Toffee walked slowly down the hall, planning to go back to his dorm. Suddenly, he heard voices nearby.
"Bua, do you like it here?" P'May asked. "If you want to come back, just call me and I'll give you a quick tour, okay?"
"Thank you, P'May. I really liked talking to you," Bua replied with a polite smile.
"Oh, don't mention it! We aren't strangers," May said. Then she spotted someone.
"Oh! Toffee! Bua, wait... Toffee!"
Toffee turned around and saw P'May. He waved and walked over.
"Sawatdee khab, P'May."
"Sawatdee! Toffee, don't be so formal next time," May teased. She looked around.
"Why are you here alone? Where is he?"
Toffee tilted his head. "Who, P'May?"
"Artit! Where is he?"
"What? I... I don't know," Toffee said, feeling his face get warm.
May pulled out her phone and showed Toffee a post on social media. It was a photo of him and Artit together, but Toffee's face was blurred so it wasn't clear.
Toffee's heart jumped. "Who posted this?" he asked nervously.
"You guys thought you were the only two people on campus?" May laughed.
"Someone else saw you and took a picture!"
"But P'May, how did you know it was me? My face is blurred."
"It was easy," May said, showing her phone. " I knew it was you from your bag, your shoes, and your clothes. Well I only knew for sure after Kao said it was you..."
"What? What did you say?" Toffee asked quickly.
"Nothing! You heard me wrong," May said, quickly changing the subject. She looked at both of them.
"You're both first-years! You should get along."
Toffee looked at the girl next to May. "Sawatdee khab... I'm Toffee."
"I'm Bua. It's nice to meet you, Toffee," she said.
"Bua is from the Photography department," May explained. "And Bua, Toffee is from my department."
Then May looked at Toffee again. "So, where are you going? Did Artit say he would pick you up?"
"No, I..." Toffee stuttered.
"Oh, I see. You ran away from him, didn't you?" May teased. Toffee felt awkward and looked at his feet.
"Okay, okay, I won't ask anymore. But Toffee... Artit is a good person. He won't hurt you. You should think about giving him a chance."
Toffee didn't know what to say. To stop the awkward feeling, May asked, "How about we go look at the clubs?"
"But P'May, I already promised Mok and Lamon that we would join a club together tomorrow," Toffee said.
"You can still join with them tomorrow! Let's just go look today so you can see what is fun. Okay?"
Toffee and Bua both nodded. "Okay, P'May."
They began to explore the different club booths while P'May explained everything.
Suddenly, May looked at Toffee.
"Toffee, can I ask you something? Our department hasn't picked a student for the 'Campus Prince' contest yet. Are you interested in joining?"
Toffee shook his head quickly. "P'May... I don't like being in big events. I'm too shy."
"Oh, Toffee, won't you please consider my offer?" May pleaded with big eyes.
"Can I think about it?" Toffee asked.
"Okay! You have time to think," May said.
"When is the last day to apply, P'May?"
"Oh... it's the day after tomorrow. I forgot to tell you earlier! So you only have one day to decide. Please think about it!"
Toffee sighed. "Okay, let me think about it, P'May."
"Thank you!" May cheered.
Suddenly, Toffee stopped walking. He was staring at a specific booth.
"Toffee, why did you stop? Oh, that's the Piano Club!" May said. "Do you know how to play?"
"A little..." Toffee whispered.
Bua and May looked at each other and nodded. They were both thinking the same thing.
Just then, an announcement came from the Piano Club booth:
"Any first-year student can come and play a short song! If you are selected now, you don't need to do a formal audition later! I repeat, any first-year student!"
Other students nearby were gossiping. "I want to join just to see P'Jay!
He was last year's Campus Prince.
I heard he is so handsome!"
While Toffee was listening, Bua and May suddenly pushed him forward. Toffee stumbled right into the middle of the audition area. The seniors at the table looked at him in surprise.
"Is he here to see Jay too? How annoying," one senior whispered.
"Another one with no talent who just wants to see a handsome guy."
The club president, a senior named P'Sara, walked up to Toffee. "Are you here to participate?"
Toffee looked back at Bua and May for help. But they both looked up at the sky. "Wow, the sky is so beautiful today, right?" May said, pretending not to see him.
Toffee felt like he had been tricked! But he didn't want to lose face in front of everyone. He stood up straight and said, "Khab. I will play."
