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Por is what you call “unattainable.” A star that’s beyond anyone’s league. He was the kind of person people would die to have but no one could ever. He was the campus prince of Sampatisukul University—a guy who could make heads turn, hearts race with just a mere glance. He was not just looks. He was a beauty with smart brains. Topper of the entrance exam, he always remained in the top 10 list. Presently he was in his sophomore year - music major, an aspiring vocalist. Students practically threw themselves at him, eager to please him, to capture his heart or at least a few seconds of his attention. He wasn’t new to confessions. It almost became a daily routine in his life. Letters on his desk, letters via his friends, public proposals, grand gestures, homemade things, and more. However each one of them met the same end.
“I’m not interested in dating. I hope you can find someone else.” He would say, calm, unbothered, undettered.
It didn’t matter how heartfelt the confessions were, how insanely the romantic gestures were, or expensive the gifts were. The sincerity, although visible, Por turned them all down— gently, politely, but without any hesitation. Eventually, people came to a conclusion— Por is an enigma, someone beyond reach.
But, it was not as if he wasn’t interested in dating, he was just not interested in dating those people. Reason being a certain something…
…or rather certain someone.
“Yoo-hoo, Por, are you even listening to what we’re talking about?”
Auau waved his hand in front of Por’s face, but Por didn’t react. Auau was the best friend of Por. He was just a year below Por, in economics major.
Auau’s words went over Por’s head. His mind was elsewhere, his expression completely dazed.
A dreamy sigh left his lips. His eyes practically sparkled, pupils blown wide with lovesick admiration. His chin rested lazily on his palm, elbow propped on the table in a picture-perfect display of someone completely, utterly smitten. And also uhh…
…he was drooling.
If his fans ever saw him like this, they’d probably faint on the spot due to complete denial of their prince being like this— a hopeless romantic.
Another heavy sigh came from across the table.
“Phi… why don’t you just confess already? He’s not going to bite you, you know?”
Patji pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperation clear in his tone. He had long since grown tired of his phi relentless, painfully obvious pining. Patji or simply Pat was the youngest of their friend group. He was in his second year of high school. Being the neighbor of Por, he easily blended into their friend group.
At Patji’s words, Por’s head snapped toward him so fast it was a miracle he didn’t get whiplash. “As if I could!” he huffed, voice bordering on desperate. “Can’t you all see how out of my league that person looks? His smile alone is enough to kill a man! And those soft, squishy cheeks—I could just nom on them all day! And don’t even get me started on those round, thick-rimmed glasses perched on his perfect nose, framing those sparkly, gorgeous eyes—oh god! It’s too much for my heart!”
A stunned silence settled over the table.
Meanwhile, Auau, and JJ shot sharp glares at Patji. Why would you bring this up? Their eyes screamed in unison. Because now that their beloved Pipor had started, there was no stopping him. Not anytime soon, at least.
“Did you guys even notice how his eyes turn into tiny crescents when he laughs or how his cheeks lift up like a hamster when he smiles from ear to ear?!” Por continued, oblivious to their suffering. “People should count themselves blessed just to witness that in person. And those sexy forearms—oh my god, I just want to bite them! And that tongue poking his cheek, those long thick fingers…” His voice turned hazy, dreamlike, as if lost in the fantasy unfolding in his mind. “Imagine the things they could do to me…”
At this point, Por was completely gone, deep in his lovesick haze.
The rest of the table, however, sat in sheer horror.
“GOSH! NOBODY NEEDED TO HEAR YOUR HORNY THOUGHTS RIGHT NOW, PHI!”
JJ practically growled as he grabbed Por by the shoulders, shaking him like a malfunctioning vending machine. His face was twisted in pure exasperation, while the rest of the table looked like they were debating whether to laugh or cry.
“Instead of lusting over him like a desperate perv, why not actually put those gears in your head to work and confess?”
Por scoffed, undeterred. He crossed his arms and shot JJ a knowing smirk. “High coming from someone who freezes every time he sees his crush in the hallway and then runs away like a coward! At least I don’t turn tail and flee at the mere sight of my love interest.”
