Unknown

Why is it so hard to fall in love? I am lucky to have you by my side. I want to preserve the beauty of this moment forever. That necklace is like my broken heart. Could you repair it for me? Can you guard it forever?

Pai

Pai stepped out of the dressing room. "Sky, does this one look good?" he asked, but Sky was not even there.  Pai looked around, confused. There was a photo booth inside the shop, and Pai saw the photos dropping. He ran to pick them up, and just then, Sky pulled back the curtain. "So cute! Give to me na? Na?" Pai said, keeping the photos next to Sky's face. Sky smiled. "Then, let's take a photo together," he said. "No, I am shy," Pai said, turning pink. "I am not giving it to you. I will take photos alone," Sky said, nose in the air, as he went back into the booth. Sky sat down in front of the screen, and suddenly pulled Pai inside. Pai fell across Sky's lap, as they both stared at each other.

Sky

"Okay, we are starting now!" Sky said lightly, trying to get past the awkwardness of Pai spread out in his lap. "No!" Pai said, trying to get away. "Quick, let's take it together," Sky said, pulling Pai back. "No!" Pai said again, and the picture got clicked just as he moved. "Il's blurry. Come back," Sky said, and made Pai sit again. "One, two, three. Wait, one more. One, two, three," Sky said, as Pai and he clicked a few pictures. Pai even tried to smile in a couple of them just to make Sky happy. "Your expression looks like that of a horse," Sky said, laughing at the pictures. "I am not used to taking pictures," Pai said, pouting, making Sky laugh more.

"Okay, take one more photo, alone this time, and give it to me," Sky said, trying to push Pai into the booth. Pai refused, but Sky became more and more insistent, until he pushed Pai a little, making his own chain fall of his neck and break. "Sorry," Pai said, feeling terrible, even though he was not the reason it broke. "I can fix it. I'll fix it and give it back to you, okay?" he added. "I'll take it home, fix it all up and give it you later," Pai tried to coax Sky as he refused to speak. "Sorry, we will take one more pic," Pai added, this time taking Sky into the booth.

Rain

Rain got down from Phayu's scooter, handing him the helmet, as Phayu handed him his bag. "There you go," Phayu said, smiling. "Thank you," Rain said. "You are welcome," Phayu said, and the two of them giggled as Phayu's hand got tangled with the strap of Rain's bag.  "Thank for staying so long with me today," Phayu said. "Not at all. I also had fun," Rain said. "That's good," Phayu said. "Call me again if there is such a gathering," Rain said. "Call you? Really?" Phayu asked. Rain nodded. "Then, I will directly ask you out the next time," Phayu said. Rain nodded and both of them wished each other good night as Rain walked towards his building.

Rain looked up at the building, not really keen on going back inside. Being with Phayu had given him a sense of freedom, and now the rules and the conformity of his life was smothering him beyond belief. He stepped away and went towards the overhang of the lobby, taking out his phone. He looked up as he saw footsteps approaching. It was Phayu, who just smiled and sat next to Rain, without saying a word. Rain pulled out the earplugs Phayu had given to him, and gave one end to him. Phayu took it and moved closer, then helping Rain to fix his side too. The two sat there, music in their ears, magic in their eyes and peace in their hearts. For someone like Rain, this was a perfect moment, something he would keep in his memory forever, the image of Phayu staring at him, probably mirroring his own look. Rain didn't know what Phayu felt for him, but in that one moment of bliss, Rain was more than willing to never find out.

Sky

"You said you were shy and didn't like taking pictures," Sky said, as he and Pai walked back after the time they had spent together. "I see that you loved the photo booth," he added, walking backwards. But before he could complete his thought, he slipped off the pavement and would have fallen flat on his face had not Pai caught hold of him. "Why so careless?" he asked, both Sky and he holding each other's shoulders. "Okay then, you should try!" Sky said, asking Pai to walk up. "Sure," Pai said, immediately stepping up. "Don't forget to walk on the line," Sky said, admonishing Pai, wanting to make sure that Pai walked on just the line at the edge of the pavement. "Okay!" Pai said. "Close your eyes," Sky said. "Okay," Pai said, closing his eyes and stretching his arms outwards to balance himself. "See? Am I good?" Pai asked, super concentrated on not falling, but tripping and falling into Sky's arms nonetheless.

"Did you do it on purpose?" Sky asked, trying to overcome the flustered feelings. "Who did it on purpose?" Pai asked. Sky and he stared at each other for a few moments, and then Sky leaned forward and kissed Pai's cheek. Their gazes flitted from their eyes to their lips, as Sky reached in and pecked Pai's lips. He leaned back, as if waiting for something, but when Pai didn't say anything, Sky closed the distance between them and kissed Pai again, lips moulding with each other. Pai closed his eyes and allowed Sky to take the lead, not sure of what was happening, but kissing him back. Finally Pai broke the kiss and stepped back, much to Sky's confusion. "I need some time," Pai said. Sky immediately pushed Pai's hands off of him and walked away.

