"P... P'Artit... what did you just say? Did you just tell me that you like me?"
Toffee was so shocked that he tried to stand up too fast. In his hurry, the cup of cold tea spilled all over Artit's shirt. Artit was wearing a thin black shirt with two buttons open, and now the tea was soaking into the fabric, making it cling to his chest.
"P'Artit! I'm so sorry! I think I have tissues in my bag, just give me a second!" Toffee cried out, frantically searching his bag.
"It's okay, Toffee. Take your time. I'll wait for you... even if it takes years," Artit said softly.
"P'Artit! Why are you saying that? Why would it take years just to find tissues?" Toffee huffed. "Stop joking around!"
"I'm not joking. I can wait... I will always wait for you."
Toffee looked into Artit's eyes and felt like he might cry. He tried to stay calm. "Let me wipe it for you. I'm so sorry I messed up your shirt, P'Artit..."
"You can mess up hundreds of my shirts, my little puppy," Artit teased.
"P'Artit! Stop testing my patience! I've already made a mess of everything," Toffee whispered.
Artit just smiled, his eyes locked on Toffee as if he could never see enough of him. As Toffee started to wipe the wet shirt, Artit suddenly grabbed his hand. He unbuttoned one more button and whispered, "Toffee... do I need to take off my shirt?"
"P-Phi! Why would you take it off? What are you saying?" Toffee was completely flustered, but he couldn't stop looking at Artit's wet chest.
"I can take it off if you want. You can look as much as you like... it's reserved only for you," Artit continued to flirt. He cleared his throat with a smirk. "Now, I'm ready. You can wipe it."
Artit took Toffee's hand and pressed it directly against his bare chest. He leaned in and whispered, "Toffee, can you feel it? My heart... it's racing so fast. It's not normal, right ! "
Time stopped. Toffee was breathing hard, his hand trembling against Artit's warm skin.
"I'm going to die at this rate," Artit whispered. "If I die, I won't get to chase you or go on a date. Don't you even feel a little sorry for me, Toffee? Don't you think it's better if we just start dating now?"
Artit leaned in, his lips almost touching Toffee's. Suddenly, Toffee jumped up in shock, pressing the tissues hard against Artit's chest. "I... I forgot! I have work to do! I have to go!" Toffee yelled before running away toward his faculty building.
"Toffee!" Artit called out. He pressed the tissues against his heart and smiled. "You can run today, Toffee. But not in the future. I already marked you years ago... I'm going to make you mine."
Artit leaned back and looked up at the sky. "Toffee... I'm not joking. If it keeps going like this, I really will have a heart attack. Do I need a hospital? No... the only medicine is him. Toffee is the only one who can heal my heart."
While Artit was still admiring the spot where Toffee had been, he finally stood up to head back to his own faculty. "It's such a shame I can't spend the whole day with you," he muttered to himself. "I really need to change my plan. I wanted to take things slowly, but not anymore."
He sighed happily. "Toffee... Toffee... even his name is cute. How can someone be this adorable?"
Artit had completely lost his mind to love. He was a total fool for Toffee.
Later, in the workshop, the students were divided into groups to prepare for their exams. Artit sat by the window, completely lost in his thoughts. He was smiling from ear to ear, totally forgetting that he was supposed to be working.
He sat there, grinning like a crazy person, thinking about Toffee.
"P'Artit… P'Artit… P'Artit…"
Artit could hear Toffee's soft voice calling his name. "P… Phi… Phi Artit…"
"Artit! Artit!" A loud, breathless voice suddenly broke the silence.
Artit jumped in his seat. "Oh, Kevin. When did you get here? Were you calling me?" Artit asked, his face returning to its usual expressionless look.
"Artit, I've been here for an hour! Do you hear me? An hour!" Kevin cried out. "For a whole hour, you've just been staring out the window, grinning like a fool and smiling to yourself.
You know, Artit, it's actually kind of scary. Man, this is a disaster! As your friend, all I can ask is… are you cursed? Did someone put a spell on you, Artit? What should we do? There's a famous temple near my hometown—how about you come with me? How can you be so calm when you're cursed? You're still smiling, Artit! You're smiling right now! What are we going to do?"