JJ’s mouth fell open. No words came out. He blinked once. Twice. Then, slowly, a furious pink bloomed across his cheeks, spreading down to his neck. His hands flailed for a second, scrambling to grasp onto anything that could be used as a comeback.
“I-I—It’s not my fault!” he stammered, voice an octave higher than usual. His fingers anxiously rubbed the back of his neck as he looked away, clearly flustered. “Net is just… so handsome that it makes me go blind!”
His voice softened toward the end, almost like he was confessing his sins to some pastor at the church.
“Well, that’s exactly my case with him!” Por huffed, throwing his hands up in exaggerated despair. “He’s so handsome, so beautiful, so gorgeous. And me? I don’t even come close to matching his level! How can a lowlife like me even gather the courage to talk to him?”
With a deep, dramatic sigh, Por shook his head as if the mere thought was too painful to bear.
Auau, JJ, and Patji exchanged looks, their expressions shifting in sync. They were so done with their phi. If expressions could be turned into words, it probably went like:
“Did he just call himself a lowlife?”
“Does he not realize that half the campus is ready to drop to their knees just to be noticed by him?”
“Phi is so weird…”
Auau, who couldn’t handle it anymore, finally spoke up. “Just admit that you’re a pathetic loser in love, Por,” he deadpanned, arms crossed. Then, turning his gaze, he added, “And you too, JJ.”
JJ gasped, offended. “Hey—!”
But Auau simply shook his head, utterly disappointed in the two hopeless romantics before him.
And then—just as if the universe wanted to make things even worse—someone walked up to their table.
A guy.
With a tiny notepad in one hand and a pretty pink pen in the other.
“Hello,” he said, voice gentle and warm, accompanied by a soft, polite smile. “Can I take your orders?”
Por froze.
His brain short-circuited.
He was so lost in his daze that he hadn’t even noticed the guy leaving the counter and walking over. He didn’t have time to regain his composure, and didn't have a second to prepare himself. One moment, he was hopelessly daydreaming about him, and the next, the very subject of his daydreams was standing just a few feet away.
Auau and JJ exchanged glances. Then, slowly, identical smirks stretched across their faces.
Por, completely oblivious to the silent scheming happening right under his nose, did what he did best—stealing subtle (or at least, what he thought were subtle) glances at the guy standing in front of him. His eyes flickered to the soft slope of his nose, the way his lips curled slightly even when he wasn’t smiling, the way his uniform fit perfectly on him—
Auau cleared his throat.
Loudly.
Por barely had time to react before Auau pointed a finger directly at him, then turned his gaze toward the guy’s uniform. A small name tag caught his eye.
Teetee.
Auau’s lips twitched, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Uhh, Khun Teetee,” he started, drawing out the name as he looked back at him. “Do you know this guy?” He jabbed a thumb toward Por.
Por wanted to disappear.
No.
He wanted to make his friends disappear.
He shot Auau a murderous glare, but the guy only grinned wider. Patji, the little traitor, just chuckled in amusement, making no attempt to save him.
Meanwhile, Teetee—who had clearly not been expecting that question—visibly stiffened. A dusting of pink crept up his neck, blooming across his cheeks. “O-Of course I know him,” he stammered, awkwardly shifting his weight. “I mean, who wouldn’t know the campus prince? It’d be more surprising if someone didn’t know him… Haha…”
The little nervous laugh at the end did not go unnoticed.
Auau and JJ’s smirks deepened.
And Por?
Por frickin’ blushed.
His ears turned a deep shade of red, burning with the realization that his crush—Teetee—actually knew who he was. He didn’t give a damn if anyone else on campus knew him or not, but hearing it straight from Teetee’s mouth? That was a milestone achieved.
His heart swelled, warmth blooming in his chest like a fire spreading uncontrollably.
And then—
“Are you single, Khun Teetee?”
JJ’s voice cut through the moment like a knife.
Por froze. His body locked up so fast he might as well have turned to stone.
