8
MY Aontakarn
The confident tone of my voice makes Toy look at me and Aontakarn repeatedly in confusion. In the end, the handsome man leaves the large bouquet with the sweet-faced woman and departs.
"I'm not giving up. I'm just going to get a grip on what's what. I will be back."
"And you will see me standing here, next to Aontakarn, when you do!"
Toy gets in his car and drives away. So, there's only the female announcer, and I left. We watch the taillight until it's out of sight.
"Toy left. You can rest assured that as long as Chris is here, he can't do anything to you, Kam."
"Ah... huh." The sweet-faced woman nods and tries not to smile at me. "You're so cool."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Let's go inside and drink some water. The fight was probably exhausting for you."
Aontakarn opens the gate and invites me into her house. I was all mightly as I fought with Toy. But when I'm back to being my full self, it seems like I'm shrinking into the size of black ants on the ground.
What did I just do? I acted like I was a fighter. The sweet-faced woman is probably afraid and does not dare get close to me now. What to do...
"There's nothing much here."
"Huh?" I look around, observing the area. Karn's house is a compact, two-floor wooden house. There are movable furniture pieces that don't really go with the design of the house. It's as if they are there for their functions, not for decoration. "There doesn't need to be much, as long as it can give you shelter and comfort when you're tired."
"That's great. Karn was afraid that Chris would be disappointed that my house is not beautiful."
"The owner is beautiful. That's enough." I let slip before I realized what I just said. "Ah..."
"Such a sweet talker."
"I... I'm sorry. Does that sound weird?"
"Why do you look so shocked? You complimented me. It made me feel good. Why would it be weird?"
"Isn't it strange for a woman to compliment another woman?"
"Ifs better that the compliment is from another woman. Sit here first. Karn will go get you something to drink." As the host goes to get some water for the guest, I look around, paying full attention to the house. I wasn't going to talk much, but if I didn't say anything, it would be too quiet.
"You live here alone? Oh..." I cover my mouth with my hand, like I just realized something. Her mother just passed away. Aontakarn, who's about to serve me some water, sees that I'm panicking, so she smiles at me.
"I live alone. You don't have to be nervous every time you're around Karn. Relax. We're about to be close."
"That sounds weird. Why are we trying so hard to be close?"
"Don't you want to be Karn's friend?"
"…"
"You don't."
"I want that!"
I shout that out instantly when I see the sweet-faced woman looking sad. That makes Aontakarn laugh.
"You're so funny. I just acted like I was sad, and you panicked."
"W... what?"
"Chris has to learn to relax around Karn. Karr: wants to have a conversation with Chris. But if Chris goes quiet every time I talk to you, we cannot communicate. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
I nodded and put my hair behind my ear timidly. That makes Aontakarn unable to resist reaching her hand out to lift my chin up so that I can look her in the eye.
"You have to stop being shy around me as well."
Thump Thump.
Thump Thump.
The beautiful brown eyes that are looking straight at me stun me. The first time I looked at Aontakarn on TV, I remembered that I couldn't look away from those eyes. And now I have to look into her eyes in person? I'm so excited, I almost forgot how to breathe.
"Ah... it's a bit strange." Aontakarn pulls her hand back from my chin and looks away. She's smiling shyly. It's such an awkward atmosphere that I have to laugh to clear the air of shyness.
"Right. I'm sorry that I tend to create dead air. Chris will try not to be too shy around Karn"
"We need to break the ice."
"How?"
"Let's drink some beer."
"Oh... no." I hurriedly waved my hand to refuse to do so. Karakate or Rung will come out. "Chris really can't handle alcohol well. I don't even remember what I did last time. If Chris does something strange again..."
"What do you consider strange? Will you force yourself on me?"
"Are you crazy? Can a woman force herself on another woman? I can't imagine that."
"Right. So, what are you afraid of? No matter who you turn to when you're drunk, it's still you."
"But..."
"I'll drink alone then. I feel that drinking alcohol makes it easier for us to chitchat. If Karn gets drunk, can Chris please take care of me?"
Though I try to refuse, it seems like I can't really avoid drinking with her. Aontakarn has beers at her place. That's surprising to me. Why does someone who looks so sweet have so much alcohol in her fridge?
"When Karn wants to sleep well, Karn will drink beer." My question was answered when I looked at all the beers in the fridge. "It's like my sleeping pill."
"For Chris, it's poison."
