Chapter 11

It seemed Nunew’s words had truly impacted Zee. After that, Nunew never crossed paths with him again, not even when he left the DMD office with Tee.

​Before the car rolled away, Nunew caught a glimpse of a few faces—some familiar, some strange—through the passenger window. But that man was nowhere to be seen.

​Contrary to the previous feelings of throbbing longing and resentment, Nunew now felt only a sense of weightlessness as he faced them. It was as if everything had been nothing more than a frantic fever dream, and all he needed to do was return to where he truly belonged.

​Nunew instinctively turned to Tee, who was busy buckling his seatbelt and starting the engine, before shifting his gaze back to the window.

​Through those old faces, Nunew seemed to see the innocent nineteen-year-old boy he once was. He leaned back against the seat, narrowing his eyes, savoring the warm sunlight embracing his frail body.

​The bleeding heart had finally received a kiss.

​As the car was about to leave the building behind, Nunew pressed his face close to the glass. His lips moved, articulating each word clearly. He was certain someone would be able to read them.

​"Just be happy."

​The silhouettes within reach vanished just like that.

​Nunew lowered his head, watching his bandaged hands bask delightedly in the golden sun, and for some reason, he let out a soft giggle. Perhaps the sunlight outside was simply too beautiful—so beautiful that the boy’s eyes were suddenly drenched in a clear, bright light.

​Sitting in the driver's seat, Tee’s eyes flickered over the carefully bandaged hands before looking straight ahead. His lips curled into a faint, pleasant curve.

​The wound was finally starting to scab over.

​The following days with the Perdpiriyawong family were strangely peaceful. Regarding the accident at Wat Suthat or the outburst at the DMD office, both Tee and Nunew tacitly agreed not to utter a single word to their parents. It wasn't that Nunew wanted to hide things from his parents, he just felt it wasn't worth troubling them over. Besides...

​To keep mentioning it would be no different from carving open his own wounds once more.

​As for Tee, he chose to respect Nunew's decision and feelings. However, that didn't mean he would give the boy another chance to endure everything in isolation.

​Tee sat on a long bench on the hospital grounds, exhausted from over a dozen hours without sleep and from a sense of yearning. Such was the nature of being a doctor; Tee was used to it. Leaving early, returning late, the weight of pressure and responsibility on his shoulders—finding time for himself or his family was always a struggle.

​Tee rubbed his eyes, yet he never once regretted following this profession.

​Rrr... Rrr... Rrr...

​Tee took a deep breath to gather his spirits before pulling the phone from his pocket. He had two phones: one for work, and one for family and personal relationships. This vibration was undoubtedly from his personal one.

​The moment Tee saw the name appear on the screen, he instinctively smiled. He accepted the video call request without hesitation.

​"Meow?"

​A round, fluffy, disheveled head occupied the entire screen, making Tee freeze for a few seconds.

​"July?"

​The owner of that messy head heard his name and looked directly into the camera lens.

​"It was July who pressed the call button, not me."

​A sweet voice hurriedly explained, and a pair of large, round eyes peeked out from behind the gray fur. July, sensing he was being used as a shield, let out a protest of grumbles. His owner already leaned his face against him, and now he dares to use him as an excuse? He struggled to push Nunew away, then huffed and trotted off.

​Tee watched July’s petulant behavior, then looked at Nunew, who was stunned because his pet was sulking, and had to try his best to suppress a laugh. A moment later, seeing the boy dazed as he shifted his attention back to the screen, Tee spoke up slowly.

​"It seems July doesn't agree with you." Tee leaned back comfortably against the bench.

​"No way," Nunew pouted. "July really did call you."

​As he spoke, the boy didn't forget to glare at the cat who was now casually playing by himself in the corner of the room.

​"Oh," Tee nodded along.

"And here I thought some stubborn kid missed me so much that they called."

​The 'stubborn kid' bit his lip, his eyes darting from the ceiling to the bedsheets. In short, he looked everywhere except the phone screen, clearly playing dumb.

​"Let's not talk about that," Tee said, not wanting to press him.

"How was your day, stubborn kid? Anything fun happen?"

​Having escaped the predicament, Nunew naturally seized the chance to change the subject.

​"Yes! Today I found a novel on the shelf called..."

​During the process of discussing new treatment options with Ponn, Tee had vaguely identified the cause of Nunew’s medication abuse. For now, he and Ponn had reason to believe that the abuse was likely a consequence of trying to use medicine to suppress a long-term emotional imbalance.

