Chapter 18 — Waiting Outside
1301 Words
The next morning arrived much faster than Tharin wanted.
A serious issue honestly.
Because somehow—
despite finally sleeping after two in the morning—
his brain still replayed everything from last night repeatedly.
Aran sitting comfortably inside the mansion.
Aran speaking calmly with his brothers.
Aran noticing small details about him naturally.
And worst of all—
the way Aran looked at him sometimes.
A COMPLETE disaster honestly.
Meanwhile—
inside the Aiyarak mansion—
morning sunlight filtered softly through the tall bedroom windows while the faint sounds of movement echoed somewhere downstairs.
Staff preparing breakfast.
Doors opening and closing quietly.
Praew yelling dramatically about something unnecessary probably.
A terrifying household honestly.
Meanwhile—
Tharin remained half buried beneath the blanket while staring blankly toward the ceiling.
And honestly?
Part of him genuinely considered pretending sickness just to avoid university today.
Reasonable honestly.
Because after everything last night—
seeing Aran again already felt emotionally dangerous.
A serious issue.
Then suddenly—
his phone vibrated softly beside the pillow.
A terrifying sign honestly.
Because somehow—
his heartbeat immediately became unstable afterward.
A serious issue.
Meanwhile—
Tharin slowly reached toward the phone while internally preparing for emotional damage.
And immediately froze afterward.
Because currently—
Aran’s name appeared across the screen.
A COMPLETE disaster.
Meanwhile—
Tharin stared at the notification for several seconds without moving.
Reasonable honestly.
Because honestly?
Seeing Aran text first thing in the morning somehow felt way too intimate already.
A serious issue.
Then carefully—
he unlocked the message.
Aran:
“Did you sleep properly?”
Real silence filled the bedroom immediately afterward.
Because somehow—
that simple question affected him more than expected.
A serious issue honestly.
Not dramatic flirting.
Not teasing.
Just concern.
And honestly?
That felt worse emotionally.
A COMPLETE disaster.
Meanwhile—
outside the bedroom—
one hidden bodyguard quietly stood near the hallway corner while checking security updates through an earpiece.
Bodyguard: “Young Master Rin awake.”
Brief silence followed.
Then another guard answered calmly.
Second Bodyguard: “Anything unusual?”
Another pause.
Then—
Bodyguard: “…He’s smiling at his phone.”
Complete silence followed immediately afterward.
Because somehow—
that information sounded spiritually concerning.
A serious issue.
Meanwhile—
inside the bedroom—
Tharin immediately covered half his face with the blanket afterward.
Coward behavior honestly.
Because honestly?
His expression betrayed him emotionally again.
A serious issue.
Then carefully—
he typed back slowly.
Tharin:
“I slept okay.”
Silence.
Then after several seconds—
another message appeared immediately.
Aran:
“That’s good.”
Another pause followed afterward.
Then—
Aran:
“You looked tired yesterday.”
Real silence settled across the room immediately afterward.
Because somehow—
that sentence made Tharin freeze briefly.
A serious issue.
Meanwhile—
his chest tightened unexpectedly.
Because honestly?
Most people noticed obvious things first about him.
His appearance.
His quiet personality.
His family background.
Very few noticed exhaustion.
A dangerous realization honestly.
Then softly—
another memory returned unexpectedly.
Aran watching him carefully inside the kitchen last night.
Aran noticing he barely ate dinner.
Aran quietly listening whenever his brothers talked about him.
A COMPLETE disaster.
Because somehow—
being observed this carefully no longer felt uncomfortable.
It felt warm instead.
And honestly?
That realization frightened him more than anything else.
A serious issue.
Then suddenly—
his bedroom door opened without warning.
A terrifying event honestly.
Because privacy barely existed inside this family.
A serious issue.
Meanwhile—
Praew walked inside dramatically carrying iced coffee and folded clothes.
Psychotic multitasking honestly.
Then immediately—
Praew narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Because apparently—
he noticed Tharin hiding beneath the blanket instantly.
A terrifying brother instinct.
Then dramatically—
Praew: “…Why do you look emotionally guilty?”
Complete silence followed immediately afterward.
Because honestly?
That sentence sounded terrifyingly accurate.
A serious issue.
Meanwhile—
Tharin immediately sat upright afterward while trying to look normal.
Failing horribly.
