio file. Let me know what you think.

He then shut everything down and lay back in bed, looking at the form for the music school his teacher had given him. He knew she had a lot of confidence in him, but he was not so sure of himself. He remembered a conversation that he had shared with his mom a few days ago.

Phayu chose to work with his mom at her shop. He was cleaning up one of the tables soon after the customers had left, and had completely forgotten that the brochure for the music school was lying with his other school work. Phayu's mom saw it and picked it up. She frowned as she read the details inside, unsure of what it was. Phayu had still not noticed, as he cleaned with one hand and scrolled Rain's messages with another. "Phayu, do you want to study at Berklee?" his mom asked. "Huh?" he looked up, seeing what she was doing. He immediately put away his phone. "I am thinking about it," he said hesitantly.

"Just go if you want to," his mom said. He came forward to clear another table. "The tuition must be very expensive?" she asked. "The school will subsidise it by giving me a full scholarship as long as I am elected as the president of the student union," Phayu said. "Can you make it?" his mom asked. "I haven't signed up yet," he replied. "Why not?" she leaned forward. "I am worried about you, that you will not be able to take care of yourself. And I am worried about this noodle stall," he said. "Phayu Chaichana, I am already over 18 years old. I have grown up, okay?" his mom said, her expression deadpan, as Phayu shook his head and laughed.

"Look at this noodle stall. It's called Mae Chaichana's Noodle Shop. It's mine, okay? I know best how to take care of myself," she said, as Phayu smiled fondly. "Follow your dreams. Be bold. Now, please go, close the shop, and don't keep giggling," she said, making him smile more. His mother was truly an amazing woman, and there was no one quite like her.

Phayu stood at the end of the corridor with the form for the student union elections in his hand, still contemplating whether to fill it or not. What he had told his mother had been the absolute truth, albeit not the whole truth. He was worried about her, but at the same time, there was something else holding him back. He was staring at the form when he felt a presence beside him. He was startled to see Rain looking into the form. "Rain?" he said. Rain smiled at him. "Are you running in the election?" he asked. "Actually, I wanted to tell you something," Phayu said turning to face him fully. Rain nodded. "Umm.. my dream is to study music at a music academy overseas," Phayu said. "That sounds great!" Rain said, soundly truly excited for Phayu.

"But I am afraid that my study abroad will cause a great burden on my family. My music teacher here at school said that if I could get elected as the student union president, the school will give me a full scholarship and I could study abroad. So I was wondering if I should try it," Phayu asked, looking at Rain to see if he could feel any change in his expressions. "Yes, of course, you should. It's such a great opportunity!" Rain said, still sounding thrilled for Phayu. "You don't mind?" Phayu asked hesitantly. "No, why should I mind?" Rain frowned, then smiled. "Any way, running for the student president is not something I wanted to do in the first place. It's my dad who wants me to do that, and I just don't want to disappoint him," Rain said, looking unfocused at a distance.

He turned around when he felt Phayu's scrutiny. "Quickly fill it in. Don't hesitate anymore!" he said, giving his bunny smile to Phayu, who still didn't look very convinced. "Let's work hard together, okay?" Rain added, trying to ease Phayu. Phayu smiled back, and Rain leaned forward to help him fill the form.

3rd Person

"The list of candidates for the president of the student union is out. Rain is sure to be there," Bas, Som's friend said, looking at his laptop, as Som played a game on his mobile. "And that silent guy from the other class? Phayu? He is going to be there as well," Bas continued. "This is so annoying!" Som said, nearly throwing his phone in disgust. "Hey! Why don't you run for it as well?" Bas asked Som. "Wow! Good idea!" Som said. "Okay, then what do we do now?" Jack, another friend of his asked. Som looked thoughtful.

Rain

Mom: Rain, we have to go out for a few days because something suddenly cropped up. Remember to study hard and eat well."

