Chapter Text
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"You wanna go downstairs?" I heard my friend say as he changed his jacket for the fourth time.
Jeff and I were going to a party later, and as usual he had to come over to my place and steal half my wardrobe... because apparently his two full closets were never enough.
"Can you please just pick a jacket already?" I said, walking away from the window.
"Actually, I like the one you're wearing. Lend it to me? And don't change the subject... you've been staring out that window for like twenty minutes. It's your brother's party, right?" he said as he threw himself onto the pile of clothes from his own personal runway show.
"Yeah, Mile invited his friends. I told my mom it was my turn to use the pool and invite our friends, but of course since it's Mile... my opinion doesn't matter. And I don't even know why he had to invite everyone. The guys from the soccer team aren't even that close to him" I said, clearly annoyed, walking over to my desk. Determined to light a cigarette.
"He's off to college soon. After that, the pool's all ours. I can already see it—we throwing the best parties in all of Bangkok" said my friend, who, knowing him... was definitely not going to miss a single excuse to throw a good party.
"Wait! did you say the soccer guys are here?" he asked suddenly, jumping off the bed and rushing to the window.
"Yeah, see for yourself" I said, joining him at the window and taking a drag from my cigarette.
"See them? I only wanna see one of them. Where is he? Oh! there he is."
Jeff was obviously talking about the captain.
"I seriously don't get what people see in him: he's insufferable, egotistical, and—"
"—extremely handsome" he cut in.
I rolled my eyes and kept smoking.
"Come on, you have to admit the guy is gorgeous. Like, carved by the gods of Olympus gorgeous. Smart, rich, funny, and—hello—captain of the soccer team. Total dream boyfriend" Jeff said shamelessly, but really, what else could I expect? Jeff fell in love with any man who was even remotely good looking.
"A title he stole from my brother, by the way" I said, annoyed.
"Pretty sure he earned it fair and square" Jeff replied, still going.
"Well, if you're that into him, why don't you just go down to his party and leave me alone" I said, pushing him back onto the bed and throwing the first pillow I could get my hands on.
"Hahaha, you're so sensitive. I gotta go. See you later at the party. JJ and Fuaiz are coming early" he said, already opening my door and heading down the stairs.
"Oh! and Bible!" he shouted from afar.
"What??" I yelled back.
"Get away from the window, bro. You're creeping people out, seriously."
And just like that, he left.
Idiot, I thought.
Bible. Yeah—that's me.
The youngest son of a somewhat respected family here in Bangkok: born in Boston, USA, but dragged back to my parents' country when I was eleven.
Little brother to the most popular idiot in high school: Mile.
But like Jeff said: he's off to college in the U.S. soon.
I begged my parents to let me go with him and finish high school over there because, thankfully, we're not that far apart in age.
No use. Apparently, to my parents, I'm "all vibe, no responsibility."
I stepped away from the window, put out my cigarette, grabbed the keys to my newly acquired motorbike, and headed downstairs toward the front door, hoping not to run into Mile or his so called friends.
I can handle most people, but the soccer guys? Really, Mile?
Just as I lit my second cigarette, I heard a familiar voice.
"You seriously don't know how to stay still, do you?"
It was my brother, calling from the kitchen. He was pouring ice into a glass, looking at me with that teasing expression he always wore.
Mile was good looking: toned body, sharp features, and those dark brows that basically ruled all of Thailand.
The perfect catch. Too bad for all the single girls out there... my brother was only into guys.
"I learned from you, big bro" I said, grinning as I pulled out another cigarette and climbed up onto the kitchen island.
"Yeah, but the difference is I don't get caught. Dumb kid" he said, giving me a playful pat on the cheek.
Mile and I actually got along, better than most people would expect and the truth is... he was always super protective of me.
"You should quit smoking, Bible. It's a bad habit" said a voice I had no interest in hearing.
There he was—leaning against the doorframe that opened out to the pool... arms crossed, that effortlessly smug look on his face, like he knew more than me and everyone else on the planet.
Jespipat.
The same guy Jeff had just called a kinda Greek god and captain of the high school soccer team. I swear I'll never understand what people see in him.
"And you should stop giving opinions no one asked for. That's a bad habit" I said, locking eyes with him.
"Bible, don't be rude. He's just spitting facts... you look like a damn chimney" Mile had to chime in.
"Of course. Take his side. Like always" I snapped, jumping down from the counter and heading toward the door.
"Don't be mad, Bibi" Jes said, clearly enjoying himself, "I'm just looking out for my best friend's baby brother."