Because unfortunately—
his phone still remained visible beside him.
A fatal mistake honestly.
Meanwhile—
Praew’s eyes immediately landed on the screen.
And instantly—
his entire expression changed.
A COMPLETE disaster.
Then loudly—
Praew: “OH MY GOD.”
Silence.
Then dramatically—
Praew: “HE TEXTED FIRST.”
Complete silence exploded throughout the bedroom.
Because somehow—
Praew reacted like reporters discovering national scandals.
A serious issue.
Meanwhile—
Tharin nearly died spiritually.
Reasonable honestly.
Because honestly?
His family genuinely destroyed emotional stability professionally.
Then immediately—
Tharin: “Phi.”
Dangerous tone honestly.
Because whenever Tharin used that voice—
it meant:
please stop before emotional destruction becomes permanent.
Unfortunately—
Praew almost never understood survival instincts.
A terrifying issue.
Then dramatically—
Praew threw himself onto the bed beside him afterward.
A COMPLETE disaster.
Then immediately—
Praew: “Show me everything.”
Psychotic behavior honestly.
Meanwhile—
Tharin physically stared at him in horror.
Reasonable honestly.
Because WHAT kind of request was that?
A serious issue.
Then weakly—
Tharin: “…No.”
Praew immediately gasped dramatically afterward.
Praew: “You’re protecting him already.”
Complete silence followed instantly.
Because somehow—
that sentence caused catastrophic emotional damage.
A serious issue.
Meanwhile—
before Tharin could defend himself—
another message appeared on the screen.
And unfortunately—
Praew saw it first.
A fatal mistake honestly.
Aran:
“Eat breakfast before class.”
Real silence exploded through the bedroom.
Because suddenly—
Praew physically grabbed Tharin’s arm dramatically.
Praew: “HE’S ALREADY ACTING LIKE FAMILY.”
Reasonable honestly.
Because honestly?
Monitoring whether Tharin ate properly absolutely counted as Aiyarak family behavior.
A serious issue.
Meanwhile—
Tharin genuinely looked moments away from emotional collapse.
A COMPLETE disaster.
Because somehow—
Aran adapted frighteningly fast.
Dangerous realization honestly.
Then quietly—
Tharin typed another response while Praew watched over his shoulder like invasive emotional security.
A horrifying experience honestly.
Tharin:
“I’m getting ready now.”
Silence.
Then immediately—
another message arrived.
Aran:
“I’ll wait outside your building.”
Complete silence exploded again.
Because honestly?
That sentence felt emotionally illegal somehow.
A serious issue.
Meanwhile—
Praew physically fell backward across the bed laughing.
Coward behavior honestly.
Because apparently—
watching Tharin panic emotionally entertained him deeply.
A terrifying older brother trait.
Then dramatically—
Praew grabbed the nearest pillow afterward.
Praew: “You’re finished.”
Reasonable honestly.
Because honestly?
Waiting outside someone’s building before class absolutely sounded serious.
A dangerous realization.
Meanwhile—
inside another part of the city—
Aran leaned quietly against the hood of his black car near the architecture faculty parking area while staring toward the campus entrance.
The morning air remained cool while students slowly filled the sidewalks nearby.
And honestly?
He arrived almost thirty minutes early.
A serious issue.
Because currently—
he checked the time every few minutes like someone emotionally unstable.
A terrifying realization honestly.
Meanwhile—
beside him—
his cousin Narin watched the situation with growing spiritual concern.
Reasonable honestly.
Because honestly?
Aran waiting outside a building this early already felt historically unbelievable.
A serious issue.
Then dramatically—
Narin crossed his arms afterward.
Narin: “You’re terrifying.”
Silence.
Then immediately—
Narin: “You’ve never waited for anybody before.”
Reasonable honestly.
Because honestly?
Usually people waited for Aran.
Not the opposite.
A serious difference.
Meanwhile—
Aran ignored him completely afterward.
Psychotic behavior honestly.
Because currently—
his attention remained focused entirely toward the main road leading into campus.
A serious issue.
Then unexpectedly—
a familiar black luxury car slowly entered the faculty parking area nearby.
And immediately—
his attention shifted completely.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Because honestly?
The second Aran spotted Tharin through the passenger window—
everything else disappeared naturally.
A terrifying realization honestly.
- Writer
