Let me love you!

It's been two days since Anurak arrived in Bangkok. He was holing up at his Aunt's house. Aunty Cahya was his mother's sister, and it wouldn't be his first time staying with them. When he was young, before his mother's death, he usually traveled down from 'Surin', his hometown, - to spend his holidays with them in Bangkok. But this time around, Anurak wasn't here to spend the holidays. He was here to stay for good.

Presently 17 years old and a proper adult, as he had pointed out to his unwilling father before he left home, Anurak got a half scholarship at Sunny University; a private school that costs an arm and a leg, - in the city of Bangkok. Half meant that for each semester, all he had to come up with was half the tuition fees for the next 4 years as an engineering student.

Against his father's will and with a spring in his steps, Anurak arrived in Bangkok. P'Eshin, his cousin, - took him around town, reintroducing him to the city and pointing out all the changes.

Indeed, Bangkok has changed. Many things still hold some nostalgic feelings, but the most memorable places have become too childish. His mature eyes now noticed things and places only 17-year-olds would care about; The theaters, the flashy restaurants he was sure his girlfriend would like, and beaches with couples with close to nothing on their bodies. Clubhouses. Flashy cars and well-studded dudes driving them.

Yes, clubhouses and their girls! Not that he was going to cheat and looking isn't a crime!

Anurak looked forward to spending a lot of time at bars and clubhouses. Before even knowing his schedule, he was already planning to invite his girlfriend over for his next birthday. He was going to hold a beach party that day and pull an all-night party at a fancy club. Best way to usher in adulthood!

Thanks to his father, these were things he never dared to dream about back at home. And to think that the old man was a gang member and known for his notoriety...

Anurak wished he had more time to explore Bangkok, but as it was, he didn't arrive on time and would be late for his registration if he took another day off.

"If you arrived as early as we planned, I would have taken you to all the places you wanted to see." Eshin, a tall, handsome guy in his twenties, and Anurak's favorite cousin pointed out.

"I wanted to, but I had to accompany Sophea to her school and make sure she was well settled before I could leave." Anurak signed regrettably.

"Loverboy. So gross." Eshin jokingly scrunched up his face after seeing the dreamlike look in Anurak's eyes.

Sophea was Anurak's childhood best friend turned sweetheart. He was hoping they would attend this school together but unfortunately, she failed the scholarship's qualifying exams. The thought of staying so far apart was too painful for his soft heart. Therefore, he pushed it to the back of his mind.

"Will you be free on weekends?" Anurak asked.

"It depends. Why?"

"My birthday is in a few months. I need to pick a club for it."

"What's your age again? Didn't you clock 18 a while ago?"

"*No. My birthday is in August. We are still in June." Anurak scrunched up his delicate-looking face.

"Oh. So you are still 17." Eshin smirked derisively.

"What's the difference? It's the year that matters, not the month. The moment we entered January, I clocked 18." He said with defiance. "I am 18 as far as I am concerned," Anurak concluded with a domineering tone that brooked no argument.

Eshin chuckled as he tapped the back of Anurak's head. The tap was forceful enough to make him shoot forward, but not enough to make him stumble.

To think that this boy made so much noise about being an adult the moment the new year was here, and now it's turning out that January wasn't even his birth month. Tsk tsk tsk.

"You are still 17. 17 years and 9 months old." Eshin threw his hand out to hit Anurak again, but the boy dodged it.

"Hia!" Anurak cried out like a wronged child as he made his way to his Suzuki power bike that was parked beside a Toyota Yaris, In front of the Natakorn's duplex, located in a gated Estate in one of the quieter parts of Bangkok called 'Bangna.'

Of all the protective gear for bikers, the helmet was the only thing Anurak had yet to wear. Left to him, he wouldn't even bike with it. He usually got away with that back in Surin. But this is Bangkok, he heard that the cops here have no joy. Anurak begrudgingly thrust his small head into the helmet and fixed it up. He then jumped on his bike while Eshin entered his car. Once Eshin moved, he followed him.

