The sound of the sea waves was too relaxing, it was starting to lull him to sleep. He was with his boyfriend at the beach, enjoying a one-week vacation away from their lives' responsibilities. He was lying on his back with his head comfortably resting on Arthit's warm lap. Looking, up, Kongphop smiled at the serene expression that graced his boyfriend's handsome face as he gazed into the sea. Kongphop felt his heart swelling with happiness and peace.

"Hey, what are you looking at? How many times do I have to tell you that my face is expensive?" Arthit said, looking down at him with a mocked annoyed expression.

"I think I can afford it." He replied teasingly.

"I doubt that!" Arthit snorted adorably.

"Oh, really?"

"Really!" Arthit said with a pout.

"Name your price, and I'm ready to pay it."

Arthit raised an eyebrow before he smirked. "Your father's company."

Kongphop laughed. "But it's already yours...technically."

"It is? How?"

"Aren't you my wife?"

"KONGPHOP!" Arthit tried to stand up had not Kongphop held him down.

"I'm joking," He said laughingly. "But seriously speaking, you've become part of the family since the day I'd introduced you to them. So, what is mine is now yours!"

He raised one hand and gently ran it up Arthit's neck, to the back of his head and into his silky hair.

Arthit pressed his lips frowningly, looking up.

"Oh, come on, P'Arthit. Don't be mad!" Kongphop pleaded, gently caressing his lover's nape. "Pleassssseee...I love you!"

He watched amused as Arthit fought hard not to smile. A broad smile broke on his face when finally, Arthit's lips turned upwards in a beautiful, shy smile.

"You know what? Just for being able to be with you," Kongphop whispered. "I can die a happy man right now."

"You want to die and leave me alone?" Arthit asked, looking down at his lover. His expression was neutral, but there was a glint of sadness in his eyes.

"Then, will you die with me?"

"No," Arthit replied. "I don't want either of us to die. I want us to live together for a very long time."

Kongphop smiled as he gently pulled Arthit's head downwards until their lips met.

Kongphop opened eyes when the alarm went on. Stretching a hand, he silenced the offending device, before he buried his face into the pillow. He was about to doze off again when his phone rang. Groaning, he reached his hand once more and grabbed the phone. It was Mayuree.

"Good Morning," he greeted.

"Good Morning," she greeted warmly. "Getting ready for work?"

"No, I'm not feeling well," he replied. "So, I think I'll skip work today."

"What's wrong? Are you ill? Do you want me to come over?"

"I'm fine," he replied. "I just feel a little tired. It will probably go away after I sleep some more. There is no need for you to worry. You are busy today with your gallery. Focus on that."

"But—"

"I 'm fine, Mayuree," he reassured. "Just focus on your gallery. I'll come by your house to pick you up in the evening, and we'll go there together."

"Alright," Mayuree replied uncertainly. "See you later then. Bye."

"Bye."

Hanging up, Kongphop turned on the silent mode before throwing the phone away. Ever since he had learned about what had happened to Arthit, he was in no mood to do anything. He had spent Sunday locked in his room, without eating, or talking to anyone, only thinking about his P'Arthit and reminiscing about their memories together.

He turned to one side and stared at the empty pillow next to his; a mirage of Arthit's sleeping face suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. He reached one hand, trying to feel his lover's soft skin with his fingertips only to realize that no Arthit was sleeping by his side.

Kongphop inhaled sharply. For almost two days, he had been thinking of nothing except what had happened to both him and Arthit this past year. He couldn't help wondering why his lover hadn't told him about his ordeal. He couldn't help feeling betrayed by Arthit who didn't trust him with his pain.

Kongphop shook his head slightly. He knew his lover very well. Arthit's pride wouldn't have allowed him to admit such thing to anyone let alone Kongphop.

'P'Knott knew.' A small voice inside his head told him.

'Because, P'Arthit called him for help while I was away,' He replied.

'Why didn't he tell you when you returned?'

'Because...he was ashamed.'

'But you are his boyfriend. He promised not to hide anything from you, yet he didn't trust you with his problems. Instead, he broke up with you without giving you a reason.'

'He must have his reasons.'

'Which are?'

'I don't know.'

Kongphop closed his eyes in a poor attempt to prevent tears from escaping.

It hurt him a lot to know that his lover was going through such thing without asking him for support...instead, he allowed another to take care of him.

Did P'Arthit think that he would leave if he knew what happened? Did he genuinely believe that he, Kongphop, would abandon him when he needed him the most? If the answer was yes, then it only meant that his boyfriend didn't have any faith or trust in him or in his love.

