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"Skyyy I'm really sorry," Rain apologised for what seemed like the hundred time now as he parked the car.
They arrived at Phayu's garage, where Sky and Rain were meant to hang out after school and start their assignment together, before Rain's mother called him asking if he could come home to help her with... something.
Throughout all his explanations and apologies, Sky hadn't been able to catch why exactly Rain was needed home.
"Rain I already told you it's fine, P'Pai will be here in a few minutes. I'll just wait for him to finish his bike stuff and we can do the assignment another day okay? Say hi to your mom for me."
"You're the best Sky! I'll see you tomorrow, I'll buy you lunch," Rain said watching his best friend exit the car and walk towards the garage.
Sky hasn't been here a lot, only a couple of times, always accompanying either Rain or Prapai. Today however with Rain unable to stay and Prapai still at the office, he was alone, but not for long.
"N'Sky," Phayu smiled, greeting the younger boy. "Rain texted me that he would drop you off here without him. Pai still at work?"
Sky wai'd his senior, nodding his head in answer as he followed him to the private area of the garage. This was another unusual thing - being alone with Phayu.
Phayu wasn't a stranger to him in any way, he's been around him plenty of times, but always with someone, always because of someone. Whether that was at the university, surrounded by other council members or teachers, or in the company of his boyfriend or best friend. He's never really talked with Phayu alone. It wasn't that he was scared of the senior or anything, he just felt a bit awkward to be left alone with him.
"Would you like something to drink?" Phayu asked, walking to the mini fridge and taking out a bottle of orange juice, oblivious to Sky's worries.
Sky remembered the first time he was here, over half a year ago, when he and Prapai made their relationship official, telling Rain and Phayu about it.
"I'll have what you have, thank you," Sky replied politely, taking the drink from Phayu and sitting down on the couch. He took a small sip, struggling to come up with something to start a conversation, to not make his stay here too awkward. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Phayu beat him to it.
"I was at the university the other day, I heard that you're well on your way to becoming the next school legend," he said, making himself comfortable across from Sky. Truth be told Sky was silently hoping that Phayu would just go back to work and leave Sky by himself but guess he was willing to have an actual conversation with him.
Damn Phayu and his perfect manners.
"I wouldn't say that," he answered, fiddling with the straw for his drink.
"I'm serious, a lot of your seniors and teachers have been praising you and you're only in your 3rd year. You'll be a great architect one day, Sky."
"I'm not really sure if I want to do architecture in the future." This wasn't something Sky admitted to a lot of people, which was obvious by the surprise on Phayu's face. After all Sky knew he was good, he could see it, could hear others talking, was proven by the way everyone sought out Sky's help and tips from the top student.
"Really? Why'd you choose architecture then?"
The question had Sky hesitating, an answer he's only once told Prapai, after a nightmare, in their half asleep state when Sky would let Pai see more of his past, when he would tell him more about his life before, during and after Gun.
But Phayu was someone he could trust, who he did trust. And Prapai said that they should work on Sky expressing himself more, and what better way to start than with Prapai's best friend.
"I actually never planned to go to university. My parents sent me to Bangkok for highschool and afterwards I was meant to go back to my father, take over his flower shop. But after-'' he stopped, looked down at the drink in his hand, took a breath and continued, "after what happened with Gun, or more specifically after I started to come back to myself, I decided that I wanted to, I guess, prove to him, prove to myself, that he didn't break me." He shrugged, continuously playing with the straw. "That I can become someone without his shadow following me. My father didn't object but he didn't have the money to actually pay for my tuition so I applied for a bunch of scholarships. I knew I wanted to do something that involved the arts, I'm good at that - creative working. That's how I ended up here. I like architecture, it's become my passion but I'm not sure if it's something I want to actually do. I was thinking of maybe teaching it instead."
"That's very admirable Sky," Phayu smiled, his eyes finding Sky's when the latter finally looked up. "I don't know the full story of what you went through, but I know that it definitely wasn't easy for you, just what I know is enough to be certain of that. But the fact that you never gave up, and are achieving what you wanted, did achieve what you wanted, is really something worth looking up to."
Sky returned Phayu's expression with his own small smile, "P'Pai helps a lot. I really don't know what I'd do without him."
"But you've still managed to get up and live on even before meeting him, right?" Phayu asked, his eyes filled with nothing but kindness.
Sky was so happy for Rain that his first relationship turned out to be with someone like Phayu. Someone who would never hurt him, someone who would never let Rain go through anything that Sky did.
He hummed slightly in answer, "but with P'Pai things are actually better. I'm not scared anymore, I don't dread the next day, aren't terrified of going to sleep," he sighs, "P'Pai has shown me that I can be happy again. He showed me that I can really love someone again without the pain and hurt I was used to getting in return."
"He really does love you. Has loved you for a long time, before he realised it himself," Phayu started, Sky looking up at him again. "He's never acted with anyone the way he did with you. Never showed much interest to anyone outside of the bedroom unless it was his family or close friends. But with you it's been different from the start. Not only has he gotten interested enough to seek you out after months, while knowing nothing about you, but he also ended up pursuing you. He's never done that to anyone. At first he may have believed that it was just to have sex with you, hell I believe it too at the very beginning, but I could see that there was something more. N'Plerng even came to me early on, asking if I knew something about Prapai finding someone. He would talk about you all the time. He was very annoyingly and sickly in love with you from the beginning, and still is, just now 10 times worse with you reciprocating his feelings." Phayu smirked watching the younger boy get shy.
"Well I guess you rubbed off on me Yu, with your disgustingly in love attitude towards Rain," Prapai announced his presence loudly, walking into the room and clapping Phayu on the back before settling on the couch beside Sky, an arm thrown behind him. "Hi baby," he said, unsuccessfully trying to steal a kiss from Sky.
