Chapter 8 : TRUST

I woke up with some red marks on my arm.

I bet it was because of that car shampoo from last night. ########## that guy, he kept pouring it on me. Stupid Phun. My light-skinned arms are now covered with red splotches. I’m not handsome anymore.

Kidding! They’re tiny marks. =p This is nothing to me. They can’t ruin my good looks, haha! Wait, did someone just call me conceited? You better watch it!

Speaking of Phun, it reminds me that I left my watch at his place. (I took it off before we washed my bike. I don’t want my poor Diesel to drown.) I better call him and remind him to bring the watch to school. I’m dead if I lose that watch, my grandpa bought it for me from Australia.

I pull out my phone and call him immediately.

I had to try twice before he finally answered. I thought that he had already gotten to school so he couldn’t hear his phone ringing. But then he finally answered!

“Hey, what’s up, Noh?” Jeez, he sounds so drowsy, it’s really putting me off. Don’t tell me that he was still asleep! It’s already past 7!

“Aren’t you going to school? How were you still asleep?” I scold him over the phone, but he has the nerves to yawn in return.

“Yeah, I’m not going. Is there something you need?” Eh?!

“Yeah, I left my watch at your place.”

“Oh, yeah. I kept it for you. Can I bring it to you tomorrow? I don’t think I’m going to school today.”

“Yeah, sure. But how come you’re not going to school?” It sounds like I’m being nosy but I couldn’t help and had to ask him. He’s the student council secretary and an honor student too, how can it be possible that he decided to skip school on a whim? Especially since we’re so close to that chaotic soccer competition event. I find this really hard to believe.

It sounds like there’s some hesitation at the end of the other line (maybe I was imagining things?). He finally finds the words in the end. “I don’t feel too well. Can we talk later? I’m really sleepy.”

“Sure, sure.” I hang up the phone, but this still bothers me.

So he’s not feeling well?

***

My iPhone tells me that it’s past 8 am now. I’m in front of the huge mansion. This is the 3rd day in a row that I invited myself over to this place. Am I a die-hard fan of this place now or something? -_-”

So what should I do? Should I ring the doorbell? I keep thinking as I pace back and forth in front of the silver alloy gate. What should I do? It’s way past 8 now too. I just wanna know what’s wrong with him and why he’s not going to school. If it isn’t what I suspect, then I’ll go to school after I find out. But what if it is what I’m suspecting…?

Ugh! I just need to find out for sure!

“Oh, khun Noh! Are you here to visit khun Phun?” Luck is on my side this morning. Auntie Noi happens to be walking nearby. I happily rush over to the gate. “Yes, what’s wrong with Phun?”

“He’s not feeling too well. Why don’t you come inside, khun Noh?” The elderly woman opens the smaller door to let me in. I properly greet her before I walk to the house.

“So what’s wrong with him, Auntie?” Don’t think that I’d stop shooting questions her way. She simply gives me a gentle smile instead of answering me.

Don’t…tell me that you and Pang share the same ideals, Auntie. -_-”

“You can go upstairs and check on him, khun Noh. He’s asleep in his bedroom.” Screw it, they all can think whatever they want (I’m used to it now). I nod her way before I walk inside the house that I’m starting to grow familiar with.

The path on the second floor are so shiny from being polished. The carved wooden door I see close by belongs to Phun’s room. I walk straight to it then I stop right in front and think.

I should just barge in! I got this far already. I turn the door knob and enter. Did you expect me to knock first? Keep on dreaming.

“Yo, Phun!” I say loudly, being completely inconsiderate (and without any manners). But I shut myself up when I see the person I just called sleeping soundly on the bed looking exhausted.

Whoa, his entire body is red like steamed crabs (I’m hungry). So it turns out I was right after all.

I leave my school bag near the door and quickly walk up to check on him.

Phun’s skin is normally very light with a shade of yellow mixed in. But now his skin is light red, like when people get rashes from allergies. They look like the stuff I have on my arm when I woke up this morning. However, they don’t only appear on Phun’s arm but his entire body. It looks incredibly scary and painful.

It’s pretty obvious whose fault this is. I made the right choice stopping by before school.

Because if I ended up finding about this later on, I’d probably hate myself.

“Your skin is easily irritated but you insisted on being stupid and played around.” I complain to myself quietly as I sit by his bed. I glance over and see allergy medicine packs that were opened and a bottle of water. I guess he already took them. That’s better than nothing.

“You were the one who poured the shampoo on me.” Oh, he’s not asleep?! This ########## is such a smart ##########.

“You weren’t asleep? Why’d you pretend to look like you were dead?” I complain while I raise my hand to hit him. But I feel sorry for the guy so I stop. The red-looking patient still has the energy to give me a smile in return.

“It’s nice of you to come visit.” Hilarious!

“No…I only came over to get my watch.” “He laughs at my dumb respond. Whatever, I’ll let him off this time. “So did you take your medicine?” I sneakily try to ask how he’s doing.

