Chapter 4 — The Space Between Them
1326 Words
By late afternoon, the architecture freshmen collectively looked spiritually defeated.
A serious issue honestly.
The workshop tour alone already consumed most of their remaining emotional energy.
Now the seniors added:
* group activities,
* building introductions,
* faculty games,
* and social exercises nobody asked for.
Completely normal university cruelty honestly.
Inside the architecture studio building, students slowly dragged themselves between rooms while seniors continued yelling instructions with terrifying enthusiasm.
Meanwhile—
near one of the model display shelves—
Tharin stood quietly studying a miniature building while Aran remained beside him.
Still beside him.
A disaster honestly.
Because somehow—
Aran Rattanakosin had stayed near the architecture faculty for almost the entire afternoon already.
Which honestly made no sense.
A serious issue.
Nearby students noticed too.
Of course they did.
Because every few minutes whispers spread again.
“Aran’s still here.”
“He keeps following the architecture freshman.”
“They seriously look like drama leads.”
Dangerous comments honestly.
Especially because Tharin could hear some of them.
A terrible experience.
Meanwhile—
Aran looked completely unaffected by the attention surrounding them.
Which honestly made things worse somehow.
Because he acted like standing beside Tharin felt natural already.
Psychotic behavior honestly.
Across the room, Chai watched silently before leaning toward another freshman dramatically.
Chai: “Do you see this emotional disaster unfolding in real time?”
The freshman immediately nodded.
Reasonable honestly.
Because everyone with functioning eyesight noticed something strange happening.
A serious issue.
Meanwhile—
Tharin continued staring at the architecture model carefully while trying not to become too aware of Aran standing close beside him.
Failing slightly.
Because somehow—
every small movement suddenly felt noticeable.
Aran adjusting his sleeves.
Aran glancing toward him occasionally.
The quiet sound of his voice whenever he answered questions.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Then unexpectedly—
Aran spoke again.
Aran: “You really like architecture.”
Silence.
Tharin looked toward him afterward.
Then quietly nodded.
Tharin: “Mn.”
Aran waited.
Like he expected more.
And honestly?
That alone surprised Tharin slightly.
Most people usually lost interest after short answers.
But Aran stayed patient.
Listening carefully.
A serious issue honestly.
After a brief pause—
Tharin continued softly.
Tharin: “I used to sketch buildings with my father.”
The moment the words left his mouth—
his expression shifted slightly.
Tiny change.
Barely noticeable.
Still—
Aran saw it immediately.
A dangerous observation honestly.
Because suddenly—
he understood something important.
Tharin missed his parents deeply.
And somehow—
that realization made Aran’s chest tighten strangely.
A serious issue.
Before the atmosphere could grow heavier—
an architecture senior suddenly clapped loudly nearby.
Architecture Senior: “Freshmen! Pair activity!”
Immediate exhausted groaning echoed across the workshop room.
Reasonable honestly.
Nobody wanted additional social interaction after surviving orientation all day.
A terrible experience.
The senior ignored everyone’s suffering completely.
Coward behavior honestly.
Architecture Senior: “Find partners!”
Students immediately started moving around the room searching for friends.
Meanwhile—
Tharin barely had time to react before Chai suddenly disappeared beside another group.
A traitor honestly.
Tharin: “Phi Chai?”
Chai: “Good luck!”
Then immediately walked away laughing.
A terrible cousin honestly.
Before Tharin could process the betrayal—
someone stepped beside him calmly.
Aran: “We’re partners.”
Silence.
Real silence.
Because somehow—
Aran said that like it was already decided naturally.
A disaster honestly.
Nearby freshmen openly stared again.
Reasonable honestly.
Because:
1. Aran voluntarily joined an architecture activity.
2. He chose Tharin immediately.
3. He looked completely serious about it.
A serious issue for campus stability honestly.
Tharin blinked once afterward.
Then quietly—
Tharin: “…You don’t even belong to this faculty.”
Aran answered calmly.
Aran: “Too late now.”
Psychotic honestly.
Meanwhile—
across campus inside a black luxury sedan—
Than Aiyarak calmly reviewed documents while listening to another security update through an earpiece.
Dangerous multitasking honestly.
