chapter 8

                                    

                                          
The next day
                          
"Hey" Sarawat says as he sits next to Tine who's playing with the sands while others are gone for a visit to the wedding venue. He feels relieved now that he's finally found him as Tine left without having breakfast because he and Earth got into some argument. Sarawat doesn't know what it was about but he knows it's something about the pre wedding photo session that was not happening earlier because Tine didn't want to do it. However, Sarawat was told by Earth this morning that they want to have a photo session which Sarawat suggested he should first discuss with Tine. The subject came up at the breakfast, causing the usual rift between the grooms. He also knows that the news of Teepakorns and Pirapats making a leap in their relation is stirring the share market as their collaborations look very promising. He thinks may be Tine wants to be alone but he can hardly walk past him now that he is right in front of him. 
                          
"Who's giving the family tour to the venue?" Tine asks. 
                          
Sarawat exhales before stretching his limbs, "Man and Boss have arrived here. I'm having a little beachy time of my own." 
                          
Tine chuckles in small before fixing his eyes on the sea again. His phone buzzes but he does not mind it. 
                          
"Thanks for speaking up for me at dinner yesterday."
                          
Sarawat nods, smiling when Tine's phone buzzes again and he switches his phone off. 
                          
Sarawat doesn't like to see Tine like this. He feels uneasy and he concludes it's because he's the wedding planner, he wants everything to go smooth. He thinks may be distracting Tine would be a good idea and so he starts talking about his meeting with bakers that went so well and then elaborates the theme of the venue for two times and then, grumbles about the moody band that's going to play in the wedding and how Pear and a few of Earth's cousins have given a list of music Tine and Earth like that he is now working on. Tine responds more passively than a dead snail so Sarawat gives in. 
                          
"You know" he says, "in any case, talking about it is better than counting the waves."
                          
Tine titters dryly, "not every problem about weddings can be solved by wedding planners."
                          
Sarawat nods, "I know. I'm not sitting here as a wedding planner. May be you can see me as friend?" 
                          
Tine rubs the sands against his palms and under his toes roughly in a hope that the grains will cut through his skin and will hurt so much he forgets he has a heart that's hurting too. 
                          
Friends? Tine isn't sure if this is an improvement of their relationship or the dead end. Why is everything so complicated, he groans internally. He curses Earth in his mind because it was him who was supposed to be here with him not Sarawat. May be, as long as it's anybody but Sarawat, Tine feels he will be okay. Because the moment Sarawat comes in his vicinity, Tine becomes unsettled. He starts feeling a weird restlessness like a fish longing for water. Sarawat is making him want things he has tried hard to believe he will be okay without them. 
                          
May be Tine is ready to accept his feelings. May be he already has made peace with his heart. Yes, he does have a thing for Sarawat. And may be he already knows what that thing is but the fear of troubles the thing will cause is keeping Tine from giving it a name. But he does know the truth of its name. And yet, the admission that took so much of bravery and pain for Tine has only equalled to nothing. Tine has known the truth since the beginning. He saw it all coming - the wedding and the nuisances of the wedding planner. He knew this was going to happen, falling for Sarawat and Sarawat being so frustratingly unaware of it. Tine thinks may be it's a good thing that Sarawat hasn't noticed Tine's inclination. Things would only worsen for him. And Tine doesn't want his friend to be all awkward and disgusted.