As they drove side by side on the way to the Estate's main gate, Eshin called out to Anurak from inside his car, "Make sure to follow closely. I am almost late, and my friend is waiting."

Anurak rolled his eyes and revved up his bike, drawing the attention of the pedestrians. "No matter how fast you want to go, I am up to it, Hia." He said proudly.

Eshin shook his head with an amused smile on his face before turning his attention to the road.

He knew how much Anurak enjoyed speeding.

They were soon at the gate and from there, they hit the Bangkok Monday morning traffic, with Eshin leading and Anurak following.

20 minutes later, Anurak and Eshin turned into Sunny Street, which was off the main road, - and started approaching a gigantic, silver-coated gate at the end of the street. Leading up to this gate was a series of road bumps just like 20 meters from each other. The bumps started from the moment you turned into Sunny Street and continued until one entered the school compound. Because of this, Sunny Street was always a crawling zone. Therefore, they spent the same amount of time traveling down from Bangna, to arrive at the school gate.

When they got to the gate, Anurak for the second time found himself staring, etching every detail of it into his photogenic brain. The gate was a circular-shaped net of solid iron. In the middle of the circle was an intricate design of a yellow sunflower with all the petals and some bits of pores. It was so realistic that Anurak, who happened to like colors, couldn't help but be held in a daze each time he saw it. And today would be the second time. Anurak's fingers itched to draw this. He reminded himself again to find time to draw it...

The months after he got his acceptance letter, Anurak was very busy trying to gather money. His deadbeat father had promised never to have a hand in his education if he insisted on attending Sunny-Uni.

Because he loved working on cars and bikes, he spent all his waking moments at a car dealership, helping to either dismantle old cars or clean up newly brought-in, second-hand ones. Because his town was close to the Cambodian border, this kind of job was common. The pay wasn't great but the job was constant and he had no time to look for something better. Liking the job made things easy too.

I wonder if I can get that sort of job here. They said the pay is better in Bangkok. He muttered to himself as his bike got cleared and the sunflower gate broke into halves, making way for him to pass.

From the gate to the main building of the school was another journey of a few miles. There were recreational fields on both sides of the road and students could be seen, either jogging or playing. On the right side was a standard football pitch encased in a spherically shaped mini stadium. The field couldn't be seen from the car but the entrance of the stadium had a statue of a faceless person, spinning a football on his index finger while his other hand rested on his hips.

On the other side of the road was a set of outdoor game pitches. Long tennis, basketball, badminton, volleyball, and more. From the road, one wouldn't see much. Only the basketball court and long tennis pitches would catch one's eye.

Anurak knew there was more because he had been here once for an interview. After that interview, Eshin took him around the part of the school they could access. The pitches and the stadium were parts of the places opened to the public back then as the school wasn't in session.

At the end of the bumpy road was a big roundabout with a big sign board that welcomed visitors and provided them with details such as when the school was founded, the name of the founders, and a road map that helped navigate the major roads in the school compound. One could read the signboard clearly from a mile or two away, thanks to its backlight.

Behind the billboard was a statue of a large sunflower, but this time around, in the middle of the flower was an open book. On the opened book were miniature tools such as nails, hammers, injection syringes, measuring tape, and so on.

Within the roundabout monument, there was a traffic light pole that was servicing all four sides as the roundabout was tucked in the middle of a crossroad. Two roads, one on the right and the other on the left, - lead to the inner areas of the school. Places Anurak looked forward to seeing...

On the other side of the crossroad was another road that led to the only building he was allowed to enter on his last visit. This was the administrative building. It was very big and imposing with several floors walled in with tinted glass.

Eshin turned right and Anurak followed, thinking that they would cross to the other side and drive back to the Admin building, but when Eshin kept driving right, Anurak became excited. The Administration building wasn't their destination this time around.

I am a student now. I am allowed to go wherever I want.

*Phi/P': Senior. It could be male or female. It is added to show respect.

*Hia: An informal but endearing way of calling a senior brother.