"I'm not cursed, Kevin," Artit said flatly.
"Finally, you speak!" Kevin exhaled. "So you know you're not cursed? Then why aren't you working? Everyone is too scared to even come near you just because you keep smiling."
"Why? Isn't a smile a compliment? Why can't I smile?" Artit argued.
"No, it's not that your smile is bad. It's actually really handsome when you smile. You look… oh well, I'm losing my train of thought," Kevin stuttered. "What I mean is, it's because it's you. Artit, you smiling is just weird. Don't tell me you're going to… going to…"
"What? Just finish the sentence," Artit urged.
"You're going to… going to…" Kevin trailed off. Artit waited patiently for him to finish.
"You're going… to… going to…"
"Forget it! I forgot what I was going to say, Artit!" Kevin gave a wide, goofy grin.
Artit let out a deep sigh. "Why do I always have such weird friends?"
"Oh, Artit, are you really saying that to me? I'm the one who should be saying that!" Kevin retorted.
Artit gave Kevin a look so serious he looked like a professional killer.
"Oh, Artit! You're my friend, I love you!" Kevin suddenly started singing. "Bye, my friend!" Kevin waved as he headed back to his own group. Before sitting down, he whispered loudly to the others, "Don't be afraid. I think Artit is just cursed. I think he'll be smiling even more now, but don't be scared, I'm here for you!"
"Kevin, you're the only one being annoying right now," one of his friends snapped.
"Kevin, you're the one who looks scared!" another added.
"How can you guys say that? Aren't I your best friend? I'm so hurt!" Kevin started acting pathetic, pretending to cry.
"I'm leaving! For real this time!" Kevin shouted, dramatically acting like he was running for the door.
"Don't you dare call me back! Even if you guys beg, I'm still going!" He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Wait... no one is stopping me? Seriously? Fine! I'm really, really leaving now!"
"Then go. If you don't get out of here, I'll bury your head in this machine," a cold voice came from the shadows near the door.
Kevin froze, his eyes wide with fear. "AHHHHH!"
Suddenly, a hand reached out and smacked Kevin on the back of the head with a heavy wrench.
"Ow! That hurts! It really hurts!" Kevin whined, rubbing his head in pain. "Win, you jerk! I'm going to—"
"What? What are you going to do?" Win asked, his voice low and dangerous.
"You... you jerk!" Kevin didn't dare say another word. He bolted out of the workshop faster than an Olympic runner.
Win turned his sharp gaze toward the rest of the group. "What are you all looking at? This assignment is due in two days, and you guys aren't even close to finishing. Do I need to explain more?" He paused, his eyes landing on Artit. "And don't look at Artit. I'll talk to him myself."
As soon as Win spoke, everyone immediately looked down and started working at full speed.
Win walked over to Artit, who was just sitting there smiling instead of working.
"Artit... hey, Artit."
"Oh... Win? What's up? Why are you calling me?" Artit asked, snapping out of his daze.
Win let out a long sigh. "Our group is almost finished, but even though your part is done, you should still motivate the others. They aren't as fast as you."
"Yeah, I know," Artit replied softly.
"Good that you know," Win said, then paused. "By the way, have you seen the university forum page?"
"The forum? Why?"
Win pulled out his phone and showed Artit a post. "It's a photo of you and a junior from the Faculty of Arts. The internet is going crazy because of you. Is this the person you've liked all these years?"
"Yeah," Artit replied without a second of doubt. "That's him."
"Oh my god... I never thought I'd see you look like this, Artit," Win smiled. "As your friend and classmate, I'm really happy you finally found your happiness." He patted Artit's shoulder. "Now, get back to work!"
"Wait," Win added, looking at the screen again. "In the post, your face is clear, but the junior's face is blurred out."
"I'll deal with it, Win. Don't worry. That post will be deleted soon," Artit said, his voice turning firm and authoritative.
"Alright then, I'm heading back," Win said. As he walked away, one of his other friends complained, "Win! Why is my work not as good as Artit's?" Win just laughed and started explaining the technical details to him.
Meanwhile, Artit pulled out his phone and made a quick call. His voice was cold and commanding as he ordered the person on the other end to take the post down immediately. He wouldn't let anyone disturb Toffee's peace.