He knew exactly how much I hated being called Bibi. They both laughed in sync.
"I swear, I'll never understand the friendship you two have" I muttered, halfway out the door already.
"Where are you going?" Mile called after me.
"Jenny's party!" I shouted.
"Jenny's? Your girlfriend? Jes? Why the hell are you here and not there?" I heard Mile shout behind me as I closed the door and headed to my bike.
My baby.
My motorcycle.
I'd waited years to get her, and there was no way I was passing up any excuse to ride.
I put out my cigarette and climbed on.
"I'm putting it out so I can ride, not to please you, Jes dog face" I muttered under my breath as I strapped on my helmet.
The truth is—Jes wasn't always like this.
He and Mile had been friends for as long as I could remember.
Mile was born here in Thailand, just like Jes, but my parents decided I had to be born in the U.S., so when Mile turned three, we left the country.
They didn't see each other again until my parents decided Mile needed to come back to Thailand, learn the language, and start getting familiar with the family business. So from seeing my brother every day, I had to settle for just summers—ever since he turned nine.
I guess that's when he and Jes reconnected. Who knows.
They're both twenty now, and they're leaving for college soon...two months from now, when summer ends.
Like I said, they've been friends forever.
I still remember when I first moved back to Thailand, Jes used to look out for me. He never made fun of me, and he'd always defend me if some older kid tried to mess with me. I used to think he was cool. I even looked up to him.
Now? He's just some rich idiot who cares more about himself than anything else.
And on top of everything, knowing damn well that my brother's biggest dream was to be a soccer player... Jes, out of nowhere, swooped in and stole the captain's spot.
-
I rode out to Thorn's garage: a grumpy old mechanic I found on the outskirts of the city and basically begged to help me fix up this streetfighter beauty. New or not, this bike was going to be the first and only love of my life.
"Thorn!" I shouted, pulling off my helmet.
He was sitting in a rocking chair, cigarette in one hand, book in the other. That old man has more style than everyone in this damn city combined.
"I'm here for my new parts" I said, walking over.
"Don't talk to me, I'm at the best part of the book. My son's at the front desk, ask him" he said without even looking up.
I laughed and headed toward reception.
I can challenge anyone but not Thorn.
That old bastard's scarier than both my mom and dad put together.
"Hey, I'm here to pick up an order. You Thorn's kid?" I asked, leaning through the doorway.
I saw a guy. Tall, tan, and—yeah, I'll say it... really good looking: brown hair, somewhere between light and dark, sharp features, and a lean body that still showed off toned muscles beneath his t-shirt.
"Hey, yeah. I'm Apo. I heard you coming" he said with an easy tone as he started typing on the computer. "Sorry about my dad... he can be a bit rude."
"It's fine, I know him. He's not rude, he's just straightforward. I like people like that—I'm Bible, by the way" I said, leaning over the counter to peek at the screen.
"I know" he said with a small laugh. "You ordered a lot of stuff. No one ever orders this much at our shop."
I smiled.
He handed me the package, and I thanked him.
"Hey, are you new in town? I haven't seen you around" I said, turning back just before leaving.
"Sort of. I'm just here for the summer. My dad needs help" he said kindly.
This guy's actually really nice, I thought.
"There's a party up north. My friends are going, and a bunch of other people too. It's supposed to be big. Might be fun. I think we're around the same age" I said, pulling out my phone.
"How old are you?" he asked, grabbing his phone too.
"Eighteen" I said, adding him on LINE.
"I'm twenty, but send me the address. I might swing by."
"Hey, same age as my brother" I said, finally heading out the door. "Later. Take care" I added, and he waved goodbye in that same polite, easygoing way. Seriously, what a nice guy.
I stored the package in the compartment, hopped on my bike, and took off toward the party.
-
By the time I got there, it was already chaos.
What the hell is wrong with them? How dare they? How dare they start without me?
"Bible!" I heard a voice yell from two floors up—It was JJ, another one of the rich kid crew I'd met when I first moved to Bangkok.
All of them loaded, but none of them dumb. Yeah! I loved those idiots.
"Hold up! I'm coming down!" he shouted.
"I thought you weren't coming" another voice said—this time it was Fuaiz, walking over with a drink in hand.
"Had to pick up a few things first. Can't believe you guys can't wait even one second for me" I laughed, greeting him. JJ showed up a second later and gave me a hug like he hadn't seen me in weeks.
