A Different Night

A Different Night

A chill, crisp breeze blows back the thick waves of ebony hair to reveal a devastatingly beautiful face. Wide, honey brown eyes framed with thick lashes peek up at the man in front of her shyly as her bow-shaped lips turn down into a sweet pout and her smooth, pale skin blossoms with a delicate blush. Several male hearts drop to the ground at the sight and even the man in front of her wasn’t completely immune to her charms.

“I’m so sorry, p’Arthit.” The soft voice is sweet and melodic. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“N’Daisy, is that you?” Kneeling down with a grin, Arthit gathers up the books that had been knocked out of his hands when the girl ran into him. He also grabs the backpack she dropped before standing up again and hands it to her. “Try to be a little more careful in the future so you don’t get hurt.”

“Thank you, p’Arthit. I will.” Smiling, she takes the bag and slings it over her shoulder.

“How is the freshmen hazing going?” Arthit smiles affectionately down at the girl. “Are you surviving okay, Daisy?”

“The hazers are so strict.” The cute pout returns full force as the girl scowls. “Especially that head hazer, p’Kongpob. He looks so nice and handsome but nothing pleases him.”

“I’m sure he has his reasons for what he does.” Arthit does his best to hold back his laughter. “Has he been yelling or punishing the freshmen a lot?”

“Well… no, it’s not that, p’.” Daisy’s brow crinkles adorably as she tries to think of a way to explain it. “P’Kongpob almost never yells at us. It’s just that he’s never happy with what we do. Like when he had us sing our school song. He didn’t approve when the whole group sang so told us he would listen to each of us alone. That’s so much scarier than singing with the group!”

“And what happened?” His brow arches as Arthit tilts his head quizzically.

“It was horrible, p’Arthit!” The girl shifts her weight onto her right foot and her hands grab his arm desperately, looking very much like the cutest koala ever. “He called on one of the guys in the middle of the group to sing first. No matter how many times he sang the song, p’Kongpob wasn’t pleased at all and would make him sing again. It went on so long that the poor guy started to lose his voice and his body was shaking from nerves. I thought he’d faint on the spot!”

“Did he faint?” Even knowing the story already, Arthit’s natural concern for his juniors kicks in and he pats Daisy’s hands that are still stuck to his arm.

“No, but it was close! We couldn’t stand to watch the torture anymore. When his voice failed again, the rest of us starting singing for him as loud as we could. It was even louder than the first time when we all sang together.” Daisy’s eyes get impossibly wide as a thought strikes her and she looks up at Arthit. “Is that what he wanted? P’Kongpob passed the guy after that and left the hall without making anyone else sing. I thought he was just tired and didn’t want to listen anymore.”

“The hazers always have a reason for what they do, Daisy.” He pats her head affectionately. “The head hazer, especially, wants to do what’s best for his juniors so they have a fulfilling university life.”

“You’re just biased because you used to be the head hazer.” Rolling her eyes, she shoves Arthit’s arm away in a huff. “You don’t know what p’Kongpob is really like.”

“You might be surprised.” Arthit mumbles under his breath with a secret smile before wrapping his arms around the small girl in a brotherly hug. “I think my most adorable nong needs to give her head hazer a chance. I guarantee that you will start to like Kongpob and he will be a great senior to you.”

“You know p’Kongpob?” Daisy asks in surprise.

“Well…” Arthit hesitates and scrunches his face up as he tries to decide what to say.

“P’Arthit!” A loud shout interrupts them. Startled, they turn in unison to find an annoyed looking Kongpob standing several feet away and staring daggers.

“You might say that I know him.” Mumbling again, Arthit releases the girl in his arms as Kongpob walks up beside him. “Hi, Kong.”

“What are you doing here?” The question is aimed at Arthit but Kong is eyeing the younger girl suspiciously.

“Hello, p’Kongpob.” Bringing her hands up in a respectful wai, Daisy watches the two boys curiously.  P’Kongpob is clearly irritated about something and p’Arthit is blushing like mad as he keeps an eye on the other guy.

“Hello, n’Boonsri.” His voice is short but he still returns her wai. “It’s getting pretty late. Why haven’t you headed home yet?”

“I ran into p’Arthit and we lost track of time while talking.” Looking around, Daisy notices how dark it has gotten. She looks back at Arthit who is still eyeing p’Kongpob cautiously. Brushing off the pending night and the weird atmosphere around the guys, she lets out a charming, bubbly giggle. “I forgot to ask what brings you to campus, p’Arthit. I’m still disappointed that we couldn’t go to Uni together, even if for just a year. Also, how is work? Have you settled in yet? Did you find a nice apartment?”

“Enough, Daisy! I can only answer so many questions at a time!” Holding his hands up in surrender, Arthit laughs. “To answer you: I’m on campus to meet with my lover; I’m sure you will do just fine without me here; work is going well, I’m still a newbie so they keep me busy; and the apartment I’m staying in is nice enough and not too far from my work. I think that was everything.”

“So, you didn’t come here to see me?” With another adorable pout, Daisy flings her arms around Arthit’s waist and buries her face in his chest. “But I’ve missed my p’Arthit.”

“Um, Daisy… Daisy… you can let go now.” As Arthit awkwardly tries to untangle himself from his darling koala girl, Kong crosses his arms and glares at the two. “Seriously, I need you to let go, right now.”

“Fine.” With a disappointed sigh, Daisy releases him and steps away only to be met with the decidedly unfriendly stare of her head hazer. She takes another step back to be well out of his reach. “Uh, p’Kongpob, is something wrong?”

