Chapter 16: Can we be more than friends?

                                    

                                          
"I think its time you met you mom, Tine. I think you really need to meet her."

                          


                          
Sarawat's POV (January 2020)
                          
I woke up to my phone blaring in my ears, which is when I  realised Tine had somehow made his way to my side of the bed. He was sleeping so close to me I could feel his breath on my neck. I had tried to talk to Tine last night about his mother, but he had quickly brushed it through, refusing to even have a conversation about it. And given the kind of day, I had had, hitting the bed felt better than reasoning with Tine in the middle of the night.
                          
When the phone started ringing the second time, Tine started to squiggle in bed. And all I wanted to do was throw the phone out the window and wrap my arms around Tine. But he wasn't my Tine and I wasn't his Sarawat. Not now, not yet.
                          
So, I got up from the bed and walked outside to the living room instead to answer my phone.
                          
"Hello?" I answered. My voice was still hoarse from all the crying last night.
                          
"Wat, oh my god, where are you? I—I just heard about Tine. God, I am so so sorry Wat."
                          
"Dim... what time is it?"
                          
"Its, I think 7am. Wat, I am so sorry for everything I said yesterday. Fuck, I still can't believe this happened. How are you? Where are you?"
                          
"I am at my apartment."
                          
"I am sorry for what I said yesterday — For calling Tine toxic."
                          
"You didn't call Tine toxic, you called us toxic together and may be, you had a point."
                          
"I am sorry, Wat. How are you holding up?"
                          
"I would just like to go back to sleep and not talk about what happened yesterday."
                          
"Do you — do you want me to get a suit for you for today?"
                          
"Suit for what? Do I have a schedule today?"
                          
"The funeral, Wat. You will need a suit for the funeral. Should I come get you? Ohm told me the funeral starts at 11am. May be we could go earlier and --"
                          
"I am not going and I don't need any suit."
                          
"Wat.. don't do this. Tine would want you to be there."
                          
"You don't know what Tine would want or wouldn't want. Tine would want me to fix this, not waste my time. I have already been to one funeral. I don't want to go to another one."
                          
"What do you even mean, Wat? Fix what mess? What other funeral did you go to?"
                          
"It means I am not going." I walked inside, standing at the edge of the bedroom, staring at Tine sleeping in my bed. "I am going to stay at home, possibly for a week or two."
                          
"Of course Wat, I'll move your schedule around. You take a break for as long as you need. But Wat, I think you should come. It will help you get some closure. I am sure it has already been hard for you."
                          
"I don't need any closure. I am not going anywhere." I turned around. "Oh and, my car is parked outside the hospital, whatever hospital I was at last night, I can't remember. A few people even took my pictures."
                          
"Don't worry Wat, I'll take care of all that. But are you sure you don't want to come--"
                          
"Goodbye Dim."
                          
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