"Ready for summer? I heard your brother's leaving as soon as it ends. Aren't you gonna miss him?" Fuaiz asked, curious.
"Of course I will, but I'm already used to seeing him once every century" I said, totally exaggerating.
"You're so dramatic, Bible" Fuaiz laughed, and JJ gave me a light shove, joking around.
"By the way, where's Jeff?" I asked, though I already had a pretty good idea.
"You know him. If he's not dancing with someone, he's being the center of attention somewhere" JJ said, sipping from his drink.
The party was at someone's house, so we made our way inside. Within seconds, my friends had already vanished. Idiots. But honestly, I liked that about us, each of us was social to a respectable degree.
I said hi to a bunch of people and eventually plopped down on a couch—started chatting with a girl who had short black hair, and had no plans of moving until I got her LINE.
"Bible Sumettikul. I thought you'd be at your brother's party back at your house."
The voice came from a slender figure with blonde hair.
"Jenny. My brother's got his friends, and I've got mine."
Jenny, the host of the party and queen of the house. She was beautiful: high, striking cheekbones and small green eyes. She moved with this soft elegance that made her the school's sweetheart.
"Anyway, thanks for the invite. Great party, by the way" I said, turning my attention back to the girl I was talking to.
"Do you know if Jes is coming?" she asked right away.
Of course—Jespipat, again.
"Why would I know? He's your boyfriend, isn't he?" I said, trying once again to get back to my conversation.
"But he's your brother's best friend, and lately he spends more time with him than with me" she said, full on whining.
"My brother's about to leave the country for college. Of course he wants to spend time with him. You'll be seeing Jes for the rest of your life" I said, already annoyed she wouldn't let me finish the damn conversation.
"Ugh" I heard her frustrated little noise as she stormed off.
"So... where were we?" I said, turning back to the short haired girl.
A little while later, alone, I went to grab a drink and couldn't help overhearing an argument in the distance between two people. I turned and of course—it was Jes and Jenny.
They were out front, in the garden near the entrance. I couldn't hear what it was about, but there wasn't a trace of affection between the two Js. Woah. What happened to the perfect couple?
They were practically destined to be together. Bound by fate—and by their last names. Both from important families, their "union" was supposed to be the headline of the century in Thai society.
What did I know, anyway? They were both just as superficial as each other: perfect match, really.
Seconds later, I heard shouting and some kind of scuffle coming from the back of the house. I peeked outside and saw Jeff and JJ by the pool, locked in what looked like a very heated exchange with two other guys.
I dropped my drink and rushed over.
"I don't know what you're whining about. If you can't handle the game, don't play it" Jeff was taunting one of the guys, who I was pretty sure didn't go to our school.
JJ was standing next to him, and the two of them were mocking the other two guys like it was just another Friday night. What was it with the Js tonight? Couldn't anyone stay chill?
"What's going on?" I asked, running toward them.
"Bible! You're kinda late" Jeff said, flashing me a big grin and waving like nothing was wrong.
My friend was unreal, cool as ever—even in the middle of an argument.
"Jeff, what the hell is happening?" I asked again, more seriously this time.
"Just some sore losers. Stop crying, dude. It's just money and skinny dipping—you lost, you pay up. It's a game" Jeff said, totally amused.
But the two guys in front of us didn't find it funny. One of them stepped forward and grabbed Jeff by the collar of his shirt.
"What's wrong with you? You wanna see me naked or something? Disgusting! I'm not some freak like you" he yelled, shoving Jeff onto the grass.
JJ got pissed.
So did I.
"What did you just say?" JJ didn't wait for an answer.
In a split second, he threw a punch straight at the guy who had shoved Jeff.
I saw the other one trying to hit JJ from behind, so I jumped in.
One punch to the face, another to the gut, one more to the neck.
I could barely feel anything but my face and hands burning. They were beating the crap out of me too.
Then I felt another guy join in, but Jeff was already up, intercepting him before he could do any real damage.
I lost focus for a second, trying to help JJ with the guy he was still fighting... when I felt it—
—the same guy I was going at came up behind me... this time with a glass bottle.
I raised my arm to shield my head, but right then, a hand—a strong hand—grabbed the guy's wrist and ripped the bottle from him.
The guy froze. He couldn't move. The strength in that grip must've scared the hell out of him.
"Touch him again and I'll break your fucking wrist" I heard a familiar voice say.
Then a hand yanked me back by the arm, pulling me behind a body—
His body.
That back was broad. Protective.
And familiar.
Wait
Jes?!
—
♟️》Alkn