Kongphop bit his lower lip, trying in vain to squash down the agonizing pain he had been feeling since Saturday night. Burying his face deeper into the pillow, Kongphop allowed a sob to escape.

"Kong!"

Several soft knocks on his door were heard accompanied by his mother's voice.

"Are you awake, Son?" She asked from behind the door.

"Yes, Mother," Kongphop replied, rising quickly from his bed and wiping away his tears. "I'm awake."

Opening the door, his mother entered. "Kong, you're still in bed. It's 7:30. Aren't you going to work?"

"I don't feel like it, Mother," he said, trying to make his voice as normal as possible. "I feel a little bit drained."

"Are you sick?" She rushed to his side and checked his temperature. "You know, you've been acting strange since Saturday. What is it? A problem at work? With Mayuree?"

"None of these things, Mom," he replied, gently taking her hand off his forehead. "It's probably because I've been working too hard at the office lately and it's finally catching up. It'll go after a well-rest." He smiled, trying to ease his mother's worries.

The older woman stared at him unconvinced for a while but then decided just to let it go.

"Alright, then," she said. "I will tell your father that you're not going to work today. Are you still going to Mayuree's gallery tonight?"

"Of course."

His mother smiled approvingly before kissing him on his forehead and standing up. "I'll leave you to rest now." With that, the older woman left.

Sighing, Kongphop lied back and covered himself with his covers.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Knott checked his phone for the umpteenth time since morning, but still, the call he had been waiting for didn't come. It was Monday afternoon, and still, Arthit's father didn't call to tell him about the compatibility results. Tum, Dear, the rest of his friends had texted him several times; all were asking the same question which he didn't have the answer to.

"Something wrong, dear?" His girlfriend asked. "You've been looking at your phone as if you're expecting a call."

Sighing, he looked up and smiled at her. They were supposed to be having lunch together at a restaurant near their university and relaxing after a day of study; however, Knott was far away from being relaxed.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I should've been focusing on you, Tob, but the truth is I'm waiting for a call from Arthit's father to tell me about the compatibility results."

"It's alright, Knott," Tob said, smiling understandingly.

Knott gave her a guilty smile. "I know that I wasn't the doting boyfriend this past year—"

"Knott," Tob cut him short. "There is no need for this kind of talk. I understand that you are worried about your friend. Besides, I really feel sorry for Arthit. He doesn't deserve what had happened to him."

A sad smile was the only thing that Knott could muster.

Tob had met Arthit and the rest of Knott's friends at Bright's bar about a year and a half ago, and she had immediately liked them all, especially Arthit. The man was kind, gentle, polite and had a charming sunny smile. The two of them soon became close friends, and soon they started to go out on double dates with their respective boyfriends so much that it became a routine for them to see each other more than once a day...that's until Arthit's incident.

Knott hadn't told her exactly what had happened, except that Arthit had been attacked by some gang and was suffering from the aftermaths of his trauma.

"Do you have more classes left?" Knott asked, trying to change the subject.

"No," she replied. "I need to go to the art museum, though. The fourth years in my faculty are having their graduation art gallery tonight, and I'm on the organizing committee. And there are still many things to be done. Do you want to come over and see?"

"Okay," Knott replied, gaining a bright smile from Tob. He was about to say something when his phone rang. It was Arthit's father.

"Hello, Uncle. Did the doctor call?" Knott answered. "I see. Don't worry. We will think of something. Goodbye."

Tob watched with deep concern how her boyfriend's expression tightened during his call. It was clear that Arthit's father had some bad news.

"What happened?" She asked as Knott hung up.

"None of us is suitable as a donor for Arthit," Knott replied before sighing deeply.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Tob said sympathetically. "What are you going to do now?"

"We must find a donor somehow," Knott replied.

Tob stared at her boyfriend with great sympathy. She really wanted to help but didn't know how.

Shaking his head, Knott looked up at his girlfriend. "How about we leave?" he asked. "Come, I'll drop you at the museum."

Nodding her head, Tob smiled and stood up silently.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

The event was glamorous. In supporting the art students, the city museum had arranged a great gala inviting many famous painters to attend and view the graduates' works.

Kongphop smiled widely as he stood by his fiancée, greeting all the gallery guests, along with the other graduates. His parents and Mayuree's were already roaming the hall, watching the paintings.

