Toffee walked to the spot where his father was waiting. When he saw his father, he smiled a big smile. He waved his hands high.
"Pa! Pa!" he called out, waving again.
Toffee ran to his father and gave him a big hug. "Pa!"
"Oh, my Luk..." his father said. "Let me look at you."
Toffee spun around in a circle to show himself.
"Oh, you look thin, Luk. I think you lost weight," his father said with a worried face.
Toffee laughed. "Oh, Pa, you are joking! I have only been here a few days. How can I lose weight that fast?"
"Are you saying you don't trust your Pa?" his father teased.
"Pa... I am just joking!" Toffee said.
Then, his father looked around. "Where is Mok? I do not see him with you."
"Oh, he has work to do," Toffee said. "He says he will see you next weekend instead."
"Oh, no," his father sighed. "I wanted the three of us to have a dinner date. I was not home when you guys left for college."
"It is okay," Toffee said. "We will all be home next weekend."
"Wait, Luk... are you not coming home this weekend?" his father asked. He looked sad.
"That is right, Pa. I have campus programs, so I cannot come."
His father looked sad for a moment, but then he smiled. He held out his hand like a king.
"Okay, then let us have dinner now. My dear son, can I have a dinner date with you?"
Toffee cleared his throat. He put out his hand like a prince and bowed. "It will be an honor, Khrab."
"Then let us go!" his father said.
"Wait, Pa, what about Mae?" Toffee asked.
"Oh, she cannot come. She is busy at the hospital. If she was free, she would be the first one in the car to see you."
His father opened the car door for him. They both got in.
Sawasdee khab, Uncle Noi!" Toffee said with a polite bow.
"Sawasdee khab, Toffee," Uncle Noi replied with a warm smile.
"Are you doing well, Uncle?" Toffee asked kindly.
"I am doing very well, thank you. It is all thanks to your father," Uncle Noi said.
Toffee smiled and hopped into the car.
"Then, can we start driving now, Uncle?"
"We can, Uncle Noi answered. Then, Uncle Noi started the car and they drove away.
As the car started moving, his father's face looked very worried.
"Luk," his father said softly. "There is something I want to talk about."
Pa, is it about my brother?" Toffee asked.
"Yes," his father sighed. "He hasn't called us. Someone I know from where your brother was working told me he went to a very dangerous place. His group lost contact. Luk, he will be okay, right?"
His father's voice began to shake. "I keep thinking... is it my fault? I pushed him to be a doctor like me. I was greedy and wanted him to follow in my footsteps. I made decisions about his life and his relationships... I was wrong."
Toffee grabbed his father's hand to comfort him. "Pa, what are you saying? We are both so happy to have a father like you.
My brother is strong. He will be back without any problem. We can wait for him, Pa."
Toffee smiled gently. "I am very good at waiting. Even if it takes years, we will wait together."
His father looked at him with watery eyes. "I am so glad you are here, Luk."
Toffee cleared his throat, feeling a bit shy. "Pa... I... I..."
"Oh, Luk, just tell me! You are acting annoying," his father joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Pa... there is someone who likes me."
His father's face suddenly brightened. "Is my son already famous?"
"Pa, don't tease me!"
"Tell me everything," his father said excitedly. "Who is he? What department? Is he handsome? Most importantly, how does he treat you?"
"His name is Artit," Toffee said.
"Artit... that is a good name," his father nodded.
"He is a third-year student in Mechanical Engineering. He is handsome... and he treats me well. But I've only known him for a few days, so it's hard to say."
His father looked at him seriously. "Do you like him, Luk? It doesn't matter if it has been days or years. It's about how you feel. Tell me, how does my son feel?"
Toffee hesitated. "I don't hate him, but..."
"You are scared. You are scared to love, right?"
Toffee looked down. "Yes, Pa. I am scared."
"Will you regret it if you reject him?" his father asked.
"I... I don't know."
"Luk, love isn't about time. It's about how you both feel. No one is perfect, and we all make mistakes. But if you let your fear stop you, you might lose something precious.
" Observe him, talk honestly, and find out if you really like him. If you don't, then tell him no, so you don't hurt him. Do you understand?"
"I get it, Pa. Don't worry."
His father winked. "Also, don't make it too easy for him! Make him work hard for your heart, or he will think you are easy to get."
"Oh, Pa!" Toffee laughed. They both started laughing together.
"Let's take a selfie," his father said, pulling out his phone. "I want to brag about you to everyone at the hospital."
"Pa, we just posted a photo a few days ago. You are addicted to social media!"
"Don't say that! I just like taking photos with my son because your mother never wants to pose."
"Uncle Noi, did you hear that? "Let me record this!"
