Freedom, Finally
461 Words
The train station was quiet at 4 a.m.
Aun and Tae sat side by side on the cold bench, a single backpack between them. Tae wore a hoodie with the hood pulled low, hair damp from a quick rinse, face still pale from the shock of Phun’s betrayal.
The train to Chiang Mai would arrive in twenty minutes.
Twenty minutes until they disappeared.
Forever, if they were lucky.
---
“I keep thinking he’ll show up,” Tae murmured, watching the shadows shift beyond the empty platform.
“He won’t,” Aun said, though he wasn’t sure.
Tae exhaled slowly. “It wasn’t just Phun. It was all of them. Everyone around me has been... pretending.”
Aun reached over, lacing their fingers together. “Not me.”
Tae squeezed back. “No. Not you.”
---
The train’s headlights broke the dark ahead, slicing through fog and rain. They stood up together.
It was time.
Just as the train screeched into the station, a voice rang out:
“Thana!”
They both turned.
Tae’s father stood at the far end of the platform, flanked by two men in black suits. He was soaked, furious, and breathless—clearly having run to catch them.
Tae stiffened, but didn’t let go of Aun’s hand.
His father stormed closer, shouting over the sound of the brakes, “You’re throwing your life away for him?”
“I’m choosing my life,” Tae shouted back.
“You’re a Sirikarn! You don’t get to run off with some—some nobody—”
Aun stepped forward, calm and clear. “He’s not running. He’s growing.”
Tae’s father laughed bitterly. “You think this is love? He’s just a boy. He’ll forget you.”
Tae’s voice rang out: “Maybe. But I’d rather forget someone I loved than spend my life hating someone I obeyed.”
For a moment, there was only silence—except for the steady thrum of the train waiting.
Then Tae turned to Aun.
“Are you ready?”
Aun smiled, heart pounding. “Only if you are.”
Together, they boarded.
---
The train rocked gently as the city faded behind them.
Tae leaned against Aun’s shoulder. “So... what now?”
Aun chuckled softly. “Well, I know a small town where no one knows me. There's a local school, and they’re always short on tutors.”
Tae tilted his head. “Will they hire a spoiled rich dropout?”
“I’m sure they’ll make an exception—if he’s cute.”
Tae grinned. “Then I’m safe.”
They laughed quietly, the storm behind them and the unknown ahead.
But for the first time, they weren’t afraid.
They were free.
And they had each other.
---
The End.
- Writer
