The storm had passed. Just as the cold, dark night faded away, everything slowly returned to normal.
The small birds were chirping, and the wind was gently waking the trees. The cold dewdrops from last night woke up the tiny plants, and the new sun rose as if promising a good day.
The lotuses in the pond were slowly opening, while the orange jasmine garden waited for its turn to bloom.
"Rak... let me do it. I'll wash them. Oh look, your hands are red," Nut said, teasing Rak.
Rak pouted. "Phi... take this breakfast to the Master. Go!" Rak complained that Nut was being lazy so early in the morning.
Meanwhile, Auntie Ja was waiting for Artit and Toffee. She used sign language, her wrinkled fingers moving beautifully.
"Nut, go and wake them up. They didn't eat anything yesterday. Go," she signaled.
Nut looked at Rak and pouted. "Rak... please khrab. Can you wake them?" Nut blinked his eyes, hoping Rak would say yes, while Auntie Ja smiled at them.
"Ohhh... why am I always the victim?" Rak sighed. "Okay, I'll go."
Rak swallowed hard and took a deep breath.
I hope he won't throw me out of the room, he thought to himself. He began taking heavy, nervous steps toward the master bedroom.
While walking up the steps, Rak almost tripped. He looked back at Auntie Ja and Nut.
Nut suddenly waved and shouted, "Fighting, my little pookie! Love you!" Nut made a heart shape with his fingers.
"You... cheater..." Rak whispered. Even though his voice was low, Nut understood him perfectly. "You are kicked out of my room! Sleep in your own room tonight!"
Rak pouted and turned his head away angrily. His heart was racing— he was terrified of how he was going to wake them up.
Meanwhile, Nut sighed. "Why? Why am I kicked out? Ohhh..."
Nut's face darkened. He thought about yesterday and Phraya. Just thinking of that name made Nut clench his hand tight. He almost choked on the banana he was eating.
Nut took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.
"Phi..." Rak slowly touched the door and made a small sound. "Phi khab... it's time to wake up... Phi..."
He was mumbling to himself. Then, he suddenly found his courage and shouted, "Phi khabbb! Auntie Ja is calling you khab!"
Without waiting for an answer, Rak turned and ran at high speed back to the kitchen to drink some water.
Inside the room, Artit didn't even hear Rak calling, but the sound woke Toffee up.
"Mmm..." Toffee touched his eyes. They felt like they were burning, and his head felt heavy. He was still wrapped in Artit's arms.
Artit was sleeping like a baby, it looked like he hadn't slept this well in years.
Toffee's eyes rolled around the room, trying to remember where he was, but he was just too tired to look for long. He looked back at Artit.
He slowly touched Artit's cheek. It was still warm. Their bodies were hot as they slept in the same position, sharing the same heat.
Toffee moved even closer to Artit. As he closed his eyes, memories of yesterday flashed in his mind— the things that happened in the washroom, the bath...
He quickly covered his face with his hands and hugged Artit slowly. His "small brain" started racing:" Toffee, you idiot, what did you do? Ohhh... even thinking is hard. My whole body hurts... ohhh... I did it with Phi... no way... we really did it... ohhh... it wasn't bad, I liked it... ohhh! Toffee, what are you thinking?"
"Wake yourself up!" Toffee whispered. He shook his head to get rid of the "dirty thoughts," then pulled the blanket up and hugged Artit even tighter.
The movement woke Artit up. His breathing was hot and deep as he slowly pulled the blanket away from Toffee. His face widened with a smile. "Toffee..."
Toffee slowly looked up at him. His face turned as pink as a peach, feeling hot just by looking at Artit waking up.
"Good morning, khab..." Artit said. He sat up, checking the temperature and everything else as if he were still very worried.
Artit took a deep breath. "The fever has gone down..." He moved closer to Toffee, taking one of his hands. "Did you know that you almost gave me a heart attack?"
Artit teased him, but Toffee was too shy to meet his eyes. "Phi... I... where am I? I mean... this room..."
"It's my room," Artit said. He hesitated for a second before continuing. "Yesterday you had a fever, so I was too worried to take you back to the dorm."
