Chapter 30: Chapter 28

POND'S POV

“So many people here,” Dunk whispers to me.

“Yeah, there really are. Are you okay? You don’t like crowds.”

“I can manage. I’ll just disappear for a bit if it gets overwhelming.”

“Alright. Just message me or Joong, okay? You know how your boyfriend tends to be overprotective when it comes to you.”

“You’re such a basher.”

“I’m not a basher. I just tell it like it is.”

“Fine, whatever.”

“Is Phu hungry yet? He didn’t eat much at lunch.”

“He said he’s not hungry. I already asked him twice.”

“Is he okay with this crowd?”

“I don’t know. But I don’t think so.” I nodded toward Phuwin’s tightly clenched fists.

“He’s holding on.” I nodded in agreement with Dunk’s observation.

Tonight is the third and final night of Phuwin’s father’s wake. My dad chose a chapel near their home so their father’s friends and acquaintances could pay respects. But being close to their home also means their nosy neighbors showed up, pretending to mourn. Actually, they’ve been here every night.

I know Phuwin is uncomfortable with them here, and so is Gem. We’ve been stopping him from shooing away these busybodies to avoid further drama for their family. It’s bad enough that the neighbors are already gossiping about their mother’s absence from the wake. We don’t want to add more fuel to the fire and have the siblings dragged down by even more rumors.

Just earlier today, Dunk’s father said their mother was released on bail, and she’s expected to come tonight—something none of us want to happen. Even Gem doesn’t want to see her at their father’s wake. So, my dad arranged for tight security. So far, we haven’t heard any updates about their mother, so maybe she doesn’t plan to come after all.

Gem has been hands-on with organizing his father’s wake. He made all the decisions, with financial support from my parents, which he initially resisted until my father insisted. Dunk and Joong’s parents also helped, as did Fourth’s family, and Aou and Boom’s parents even sent people to assist Gem at night.

Gem keeps a strong front, handling everything, but we know that he cries quietly when everyone has left. Only when Phuwin is asleep does he go near the coffin and let his tears fall. We don’t approach him because even Fourth stops us. He says Gem doesn’t want anyone pitying him, but he’ll come to us if he can’t handle it anymore.

Phuwin, on the other hand, has been like a puppet since day one—distant and barely responsive. He only gives slight nods or shakes his head to my questions and doesn’t answer anyone else but me. He also stays close to his father’s coffin, sometimes talking to his father, or singing to him, then silently crying himself to sleep. He hasn’t been eating properly either. He skips breakfast, has a small lunch, and only drinks milk at night. His weight has visibly dropped in just two days. I asked my dad to get a nurse to check on him since it’s now ten o'clock at night and he still hasn’t eaten or even had milk.

“Baby, it’s time to eat, okay? It’s already ten,” I whispered to Phuwin, hoping he’d take a bite since his father’s eulogy is soon.

Phuwin just looked at me and shook his head. His eyes were still swollen from crying all night.

“I’ll bring your food here, alright? What do you want? I’ll feed you.” I brushed a few strands of his hair away from his face. His hair seems to be growing faster, maybe from all the stress.

He shook his head again. I squatted down beside him and held his hand. “Baby, you have to eat. Do you want your papa to be sad? Or for me to be upset with you?”

Phuwin shook his head quickly, tears welling up in his eyes. Lately, I’ve had to talk to him like a child just to get him to listen. My mom said it’s normal given what he’s going through.

“Then you have to eat, okay? Tell me what you want.”

“Anything,” he answered softly.

“Alright. Stay with Dunk. I’ll go get you some food.”

Phuwin nodded, and I wiped his tears and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before turning to Dunk.

“Go. I’ll look after him,” Dunk said.

I got Phuwin some macaroni soup and bread—simple but nourishing enough to fill his stomach without upsetting it. I didn’t take much since I knew he wouldn’t eat much anyway. He just needed something warm in his stomach.

As I headed back, I noticed some commotion outside but decided to ignore it, trusting the guards to handle it.

When I reached Phuwin, Dunk was tense, holding Phuwin’s hand. Joong stood in front of them protectively, with two guards on either side of him.

“What’s going on?” I asked Dunk.

“Their mom’s outside. Your dad is handling it, and my dad has already called the police. They’re waiting on a warrant.”

“What about Gemini?” I asked, helping Phuwin to stand. I pulled him into a hug when I felt him start to tremble.

“He’s inside with Fourth, Boom, and Aou. They’re trying to calm him down.”

I nodded, then focused on Phuwin again. “Baby, I’m here. Calm down, okay?” I said gently. His eyes were filled with anger, and he was trembling, murmuring his father’s name over and over.

“When Gem found out their mom was outside, he almost went out to confront her. Luckily, Fourth acted quickly and stopped him. Boom and Aou helped pull him inside. I wanted to take Phuwin inside too, but he refused to leave. He said he’d behave, so we didn’t push it. He wasn’t like this earlier, but when his mom started yelling, he just froze, holding back his anger,” Dunk explained.

“Why did she have to come? She’s not needed here.”

“No idea,” Dunk replied with a shrug.

I turned to Phuwin again, noticing he was biting his lip so hard it had started bleeding. I gently pulled his lip down.

“Let’s go inside, baby. You can release your anger in there, okay?”

“But what about my papa?” Phuwin looked at me, anger and sadness mixed in his eyes.

“Dunk will stay with him. You need to let go of these feelings; holding them in isn’t good. We’ll come back once you’re okay and your mom is gone.”

“Pond…”

“Let’s go.” I could tell Phuwin wanted to say more, but he chose to keep it to himself.

I took him to the back of the chapel, to a small room meant for rest. Gem was there too, crying hard. The room was a mess, with Boom tidying up. Aou sat beside Fourth, who was holding Gem’s hand.

I guided Phuwin to sit, but before I could, he broke down. He screamed, throwing anything he could reach. Boom rushed to Aou’s side, worried since his heart condition means any shock isn’t good.

I let Phuwin express himself. He screamed and threw things for about ten minutes. I didn’t care about the mess; I just wanted him to let it out.

When he finally stopped, I went to him as he nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

“Pond, can I go with papa? I hate this. I hate how everything has fallen apart. I hate watching my plans for my parents crumble.”

“Are you leaving me?”

“You could come with me.”

“Or you could stay with me.”

“How? My life’s a mess. Could you even accept someone like me? A drug pusher’s son? A criminal’s child?”

“When my heart chose you, I accepted all your flaws. I’m willing to accept even more because it’s you.”

A.N

Sorry for a very late update. Been busy because of some changes at my work and now I was in the hospital because my mom undergo an operation to remove his gallstone. I'll try to update more if I can but can't promise anything at all. For now, hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you and love you all. Jubjub 😘😘😘