Page 32 of Friend Ship
“I did. Tell me what happened.” He has this look on his face, like he’s being careful of me.
“I don’t know what happened. I was thinking the saddest thoughts I could, and it wasn’t working, and then suddenly itwas working and I broke down. Maybe now it will be easier for me,” I say dully.
Sud stares at me. “You don’t know what you thought of to make yourself cry?”
“No.”
He looks like he wants to say something but decides not to. After a moment, he stands.
“I’m going to shower. Go ahead and go to sleep. I know you’re tired.”
I drift, but when Sud slips under the covers sometime later, I roll over to face him. “How did your day go?” I manage to ask after having to clear my throat twice.
“It was all right. Wore me out, though.”
My gaze goes to a bruise blooming on his shoulder, and I reach out and touch it. “You got hurt.”
“It’s nothing,” Sud says on a yawn.
I want to thank him for caring about me so much, but I can’t find the words. When he starts to snore, I realize I’ve lost my chance. So, I reach out and take his hand in mine, trying to convey how I feel with touch, hoping it reaches him in his dreams.
***
“Have you done any kissing scenes since the audition?” Bua asks a couple of weeks later. We’re studying again, because that’s all we ever do, this time sitting outside on the campus lawn under the shade of a tree. It’s a beautiful day with a blue sky and big puffy clouds floating over, casting shadows on our books for brief intervals until the sun pops out again.
“No.”
She looks at me warily.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to ask to kiss you again. That was a moment of temporary insanity on my part.” I sigh. “I just wondered, that’s all. When Sud kissed me, it felt so different from what I expected. It was…I don’t know. This sounds really cheesy, but it…took my breath away.” I mumble the last three words, but Bua hears me.
“It…took your breath away? Seriously?”
When I don’t say anything, Bua pokes my leg. “Come on, Mee Noi. What’s the big deal? It’s good you enjoyed the kiss because you’re going to have to kiss him a lot in this series, right?”
I don’t look at her, instead concentrating on plucking at a loose string on my pants. “I guess it’s just that…sometimes I wonder if, since I liked that kiss, maybe I like guys,” I murmur.
“Only you can say who you like, Noi. Give it some time. Have you met a boy you want to go out with?”
“No. I’ve just been wondering.”
“I’m pretty sure P’Wisit would volunteer in a second.”
My mouth falls open. “He would not! He’s just a nice senior who checks in on me.”
“Oh, open your eyes!” Bua sounds exasperated. “P’Wisit likes you, Mee Noi.Likes youlikes you. I’m surprised he hasn’t asked you out already.”
The idea of P’Wisit wanting to date me is ludicrous. He’s a third-year medical student and one of the most popular people at the school. Bua has romance on the brain. “He’s a friend. He asked me to go to the night market with him a few times, but he’s just being friendly. Okay, he brings me my favorite bubble tea a lot, but…”
Bua grabs me by the shoulders. “P’Wisit asked you to go to a night market with him? And he brings you your favorite tea? Mee Noi, he reallydoeslike you!”
I roll my eyes. “Stop. Sud made a big deal over that, too, saying it wasn’t a P/Nong thing. Friends do stuff like that, too.”
“Have you gone to the night market with him?” Bua asks.
I shake my head. “I’m too busy.”
“Do you thinkhe’snot busy? With all his clubs and other duties? And people don’t just notice that someone likes something and buy it for them all the time.“ She shakes her head. “When’s the last time you bought me a drink? I can’t believe you didn’t tell me this before now.”