Rain sighed over the message from his mom. It was not the first time it was happening, nor would it be the last, but suddenly, there was a sense of loneliness in him. He was about to give up and go to his room when he spotted Phayu's pants on the dining table. He immediately called Phayu. "Hey! Are you free?" he asked, as soon as Phayu picked up. "I am at the shop. What happened?" Phayu asked, sounding strangely upset. Rain could hear a lot of noise in the background, as if something was being broken. "I wanted to return your pants and eat the soup you made," he said. Before Phayu could say anything, Rain heard someone else speak. "What is the use of raising a nephew like you? You don't give a penny to your uncle!" "Hello? Hello?" Rain called out. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Rain, sorry, I am not available now," Phayu said, and the line disconnected. He was gone, just like that. Rain couldn't help feeling concerned and worried, as if something was wrong, as he stared at his phone. He decided to best go and meet Phayu.

Phayu

"Just leave okay?" Phayu said to his uncle, who had once again come to the shop, completely drunk, and was causing a mess. "Noodles! Where are my noodles? Why are you not making noodles for me?" After serving his uncle, Phayu cleaned up the shop so that his mom would not come home to the mess his uncle had created. "When will your mother come home? Let me tell you," his uncle said, trying to stand, and knocking everything down in his drunken state. Phayu just glared at him, not deigning to reply to him. "Your mom is my sister," he said, cackling evilly, as he almost upturned a table. Just the Rain came running. "Phayu!" he called out, and Phayu's uncle immediately lurched forward. "Rain?" Phayu said, sounding scared. His uncle caught the lapels of Rain's coat. "Are you Phayu's friend?" he asked, clinging on. "Who are you? Who are you?" Rain asked, a little scared.

"Give me money! Give me money!" his uncle shouted, pushing Rain, who fell into a chair. Phayu was done! "You better leave now, or I am calling the police," he shouted as he helped Rain up, holding on to him. His uncle ran for his life. Phayu immediately tried to help Rain up. "Are you okay?" he asked, worry etched into his voice and face. Rain nodded. "Were you scared?" Phayu asked. He was terrified that Rain would hate him now. Phayu took Rain up his room. "Come in and sit. Let me see if you have been hurt somewhere," Phayu said, indicating a seat. "Here?" Rain asked. Phayu nodded and immediately knelt down. 'Where does it hurt? Here?" he asked, trying to lift the leg of Rain's pants. "Wait, let me do it," Rain said, pulling up the trouser leg. The moment Phayu saw the bruise on Rain's leg, he panicked. "Will it get infected? Let me take you to the hospital!" he said, trying to pull Rain up.

"It's okay, it's a small injury," Rain said, holding on to Phayu's hand. "We will just apply some medicine, and it will be fine," he added, trying to ease Phayu. Phayu took out the first aid kit stored in his room, and pulled out a stool, as Rain extended his leg. "Put it up here," Phayu said, indicating his knee. Rain looked a bit hesitant. "It's fine, be careful," Phayu said, lifting Rain's leg as delicately as he could and placing it on his. He very carefully applied medicine on Rain's leg. "Does it hurt?" he asked, sounding very worried. "Umm-hmm," Rain hummed, but suddenly jerked back when the medicine stung a bit. Phayu immediately looked up. "I am sorry! I will be more gentle," he said. Rain looked at him and smiled softly. Phayu felt terrible. "I am really sorry about today. Sorry," he repeated. "Never mind," Rain said.

"Were you scared?" Phayu asked. "Is your uncle always like this?" Rain asked. "He wasn't like this before. He has been having a tough time lately. He often comes to the shop and makes a fuss when he is drunk and asks Mae for money," Phayu said, sounding sad. Rain tsked. "I didn't expect you to have suffered so much," he said, wanting to comfort Phayu, but not knowing how. "Done. Be careful," Phayu said, as he gently placed Rain's foot down. "Thank you," Rain said. "Let me see if you are hurt anywhere else," Phayu said, turning Rain this way and that. Suddenly Rain noticed something. "Why is it reddened here?" he asked, moving Phayu's collar and exposing his neck. "Let me see," he said, unbuttoning Phayu's shirt to get a closer look. "Umm, I think I got scalded today," Phayu said, as if it was no big deal.

