Proofreader: SMV2454

Two days passed by quickly. During that time, I kept my doubts and confusion to myself. For two days, Phum started returning to his  normal life. He didn't come home late, went to school with me in the morning, practiced basketball in the evening, and we came back together.

It seems good, right? But no, if someone still has unresolved issues, even if I look normal on the outside, who would know better than me that there's still a murky sediment inside, bothering me? What frustrates me the most is that Phum acts like nothing happened.

The night before Phum's mom called, I didn't ask Phum why she called because I considered it a personal matter between him and his family. If he wanted me to know, he would have told me himself. Sounds good, right? Huh, even though I was dying to know. T_T

And when I told Phum that a girl called saying he forgot his workshop shirt, he wasn't fazed at all. He just said, "Oh, really?" Instead of explaining that she was just a friend or a senior or junior, I was ready to listen. I'm not unreasonable. But what did he do? He acted indifferent, leaving me to go crazy alone.

He should have known that for the past few days, I haven't been pleased with his risky behavior. But since he didn't clear things up, what could I do? Feeling hurt, he didn't care. Being silent, he didn't mind. Being sulky, it was the same. I wanted to grab him by the collar and shout in his face, asking if he still saw me as his faen. Acting like I don't exist, that dog Phum.

Saturday morning arrived, and I decided to go home. I didn't want to stay with him anymore. Besides, I could help aunt Pui at the shop. But really, I just wanted to be alone, hoping I would get better. But Phum didn't let me go. He said he would take me to buy plants. I don't know what got into him.

Now, I'm walking in the area of plant shops. Both sides of the road are filled with various kinds of flowering plants, ornamental plants, and garden decorations stretching as far as the eye can see. This is one of the many places where I can spend the whole day, and Phum knows it well. Seeing green plants and beautiful flowers helps relax and refresh my mind. Phum really knows how to get to me.

"Peem, do you like it?" Phum held up a white rose for me to see. Whenever he found a plant with white flowers, he would always ask me if I liked it, if it was beautiful, or if I wanted it.

"Nice." Notice my words—short, concise, and a bit curt. Huh, trying to lure me with plants? Am I that easy?

"And this one?"

"Yeah, it's good, but that one is better. Hey, what's that plant called?" I shouted to a worker who was moving pots nearby.

"Which one?" The kind worker walked over to take a look.

"That one, near the orchids."

The plant I pointed to was a vine with heart-shaped leaves. Usually, you see it separated into small pots with just one leaf. I just found out that the actual plant looks like this.

"Oh, that's the 'Heart of Tosakan' plant."

Wow, perfect. A giant demon's heart, a devil's heart, a satanic heart—so fitting for the handsome owner of the house.

[T/n: So cute! Why do they call it Demon's heart?]

"Let's get this one too."

"...? Where are you going to plant it, Peem? There's no place for it to climb."

Arguing with me? Trying to annoy me?

"It'll climb on your neck. As it climbs, it'll strangle you. Fun, right? Huh."

When it comes to snarky comments, I'm second to none. Especially after a week of unstable emotions, it's easy for me to fluctuate like the Dow Jones index.

We spent quite a while shopping for plants and ended up with many different kinds. It was like we had a house in a dry dipterocarp forest, even though the condo space was quite limited.

We got foxtail ferns, Khun Phaen's charm plant, Nang Pim's charm plant—Phum cheekily called it Nang Peem's charm. I wanted to throw a giant pot at his head. We also got cacties, and Phum, with his sharp eyes, found dwarf cacties. He laughed so hard his jaw almost locked. He bought four of them, probably to nibble on when he's hungry. That guy.

[*Khun Phaen is a character in the epic poem Khun Chang Khun Phaen. Nang Pim is one of the five wives of Khun Phaen.]

Aside from spending his money on plants he also buys soil for planting, fertiliser, gravels, pots, and a million other tools. As soon as we got back to the room, Phum changed his clothes and wore a waterproof apron and started gardening on the balcony. I guess the spirit of a gardener possessed him.

Over an hour passed, and he was still there, planting from six until almost seven. I peeked out at him occasionally, not because I was worried, but just in case he slipped and fell off the balcony and died. I saw his clumsy movements, typical of his aristocratic self. If he couldn't even plant a tree, he might as well quit school and eat straw.

I didn't pay much attention and let him be. I was going to go to bed, but this morning, Phum stupidly locked the room and left the key inside. So, I ended up eating Khao Yam (rice salad) in front of the TV, comfortably watching Scooby-Doo that Phum had left on.