"Hey, Kong!" Em exclaimed, approaching along with May, Tew, Oak, Wad, and Prem tagging along a little bit behind the group.

"Would you like me to show you around?" Kongphop offered after they greeted each other.

"We would love to," May said.

"I will join you as soon as I'm done with greeting the rest of the guests," Mayuree said.

As luck would have it, Knott and Tob approached her as soon as Kongphop left with his friends.

"N'Mayuree," Tob greeted as she approached. "I'm sorry for being late. I should've been here from the beginning, but I was swamped in the backroom, clearing all the mess."

"It's alright, P'," Mayuree replied. "I thank you for all your help."

"You're welcome," Tob said with a smile. "This is my boyfriend, Knott."

The two greeted each other before Mayuree turned her attention to Tob. "My fiancé is here as well."

"Oh, really?" Tob said. "I'm curious to meet him. I'm sorry I couldn't be present at the engagement."

"It's alright."

As the two women talked, Knott stared at Mayuree, wondering where he had seen her. Her face seemed very familiar.

"Mayuree," the trio looked and saw Kongphop.

"P'Tob, P'Knott," Mayuree said, "This is my fiancé, Kongphop Suthiluck."

Tob stared at Kongphop with great surprise. While she knew that Arthit and Kongphop had split, she didn't know that he got engaged so soon. She looked at her boyfriend, but he didn't seem surprised. Forcing a smile, she looked at Kongphop and greeted him as if he was a stranger before she and Knott excused themselves.

"Knott," Tob began as soon as they reached the drinks' table. "did you know about N'Kong's engagement?"

"Yes," he replied.

"And Arthit?"

A deep sigh was her only reply.

FLASHBACK

Knott drove as fast as he could, trying to reach his destination as if he was chased by wild beasts. It was still early in the morning but the article he had seen in the morning newspaper had almost given him a heart attack. His friend wasn't usually the early type, but Knott needed to warn Arthit's father about it as soon as possible so he would hide the newspaper from his son.

Parking his car in front of Arthit's parents' house, he quickly left the car and rushed to the front door.

"Good morning, uncle!" He greeted hastily as Arthit's father opened the door. "Is Arthit up?" He asked, peeking inside the house.

"Yes," The older man replied, puzzled. "He's in the kitchen."

Before Knott could respond, the two heard the sound of something breaking coming from the kitchen. The two ran into and saw Arthit standing in the middle the kitchen, paralyzed, with a tear-drenched face, staring at a broken cup next to his feet. In one hand, he was holding a newspaper.

"Arthit," Knott rushed to his friend's side, snatching the newspaper from his hand before he started to guide the stunned man out of place.

"What's wrong with him?" His father asked.

Knott gave him the newspaper before he helped Arthit to sit down on the sofa in the living room.

Arthit's father looked at the newspaper which was opened at the society section where a large picture of Kongphop and a young woman above an engagement announcement took almost half of the page.

"Arthit," Knott called his friend, who seemed to be lost in another world. His friend looked blankly at him for a moment before a spark of distinguishing shone in his eyes.

"Kongphop," was the only thing that came out of Arthit's mouth.

"Give it up, Arthit. It's over between you two," Knott said with a sigh. "It's about time that you forget him and move on. He obviously did!" Though he said it, Knott knew that his friend would never be able to get over his ex entirely.

END OF FLASHBACK

Knott frowned, remembering Arthit's reaction. After his trauma, his friend had developed a severe case of nausea whenever he became stressed. That morning, Arthit had thrown up his entire breakfast before he lay in his bed, silently crying. Knott and Arthit's father didn't know what to do to console him.

Shaking his head, Knott tried to focus back on reality and his girlfriend.

"Honey, I need to go for a moment," Tob said hastily before she left, heading towards a group of professors.

"Knott,"

Knott turned around to see Prem approaching him.

"Hey, Prem, what are you doing here?"

"I came with Wad," Prem replied. "I didn't want to, but he insisted. Plus, there is a section for photography I thought I could check it out."

"I see."

"By the way, any news on Arthit?"

Knott looked around before he spoke. "None of us is suitable as a donor. I've already texted P'Dear and P'Tum about it."

"And now what?"

"I don't know," Knott replied with a sigh. "We must find some donors as soon as possible."

"Hey, guys,"

The two looked behind and saw Tum, Fon, and Pern approaching them.

"Hello," Knott and Prem greeted them.

"Hello, fancy seeing you here?" Tum wondered.