Since Sunny-Uni was an elite private school and most students lived inside the school. Those who don't, have their means of transportation. Therefore, the first car park to be encountered in the school was used by mostly visitors and the staff, including non administrative.

Eshin entered the park and made a call after parking. Soon, a tall, broad-chested, and good-looking guy with a gentle demeanor walked out of the supermarket in the park. As the young man approached, Eshin came down from his car and signaled Anurak to do the same. Anurak quickly parked properly and started undoing his helmet as he watched his cousin and the man exchange pleasantries.

"Eshin, you are late!" The man complained while shaking Eshin's hand.

"Traffic was bad and those stupid bumps on the way here didn't help matters." Eshin then waved to Anurak. "Anurak, come over here," Eshin called out to Anurak who was just a few feet away.

Rolling his eyes, Anurak walked closer. He put his palms together and greeted the stranger with a small bow. "Sawasdee Krab Khun.*"

"This is Anurak! He is all grown now." The man responded in excitement. "Sawasdee, Anurak." He continued.

"Anurak, this is Sud. He is my friend." Eshin started the introduction. "You have met him before but it was a long time ago, I don't think you will remember."

"I do," Anurak replied. "I was already 10 years old."

How would he not? After his mother's death, Anurak, who back then blamed everything on his father, didn't want to stay with the man. A few months after he started living with his father, Anurak stole some money and ran away from home. He traveled down to Bangkok alone on a train. When he got to the station, he made a call to Aunty Cahya and this guy was the person who came to the train station with Eshin to pick him up. A few days later, Aunty Chaya was nearly arrested by the police for kidnapping. After that, he returned home with his father and never came back.

"What? It was so long ago and you were a baby too. How can you possibly remember that?" Sud exclaimed.

"It was Easter and you came to the train station to pick me up. After that, you both took me to a children's park to sightsee, play and do horse riding."

"Wow!"

"I can't believe this!"

Both Eshin and Sud were shocked by the details.

"He remembers." Sud nodded with glittering eyes. "Now I see why Bright wouldn't stop boasting about his super-intelligent little cousin." Sud complimented.

*It is common for Thai people to have a native name and a nickname. Eshin's nickname was Bright and only his friends called him that. He tried several times to get Anurak to call him 'Bright', but just like every other member of their family, Anurak preferred to use the native names. Even for himself...

"Okay. We should start going. The faculty of science is on the other side of the school. This side is for Arts and Commercials." Sud explained."

The two grownups entered the car while Anurak mounted his bike. They exited the park and made their way back to the roundabout then left it behind as they entered the other side of the school compound.

Similar to where they were coming from, there was a park. But this time around, they didn't stop at the park. With Sud showing the way, Eshin left the main road and maneuvered through a couple of smaller roads before arriving at a tall, white building with a signboard that read; 'Faculty of Science and Technology.'

They entered the car park beside the building and parked their car and bike under a large canopy before joining a ceaseless progression of feet on a walkway that led into the building.

Sud and Eshin walked side by side, while Anurak followed behind like a docile cat. His neck was swinging from side to side as he tried to take in his sight without running into his brother's back. To his amusement, while he was looking at everything, everyone seemed to be staring back at him.

"They sure can stare in this school. P'Eshin, is there something on my face?" Anurak smirked.

At 5 '8 with an oval face bordering on oblong, Anurak qualified to be called pretty. He wasn't just pretty, depending on his style for the day and haircut, Anurak could effortlessly switch from pretty to cute without losing his masculine aura or feminine vibes.

Anurak's greatest attraction was his eyes. He had golden-hued, brown cat eyes with a vivid ring of blue around his pitch-black pupils. Anurak's eyes were always looking sober, gentle, and alluring. Because of this, he generated an air of arrogance and yet a casual stance.