"Oh, Luk! I'm joking! Don't let your mother know, or she won't let me eat dessert!"
Toffee and his father looked at each other, as they were thinking the same thing.
At the same time, they both shouted, "Let's go eat dessert!"
Even Uncle Noi laughed as he drove them toward the sweets shop.
Later that same night, Artit was at the Paradox Bar. He was sitting in the private open terrace that belonged only to him and his three best friends: Kao, May, and Oat.
The bar was the most famous spot in town and was always packed with people at night.
Artit was typing on his laptop, looking through family business files. He looked very busy.
Suddenly, May walked onto the terrace.
"Artit! You jerk, you didn't call or text me," she complained. "How many hours have you been sitting here? When did you arrive?"
Artit didn't even look up from his work. "You have too many questions, May. Ask one at a time."
"You really are a jerk!" May huffed.
Soon after, Kao walked in. He looked like someone who had lost his most precious item. He sat on the couch with a deep sigh and stared at the sky, looking lost.
"Kao, stop sighing. It's annoying," May said. Kao just sighed again.
Suddenly, May's phone vibrated. "Oh! My Bua!" she whispered happily. Artit and Kao both looked at her with confused faces, wondering who "Bua" was, but May was too busy texting to notice them.
Then, Oat arrived. He looked like he had just failed all his exams. Kao looked at Oat and smiled sadly. "Finally," Kao said. "Someone who feels as bad as I do." He sighed deeply while looking at Oat.
While Artit was still working, Oat asked, "Artit, didn't you see our group chat?"
"No, I'm busy," Artit replied.
"You better look, Artit," May said, still looking at her phone. "Otherwise, someone is going to steal your sweetheart."
Kao and Oat looked at May in shock. Artit's face turned scary. He quickly opened his phone and saw a video of Toffee playing the piano and singing. Artit gripped his phone so hard it looked like it might break.
May broke the silence. "Artit, I know you want to take things slowly. But many people are watching him. You need to move fast. Even if you use your power to delete posts, people won't stop looking at him."
Artit sighed and looked at Oat. "Isn't the 'Secret Friend' selection tomorrow?"
"That's right," Oat replied. "Why?"
"Match me with Toffee," Artit commanded.
"No! Artit, no!" Oat complained. "I am an honest senior and the head of the department. I can't do that!"
"Honest? Since when?" May teased.
"Oat, you are the most dangerous person here," May said.
"May! You—" Oat started to argue.
"Do it or not?" Artit interrupted, his voice cold. "If you don't, I will stay in your department from morning until night. How about that? "
"No! Fine, I will match you with Toffee," Oat said quickly. "Just don't come to my department. I don't even want to imagine that!"
Suddenly, May spoke up. "Guys, how about we change the bet we made at school?"
"How about... wait, why aren't you guys saying anything?" she asked.
Kao, Oat, and Artit all answered at the same time with the same tone: "No! Not you, May!"
Kao looked at her with a sad face. "May, you always make things worse. Because of your bets, I had to be your driver and delivery man. I even had to clean your bathroom! I don't want to do it anymore."
"Oh, don't be like that! Shush, shush," May said, playfully touching Kao's chin.
"Get off me, May!" Kao cried.
"Oh, May... you are the dangerous one here," Artit added.
Then, May stood up and got ready to leave.
"Wait, aren't you drinking? Why are you going so soon?" Oat asked.
"Oh, I have to go see my Bua," May said with a smile.
Oat looked at Kao. Kao looked at Artit. Artit just shook his head; he didn't know who "Bua" was either.
"Who is Bua?" Oat asked. They all looked very curious.
"Bua is... well, she invited me to her dorm! I'm going now, guys. Bye, Khrab! I'm going to enjoy time with my sweetheart. You guys enjoy your single lives!
Bye!" she waved and walked away.
The three boys watched her go, feeling very confused. Suddenly, Kao looked like he was going to cry.
"Oat... I feel so bad," Kao sobbed.
"Me too, Kao," Oat replied.
At the same time, they both cried out, "He rejected me!" They started leaning on each other and crying loudly.
Artit suddenly stopped them. Kao and Oat looked at him, thinking he was going to comfort them.
Instead, Artit said coldly, "Can you both go cry outside? I am losing my concentration."
"You jerk!" Kao and Oat shouted at the same time.
"Let's go, Kao," Oat said, wiping his eyes.
"We only have each other."
"Let's go, Oat," Kao replied. They walked out of the terrace together, still crying and hugging.
Now alone, Artit looked down at his phone. He watched the video of Toffee playing the piano and singing. He replayed it over and over again.
A soft smile appeared on his face as he whispered to the screen, "You haven't changed at all, my dear."