Oh, he was going to kill them. Every single one of them. He was already plotting it in his head—how to make it look like an accident, how to get away with murder—but… at the same time…
He was curious.
He had already stalked Teetee’s Instagram and Twitter. Thoroughly. He even followed Teetee with his private account—purely for scientific research purposes, of course. But frustratingly, his posts never revealed anything about his dating life. No hints, no subtle captions, nothing. Teetee kept such a low profile that even Por’s CIA-level snooping skills hadn’t gotten him anywhere.
So, as much as he wanted to strangle JJ for putting Teetee on the spot, he also really, really wanted to hear the answer.
But before Teetee could even think about responding, his pink pen slipped from his grasp, clattering onto the floor.
“Oh—”
He quickly bent down to retrieve it—only to slam his head against the table on the way down.
A soft thud echoed. His spectacles slipped off his face, landing beside the pen.
Por watched as Teetee hurriedly picked up both, immediately standing upright. And in that moment, three sets of eyes—Auau’s, JJ’s, and Patji’s—grew impossibly wide.
Because the man standing before them didn’t just look like an ordinary café worker anymore.
He looked like someone who owned the runway. Like he belonged on magazine covers. Like he was sculpted by the gods themselves.
Por, however, barely reacted.
Because he already knew.
Sure, Teetee was breathtaking without glasses—but Por preferred him with them. There was something about the way those thick-rimmed frames rested on his nose, how they made his soft features look even softer, his sharp gaze even prettier. Teetee with glasses? Now that was his type.
Meanwhile, Teetee—completely unaware of the mini existential crisis he had just caused—hurriedly put his spectacles back on, stepping back a few centimeters as he bowed repeatedly.
“I-I’m sorry,” he stammered, voice small.
Por could only stare.
His crush was an absolute mess.
And Por had never found someone so stupidly adorable in his entire life.
“And yes, I’m single…” Teetee answered, his voice barely above a whisper.
Teetee was trying so hard not to combust on the spot.
Por’s eyes widened in surprise. But beneath that, relief settled in. He has a shot. A real, actual shot. Or at least, that’s what he told himself—never mind the fact that his coward ass would never actually do anything about it.
Unfortunately for him, his friends had other plans.
Auau, blatantly catching onto the opportunity, wasted no time. “You see, our friend here, Por, has zero experience in dating.” He leaned forward, smirking. “Would you mind taking him on a date and, you know, teaching him the basics? Of course, no pressure.”
In other words, he had just straight-up called Por bitchless since birth.
Por’s jaw dropped.
His own friends. Betraying him like this. In broad daylight.
Not only had they practically interrogated poor Teetee, but now they were forcing him into the impossible. God, please let them live to see another day. And if they somehow got banned from this café for workplace harassment? Por was personally disowning every single one of them.
Just as he was about to shut this whole thing down, Teetee spoke up again—his voice softer this time.
“I-I have no problem… if he’s okay with it…”
A soft pink dusted his cheeks, glaringly visible.
JJ’s head snapped toward Por, his smirk borderline villainous. “What do you think, Phi Por?”
And just like that, all eyes were on him.
Por, still flabbergasted, fought to regain control over his expression. He needed to play it cool. Needed to act like someone who didn’t give a fuck—even though he absolutely did. Teetee didn’t have to know that.
So, with all the effort in the world, Por schooled his features into something calm, collected, unbothered.
Then, he made the mistake of looking at Teetee.
And that was it.
He melted.
The guy was the literal definition of puppy-doe eyes.
Big. Shiny. Hopeful.
Por crashed.
His lips parted slightly, and before he could even think about forming an actual sentence, he dumbly nodded.
Mouth still slightly agape like a fish.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group was struggling not to burst out laughing at their friend’s misery.
Patji, who had been suspiciously quiet this entire time, suddenly stood up. With a smug little grin, he extended an envelope toward Teetee.
Teetee, looking like a confused puppy, blinked before carefully taking it. His fingers slid under the flap, pulling out—
Tickets. For Amusement Park.