"Ohh... Phi... my Mae must be so worried about me! Where is my phone?" Toffee tried to scramble out of bed in a hurry, his mind full of worry.
But Artit grabbed him from behind. "Don't. Just because you feel okay now doesn't mean you are completely better. Stay in bed."
Artit's voice was deep and firm. "I already informed Mok, so don't worry. Trust me, Toffee... just lie down."
As Artit spoke, the vibration of his voice so close to him made Toffee blush even harder.
"Kao went to pick up Mok from the dorm, and they'll be coming here later. So... can you just stay here in bed with me?" Artit looked at him with pleading eyes, almost begging Toffee to stay.
"Phi... but I don't feel like lying down... I..." Toffee started, his voice trailing off.
"Then how about this? Can we have some breakfast? You didn't eat anything yesterday, so you must be hungry by now."
Toffee swallowed hard and gave a shy, "Khab... let's have breakfast."
Artit leaned in and slowly kissed Toffee's forehead. He made sure Toffee was tucked comfortably back into the bed before heading outside to get the food.
Once the door closed, Toffee pulled the blanket over his head, hiding completely.
" Ohh... I think my heart is going to burst... you idiot, Toffee! Think straight... don't think about it! I even forgot what I was going to ask him..."
Slowly, Toffee peeked out from under the blanket. He looked around, fascinated by the room. It was so large and grand, far bigger.
Slowly, Toffee got up from the bed, supporting his own waist. He moved because of curiosity. He slowly walked to the large window of the room. "Wow..." Even with just a sneak peek, he already fell in love with the view of the garden outside.
"I want to go and see for myself... aww... my whole body hurts..." Toffee suddenly went into deep thought.
He wondered..." Who is he? Is it just my delusion? I clearly saw someone when I opened my eyes after I finished the piano music. It's bad that I didn't see his face..."
Toffee looked out the window and let out a big sigh.
At that moment, Artit and Auntie Ja brought breakfast into the room.
"Toffee... why did you get up? Why are you always so stubborn?" Artit quickly went to him and carried Toffee back to the bed.
"Phi... don't..." Toffee whispered. He covered his eyes with his hands because he couldn't face Auntie Ja.
Artit continued to feed Toffee.
"Phi... I can do it myself..." Toffee protested.
"Toffee, don't be stubborn. Open your mouth." Artit didn't even listen; he just kept feeding him.
Auntie Ja stood in the corner, still smiling at them. Toffee looked at her and felt a sudden wave of guilt.
"I am sorry... you had to prepare everything for me. I am so sorry," Toffee said. He closed his eyes and gave a small bow.
"Toffee... look at me," Artit said. "Auntie Ja can't speak, but don't worry, she can read lips. You can ask her anything."
Toffee looked back at her. "I am sorry, Auntie... I am so sorry for the trouble."
Auntie Ja quickly moved her fingers to sign.
Artit translated for him. "It's alright. I actually like it. Even though I can't hear or speak, I like it when people talk a lot. These kids here never spoke much, so I was very lonely."
Artit smiled as he translated, and Toffee laughed as well. "If that's the case, you'll probably have to tell me to stop talking eventually!" Toffee joked.
Auntie Ja laughed with him, and the room was filled with happiness.
After Auntie Ja left, Artit leaned in and wiped Toffee's face. "Toffee... Auntie Ja is like a mother to me. She looked after me after my parents died," Artit said softly.
Toffee froze. "Phi... I... I didn't know..." His voice broke, and no sound came out.
Artit grabbed him and pulled him close.
"Didn't I say we can take it slowly? I will tell you everything. So don't feel burdened. As long as you are by my side, that's enough."
Toffee grabbed Artit's shirt and buried his face in his arms.
Toffee breathing became very heavy. He began to cry harder as a painful thought crossed his mind, " I don't know anything. I don't know where I am,I don't know hiw much you know about me. When... when will I finally be part of your world?"
Toffee sobbed into the Artit's chest, feeling the weight of how much he still didn't know about the man he was falling for.