"I came with my girlfriend and Prem with his boyfriend," Knott replied. "What about you?"

"Kongphop was kind enough to invite all of the co-students code members to this event," Pern replied excitedly.

"Knott, I need to talk to you," Tum said. "Can we go somewhere less crowded?"

"Of course."

The ladies excused themselves to go and check on the paintings while the men headed to an empty balcony.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Kongphop stood in front of a painting, staring intensely at it. The painting portraited a young man sitting under a tree, playing his guitar; it was titled 'On a sunny day.' It wasn't very greatly done, but to him, it triggered a sense of longing for a time when he was happy.

FLASHBACK

Kongphop walked away from the beverages stall, carrying two green coconuts, and heading towards the spot where he had left his lover.

A broad smile spread on his face when he got there and saw Arthit sitting under a tree, playing with his guitar, surrounded by a bunch of children. The older man seemed to be enjoying playing famous Thai children's songs to his audience.

Becoming aware of Kongphop's presence, Arthit stopped playing abruptly, much to the children's displeasure.

"Why did you stop?" One of the children whined.

"We want more!" another said.

"Yes, sing to us more."

"No! That's enough!" Arthit replied embarrassedly, eyeing Kongphop who was smirking with great amusement. "Go away!"

All the children groaned in disappointment before they all started to stand up. A small girl surprised the two men by walking to Arthit and planting a peck on his cheek before running away.

Kongphop raised an amused eyebrow. "Should I be jealous?" He asked as he sat beside his boyfriend.

"She's just a little girl," Arthit said indifferently, taking one coconut from his boyfriend's hand.

Kongphop smiled before turning his attention to the sea in front of him.

"You know, this reminds me of my year's initiation trip..." he said suddenly. "Remember? When you nearly caused me to drown myself?"

"Hey! It was your fault!" Arthit exclaimed with a pout.

Kongphop laughed. "Anyway, do you remember when I challenged you about making us sit under the sun while you and the seniors were singing under the shades, surrounded by the first-year girls?" he asked, moving a little closer to the other man.

"Yeah, and?" Arthit asked softly, staring at his lover suspiciously.

"Well, contrary to everyone's beliefs, I didn't confront you because I was angry for ordering us to sit under the sun," Kongphop confessed.

"Then why were you angry then?" Arthit asked.

Kongphop slowly closed the gap between their faces before he whispered. "I was insanely jealous seeing you sitting there singing while all the girls were swooning over you."

Arthit flushed as he gazed into Kongphop's eyes and teasing smile.

"Crazy!" he finally said, pulling away before returning his attention back to his guitar.

Kongphop laughed amusedly at the other man's attempt to cover his embarrassment. The tips of his adorable boyfriend's ears were tomato-red, and he was fighting a losing war against his lips, which were slowly curving up into a cute shy smile.

"Hey, P'Arthit, have you ever seen an elephant?(1)" Kongphop teased.

"Shut up!"

END OF FLASHBACK

"Kong!" Kongphop snapped from his memories when someone placed their hand on him. Looking at his side, he saw his fiancée.

"Yes, Mayuree?" He asked, forcing a smile upon his face.

"I asked you if you liked the painting, but you seemed to be lost," she said before looking at the painting. "It's not one of the best paintings in the gallery, you know? There are more well-done and meaningful paintings than this."

"On the contrary," Kongphop replied. "it's the most beautiful painting I've ever seen."

Mayuree looked at him, surprised at the amount of passion that colored his voice. She stared intently at his face, wondering about the reason for all the emotions that were playing in his eyes.

Before she could ask, the two heard someone calling Kongphop's name.

Looking behind, Kongphop smiled, seeing Pern, Fon and the rest of his co-students code members approaching them. Noticing Tum's absence, he inquired about him after all the introductions and greetings were made.

"He's with P'Knott and P'Prem," Pern replied. "in one of the balconies, I think. P'Tum seemed to have something important to talk about with them."

Excusing himself, Kongphop went to look for his seniors.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

"So, what are we going to do now?" Tum asked.

The three of them were discussing the new developments in Arthit's situation.

"All we can do is try to find a suitable donor," Knott said. "Arthit's father has already tried to contact his relatives but they aren't many, and there is no guarantee that one of them will be suitable."

"We can ask our former peers from college," Prem suggested.

"That's a great idea!" Tum said. "And I'll talk to the code members, as well as the members of the hazing teams."