"Aren't we here so you could test a bike out? Why are you eavesdropping on me and P'Phayu instead?" Sky said, one hand on Pai's chest stopping him from any further attempts at kissing Sky.
"Ow Phayu, are you trying to steal my boyfriend?" Pai turned to his friend with a dramatic face. Phayu only rolled his eyes, too used to his friends' antics.
"I thought you just said you heard me talking about how you wouldn't stop gushing about Sky at every given moment."
Pai hummed, grinning, "Of course I'll be gushing, have you met my Sky? He's very gush worthy."
"P'Pai. The bike." Sky said, wanting to stop his boyfriend before he went further on his mission to make Sky feel flustered.
"It's ready for you in front of the track," Phayu added. Prapai sigh, aware that he had lost against the two, and stood up, going towards the other part of the garage leaving Sky alone with Phayu once again.
"Y'know Rain was like that too," Sky mused after watching Pai disappear around the corner. "With Ple, he didn't do much except for following her around like a lost puppy. But with you he actually put so much effort whilst claiming that he didn't like you. I kept seeing him either smiling at his phone when texting you, or looking like a child deprived of candy whenever he was waiting for your text," he started, "that first time you met, when his car broke down, he told me the story about his 'handsome big bike bro' like a hundred times. Then later, after whatever happened with you two, he suddenly hated you. I wasn't convinced though, even when he asked me to help him find dirt on you. That's how we came to the racetrack, I've seen you there a couple times when I still dated Gun, I texted him to ask if you still worked there and the address. He didn't question why I needed to know and thankfully gave it to me without any problems."
"You texted Gun to help Rain?" Phayu asked, surprised by the admission. Truthfully Sky himself was surprised about how easily he was opening up to the senior.
He nodded hesitantly, taking a sip of the orange juice to collect his thoughts. "I knew that if I didn't help Rain, he'd find a way to the races himself and probably get into some sort of trouble. Which is also why I went with him, hoping that Gun wouldn't be there. Rain ran off so I went after him, he got caught by you and before the guards could get to me, P'Pai was there. He was a bit of an asshole but I'd take that anyday than the guards or Gun. And well, meeting him there turned into what we are now."
"You're a really good friend Sky, you know that?"
"I know," he smiled, "Rain tells me that all the time. I've never really had such a close friend like Rain, although before we weren't that close. Our friendship blossomed more after he got together with you and I started dating P'Pai."
It was true, especially since the night at the condo, Sky began sharing his feelings more with Rain and in turn the two friends became closer, started trusting each other more and spending time together outside of school obligations.
Sky cherished their friendship. Despite his constant teasing of Rain, paired with his sarcastic comebacks, Sky truly loved the boy. Like he told Phayu, beforehand, Sky hasn't really had any real friends, only close acquaintances. Rain however became a sudden part of his life, but one that Sky really cared for. Rain's bubbly personality, and none-stop talking had brightened Sky's mood more times than he'd like to admit. Being around Rain often had a calming effect on Sky, helping his brain not think about the past.
Before Prapai, Rain had been the person Sky subtly sought out, content in his presence, relishing in the feeling of safety the boy's company brought him, even without acknowledging it, or without Rain knowing anything about Sky's past.
"Anyways," Sky continued, shaking his thoughts away from what was before, "since the racetrack, Rain became adamant to pursue you within a month. I didn't understand why, but I helped him with that too. He was trying to deny it but I could see that he cared about you, would be all pouty whenever you wouldn't text him."
Phayu huffed out a small laugh, "it's nice to hear the effect I've had on him. I was actually interested in Rain from the beginning, I just wanted him to be the one trying to pursue me until he realised his own feelings."
"Well it certainly worked, Rain doesn't shut up about you. Never did ever since your first meeting. I have been forcefully made to know more things about you, and your relationship than I would've preferred."
"Rain and Pai are similar about that, but at least Pai doesn't say anything about your sex life even though I know it's killing him. He respects your privacy but is also internally fighting with himself to not brag about everything when it comes to you," Phayu crossed his arms, smiling fondly as he talked about his boyfriend and best friend.
"How have we managed to both get such similar people? The bragging, puppy dog eyes, chaotic behaviour?"
"Good thing they have us to keep them in check. We're quite similar too Sky, not many people would be able to fight those eyes or make sure they don't go too overboard." Sky nodded, looking to the side where Prapai had just finished taking a lap around the track.
"I'm glad you and Rain found each other. I'm glad you're Rain's first. I love him, but he's very naive and trustworthy and unfortunately this world doesn't have many men like you and P'Pai," at the mention of his boyfriend Sky glanced back again to where Prapai was parking the bike. "I'd never want Rain to go through anything even remotely similar to what I had… and I'm glad to know that with you he won't. Both Rain and I lucked out with having you and P'Pai."
"You deserve to be happy Sky, but so does Pai, and he's never been happier than when he's with you. He's changed for the better ever since you entered his life. I did too, with Rain. He truly means the world to me." Phayu looked up at Prapai who approached the pair again, "Everything good?"
"Yeah," Pai nodded, his signature grin on his face as he stood beside Sky, "I'll race the bike during the next event," he turned to look at Sky, "ready to go honey?"
Sky smiled, nodding, and let Prapai pull him up, "It was really nice to talk to you P'Phayu. Thank you for keeping me company."
"Remember that you're welcome to come here anytime, with or without Rain or Pai," Phayu smiled back, watching the couple leave, Sky unsuccessfully trying to swat away Prapai's arm that snaked around his waist.
He could feel that this was not the last time he and Sky would be talking about their boyfriends antics, on the contrary, he knew this would be something that would become a more frequent activity between the two of them.