“Your watch is over there, you should head to school now.” He’s all sickly yet he still has the nerves to get smart with me. ########## Phun.

I narrow my eyes and stare at him. I convince myself not to injure an already sick person then I walk over to grab my watch on the dressing table. Instead of leaving, I sit down on the long sofa in his room. “Nope, I don’t feel like it. I’m just gonna hang out at your house instead.”

I can hear his chuckles. It bugs me. You know, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the fact that you’re like this because of me.

“So how are you doing? Is it hurting anywhere?” I stop beating around the bush and ask him how he’s doing. The patient mumbles something with his eyes closed.

“Just itchy. What about your arm?” Oh, he noticed the red marks on my arm? I take a look at it and shrug.

“It’s okay, only a little itchy.”

“P’Ken might kick your ########## if you do that, I heard he’s quite possessive of her.”* This ##########.

“ ##########.” I always speak my mind when it comes to insulting someone.

“Haha, use some of this. It helps a lot.” He waves his fingers lazily and points to an area near his bed while keeping his eyes closed. I follow his fingers and see a tube of allergy medication so I walk over to grab it to put some on my arm.

“Did you put this on yet?”

“Not yet. Too lazy.”

“Then how are you supposed to get better?! Put some on! He orders people to do stuff but he hasn’t even done it himself. I stand there and stare at him with an exasperated look on my face.

Phun stretches his body once or twice before he sits up on the bed. His face used to be so handsome with a relax expression, but now he looks unbelievably gaunt. “Can you do it for me? I’m too lazy.” I freaking knew it. Didn’t people say that you were such a hard-working honor student and everything? I dare those people to come take a look at him now. Lies, all lies.

“Fine, fine. Take off your shirt.” I tell him as I sit on the edge of the bed with the tube of medication in my hand. I wait for him to take off his shirt which reveals that there are red blotches all over his light skin. “This is a lot.”

“Yeah. I’ll have a fever in the afternoon.” You can see the future? I guess this happens very often.

I squeeze a white paste from the tube onto my palm. I take a second before I decide to dive in and lather the paste all over his back. I can feel tiny bumps on my hand that I couldn’t see with my eyes. “It’s gonna get used up just on your gigantic back alone.” I nag him only because I can’t seem to finish putting them all over his back. This jerk looks skinny, but he has such broad manly shoulders.

Phun laughs at my nagging before he turns around to face me once I finally finished with his back. “Tired?” This lazy ########## has the nerves to ask.

“Yes! I am! You can do the front yourself. I don’t wanna turn you on or anything.” I say it as a joke but Phun looks at me with hidden agendas in his eyes.

“I was already turned on.”

“ ########## that, then finish up by yourself.” Ugh! I throw the tube over to him. I can hear his laughter.

“I was kidding! Finish up already, I’m cold.”

“Then why the hell did you turn the A/C on so high? Have you lose your mind or something?” I may be complaining but I’m already squeezing another white paste onto my palm just as I had been asked.

There’s only the sound of the air conditioning unit filling up the room.

I don’t know what else to say to him. He’s not exactly inviting me to chat either. This only makes me feel even more unnaturally stiff. I admit, my hand starts to shake when I happen to meet his eyes right before the tip of my fingers touch his chest.

########## it, why am I so nervous? We’re both guys here. And he doesn’t have boobs like the DVD that Om torrented for me.

I try to count to ten slowly in my head as I spread the medication over his broad chest. It is undeniable that Phun’s physique is quite toned. He’s slim, but not lanky. His muscles aren’t too big, but they’re not too small either. If it weren’t for the fact that he has red blotches all over him right now, I bet any girls would want him if they were to see him like this.

I continue to spread the medication all over him since I’m afraid that if I put too little then they won’t take any effect. My palm moves from his shoulders to his stomach then it arrives to his left chest.

As I’m rubbing his chest, I can feel something moving violently underneath.

The heart is beating so fast, as if its owner is feeling nervous about something.

This causes me to furrow my brows and I pause my hand over where his heart should be. I look up to face him, but he is pretending to look elsewhere. “What? This is making your heart beat fast?” Hahaha.

“I’d be dead if weren’t beating.” Listen to him, he has the balls to argue with me. He can be pretty funny when he’s shy.

I smirk at him before I finish up. Then I twist his nipple because it feels like I could just eat him up. “Ow! What the hell?!”

“I couldn’t help it, now go back to sleep. Put your shirt back on too so you won’t catch a cold. I still need someone to take care of my club’s budget problem.” I help him put his shirt back on and I see that he wanted to hit me in the head with his knuckles. I can’t help but laugh.

“I’m gonna sleep, feel free to help yourself with the game consoles. You can go downstairs and get some lunch later, it’s cool.” “He tells me before he wraps himself with the comforter like a small child would. I move away from his bed and give him a nod.

“I’ll have a fever in the afternoon, mind taking care of me then?” He mumbles from underneath the heavy comforter.

“Yeah.”

It feels really nice to have someone who trusts you, doesn’t it?