Then there was his small mouth with full, pouty, pink lips. Nothing like those lips filled with steroids though. His pouty lips were naturally formed and suited his slightly long face. His eyelids were the common Asian eyelids with tiny swells under the eyes, but it only made him more cute. Even though he had high cheekbones, he wouldn't appear cheeky until he smiles. When he does, a single dimple on the left side of his face would appear and this gave him an alluring, seductive, and bright appeal.

His jawline was sharp while his hairline was full and bell-shaped. Anurak had no facial hair except for the hairline that traveled down and stopped just after his earlobes. Not that he had grown anything significant, but Anurak planned to keep the hairs away. He started shaving three times a week the moment he noticed that he was starting to grow facial hair a year ago. He wasn't a beard person and liked to look clean.

His skin was pale. Almost white. Cool on the eyes, and smooth to the touch. It was spotless with a silky sheen.

Even if one wasn't attracted to a pretty face, the earrings Anurak wore wouldn't fail to attract attention.

Anurak loved jewelry. Back at home, his father fought him hard because he was always wearing a stud in his left ear. Now that he was in Bangkok and Eshin has assured him that apart from near-nude attires, Sunny-Uni accepts all other types of dressing and accessories that can complement the standard white shirt and black pants that students are obligated to wear in Thailand schools. - Anurak has gone all out, stocking up on cheap earrings, studs, chains, bracelets, and so on.

Today, being the first day in school and wanting to start with a cool flare, Anurak switched his stud to the right ear and wore a dropping earring in the shape of a studded pyramid in the left ear. Not only that, he was fully dressed in his red and black power bike safety gear with only the helmet missing. Anurak looked like a bike race superstar about to mount his ride yet had the guts to complain about people staring at him. Being fully geared up, his swag was on full display. So how could people not look?

Eshin and Sud chuckled at his complaint.

"Should I tell him?" Sud asked Eshin with a smug.

"Not yet. Let him find out by himself."

Anurak paused when he heard them.

What are they talking about?

He quickly grabbed Sud's shirt and tugged at it. "Phi, what is he talking about?"

"Nothing." Sud shrugged but kept the smug smile on his face. Anurak started feeling uneasy. These two childhood friends were known to be sly. He could still remember some of the pranks they played on him back then. But unless they tell him what was going on, Anurak really couldn't figure it out by himself. He took a deep breath and focused on walking. He would just ignore the stares and take things as they come.

Anurak wasn't someone who gets scared or upset easily. Living with his unpredictable father had taught him that anxiety wouldn't get him anywhere. It will only cloud his judgments.

That knowledge has never stopped him from having panic attacks though.

P'Eshin and his friend can't plan to mess with me on my first day, right? If he dares, he knows I will snitch to Aunty Cahya and he will be in trouble. So what's there to worry about?

From the walkway, they entered the vast hall-like ground floor of the building connected to the walkway. The ground floor was an open space that could be accessed from a fleet of stairs in front of the building and by the two sides too. One side of the hall was filled with tables for two, tables for three and four. While the other side had a line-up of long benches attached to long tables. Separating them was a three feet walkway. There were also 45-inch LCD TVs attached to the ceiling at strategic spots. From whichever side you come in from, you would face at least two TVs.

On the right side where Anurak and others came in from, there was an escalator with students and staff members standing on it, either going up or coming down. Some had stern looks like they were lost in thought while others were either pressing their phones or talking to their friends.

Anurak looked up and saw people staring at him from across the glass railings of the floors above. The unconcealed surprise, lewd gazes, and curious stares upset him. He didn't mind girls undressing him with their eyes like that. What creeped him out were the men.

What are they doing to me in their minds right now? Eeewwh!! He wouldn't mind if they appreciated his good looks. But the lewd ones annoyed him a lot. Even though he wasn't new to this sought of gazes, getting used to them was another matter.

*Sawasdee Krab Khun: Good morning. (Sir/Ma)

"Krab" in greeting, is used when a male is the one doing the greeting. If it's a female doing the greeting, it will be "Kha" e; "Sawasdee Kha."

*Krab: Okay/Yes/Alright. (When used as a single word.)

Gays, he thought to himself. There are lots of gays in this school.