Phayu

"Here," Phayu put the straw in Rain's favourite drink before handing it to him. "Thank you, but why did you buy only one?" Rain asked. "I bought enough money for only one," Phayu said as they both laughed. "So, how is your revision going?" Rain asked, showing Phayu the iPad he was holding, their heads together. "This question? I was doing it yesterday. But I think I got confused," Phayu said, scrunching his nose. "I will help you review it once more next time," Rain said. "Okay, makes sense," Phayu said. They both stayed engrossed in themselves, not knowing Sky was looking at them in surprise and irritation.

Rain

"You are ridiculous. You haven't finished your physics and chemistry homework till now?" Sky asked Rain as they both walked around campus. "I thought it would be easy. I can do it now," Rain said, sheepishly. "Is it because your dad added a new class for you?" Sky asked. "Yes," Rain said, not quite meeting Sky's eyes. "What class?" Sky asked. "The class.. of the new teacher last week," Rain said, sounding unsure to his own ears. Sky looked at him. "It's hard and the teacher is also strict." "So you can't use your cell phone because of this class?" Sky asked. "Hmm, I can't use my cell phone in class," Rain said, and turned away, again missing Sky's reaction. "Is it because of the teacher or because of Phayu?" Sky asked. Rain looked back in shock. "Why did you lie? Am I not your best friend?" Sky asked, sounding a bit hurt. Rain and he stared at each other a few moments and Sky walked away, leaving Rain feeling terrible.

Phayu

Phayu sat with Rain, revising something intently. Rain's sudden sigh captured his immediate attention. He looked up to see Rain staring into the distance, completely unfocused. He waved his hand in front of Rain's face. "Huh?" Rain immediately looked at him. "What happened?" Phayu asked. "Have you figured it out? Let me see?" Rain asked, leaning forward to help Phayu. Phayu looked at Rain, wondering why the boy was so off. "Do you have anything on your mind?" Phayu asked, unable to see Rain sad. "No. Let me take a look at the sum," Rain said, trying to divert Phayu. But Phayu was not to be deterred. "Say it!" he said, taking Rain's hand into his own. Rain deflated. "I quarrelled with Sky. I lied to him that I've been taking home lessons recently, that's why he couldn't find me," Rain said. "Oh," Phayu said, looking thoughtful. "It's okay. You both are so close. And he cares about you so much. You can definitely reconcile." "Really?" Rain asked, not sounding like his usual chirpy self.

Suddenly Phayu leaned in. "Don't move," he said, as he put his hands on Rain's cheek. "An eyelash," he said, after a second. "Give me your hand," Phayu said, and Rain did that. Phayu placed the lash onto his palm and blew softly into it. "By doing this, your good luck will come," he said, smiling at Rain. He started doing his work when he was suddenly distracted by Rain staring at him. He stared back. "Hurry up and write," he said, smiling inside. "Just worry about yourself," Rain said, smirking at Phayu.

Rain

Rain watched as Sky sat alone at a table finishing some work. Despite all his bravado in front of Phayu, Rain was very afraid of losing Sky. Sky was not just his friend but his brother in everything but blood. He mentally shook his head and slowly approached his best friend. "Hey! Sky?" he said. Sky looked at him then turned his head away. "What are you doing?" Rain asked. Sky didn't bother to answer, instead collecting his things and walking away. Rain immediately followed him. "Did you get the note I gave you? Did you eat the breakfast and the cake that I got for you?" Rain asked. "Yes, so what?" Sky asked.

"Sky, Am I not your best friend? Can you please not ignore me?" Rain asked. Sky glared at him. "Are you sure you have thought it through?" Sky asked. "I wanted to apologise to you. Trust me. I just didn't have the right time to tell you," Rain said. "So you have really no idea what I want?" Sky asked. "Any hints?" Rain asked, feeling sheepish. Sky rolled his eyes. "What do you think?" he asked. "Ah! Got it! I, Varain Lee, swear that I will tell you everything from now on. Forgive me please?" Rain said, putting out his puppy dog eyes. Sky turned away, but Rain leaned in on his shoulder. "Okay? Okay?" he pouted and acted all cute, knowing Sky couldn't resist him when he was like that. Sky bopped his nose. "Aow! It hurts!" Rain jumped backwards. "Huh!" Sky said sarcastically and turned away. "It's not that I can't forgive you. But... hmm.. I want 10 Rain special massage coupons and you have to buy me lunch for a month," Sky said. "Do you mean like this?" Rain asked, immediately massaging Sky's shoulders. Sky nodded. "And lunch for a month?" "Hmm." "Okay!! You are the best!" Rain said, flinging his arms around Sky's shoulder and dragging him away.

Pai

Pai cleaned the table after the customer. His mood had been at an all-time low, and he had no idea what he was going to do. Sky had not responded to any of his messages, and Pai felt like a low-life. Pai looked at the last message he had sent to Sky.

Me : "I'm really sorry about that day. Can we meet and talk?"