“What can be wrong? Right, p’Arthit?” Arthit winces at the younger man’s tone and tries to look as innocent as possible as he shrugs his shoulders. Kong continues to glare, not happy with that response.

“There’s nothing wrong.” Giving his cutest pout, his secret weapon, Arthit tugs on the hem of Kongpob’s shirt. “I was just waiting here for you when this little sister from my neighborhood ran into me.”

“You were waiting for p’Kongpob? I thought you said you were waiting for your lover?” Once again, Arthit can almost see the gears turning in Daisy’s pretty little head as she considers the implications. Then her eyes widen and her mouth falls open as she almost screams in surprise. “Seriously?! You’re dating the head hazer?!”

There aren’t a lot of people in the area this late at night but, those that are, stop and stare. The older students shake their heads in amusement, already well aware of the rumors surrounding Kongpob and his former head hazer. The first years have practically turned to statues in shock at the unexpected revelation.

“Is there a problem with that?” The silky voice hides Kongpob’s true feelings as he asks for clarification.

“Kong, she is the last person that’s going to say anything.” Sliding his hand into his lover’s, Arthit wraps his other hand around Kong’s arm. “Trust me.”

“I trust you,” Relaxing slightly, Kong sets his free hand on top of Arthit’s. “I’m just not so sure about your nong.”

Before anymore can be said, another freshmen and a familiar older girl come out of the building and head straight for them while calling out to Daisy. The guy is lean and handsome with brushed back wavy dark hair and an infectious grin. As the girl with him gets closer, Arthit realizes it’s Prae Pailin from Kong’s year.

“Boonsri, why didn’t you wait for us?” The handsome guy asks as soon as he stops next to her. Belatedly, he notices the two with her and hastily raises his hands to wai. “Hello, p’Kongpob.”

“Sorry, Chain. I was just going to wait for you on the benches over there but got sidetracked.” Linking their fingers together, Daisy tugs him closer with a sweet smile.

“P’Arthit, is that you?” Catching up, Prae happily wais to her senior. “How have you been?”

“Good. How about you, Prae?” Arthit lets go of Kong to return the wai, but connects their hands again after.

“I’m fine.” Her smile widens at the sight of their linked hands. “I’m glad you’re here. Somebody has been a grump lately from missing you.”

“Has he really?” Arthit gives a teasing grin to Kongpob, his dimples in full display. “Do I need to punish him in front of the first years? Maybe a hundred situps or 50 laps around the track?”

“Surprised you didn’t suggest shouting in front of the whole dining area again that I like you.” Rolling his eyes at his boyfriend, Kong shakes his head.

“Would that even count as a punishment?” Sarcasm drips from Arthit’s words. “You’d do that anyway without any provocation from me.”

“Probably.” Conceding the point, Kong swiftly dips his head and gives Arthit a soft peck on the lips. He quickly straightens up and grins at the stunned expression on his boyfriend’s face.

“KONGPOB!” Arthit’s sharp yell echoes off the nearby building.

“You two never change.” Amused, Prae laughs at her friends’ antics before turning to look at the younger people next to her. She slides her hand into Daisy’s empty hand. “We should get going. It’s getting pretty late.”

The trio say their goodbyes and walk off hand in hand. A little further and Kongpob sees Prae lean over to kiss Daisy on the forehead as Chain raises their hands to kiss her knuckles. The affection between the three is evident as they are swallowed up by the invading darkness.

“Did they…? I’m mean, are they…?” Unable to put his thoughts into words, Kongpob stutters to a stop.

“Are the three of them dating? Yes and it seems to be working out for them.” Arthit answers Kong’s unfinished question. “I told you Daisy wouldn’t mind us dating.”

“But… seriously…” With a sigh, Kongpob smirks at his own reaction. “As long as they’re happy.”

“Right now, I’m not too concerned about whether they are happy or not.” Tugging Kongpob to face him, Arthit knots the collar of the hazer’s shirt in his fists and pulls him down to eye level. “I’m more concerned about my neglected, grumpy, and apparently very jealous boyfriend.”

“You do realize that we are still standing in the middle of campus, p’Arthit?” Not denying the accusation, Kongpob looks into Arthit’s eyes hesitantly.

“I don’t fucking care.” The low growl is followed by soft, warm lips pressing hungrily against his own.

When Arthit shows no sign of stopping, Kong’s hands slip around his waist and pull the older man firmly up against his solid body. One of the hands that had been gripping the collar slide up into Kong’s thick hair to hold him in place as Arthit tilts his head for better access. The tip of a wet tongue traces the crevasse of the younger man’s mouth, begging to be let in. Unable to resist, Kong parts his lips and their tongues wrestle in a familiar duel, tasting their need for each other. A lack of necessary oxygen finally has them pulling apart, but that doesn’t stop Kong from planting baby kisses down the side of Arthit’s neck.

“We should get some dinner. I doubt you’ve eaten anything since lunch.” Panting, Arthit pushes Kong away so they can calm down. In doing so, he becomes more aware of their surroundings and is extremely happy to note the lack of people left in the area. A pink blush rushes from the tips of his ears all the way down into his clothes, which Kong studies speculatively.

“I am hungry.” The suggestiveness in Kong’s statement is not lost on Arthit and his blush deepens.

“Pervert.” Smacking the boy upside the head, Arthit gives him his best head hazer glare with his arms crossed. “I’m talking about eating food, not me.”

“Can’t I have both?” Kong’s low voice seductively whispers near his ear sending an excited shiver across his skin.

“We can get the food to go.” Jerking his boyfriend close, Arthit gives him one more scorching kiss before grabbing his hand and leading the way to the food stalls.