"Okay," P'Sara said. "If you play well, you can join the club immediately. What is your name?"
"Toffee. You can call me Toffee."
"I'm Sara, the club president. You can start whenever you're ready, Toffee."
"Okay, P'Sara."
Toffee smiled and nodded. He walked slowly to the piano and sat down. At first, no one really cared. Only May and Bua were watching him.
Toffee began to play a special song he used to play for his family. The moment the first notes filled the air, everything changed.
People from other booths and seniors from all over the area started to gather around.
May quickly grabbed her phone to record a video, and Bua watched with a big smile.
The Piano Club seniors looked at Toffee like they were at a professional concert.
The beautiful sound even attracted Jay. Jay walked through the crowd and stood next to Sara. He closed his eyes, feeling his heart flutter at the sound of the music.
When Toffee plays the piano, he forgets the world around him. Without realizing it, he began to sing.
Suddenly, the whole place went silent. His voice was the only thing anyone could hear.
Jay opened his eyes and looked at Toffee. Without knowing why, a single tear fell down Jay's cheek.
"Jay? Jay!" Sara whispered. "What happened? Why are you crying? It's not even a sad song."
"I don't know," Jay said, wiping the tear away. "Did I cry?"
Sara looked at Toffee. "His voice, his hands, the piano... everything is connected. I understand why you cried, Jay. It's beautiful to watch him."
"Adorable," Jay whispered. He meant to say it in his mind, but the word slipped out loud.
"What? Jay, don't tell me..." Sara teased.
"What is his name, P'Sara?"
"Toffee. His name is Toffee."
Jay stared at him. "I don't know what this feeling is, P'Sara. It's like I found something I've been missing for a long time." Jay couldn't find the right words for his emotions.
Toffee finished the song and took a deep breath. "It's been a while since I played," he whispered to himself.
When he looked up, he was shocked. Everyone was filming him and staring like they wanted to kidnap him!
Feeling shy and awkward, he hurried over to Sara. "I have to go, P'Sara. I'm busy."
"Wait! What about joining our club?" Sara asked quickly.
"I will come back tomorrow," Toffee promised.
For just one second, Toffee and Jay's eyes met. Then, Toffee ran toward May and Bua.
The crowd was going crazy, so Bua grabbed their hands and they all ran away before things got too crowded.
Jay missed his chance to speak to him. He sighed, knowing he would have to wait until tomorrow. He watched them run into the distance.
Sara tapped Jay's shoulder. "Jay, I'm begging you—don't scare him away. He is so talented. We need someone like him in this club." All the other club members agreed, already wanting Toffee to be their new star.
They ran until the crowd was far away and they could breathe again.
"Toffee! You are so talented!" May said, giving him a big thumbs-up and a wide smile.
Bua nodded quickly. "It was so beautiful, Toffee. Listening to you made all my worries disappear. My heart feels full now. Thank you for that song."
"Oh, you two are exaggerating," Toffee said, his face turning red from the praise.
"Did you learn to play when you were a little kid?" Bua asked.
"No," Toffee replied softly. "I have an older brother. He is much more talented than me. He's the one who taught me everything. He is the only reason I love music."
"If you are this good, your brother must be amazing!" May said.
"He is. He plays on big stages and has won many awards."
"I really want to meet him and watch him play!" May exclaimed.
Toffee's smile turned a bit sad. "He isn't here right now. He's living abroad. It's been a long time since I last saw him."
"You must really miss him," Bua said gently, noticing the look in Toffee's eyes.
"I do... I really miss him."
Suddenly, Toffee's phone buzzed with a message. "Oh! I have to go. My Pa is here on campus to see me ."
"Your father is here?" May asked.
"Khab. I'm going now! Bye!" Toffee waved goodbye to both of them and ran toward the parking lot where his father was waiting.
May and Bua waved back. Once Toffee was gone, May pulled out her phone. "Wait a minute, Bua. Let me send a text to my friends."
May took the video she filmed of Toffee playing the piano and posted it into a private group chat. The chat only had four people: Artit, Kao, Oat, and May.
"Okay, let's go now," May said, putting her phone away.
"Where are we going, P'May?" Bua asked.
"Let's go grab a bite to eat at the canteen. I'm hungry!"
Bua laughed and nodded. "Let's go!"