"Ouch!!!" Phum's scream made me jump off the sofa and rush to him immediately.

"What happened, Phum?" I saw him holding his index finger, blowing on it.

"I cut my hand with a knife."

"Let me see." Blood was dripping. Why was he using a knife to plant trees? "Go wash your hands first. I'll get some medicine and a band-aid."

I led Phum to wash his hands and had him sit in front of the TV. I came back with a first aid kit and a blue bear-patterned band-aid.

"How did you manage to cut yourself? Do people use knives to plant trees?"

"I couldn't find the scissors to cut the fertilizer bag, so I used a knife instead. That's why I got cut." His gardening skills were truly pitiful.

I placed Phum's hand on my lap, using a cotton ball soaked in alcohol (I think). I'm not very good at this, but it was blue and smelled strong, so it must be right.+_+

As I treated his wound, I thought about how I said I was angry and upset, but when he got hurt, I rushed to him immediately. Sigh, I'm so weak. Especially with Phum staring at me up close, I almost couldn't do anything (I even grabbed the white medicine bottle, ready to pour it on the cotton ball once). Why was he staring so much? I should charge him by the hour.

My left hand held Phum's right hand. After applying the medicine, the next step was to put on the band-aid. But where did I put it? Oh, my brain. I turned left and right, looking for the band-aid until my neck almost spun in circles. I was in a hurry, and if I found it, I would swallow it out of frustration.

Suddenly, Phum turned his hand to hold mine. Then, I felt something cold on my left ring finger, from the tip to the last knuckle. I looked at Phum in confusion before looking at my hand and what I saw.

A ring.

"An anniversary gift."

"...?"

"It's been a year since we fell in love na, Shorty."

I looked at the ring and then at Phum's face. His gentle smile caught me off guard. One year? Today is our anniversary?

He remembered, even though I didn't.

A simple white gold ring with two P letters separated by a heart.

Phum still held my hand tightly, squeezing it gently. His thumb played with the ring on my finger before lifting my hand to kiss the ring. He looked into my eyes before kissing me all over, from my temple, forehead, cheeks, eyes, and finally my lips. At that moment, I felt a warm current flowing through my body. It was an indescribably wonderful feeling.

"Do you like it?" Phum whispered, his nose brushing against mine.

"I like it. I like it a lot. But did you really have to bleed for it?"

"Heh, I didn't know what would surprise you."

Crazy and reckless, but you always make me blush, you handsome guy.

"..."

"Peem... this ring might not be worth much, but it comes from all my own effort and heart. I'm sorry for making you worry and overthink. I just wanted to do something for you... so I ..."

"You returned home late at night, was it because of the ring? Are you Bilbo Baggins' heir or what? Did you disappear to melt gold and make rings in Middle-Earth? I thought you were interested in someone else."

"Hehe. It's a surprise. Are you shocked?"

"Well, how can I not be shocked?" I pinched his cheeks, ruffled his hair and pulled him into a hug. He hugged me back tightly and apologized for making me paranoid for so many days.

"How can there be anyone else? Since I love you this much, I just wanted to buy you an anniversary ring with my own money, so I... went to work."

What? Work?

"...You were out late because you were working?" It felt like something was blocking my breath. My chest tightened.

"Yeah, hehe, surprised?"

It's not unusual for students or people my age to have part-time jobs, but this is Phum, Phumin, the heir to a multi-billion business. Forget about working for money; just knowing what work means is already a miracle.

"What kind of work did you do? Was it tiring?"

"Not really. Actually, I started secretly working when I was in Italy."

I pushed myself away and reached out to touch his smooth cheek. For others, working to save money to buy a gift for a loved one might seem like a small or ordinary thing, but for me, it wasn't.

Phum working to save money to buy me a gift, someone doing something for another person even though they had never done it before and didn't think they could, but did it for us, is a huge deal. Someone like him, who never gives in to anyone, never listens to anyone, but had to take orders from others.

And it wasn't hard for me to shed tears of gratitude for Phum.

"But the ring I ordered cost more than the money I earned, so I had to work more." Phum said with a happy face, his eyes showing pride in what he had accomplished.

"What kind of work?"

"Promise you won't be shocked."

"Yeah, I don't think I can be more shocked than this."

"Just general part-time jobs. I handed out flyers and wore a bear mascot costume. I had Aom, the girl who called about the shirt, take a picture. Want to see? The costume is cute, a big bear."