A bodyguard’s voice spoke quietly.
Bodyguard: “The student remains beside Young Master Rin.”
Silence.
Then calmly—
Than: “Describe his behavior.”
Another brief pause.
Bodyguard: “Attentive.”
Inside the car, Than’s eyes lifted slightly from the document.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Because Than understood people extremely well.
Especially men interested in his younger brother.
A serious issue honestly.
Back inside the workshop room—
architecture seniors handed each pair random materials for a small construction challenge.
Cardboard.
Tape.
Wood sticks.
Paper clips.
And honestly?
The assignment looked emotionally violent.
A serious issue.
Tharin quietly sat beside Aran at one of the worktables afterward while examining the instructions carefully.
Then softly—
Tharin: “We need to build a stable structure in twenty minutes.”
Aran glanced at the materials.
Then immediately—
Aran: “…This looks impossible.”
Silence.
Then unexpectedly—
Tharin laughed quietly.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just soft amusement escaping naturally.
And suddenly—
Aran froze for one second.
Because honestly?
That sound affected him far more than it should have.
A serious issue.
Meanwhile—
Tharin immediately looked away afterward like he didn’t realize what he just did.
Because unlike around family or close friends—
he rarely relaxed enough around strangers to react naturally.
A dangerous habit built from bad experiences honestly.
Still—
little moments slipped through sometimes.
And somehow—
Aran noticed every single one.
Meanwhile nearby—
Chai physically grabbed another freshman’s arm dramatically.
Chai: “HE LAUGHED.”
The freshman looked confused.
Reasonable honestly.
Because Chai sounded emotionally unstable.
A serious issue.
Chai: “Nong Rin only laughs like that around people he feels comfortable with.”
Silence.
Then slowly—
the freshman looked toward Aran.
Dangerous realization honestly.
Back at the table—
Aran quietly helped cut cardboard pieces while watching Tharin sketch quick structure ideas across scrap paper.
And honestly?
Watching him focus became strangely fascinating.
A serious issue.
Because suddenly—
Aran noticed things he shouldn’t care about.
Like:
* the way Tharin lightly bit his lip while concentrating,
* how his handwriting looked neat even while rushing,
* and how his expression softened whenever discussing architecture.
Dangerous observations honestly.
Meanwhile—
Tharin remained completely unaware.
A terrifying level of obliviousness.
After several minutes of building quietly together—
their structure somehow looked surprisingly stable.
Mostly because Tharin actually knew what he was doing.
A serious advantage honestly.
Aran glanced toward the finished model afterward before speaking.
Aran: “You’re good at this.”
Silence.
Then slowly—
Tharin looked genuinely surprised.
A serious issue.
Because compliments still caught him off guard sometimes.
Especially sincere ones.
After a brief pause—
he answered quietly.
Tharin: “My father taught me.”
And again—
that tiny sadness returned to his eyes briefly.
Small.
Barely visible.
Still—
Aran noticed immediately.
A dangerous observation honestly.
Because somehow—
he hated seeing that expression on Tharin already.
A terrifying realization.
Before the conversation could continue—
the architecture senior suddenly approached their table dramatically.
Then immediately stopped.
Because apparently—
seeing Aran sitting beside an architecture freshman still looked unbelievable.
Reasonable honestly.
The senior blinked twice before looking at their structure.
Then unexpectedly—
Architecture Senior: “…Why is yours actually good?”
Silence.
Tharin looked confused.
Meanwhile—
Aran answered calmly.
Aran: “He designed it.”
The senior immediately looked toward Tharin afterward.
Then dramatically pointed at him.
Architecture Senior: “Freshman Rin!”
Tharin blinked once.
Architecture Senior: “You officially belong to the architecture faculty now.”
Silence.
Then suddenly—
everyone nearby started laughing.
Warm laughter.
Not cruel.
Not mocking.
Just genuine amusement.
And honestly?
That surprised Tharin slightly.
Because back at his old school—
attention usually ended badly.
But here?
Things felt different somehow.
A dangerous realization honestly.
Meanwhile—
Aran watched the small smile appear on Tharin’s face afterward.
And suddenly—
he understood something clearly.
He wanted to protect that smile.
No matter what.
- Writer
