"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."

"Ah! This feels do good! We really needed this break, right guys?" Nut asked. A collective 'yes' went up from the group. They had arrived in Ko Phangan earlier that morning on a chartered flight and after a lovely breakfast spread prepared by Rain's grandmother, they had taken off for the beach, fully ready to relax and destress. They had played in the water for a while, and were now lying on the beach, next to each other, as the water lapped at their feet. "This is seriously turning out to be one of the best holidays of my life," Yihwa said. "What do you mean?" Sig asked. "I have told you guys about my bad experiences in school na? I hated being with my classmates, so I was simply alienated by them on trips, so much so, that I stopped going for them. This is the first trip with friends that I have been to in last 8 years or so," she said, her voice cracking.

Rain, who was lying right next too her, immediately sat up and held her hand. "Then in that case, let's make your first trip in 8 years or so a memorable one!" he said, tugging at her. "What are we going to do?" she asked, as she sat up. "Well, since the day is a bit over, let's go to Panburi first. It's a bit of a drive, but Dad keeps his 4WD in Gampy's garage. It can comfortably seat all of us. Let's leave now, I will let you know the rest of the plan as we go?" Rain said. "Cool, then let's go freshen up and change, then get going?" Sky asked. "Yes, the sooner we can leave, the better. That way you guys will be able to check-out the local market and cuisines at the village," Rain said, excited to show his friends everything!

In half an hour, all of them met downstairs, and Rain took the keys to his Dad's car from his grandfather. It was something his dad kept around so that they could all travel together whenever they came to Ko Phangan. As Rain drove, with Yihwa in the passenger seat, all of them picked out their favourite songs as they sang along, enjoying the fresh air and beautiful scenery. They were all completely relaxed and looking forward to a fun-filled three days!

Korat, site of the new resort, around the same time –

"And this is exactly how it will look," Phayu explained to the construction team. Since earlier that morning, Pai and he had been discussing the various aspects of the construction with the team. There had been lots of points that had come up, and needed to be clarified. The construction needed to start as soon as possible. While there was no set deadline, this was the first major project that Phayu and Pai had taken up as Venice and Prapai Theerpanayakul, next generation of the family. They had done everything in this project, right from the procurement of the land, to getting all the permits and Phayu had designed the resort himself. Pai had been the one to get the quotes for the construction crew and finalise the team. The two of them had worked day in and day out to ensure that this project would be a success. This project would be their first step into eventually taking over the family business.

"How is it going Phayu?" Pai asked his cousin. "We are almost done. What did Papa K say? Why did he call?" Phayu asked. "The casino at Ko Samui is facing issues with fake money coming in. Dad and Papa V want us to handle it before we go back to Bangkok," Pai said. "Shia! I was hoping to get back to Bangkok before Rain gets back on Sunday. I am already missing him," Phayu said, completely crestfallen. "Dude! You are totally a goner!" Pai laughed. "I can't help it Pai. He makes me feel alive, makes me want to be myself, do my best. It's becoming harder and harder to let go," Phayu confessed, his voice holding a wealth of pain. "And I feel worse because I keep feeling that I am not honouring Amy's memory."

"Ai'Phayu, Amy is long gone. You have all the rights in the world to move on. I am not asking you to forget everything, because, not only is it impossible, but also because our past really shapes our present and future and is a lesson we learn. But you have been pursuing Rain since two months. If you pull back now, you will hurt that boy," Pai said, in complete seriousness. "Plus, umm.. mmm...," "Spit it out brother!" Pai said laughing. "We kissed!" Phayu said, groaning. "So are you saying you are upset about kissing him?" "No! It's not that! I loved every moment of it. It's just that..." Phayu trailed off, unable to put his thoughts into words. "Phayu, you know that you can tell me anything, right? I may not be able to give you any advice, but you know I will not judge you and I will be your support," Pai said, placing his hand on Phayu's shoulder, a serious note entering his voice.

Phayu looked at him. Pai could see the internal debate going on inside him. He also clearly saw when Phayu made a decision to share what he was feeling. "I want to share my past with Rain," he said, surprising Pai. This was not what he was expecting. Phayu was an extremely secretive person, and had not even old Pai everything that had happened. "Are you sure Ai'Phayu?" he asked. "Yes? Yes!" he nodded decisively. "Pai, in the past two months, I have realised that Rain is not someone I can hurt, not knowingly. He holds my heart. When I saw him, I felt a pull to him that I have not felt with anyone. And yesterday, when we kissed, I realised something else," he said, staring into the distance. Pai waited for him to continue. "The kiss we shared, it made me feel invincible. When he touches me, even if it's something fleeting, I feel like I am touching an electric current. When he looks at me, I feel like he can see my soul. I don't know what it means, but, it is not even something I felt with Amy. What I felt with her, seems like a childhood crush, an infatuation, but Rain? Rain has taken over my senses. One day I don't see him, or hear his voice, I feel like I am having withdrawal symptoms. What does this mean Pai?" Phayu asked, his pained face betraying his emotions.