Was this what P'Eshin and P'Sud wanted him to find out by himself?

So fucking what? As long as they are not touchy, they can look all they want. What's good about looking fly when people don't try to see you naked?

Ignoring the creepy feeling, Anurak smirked with pride and added a few more springs to his steps.

If Sophea could see me now, she would eat me alive!

Within moments, his outlook changed and he even gave one of the lecherous boys a sexy wink. The lucky guy blushed and quickly turned away. He was so carried away, he didn't know he was gawking.

"This is the main office building of the faculty of science and technology. It has eight floors and the Dean's office occupies the last floor. We count from the ground floor upward." Sud started saying. "The other floors have the Bursar's office, the course advisors, and the counselor's offices. Most lecturers' offices are also here. And this is where the final year students hold their lectures." He said.

"See that building over there?" He pointed to another white building that stood just a few feet away from the one they were in. "That is the faculty of science's main lecture building. From freshman to fourth year, students hold their lectures there. The building is also housing some of the studios and garages we use for practicals."

Without waiting for a response, Sud climbed the escalator going up and the others followed him.

"We are going to the top floor, the Dean's office. That is where you will verify your admission before getting directed to other relevant offices. The good thing is that all the offices you need to visit are in this building."

Just as they were arriving on the landing of the first floor, Sud pointed to a well-detailed map of the whole floor painted in green and yellow on the white, shiny wall beside the escalator. "Thanks to that, you can't get lost. It's on the wall wherever an escalator is. It is also well-detailed. If you ever get lost, just find an escalator and check the map. Okay."

"Krab," Anurak muttered under his breath as he focused on the map, trying to imprint it in his photogenic brain.

Sud kept talking about the layout of the school and activities that freshmen were expected to partake in until they got to the top floor. The moment they got there, they saw a very long queue of students in the corridors. Being an old student, Sud knew exactly where to go. He led them to an office just four rooms away from the Dean's office. There were lots of people in the queue outside this office but it seemed that the queue was moving rapidly.

"Join this line. We will wait for you over there." Sud pointed to a sitting area not far from the queue.

Anurak quickly joined the queue and he started pressing his phone as he moved away from his two seniors.

He saw that Sophea had sent him a text. She wanted to know how his registration was going.

[I am already in school. About to start but the queue is long... see]

He stepped out of his space and took a picture of the queue. He attached the picture to his text and sent it.

After that, he started taking pictures of himself. After taking like six different pictures from different angles, he forwarded them all to Sophea.

[This is how I look!]

By now, he had attracted everyone's attention, and could hear the gasps of other students as they appreciated his beauty. Used to such attention, Anurak pretended that he didn't hear or know what was going on...

From where they were seated, Eshin and Sud also noticed Anurak's actions.

"This your brother likes showing off," Sud smirked.

"What if I told you he is an introvert? Never leaves the house unless he is with his girlfriend or going to work. But once he steps out, everyone must know that he is out and about." Eshin chuckled with obvious pride.

"Really?"

Eshin nodded as he continued to watch Anurak.

"It's good that he is like that. With his looks, I might end up becoming a mailman."

"Why?" Eshin giggled as he imagined Sud in a mailman's uniform.

"Once everyone knows that he is with me, who do you think they will go to if they can't find him?"

"Make sure to keep a record of the letters. I would like to read them." Eshin continued to laugh.

A thought crossed his mind and he turned to Sud. "Where can we get a mailman uniform?" He smirked as mischief danced in his eyes.

In response, Sud slapped him on the thigh and then squeezed it.

"You must get one for the weekend."

"Okay."

Just as Anurak joined the queue again, a girl from the front of the queue pointed at him and gasped aloud; "He is so cute."

Appreciating her open admiration, Anurak looked up at her and gave her a gentle smile. "You are not bad yourself. What's your name?"

Anurak was a man who treated women with mushy glove hands. Back in his small town, he was known to be a lady's man.

