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After arriving at the dorm and taking a quick shower, Teh receives a phone call. It’s from Oh-aew.
“Hey, Oh? Are you done?”
“Hello, Teh? This is Maengpong.”
Turns out, it’s not Oh-aew on the other line but Maengpong. Even just through the phone, he could practically smell the stench of alcohol.
“Hmm, seems like you guys drank a lot.”
“Oh-aew asked us to call you. He said you have to come here. Immediately. Right now!”
“Is Oh-aew that drunk?”
“Are you kidding? If he was sober, would I be the one calling you? Huh? I wouldn’t be, right?”
“...Right. Fine. I’m headed there now.”
From a distance, Teh could hear Oh-aew mumbling “Teh~ Teh~”.
Even though you’re that drunk, how do you still manage to sound like a little forest bird while calling out my name like that?
After hanging up, Teh looks for the keys to his scooter and Oh-aew’s car. Since Oh-aew wouldn’t be able to ride on a scooter in his drunken state, Teh figured it’s best to just drive to Oh-aew’s condo and use the other's car to fetch him.
Holding the two keys in his hands, Teh takes a short but deep breath.
“I can do this!”
---
Oh-aew’s car was passed on to him by his cousin who had left to study abroad. It’s a compact diesel car so old it won’t be surprising if it immediately breaks down as soon as it’s on the road. Oh-aew received the car, and he and Teh became very excited. At Oh-aew’s suggestion, Teh took the driver’s license examination and surprisingly passed it without a hitch. After getting his license from the transportation office, the two drove off with excitement. This is the first challenge they planned and fulfilled by themselves after leaving their hometown.
Teh started to practice driving on the road using Oh-aew’s antique car. Apparently, it’s an established academic theory that receiving driving lessons from an acquaintance would break up one’s relationship with them, but Teh didn’t believe that. He was very certain that Oh-aew, who is always composed and calmy handles his problems, would become the best driving instructor.
“Hey! You can’t change lanes like that!”
Sure, Teh expected him to get angry at least once or twice.
“Teh! Teh! Teh! Teh! You almost got us into an accident. We didn’t come out here to die, you know.”
And though Oh-aew didn’t hesitate to use hurtful words, Teh just thought it was natural since they were in a dire situation.
“Teh, this is unbelievable. You’re traveling with four wheels. Shouldn’t you be driving more steadily than with just two wheels?”
“Ugh! Stop it. Shut up. You do it.”
“What do you mean ‘stop’? I’m telling you to get it together.”
“Were you born with a driver’s license between your mouth? You think you’re so special? I’m not doing this anymore.”
Not once did Teh imagine a situation where he would be storming out of the car after getting scolded, but that time came. As Teh walked away blindly, panting and not paying attention to what was in front or behind him, Oh-aew hopped off the car and followed suit, dragging and pushing him back onto the passenger seat. Throughout the journey back to the his dormitory, no words were spoken between them.
As expected, the academic experts do not lie.
---
To think after all of that, the day for me to drive a car and fetch you have come.
As he fiddles with the steering wheel, Teh begins reminiscing. The day he completed his driving training, Oh-aew handed him a duplicate key to his car, saying, “Let’s use it as our car.” That time, Oh-aew looked so beautiful that Teh couldn’t help but kiss the back of his hand.
Teh loaded Q’s address on the navigation. He heard that Au had just broken up with his lover so they all met up to comfort him. He has no idea why Oh-aew ended up getting so drunk, but at least he gets a chance to become the cool boyfriend who picks up his drunken lover, so he thought he’d have to thank Au for that. Though needless to say, he still feels bad for Au.
“Teh~! Teh~!” A long, pale arm wraps itself around Teh’s nape.
Ugh, he reeks of alcohol.
After them appears Au, the main character of the breakup and seemingly the only sober one in the room.
“Everyone else said they're gonna sleep here, but this guy kept whining that he had to call you and leave even if it kills him.”
“Thank you for calling me. Are you... okay?”
“I’ll be fine, I guess. I’m completely out of it so I’ve basically forgotten everything.”
“I see. Guess you still have a lot to deal with. Good luck.”
“Having you take one of these guys home is already a big help. Go.”
After sitting Oh-aew down on the passenger seat and putting on his seatbelt, Teh settles himself down on the driver seat. Fastening his own seatbelt with a click, he grabs the steering wheel with his two hands.