I realized I was biting my lip until it went numb, trying to hold back my sobs. Damn it. I threw myself into Phum's arms, making him stagger. It was an indescribable feeling. All the pent-up frustration from the past three or four weeks seemed to vanish. The gratitude, the unexpectedness, the overwhelming emotion—it all mixed together, and I could hardly distinguish them.

"Why did you have to go to such lengths?" Why endure sleepless nights, let a knife cut your hand, suffer stomach pains? Why do all this for me, Phum?

"Because I love you, and I want you to know how much you mean to me. I might not be the best guy, Peem, but I promise to love and take care of you the best I can."

I nodded, my face buried in Phum's chest. I felt every word he said with my heart. Love becomes more valuable when shown through actions. And whoever said money can't buy love, at least the money Phum used to buy this ring has completely bought my heart.

"But... I, sob, I have nothing to give you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Can I just ask for a promise from you?"

"Sure."

"No matter what we face in the future, please don't doubt my love. I want you to be confident that my love is for you alone. Can you do that, Peem?" Phum's fingers gently wiped the tears from the corner of my eyes.

"Yes, sob, I can."

"Heh, your nose is all red. Here's another ring. Put it on me."

He handed me another ring, identical to mine but probably a different size. I slipped it onto Phum's left ring finger.

"You're officially taken now." I quickly said and kissed Phum's hand.

I was embarrassed, hearing him laugh before he leaned in to kiss me. It was a lingering, sweet kiss, as if time didn't matter, gently touching and repeating the sensation.

"I have something to show you, but you have to close your eyes first." Phum pulled away and smiled, showing his charming fangs, while I was still dazed. Is there more? This is beyond a surprise. But in the end, I nodded, and Phum covered my eyes and led me somewhere.

"Don't open your eyes yet." he said before removing his hand from my eyes.

I obediently kept them closed. Soon, I heard the sound of a light switch and felt the light disappear.

"You can open your eyes now, Shorty."

I slowly opened my eyes, and as my pupils adjusted, a warm, overwhelming feeling returned.

I looked up at the once dark bedroom, now filled with the soft glow of hundreds of glowing stars. There were big stars, small stars, a crescent moon, and even a smiling moon ^^. It felt like stepping into a planetarium. The ceiling and walls were covered, and in the middle were Phum's and my names among the stars.

Outside on the balcony, there were also string lights. Phum, you're going to make me smile through my tears for a long time, aren't you? I looked at Phum with an expression I couldn't describe, just knowing I wanted to smile at him, just as he was sweetly smiling at me. I was speechless.

"Phum."

"Hmm?"

"I'm so touched."

"Heh, I wanted to touch your heart so you'd know how much I love you." He leaned against the wall, smiling widely at me.

"Enough, before we die from diabetes." I felt like I was floating, about to drift off into space.

"I'm embarrassed too. Come here and kiss me."
I obediently walked over to Phum, who had his arms open, and tilted my head up for a long kiss. Was he hypnotizing me? Ugh, he's stealing my soul.

Today is the one-year anniversary of Phum and me being lovers. Some people may say, 'it's only been one year' but some others may ask, 'it's already been one year?'.

Time is amazing.

For me, one year may not be a long time but it's long enough to make me feel safe and secure in this relationship. Phum and I have been through both happiness and sorrow together for three hundred and sixty-five days. If I tried to average it out, the days of us arguing wouldn't have been more than thirty. I don't know about the exact percentage but on an average date this year, I'm definitely happier than before.

A year ago, I couldn't say that we knew each other well enough. Even now, there are many more things we still have to learn about and adapt to in each other. From now on, I'll try to keep the promise I made to Phum. I'll trust him no matter what happens. We will never let go of each other.

I used to wonder what love really is. Why is it so powerful and important to people on this earth? It seems that everything revolves around this word. If we tried to record the definition of the word 'love', it would probably be one of the thickest books in the world. Love is giving, love is understanding, love is sacrifice, love is freedom, love is evil, love is illusion, love is stupidity. I didn't know which definition I should adhere to.

Until I experienced it myself.

I never thought I could love anyone in this way because before, I was a happy single guy. I didn't feel like I was missing anything. I wasn't troubled by not having a lover because everything was already good. I had a warm family and art as a refuge for my soul. I had great friends, and I had enough love for myself. Until this strange love leapt into my life, making me realize,

'Oh, so it's like this.'

You will know what love is when you experience love because love is a personal matter. And we can define love any way we want. There are no fixed pictures or patterns that one must follow.

If I had to define the word 'love' today, my definition of love would be:

Phum

End of Chapter 51 >>>>>>>>>>