Only my enemies call me sissy. They were just jealous. He sneered inwardly as he remembered a time some guys had insulted him because of his looks.

Unexpectedly, the girl came over to his side excitedly.

"I am Hellen. What's your name?" The girl was almost squeaking, unintentionally enlarging Anurak's already oversized ego.

"Anurak." He said with a gentle smile that said nothing about the conceited thoughts in his heart.

"Angel. I like it." She giggled.

"I would rather be called Anurak. I am a traditional man." He smirked sexily.

"Oh. That's so old-fashioned. But with a look like this, you are allowed to get away with anything, Anurak."

It turned out the girl was also quick-witted and goofy.

"Thank you, Hellen."

"So, what engineering is yours? I am in Civil." She asked.

"Mechanical." I like to get my hands dirty.

"Oh." She pouted with a disappointed look then spontaneously pecked up again. "We will have some courses together. Let's sit together in class when we next meet. What do you say?"

"Who says 'No' to a pretty lady?"

Hellen blushed in-between giggles. She quickly passed her phone to him and not needing to be told, he added her on 'Line.'

Just as he handed Hellen's phone back to her, the people with her told her it was her turn. She waved to him before entering the office. Within a few minutes, she was out with a brochure and a blue file in her hand.

"See you around Anurak!" Hellen gave him her best smile before walking into another corridor to continue her registration process.

Sud and Eshin, who were engrossed in their chat, were jostled back to the present when they heard a squeaky voice calling Anurak's name. One can't blame them, that wasn't a common name after all and most people don't use their real names in Bangkok. Maybe except for Sud who kept his native name because he said it sounded cool. Unlike Eshin who believed that his native name sounded like a cuss word. Apart from his family members, every other person called him 'Bright'.

The two seniors watched the girl enter the next corridor before turning their gazes on their innocent-looking junior brother who was presently focused on his phone. With a mischievous glint in his eyes, Eshin sent a message to Anurak. When Anurak read it, his face went pale. He looked up with worried and pleading eyes then quickly replied to the message. When Eshin read the reply, he started laughing and he promptly sent another message. Anurak read it and relief flooded his face. He replied with an [Okay.] but still said it aloud.

"Okay, P'Bright." He gritted his teeth.

"Good." Eshin nodded. "Was it that hard?" He chuckled.

"What happened?" Sud who felt left out asked his friend. In response, Eshin gave Sud his phone. It was the chat between Eshin and Anurak. Eshin had lied that he recorded Anurak's interaction with Hellen and that he would send the video to Sophea, Anurak's girlfriend.

As expected, Anurak readily agreed to call Eshin by his nickname.

Anurak and Sophea were childhood friends who became lovers as soon as they became teenagers. In fact, in their families, they call them husband and wife. While Anurak was easygoing and generous with his attention, Sophea was the polar opposite. She hated getting unwarranted attention from strangers. Before some boys even greeted her, she would straight up tell them that she already had a boyfriend and that they should keep moving. There was even a day some guy insulted her after trying to woo her and getting harshly rejected. Sophea cried home and when Anurak heard that it was a fellow guy that made her cry, he was so furious that he went to look for the guy. That event was one of the most regrettable things that ever happened to Anurak. He was beaten black and blue. Broke a rib and couldn't sleep on his back for weeks because he was badly bruised. The guy he went to confront belonged to a gang and Anurak had walked into their midst uninformed.

That incident taught him a hard lesson. The moment he could move his limbs without clenching down on his teeth, he joined a boxing class. And before they left high school, Anurak had finished the rudimentary stage of boxing and had gone on to register in a taekwondo class. He then bagged the first color on his belt. He was working on the second one when he got admission into Sunny-Uni.

If Sophea sees any girl hanging around her boyfriend unnecessarily, all hell will break loose. She will first deal with the girl and then deal with Anurak himself. To say Anurak was scared of his girlfriend was an understatement.

Sophea scares the hell out of him.

If Eshin should send that video, Sophea wouldn't think twice before she makes her way to this school to wreak havoc.