He kept his phone down and stared unfocused on the ground. Had he really messed up too much? "We would like to order," one of the customers called out, but Pai was lost in his own world. "Pai? Ai'Pai!" the barista called out. "Oh! Sorry," Pai said, hurrying to the customer and apologising.

Phayu

Phayu opened the door to his favourite restaurant. "Pa! Two of us!" he called out, holding the door open for Rain. "Two mochis please!" he called out again. "Let's sit here Rain?" Phayu asked. Rain nodded and both of them kept down their bags and sat down. Rain looked around the shop. "I didn't even know there was a shop like this near the school," he said. "The mochi here is awesome. That's why I brought you here to try it," Phayu said. "Thank you!" Rain said, eyes sparkling. "By the way, how do you know that I love to eat mochi?" he asked. Phayu was flustered. How did he answer that without sounding like a creepy stalker. But suddenly Rain looked at his watch.

"What's wrong?" Phayu asked, relieved to have avoided answering. "I have class later," Rain said, sounding a little tense. "But there's still time. I should be able to make it." "Are you sure?" Phayu asked, looking at his own watch. Before he could say anything else, the shopkeeper came forward with the mochi. She set them down and both the boys thanked her. "This mochi tastes better when it is hot, so eat up quickly, okay?" Phayu said. Rain quickly ate a bite and his whole face transformed. "Does it taste good?" Phayu asked. "Very delicious," Rain said, talking with his mouth still full.

Pai

Pai paced the sidewalk in front of Sky's building, checking his phone every now and then, hoping to see the other boy soon. Hearing footsteps, he turned around, immediately spotting Sky. "When will you stop ignoring me?" he asked, standing in front of Sky. Sky took off his iPods. "Why should I stop ignoring you?" he asked. "Then can you let me explain?" Pai asked. "There is nothing to explain," Sky said. "I am little tired today," Sky said moving away. "Wait!" Pai said, holding Sky's arm. "Just tell me a time when we can meet for a meal," he said. "Let me think about it," Sky replied. "Please leave now Pai." Sky turned and walked away, leaving Pai staring after him with a disgruntled look on his face, knowing that his grovelling had to be much more than this if he had to convince Sky.

Later that night, he sat in his room, with his tools set out, as he repaired Sky's necklace. It was a heart shaped pendant on a long silver chain and a very beautiful piece of craftsmanship. Pai wanted to make sure that he would do a great job so that he could prove himself to Sky. As he did that, he remembered the moments he had spent with Sky.

3rd person

"I am sorry Ajarn. I will discuss it with his dad and see what we can do," Rain's mother spoke to his teacher. "Also, don't worry, I will pay you the hourly fee for today's class." "Don't worry, we can talk about that another time," the teacher said. Just then Rain's father rushed in. "I am sorry Ajarn. You came here in vain," he said. "It's okay," the Ajarn said. "This brat is way too naughty," Rain's father said. "No, actually, in recent classes, his grades have not declined even a bit. He is not as focused, but I feel that he has become more lively and cheerful recently. You can care more about him. I still have classes. I will take my leave," the Ajarn said, and Rain's parents nodded and waiied to the teacher as she left. "See? Even the teacher said Rain has been acting weird recently," his mother said, looking worried. His father frowned, his anger rising.

Rain

Rain's steps slowed as he walked towards the door of his house, and his heart felt heavier. He paused at the door, and took in a deep breath, almost as if knew what was coming. He opened the door and heard his mother talk to someone. "Sorry to bother you. Thank you," she was saying, when he walked in. "Rain! Where have you been? You didn't answer the phone! And we were worried sick about you!" "My phone ran out of battery," Rain said, his voice devoid of all emotions. His father got off the couch and slowly walked towards him. "Where have you been?" he asked. "I had a meal with my friend," Rain said. "Had a meal? Were you so busy eating that you forgot to attend the tutoring class? The teacher waited downstairs for an hour and couldn't find you. Do you know how humiliated I will be if you keep behaving in this reckless manner?" "Okay, talk nicely," his mother tried to soothe his father.

"Even if you go out for a meal, you should tell us in advance," his mother said to him. "I was delayed because of the meal. It's not a big deal," Rain said nonchalantly. "You..," his mother trailed off. "Not a big deal? Not a big deal? You were late for class. Did you do your homework? Did you memorise the English words? How about French? Did you prepare for your IELTS? You can't even do your part well, and you still want to eat? You starve to death!" his father screamed at him, punctuating each question with a push or a poke to his chest. "Control your emotions! Control your emotions," Rain's mother tried to get in between Rain and his father. "Rain, you made a mistake. And your attitude is still so bad? Apologise to your dad," she said, as Rain looked away. "Dad, sorry," he said, a mutinous set to his lips. "Kneel down in your room and reflect on yourself! Don't get up until I allow you! Piss off!" his dad screamed again. Rain turned away, pursing up his lips, hoping he would not cry in front of the man. Rain knelt in his room, anger and rebellion mounting further and further in his heart.