Chapter Text
Chay hadn't touched his guitar in weeks. Really, he hadn't done much of anything in weeks. Except impulsively dye his hair. He walked around in a constant fog. The days ran together. But the nights were the worst.
He dreaded the nights. Without anything to distract him, he stared at the ceiling or tossed and turned until exhaustion finally took him. But even then, horrible images came into his mind. Hands reaching out at him from the darkness. The barrel of a gun. The indifferent face of someone he thought he loved. He shook his head, tossing his too thick hair and dispelling the unwanted thoughts.
He looked again at his guitar across the room. He wanted to smash it; a gift from Kim, wrapped in lies instead of paper. But he couldn't. He told himself it was because of its monetary value, and nothing more - although he was sure Kinn would buy him a car if he asked and he didn't even know how to drive. He'd once wondered if Kim would teach him how to drive.
He was sick of this. Of being miserable and feeling weak. He couldn't be like this anymore. It was pathetic. He was Porchay Kittisawat, brother of Porsche Kittisawat, the martial arts champion and mafia-leading man of strength and dignity. Chay needed to start living up to his namesake. He stood and crossed the room in a few steps. His room, he reminded himself, although his time there was still so new it didn't really feel like his.
Porchay took the guitar down from where he'd stashed it in the top of his too-large closet. He sat in the corner, flexed his right hand gently fingering the frets before testing a gentle strum. The guitar was out of tune from disuse, but not so badly as he had expected. Maybe he was like this guitar. He hoped he was. That he was out of tune but...with time...and a little tuning, he would play alright again.
He went for another strum to begin adjusting the strings when his phone pinged. It was a message from an unknown number with an attachment. He looked at the guitar forlornly. He guessed she needed more time, and he sat the instrument aside.