His brows furrowed as he read over them.
“I originally bought these for fun,” Patji lied. “But now? They’re actually coming in handy. This will be your date location. The tickets are for this Sunday.” He threw a playful smirk in Por’s direction.
Por’s eyes widened in pure, unfiltered disbelief.
Were these guys seriously plotting a ridiculous scheme behind his back this whole time?!
Before Teetee could even begin to fully process what was happening, a voice called out from behind the counter.
“Teetee! Get over here! You can chit-chat during break time!”
Teetee startled, quickly bowing in apology before rushing back toward the counter.
But midway—he hesitated.
As if he had just remembered something important.
He turned back around, a soft pink dusting his cheeks.
“I’ll be waiting,” he said, voice warm, eyes shining. “Let’s meet at 10 A.M. at the front gate.”
And with that, he spun back around, returning behind the counter to prepare orders—completely oblivious to the absolute chaos he had just left in his wake.
Por had his head hung low, face burning as he bit down on his lip hard—desperately trying to suppress the smile threatening to take over.
“Uh-huh, you better treat us to barbeque as a thank you.” JJ poked at Por’s arm, smug as ever.
“And desserts,” Patji added, completely unfazed.
Por’s head snapped up. His glare burned into each and every one of them.
“You guys…” His voice dripped with warning.]
Patji and Auau stared back, completely unfazed.
JJ? Just raised a brow.
Por scowled. “You’ll better consider yourselves lucky.” He crossed his arms, still pouting. “Or else you guys would’ve been six feet under by now.”
Auau fake-gasped. Patji, not so subtly, kicked Por under the table. JJ just rolled his eyes.
“You should be grateful that we did you a favor!” Auau huffed, crossing his arms like some dramatic main character. “I mean, seriously. Can you find friends like us anywhere?”
Por clicked his tongue. “Tch.” But despite himself, the corners of his lips curled up ever so slightly.
Because, yeah, they were annoying as hell—but he really, really loved them.
“Okay, okay, you grumpy babies,” Por relented, sighing. “I promise to treat you all.”
But then his curiosity got the better of him.
His brows furrowed, expression shifting. “But how—and when in the world did you guys even come up with this plan?”
“We didn’t plan anything,” JJ said casually.
Por shot him a look. One that clearly said, Yeah, right. Do I look stupid to you?
“Yeah, Por. JJ is right,” Auau chimed in, smirking. “We just saw the opportunity and clocked in.”
Por narrowed his eyes. “What about the tickets?” His gaze shifted to Patji, demanding answers.
Patji only shrugged, his smirk downright sly. “That was just the cherry on top. I forgot someone gave them to me to pass along to you, Phi Por.”
Por blinked. His expression deadpan.
“You guys are... unbelievable,” he muttered before finally breaking into soft laughter. The others quickly joined in, the sound warm and full of mischief.
As they stepped out of the café, the evening air was crisp, the sun already dipping below the horizon. Tomorrow marked the weekend. And the day after tomorrow?
Date day.
Or rather—pretend-to-date day.
“Better shoot your shot, Por! Don’t let it go to waste,” Auau called out, nudging Por’s shoulder playfully.
“I know…” Por murmured, biting his lip.
Still, before turning away, his eyes flickered back toward the café window.
There, behind the counter, was Teetee—focused, wiping down the surface, his eyes furrowed in absolute focus at the task in his hand.
Por exhaled deeply.
His voice softened, barely more than a mumble. “…What if he thinks this was a mistake? What if we pushed him too far?”
No matter how many people threw themselves at him—no matter how many confessions he had brushed off without a second thought—he only wanted Teetee.
For reasons he couldn’t even begin to say out loud.
“Only a fool would think it was a mistake, Phi. You’re overthinking,” JJ assured, patting his shoulder.
Por let out a small hum, nodding in response. A smile tugged at his lips, the worry in his chest loosening just a little.
After all, he hadn’t been pining over Teetee for nothing, right?
He was definitely going to shoot his shot.
And make Teetee fall for him.