"So why do you want to share your past with him?" Pai asked, hesitantly. "Because I don't want it to blow up in my face. I don't want him to know from someone else, and misunderstand me. He should know my truth from me. If others will tell him, they may not give him facts, but I will not hide anything from him," Phayu said, with determination ringing from his tone. "Jing, better you than anyone else. Our lives should be an open book in front of those we love," Pai said. "And moreover, it's that time of the year. I have to go to Chiang Mai. I don't want to lie to Rain," Phayu said. "Hmm.. agreed. I am glad you are happy with Rain Ai'Phayu. Just make sure you keep him happy. You are lucky to have him. Look at me! So many efforts, and Sky doesn't even care," Pai said dismally. "According to what Rain told me, Sky went through something terrible, so you need to be patient with him," Phayu said.

"Do you know what happened?" Pai asked immediately. "No, Rain didn't say much. When it's about him, Rain is as transparent as glass, but he never shares anything related to friends or divulges their secrets, even to his close ones. That's part of his charm, I guess. He just asked me to tell you to be patient, and eventually Sky will understand where you are coming from," Phayu said, encouraging his cousin. "Your mouth to God's ears brother!" Pai said fervently. "Anyway, let's go, I am hungry. And I need something cold to drink," he continued.

The two left the site, and went to a restaurant close by. As they were ordering, Pai's phone rang again. "It's Dad again. I wonder what happened now," he said. He picked up the phone. "Khap Dad? What happened?" Pai asked. "Khap, he is with me.. Khap.. we are having lunch. We will leave soon after.. Khap, chai khap, Ko Phangan, that's what Rain told Phayu.. Hmm.. hmm.. khap Dad, swadee khap," Pai ended the call and looked at Phayu. "I ordered for you," he said. "Cool!" "What happened? What did Papa K say?" "Dad and Papa V said that Ko Phangan is around 5 hours from Ko Samui. If we get out work done, we can go visit Rain and Sky," he grinned, thrilled at the thought of meeting his Sky, who he was falling in love with. "Jing? They said that? Yay! I love that idea!" Phayu said, at the unexpected bonus. "There is only one problem though," he said, looking a bit downcast immediately. "What?" Pai asked.

"Rain has not answered any of my calls or responded to any of my LINE messages since last night," he said. "It's okay bro! He is out with friends and he must be busy entertaining them. After all, that is his grandparents' resort. He is literally the host. He will respond when he can," Pai said, consoling Phayu. "You are right! Sometimes I tend to get a bit clingy with him," Phayu said. "Though, in my defence, it's the first time I am feeling like this about someone," he added. Just as Pai was about to say something, their food was served. The two boys began to eat, talking about the site they had just left and about how they would sort out the problems at Ko Samui.

Phayu and Pai went back to the site, and after covering all the details, they left for the airport, where the Theerpanayakul jet was waiting on the tarmac to take them wherever they wanted. The resort casino in Ko Samui had a private landing strip, making it easy for them to be land there. They also had a private floor, right at the top, reserved for the family. Almost all their resorts had it because the members often travelled to their resorts to take care of any situation, and therefore, depending on the location or the style, there would be a reserved area for them to live in comfort. Soon, the two of them were being driven to the resort. On the jet, the two had discussed all the possible ways to root out the problem, and finally Pai had said that it would be best to use 'Papa V's method', to which Phayu agreed wholeheartedly.

Ko Phangan, barbecue on the beach, much later that evening –

"This is seriously the best day of my life, and I can't wait for tomorrow," Yihwa said, as she stretched on one of the lounge chairs they had arranged for their bonfire barbecue night. After a wonderful day, roaming around the markets at Panburi, and having local snacks and cuisines, that made Por the happiest man, and shopping for little trinkets, Rain had suggested a beachside bonfire and barbecue. The idea had been met with resounding cheers, and Rain had informed the cook at the resort as soon as they had reached. They had all quickly freshened up, and taken whatever they needed from the kitchens and gone to the beach.

"You know? I am pretty surprised," Sig said suddenly. "Surprised about what?" Sky asked him, as he stood with Rain, helping him barbecue. "That Rain has not spoken about P'Phayu! Are you not missing him?" Sig asked. "I am, very much, especially after yesterday. But this is my time with my friends, and I want to have fun with you," Rain said, with a smile. "Yesterday? What happened yesterday?" Nut pounced on Rain's statement. "Jeez! You didn't hear I wanted to spend time with you, and heard that?" Rain asked, pouting. "Don't change the topic Ai'Rain! What happened yesterday?" Nut asked again. "Nothing much P'Phayu and I kissed, that's all," Rain said, nonchalantly. "What. The. Actual. Fuck?? You kissed? Like lip to lip?" Sig asked. "No Sig, we kissed butt to butt!" Rain said sarcastically. "You can't kiss butt to butt, you are both guys," Nut said, confused. "Holy Mary, mother of God! I was being sarcastic!!" Rain said.

"Okay, okay, so you kissed! How was it? Was it everything that you imagined?" Yihwa asked, stars in her eyes. "Oh! It was all that and more! It was perfect and addictive! And I never wanted it to end," Rain said, sighing at the memory. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! How did you manage to come away with us? How are you standing here and not calling him every 5 minutes?" Sig asked, shocked. "Because, I need you guys as much as I need my man. I am not gonna be the guy who leaves his friends, just because he has a 'to be soon faen'," Rain said, completely calm in the face of the crazy excitement of his friends.

A/N : Guys! 2k readers! Thank you for your love! It's only getting more exciting, I promise, so as usual, keep reading, keep voting, keep commenting! Your love drives me.. :)

Already have the idea for another story, will start writing that when I am around done with this one! Will keep you updated!