I can do this. It’s my first time driving at night... but I can do this.
With a determined look, Teh takes a big gulp and shifts the gear.
---
(honk)
“I’m sorry.”
(honk, honk)
“I’m sorry. Oh, God. Ah, I’m sorry.”
Oh-aew opens his eyes to a loud clamor and realizes it’s raining heavily outside the car window. Lifting his head up, he examines his surroundings. It’s pitch black outside, and the cars in the next traffic lane are moving past them from a very narrow distance. However, for whatever reason, each car would honk as they passed by, and in turn, Teh would mumble an apology. Oh-aew straightens up his waist and peeks outside. Their car was standing alone in a safety zone in the middle of an intersection, and in order to avoid them, the cars passing by them have slowed down and were now causing traffic.
“Teh? Why are we here?”
“Oh!!! It's raining a lot, I can’t see a thing! I’m so scared!”
The rain is indeed pouring quite heavily. For Teh who has only been driving for two weeks, this is a grueling circumstance. Thus, Oh-aew decides to get his wits together. Everything in front of him is all a blur, like he had been filled with alcohol up to his eyebrows, but the thought that only he can help them both makes him slap both of his cheeks firmly with his two hands.
“It’s okay, Teh. When the traffic lets up, turn the car slightly and try getting back on the road. I’ll check if another car is coming or not and give you a sign, so just be prepared. Got it?”
“Mm.”
Oh-aew reassures Teh first before examining the traffic lane beside them. As the gap between the cars widens, he rolls down the window and reaches out his hand. When the car behind them slows down, he sends a signal to Teh, who in turn calmly grabs onto the steering wheel and succeeds in shifting the car and getting back on the road.
“Now, if you keep driving further, you will see a road on the left heading to an empty lot. Let’s head there slowly. It’s okay. When it’s raining, no one will complain even if you’re driving slowly.”
The second Oh-aew finishes saying those words, they hear several consecutive honking noises, yet he just shakes his head firmly.
“There’s nothing to worry about, Teh. You and those people all pay the same road tax. Don’t mind them.”
Oh-aew’s words sounded like holy doctrine to the fear-stricken Teh. Following Oh-aew's words, the road that had been hidden by the flood water somehow begins to shine brightly and reveals itself as they are steadily driving, and just like Oh-aew said, they soon find the byway leading to open ground. They follow the bumpy and unpaved road and discover a spacious lot. It’s an undeveloped site where a faraway river flows into.
After shifting gears to park, Teh pulls Oh-aew into a tight embrace.
“Oh, I was so scared. I don’t think I can drive anymore.”
“Come on, Teh. You’re good at riding a scooter, right? You can do this. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
“Why did it have to rain? Even though I worked up the courage to do this…”
“You’re great. You did well. My Teh, you did really well.”
“Then please give me a kiss. My heart is still… beating fast. Hurry.”
Teh puckers his lips, making Oh-aew laugh hysterically. He grabs onto Teh’s nape with his two hands to pull him close and meshes their lips together. Teh then covers Oh-aew’s lips with his own, their tongues becoming tangled with each other.
"You smell like alcohol,” grumbles Teh without separating their lips.
Oh-aew chuckles before deepening their kiss. Teh mumbles about getting drunk, but his complaints simply end up melting inside Oh-aew’s mouth. His hand slides under Oh-aew’s shirt and lands on his slim waist. With every turn of Oh-aew’s head, his spine moves accordingly. Soon after, Oh-aew also puts his hand under Teh’s shirt. He generously caresses Teh’s solid and smooth skin. As they exchange hot breaths, he feels the drunkenness creeping up at him again.
There was a time when it began raining while they were swimming at the rooftop of Oh-aew’s condominium. That downpour was just as intense as it is today. Amidst them frolicking in the water and perching on the poolside, heavy rain started coming down. Still, they both dove into the water and rose back up towards the sky together in almost perfect synch. In between the buoyancy that's holding up their bodies and the gravity that's causing the large raindrops to fall intensely, the two remained still for a while with their heads leaning against each other’s shoulders.
It was so mundane, yet it was a moment where they could feel blessed and not disregarded. As if they could face the world like anyone else, and receive grace like anyone else. That world was peaceful and safe.