It lets me, with a heart full of lust, come out. Though it's still me...
"Can't you see it as dessert? It would be nice if I had someone to drink with me."
"Don't you have friends to drink with?"
"All my friends already have their own families. Some moved overseas. And I don't have many coworkers... But Karn has Chris now. We're becoming close." The sweet-faced woman puts her can of beer against mine, though I haven't opened mine yet. "Cheers."
"Are you lonely?"
"…"
That silence makes me sit up straight and wave my hands.
"I'm sorry. I'm babbling."
"I am, some of the time. I had my mother. But now I don't." The petite woman has a heart-to-heart talk with me as she's sipping her beer. "My mother drank with me. When I'm stressed, my mom will drink with me. My mother was the one who stocked up on these beers. She bought them to drink with her daughter."
So that's how it is... I look at the can in my hand, feeling guilty that I won't drink it when it can be a bridge between us.
"Why is there no picture of your mother in the house?"
"Kan removed them all."
"Why?"
"It makes me cry." Aontakarn's voice becomes shaky when she talks about her mother. It makes me panic. I have to do something. So I unconsciously opened my can of beer and put it against hers.
"No, don't cry. Hey... Kam has Chris as a friend now. Chris will drink with Kam from now on."
"This is great. You are so cute."
Thump Thump...
Geez. My heart... please, beats slower. The owner is about to explode like Koko Krunch. Because I'm afraid that I'll lose my composure, I sip some more beer. I just took a sip because I don't want to transform into someone else.
"Let's talk about Chris. Do you have a lover?"
"Right to the point... no. I haven't had one for a long time."
"How did you know Toy?"
"So that's what you really want to know. You can ask me frankly." I laugh a little. "I dated him. And I can confirm that he's a jerk."
"No wonder you said what you did to Karn. You wanted to warn me but didn't know what to say, huh?"
"I'm sorry. What I said was rude. It's not something I should ask you about." I meant when I asked her about her sexual relationship with Toy and got slapped in the face. Aontakarn scrunches her lips a bit and nods.
"That's correct. You were so annoying that day. If Karn had known what Chris really wanted to say, Karn wouldn't have done that. I'm sorry. It must have hurt a lot. I can sense that the sweet-faced one is scanning to see if there's any trace of what she did left. It seems she's becoming a bit drunk, so she's more relaxed. I only took one sip, so I'm still fully conscious. I smile at her.
"No. You didn't hit me that hard."
"Karn didn't mean physically. Karn meant here." The female announcer smiles at the corner of her mouth and gently pokes her finger right above my left breast. "You meant well, but you got hit. How can it not hurt here?"
"It's the past. Chris is not mad."
"Why not?"
"I'm just not."
"There must be a reason that you're not mad."
"There's none."
"I thought it was because Chris likes Karn a lot." I was startled to hear that. Aontakarn also seems hocked to be saying that. She hurriedly waves her hand and makes an excuse. "Karn meant that Chris really wanted to get close to me. You said that you don't hate me and actually like me a lot when you were drunk."
"A... Ah. So... that's what you meant."
Why am I so shy? But Karakate told Aontakarn that I like her a lot? Bitch!
"It's a bit awkward, yeah?"
"Ah... yes." I unconsciously take a big sip of beer to try to disperse this awkward atmosphere before I startle as I look at my can.
Shit... How much did I drink?
"Will Chris protect Kant from Toy?"
"Definitely." I reply without having to think about it. "Chris will not let Toy bother Karn. But Karn also has to not give him a chance to make up with you or go soft on him. Else, no matter what I do, it wouldn't matter."
"I won't go soft. What he did was unforgivable. If my mother were still alive, she would do the same as Chris..." Aontakarn seems stunned when she says that. She stares at me before she continues. "MY Aontakarn."
"H... huh?"
My jaw drops when the woman with the most beautiful eyes repeats what I said earlier in front of the house.
"Right. Karn remembers now." There are tears in Aontakarn's eyes. She wipes them off with her thumb before she reveals to me why she's crying. I am at a loss for what to do after hearing what she says. "Chris makes me think of my mother."
"Huh?"
"When my mother was still alive, she always called me... MY Aontakarn." And the sweet-looking woman seems to realize something as she's staring at me. "Karn knows now why Karn wants to be your friend so much."
"Why?"
"When Kant is with Chris, Kant feels like Karn is with my mother."