"No!" Knott exclaimed before he could stop himself. "I mean," he said. "I don't think Arthit will appreciate it if all of the university knew about his accident. Some may ask irrelevant questions. Besides, some people shouldn't know about this matter at all."

"Knott, are you serious?" Tum asked, irritated. "I-Aoon's life is in danger, and you are worried about that?!"

"I'm sorry, P'," Knott said. "But we have to consider Arthit's feelings as well. If he woke up and then discovered that his secret was discovered, it would kill him right away. Plus, think of his pride. He will not accept any favors from anyone."

Tum sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, Knott was right. His stubborn junior would prefer to die rather than accepting help from strange people.

"Fine," He said. "What do you suggest then?"

"We'll ask only the people whom Arthit knew and would appreciate their help."

"Alright."

"And P'Tum, please, neither Kongphop nor any of his friends should know about this matter."

"Yeah, I know!"

With that, the three re-entered the museum hall.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Kongphop spotted the trio as they were about to re-enter the hall. He quickly headed towards them. He wasn't truly looking for Tum. The one he truly wanted to talk to was Knott, and he had been trying to gather his courage to talk to the man ever since he saw him with his girlfriend. But since Tum was already present, Kongphop thought to use his presence to his advantage.

"Good evening, P'Tum," he greeted as soon as he was near the trio.

"Good evening, Kongphop," Tum greeted back. "How are you?"

"Fine. Thank you for coming." He said.

"Thank you for inviting us."

"You're welcome. Please, P'Knott," Kongphop called the man who was about to leave. "I have something I wish to talk to you about."

Knott didn't bother to hide his irritation but said nothing; instead, he stood in his place, waiting for the other man to talk.

Sensing that Kongphop wanted some privacy, Tum gestured to Prem to silently walk away with him, though the two didn't go far, in case Knott repeated the scene at the hospital.

"P'Knott," Kongphop began. "How is P'Arthit?"

"He's fine," Knott replied.

"Is he still in the hospital?"

"What do you want, Kongphop?" Knott asked impatiently. "I don't think you only wanted to ask me about Arthit."

"True," Kongphop replied. "I wanted to tell you that I may have seen the man who hurt P'Arthit."

"I know. Bright told me. So?"

"So, now we can report what happened to the police," Kongphop said. "If you would just tell them about the cabin and its location, I can testify of what I had seen, and surely the police will check the building's CCTV and—"

"And then what?" Knott interrupted. "It's a been a whole year, Kongphop. Do you think that the police will look into something that happened a year ago? Plus, those who attacked Arthit may not be in the city anymore."

"But, P'Knott—"

"Why do you concern yourself about this, anyway?" Knott asked.

"Because P'Arthit is my senior and—"

"No, you are not concern about him because he's your senior," Knott interrupted. "You're acting as if he was still your lover."

"Is it wrong to be concern about him?"

"Yes, since you've already broken up with him and already have a fiancée."

"I wasn't the one who broke up with him," Kongphop said.

"I know," Knott said. "But that doesn't change anything. You two are separated, and you have someone else to care about."

"Don't you think that I have the right to be concerned about him? Or, at least, have the right to know why he broke up with me?" Kongphop asked in a broken tone. "For a whole year, I lived with the notion that he had left me for another but after hearing your story, I couldn't help but feel that he had broken up with me because he didn't have faith in me or in my love. Did he really think that I would look down on him because of something that was beyond his power? Or was there another reason that compelled him to push me out of his life? I need to know why he hid something like that from me?"

"Well, he's not exactly in a position to answer any of your questions, is he?"

Kongphop stared at the older man, feeling his heart shattering all over again. "Please, P'Knott," he said. "You are his best friend. He called you when he needed someone to help him. Didn't he at least tell you something?"

Knott sighed deeply before he looked straight into Kongphop's eyes. "Listen to me, Kongphop. I was probably the first person to know about Arthit's growing feelings towards you. And he did ask for my advice when he was doubtful about the future of his relationship with you, and I was the one who advised him to look for his happiness instead of worrying about the future. And When the two of you started dating, I supported your relationship because I saw how happy you made him, but not anymore," Knott said. "Your presence now is only causing him pain."

A hurt look flashed in Kongphop's eyes upon hearing this.

"Whatever reasons were behind Arthit's actions," Knott continued. "He's the only one who can reveal them... All I can say, as his friend, that if you want to help him really, then just forget about him and live your life away from him. It's time to let him go." With that, Knott walked away, without waiting for a reply or a comment.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

(1) A famous Thai children's song.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

To Be Continued...