The sound of the raindrops falling constantly on the surface of the water and resonating in his ears that day.
Once again, he is hearing it today.
Once again, it’s the two of them under the rain.
The heavy rain has confined the four-cornered space into a cube filled with darkness and trapped the gasps of the two people passionately kissing each other. Teh turns off the car engine, stopping the vibrations causing the car to shake slightly, as well as the machine’s noise. Subsequently, he turns off the headlights shining brightly in front of them.
Now, only the sound of the rain knocking on the car and their breaths hovering over each other's earlobes truly remain.
The drunken Oh-aew feels relaxed and sluggish. Even as Teh plants kisses all over his body, Oh-aew sways like a wave, the groans stuck in his throat sounding muffled. His long fingers that were under Teh’s shirt slowly find their way around the other's body. Teh, who can't even drink alcohol, feels as though he could get drunk over the intoxication filling up Oh-aew's lips.
Knock, knock, knock.
Teh buries his nose onto Oh-aew's nape, and unbuckles his seatbelt with a click—
Knock, knock, knock.
Oh-aew pushes Teh, and the guy who had been shoved away looks behind him. A round light is shining over the window. Teh opens it and sees someone standing outside.
“This is the police.”
“Huh?”
“It’s dangerous if you stay here. The river water in front of you might rise, so please leave quickly.”
“Oh, alright. I’m sorry.”
“Wait a minute. Are you drunk?”
Asks the police, his nose sniffing the car.
“Oh, no, I didn’t. My friend here is a bit drunk so I was the one driving.”
“Mr. Driver, please breathe out.”
Teh exhales under the man’s nose.
“Hmm, you smell like alcohol, though?”
“No, no, I didn’t drink! I’m a new driver. Beginners wouldn’t get drunk and then drive. That should never happen!”
Teh waves his hand in a panic as he spouts excuses. The policeman tells his colleague beside him to bring a breathalyzer over and asks Teh to show his license.
To think a moment would come when I have to show my license to prove my identity, muses Teh. He reaches out for his bag in the backseat, feeling strange and nervous.
But right then, Oh-aew who was beside him pushes Teh down and peeks out towards the policeman’s direction.
“Mister! It’s because we kissed! This guy and I!”
From being sober enough to guide Teh while driving, Oh-aew suddenly reverts to an inebriated state. Teh hurriedly covers Oh-aew's mouth, but Oh-aew pushes his hand away.
“What, we can’t do that? We can’t kiss?”
The policeman simply hums and pretends to not hear him.
“Hey… You… Come on...!”
Teh sits Oh-aew back down, fetches his license out of his wallet, and shows it to the policeman.
During that time, the colleague returns with the breathalyzer. Teh starts to feel a bit anxious. Would he be considered drunk just because his mouth reeks of alcohol? In just two weeks after getting his license, would he actually get charged for drunk driving?
Teh closes his eyes firmly and sticks his lips out. In order to blow as hard as he can, he gathers all his strength in his lower abdomen—
“No! I’m the one who drank! Why are you the one blowing it? I’ll do it!”
Yet, Oh-aew intervenes, again.
“We are testing the driver only.”
“...Why?”
“We are just checking because the car smells like alcohol.”
“It’s because of me, though~? Haaaa~~~”
"Oh-aew. Wait.”
After calming Oh-aew down again, Teh blows on the breathalyzer. It flashes blue. The policeman then gives him back his license.
“Please head out now.”
“Um, I’m just a new driver so I’m really scared. Can I wait for the rain to let up a little bit before leaving? The wet roads are scary. Really.”
"If you wanna be swept away by the water, feel free to do that.”
The aloof policeman leaves them with those fearsome words before heading out. After he leaves with his umbrella, the rain almost immediately hits Teh and drenches his forearms. He rolls up his car window, shakes his arm, and peeks at Oh-aew who had gone silent. He was just staring into space with wide eyes.
“We kissed~~~ We kissed~~~” teases Teh, pointing at Oh-aew while laughing.
“Hey, don't make a laughing stock out of my self-sacrifice,” says Oh-aew who is back to his sober self.
"First things first, we’ll probably be dead if the river water rises, so let’s get going, Oh. We’ll go home and finish what we were doing.”
Teh starts the engine. The headlights flicker on.
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