​Comparing Nunew’s behavior back in Melbourne to his time in Thailand, they had narrowed down the period when Nunew gradually regained his memory—which was also likely the time he started overdosing. Tee and Ponn couldn't guess the exact date, but it was certainly before the family trip to Siam Paragon. Specifically, it must have been after he heard the name Zee Pruk Panich from the mouths of those two strangers on the flight.

​Tee watched pensively as the boy on the other side of the screen excitedly recounted the novel he had read today. The dark circles under his eyes hadn't vanished, but they had faded significantly. The cheeks that were once so thin his bones showed were gradually filling out. His eyes were no longer swollen and red from secret crying.

​Tee smiled tenderly, yet he didn't dare be complacent. The image of a fragile, gasping Nunew on his sickbed years ago was a ghost that always haunted his heart. So was the moment the boy questioned Zee in despair.

​From the incessantly trembling hands and the pale face to the soulless, swollen eyes and the forced smile, accompanied by a question with no answer.

​"Why must I dream of you every single night?"

​"P’Tee?"

Nunew had been chattering for a while before realizing the other end had gone silent.

​"I’m here," Tee snapped out of the pile of emotions.

He took a deep breath and spoke softly, "Since my stubborn kid has been so good, do you want a reward?"

​Nunew’s eyes widened slightly, but instead of questioning it, he seriously considered what gift to ask for. This was Tee’s way of coaxing Nunew after confiscating all his medication.

​Ever since returning from the DMD office, Tee had seriously demanded that Nunew hand over the pill bottle to be kept by their parents. Nunew himself didn't understand what had come over him then, causing him to mindlessly lose his 'all-purpose' bottle to Tee. Perhaps at the time, he only thought Tee wanted to check the label, so he handed it over without a thought. Had he known that once given, there was no chance of getting it back, he never would have surrendered it.

​Because of this, Nunew had sulked at Tee for several days. It wasn't until Tee explained that he and Ponn felt the medication was no longer suitable and needed to be studied for a new prescription that Nunew showed signs of relenting. Seeing this, Tee quickly came up with an idea to soothe him. He told Nunew that if he could be happy without the interference of medicine, he would reward him. The reward, of course, was up to him.

​Nunew hesitated for a moment, and finally, he seemed to have thought of what he wanted.

​"Yes," he said with a bit of hesitation. "I want..."

​Finally, he whispered the rest of the sentence.

​"A goodnight kiss."

​Tee froze. He watched Nunew cover his cheeks with both hands, at a loss for words. His breath hitched slightly; a feeling buried deep within his heart began to stir because of those words. Faced with the boy’s innocent expression, he could only try to steady the frantic pounding in his chest.

​"I’m at the hospital now; how can I give you a goodnight kiss?"

​Tee swallowed, looking somewhat evasive.

​Hearing this, Nunew lowered his eyes, his disappointment evident. He turned away sharply, as if to say Tee was a promise-breaker, and grumbled unhappily.

​"You could blow me a kiss through the screen."

​Tee felt as if his heart were hanging in his throat. Even worse, it was fluttering because of the demonic whisper coming from the lips of an angel.

​Tee tried to regulate his breathing, despite the churning sensation gnawing at every cell. Even though his reason told him to simply refuse or gently blow a kiss as Nunew suggested, he knew better than anyone that it wasn't his true desire. It was hard to admit, but right now, he desperately wanted to be there in person... to press his lips against Nunew’s forehead.

​With what little sanity he had left, Tee heard himself speak.

​"Be a good boy, Nunew. Wait until I get home, and I’ll make up for that goodnight kiss."

​It had to be said—Tee’s stubborn kid was truly an easy child to satisfy. Nunew was immediately happy again upon hearing that. He playfully blew Tee a kiss and then obediently hung up to go to sleep, leaving Tee behind with a lingering, restless yearning in the dead of night.

​Tee stared blankly at his phone screen for a long time. Perhaps it was the exhaustion from work, or perhaps the slight attachment to the illusion the recent moment had brought, but his fingers instinctively tapped out so many words. By the time he snapped out of it, he saw a guilty confession sitting prominently in a message draft to his parents.

​Hesitating for a moment, Tee finally chose to press send. He knew that what he was doing was no different from putting an end to his current peaceful life. Yet, he didn't want to deceive his adoptive parents—the people who had kindly taken him in from the streets, raised him, and shared the Perdpiriyawong family name with him. Tee feared even more that if this secret affection were exposed, he didn't know how much more criticism his precious Nunew would have to endure from the world's wagging tongues.

​Yes, Tee Chawarat—the adopted son of the Perdpiriyawong family—had fallen in love with Nunew Chawarin—the biological son of his adoptive parents.