"Why didn't you tell me? Doesn't it hurt?" Rain asked. Phayu pulled back his collar to check the wound on his own. "It's okay. I am used to getting scalded," Phayu said, not even looking up. "Who would get used to getting scalded?" Rain asked, and something in his tone made Phayu look up. "I often help out at the shop, and it is a noodle shop after all," Phayu said. "Hmm," Rain said, reaching forward to look at Phayu's injuries. "It's all red," he said, sounding almost on the verge of tears. "This won't do," he said, sounding firm, as he tried to open another button on Phayu's shirt. "Uh, I will do it," Phayu said. Rain nodded and moved back, but as soon as Phayu removed the button, he pushed the collar back. He was about to apply medicine when Phayu took it from him. "I will do it," he said. "Does it hurt?" Rain asked. "Not really," Phayu said, as he reached back to apply the cream.

It was obvious he was not able to reach the right spot, so Rain took it from him. "Let me do it," he said. "Thank you," Phayu said, as Rain pulled him closer into his embrace, softly applying the medicine. Phayu was engulfed in Rain's scent. He wanted nothing more than to burrow himself in all that peace, in the arms of the boy he had fallen in love with so long ago, the boy who had thought of nothing but helping a stranger. Phayu looked at him. "Don't move. If you move, it will hurt more," Rain said softly. He pulled Phayu even closer, as his fingers slowly rubbed the cream into the wound. Phayu closed his eyes as he felt himself getting lost in the sensations that Rain's fingers evoked in him. He was snapped back to reality and Rain's hand went lower down his back. He pulled away with a sheepish smile. "All right, I am fine," he said, much to Rain's surprise.

"I see I got your clothes dirty. How about to give them to me and I wash it for you?" he said, quickly buttoning his shirt. "But I am not done yet," Rain said. 'I am fine," Phayu said, getting up and moving away. "Where are you going?" Rain asked. "I will get you some clothes. You can wear those, while I wash these," Phayu said rushing away. "Phayu?" Rain called out, but Phayu was gone. He ran further down the corridor that led away from his room, leaning against the wall, using it to support him. He was panting with the effort it had taken to run away from Rain. His heart was beating faster than usual and he fisted his hand in his mouth. He had been thinking of this moment with Rain for so long but he knew he had to take it easy, because Rain had no idea how Phayu felt. 'Tell that to my libido though,' Phayu said to himself, closing his eyes in sheer despair, trying to control his raging hard-on.

Rain moved around Phayu's room as he waited for him to return. He suddenly noticed something a little out of place. "So many CDs?" he said, as he bent down to look at them. He plucked one out for closer viewing. Phayu returned with a change of clothes for him, and smiled when he saw Rain with the CDs. "There you go," he said, giving Rain the clothes. "Are these yours? They are so cool!" Rain said, looking like an excited puppy. "Yeah, they are all my treasures," Phayu said, smiling. Rain smiled and turned away, continuing to look at the CDs. He then lifted a photo from beside the CD case. "Your idol?" he asked, smirking, ready to make fun of Phayu. "That's my dad," Phayu said, "a musician who released many albums." "Cool! Does he ever hold a concert? I would like to be there!" Rain said

"Oh! He passed away when I was in my third year of middle school," Phayu said, with a bittersweet laugh. "My dad was a dad who sang the best and played the guitar the best. It doesn't matter that he had only two fans; my mom and me. He was.. is the best singer in the world, until one day, he suddenly fell in the bathroom and was sent to the hospital," Phayu said, his gaze focused into his past. "Sorry," Rain said. Phayu immediately smiled. "It's okay. Look, we look quite alike," he said. Rain's face was small. Phayu leaned in closer. "What's wrong with you?" he asked cutely. "I was just thinking.. umm.. you have been through so much. How could you still be like this now?" Rain said. Phayu smiled again. "Maybe I inherited it from my dad. No matter how sad he was, or what happened, he would tell me that everything would be fine after a sleep and to be happy every day," he said, leaning back against the table. Rain smiled. "Anyway, go, go change out of your dirty clothes and freshen up," Phayu said. Rain nodded.