Chapter 11 – Thread Tangled, Feelings Untangled
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The class stepped off the bus into a village so peaceful that even time seemed to yawn and stretch slowly. Trees swayed. Chickens roamed. Somewhere, a rooster screamed like it had beef with the sun.
"Ban Rim Nam!" the teacher chirped. "You will learn ancient craft techniques and eat things that may or may not still be alive!"
Everyone groaned.
"Be grateful! I had to lie to six parents to make this field trip happen!"
---
Save trailed behind the others, his hands deep in his hoodie pockets. He watched Auau and Por, once again laughing together over something dumb. Probably something sweet. Probably something Save should've said first.
Patji appeared beside him, already chewing bubblegum obnoxiously.
"Wow," he said loudly, "you look like a sad anime character in a season finale."
Save didn't respond.
Patji didn't push. He never did.
---
In the village square, an old lady sat with a huge basket of colorful string, feathers, bamboo sticks, and tiny bells. A chicken strutted past her like it was on a runway.
"This is Khun Yai May," the teacher beamed. "She'll guide you in making traditional story-wind-chimes. Each chime should tell something about you."
"Will mine tell that I'm sleep-deprived and want bubble tea?" muttered Beam.
"I hope mine screams 'drama queen,'" said Mai, already choosing hot pink thread.
"Mine will just scream," said Pong.
Patji raised a brow. "Same."
---
Students began picking materials. Of course, Por and Auau sat side by side, giggling as they wrapped thread and beads.
Save sat alone, fiddling with a tangled red thread. He tugged, but it just tightened into a knot.
Patji plopped beside him, dramatic as always.
"Here," he said, offering a new spool — smooth, untangled, no knots.
"You looked like you were gonna strangle the string."
Save looked at the thread, then at Patji.
"…Thanks."
"No prob." Patji went back to crafting with intense concentration, face oddly serious for once.
---
Background Drama
"HEY AU-AU!" someone called.
Toon, the class gossip, yelled out, "Make a wind chime for Por! Yours will sound like love!"
Students burst into squeals.
"Wait, are you two, like… secretly dating??" Nok teased.
"OH MY GOD SHIP SHIP SHIP!" cried Beam.
Auau blushed. Por laughed nervously.
Save's jaw tightened.
Patji didn't look up — he just said, with perfect timing, "Beam, your chime better be waterproof, because I'm about to drown it."
Students cackled. The attention shifted.
But Save's hands were still shaking slightly.
Patji leaned over again, quieter now — not teasing.
"Look," he said, eyes still on his half-done chime, "I don't know what happened, okay? But I know something's… off. And if you ever want to talk, or like… punch a rock or something… I'm here."
Save didn't respond.
He didn't have to.
Patji had already gone back to loudly complaining that his bells were "too emotionally unstable."
---
Khun Yai May wandered around, watching students.
She stopped at Save's mat. Looked at the knots. Then at him.
"You're holding too tightly," she said gently. "Thread is like memory. If you fight it, it tightens. If you let it move, it finds its shape."
Patji peeked up and muttered, "Okay… village grandma is deep."
Save actually smiled a little.
---
Later, as most students showed off their messy, beautiful wind chimes, Save was still struggling with his.
Patji didn't say anything.
Instead, he quietly moved closer, not touching the chime, just sitting beside him.
They worked side by side — Save's hands slow, gentle now.
Behind them, the rest of the class was still teasing Por and Auau.
But Save wasn't alone in it anymore.
Patji didn't speak. He didn't need to.
That was the kind of friend he was.
---
The students sat scattered beneath the big tamarind trees, their plates filled with steaming rice, spicy curries, and sticky sweets wrapped in leaves. Villagers moved between them, smiling as they handed out bowls and asked questions about school and city life.
Save sat cross-legged on a mat near Patji and a few others, poking at his food with a spoon. He barely noticed the smell or taste — not when laughter kept floating from the other side.
There they were again.
Por and Auau. Sitting too close. Laughing too loudly. Teasing each other like they belonged in a drama scene.
Auau said something in a high-pitched voice, pretending to act shy.
Por playfully smacked his shoulder, then rolled her eyes.
Someone from their group shouted, "Just date already, you two!"
A wave of laughter followed. Even Auau played along — dramatically leaning toward Por like he was going to propose.
Save looked down at his plate.
He forced a smile when Patji nudged his shoulder.
"You good?" Patji asked under his breath.
"Yeah," Save replied, voice soft. "Just tired."
From across the space, Auau's eyes flickered toward him for a second — like he noticed the slump in Save's posture. But then Por said something else, and Auau turned back to her.
Patji was still watching Save.
"You know," Patji said lightly, "you eat any slower and the ants are gonna steal your food."
That earned a weak huff from Save. "Let them. I'm full."
"You've had five bites."
"Six."
A village elder stepped near them — a kind-faced woman holding a small bowl of soup. She smiled at Save and pointed toward Auau.
"That boy — the loud one," she said warmly. "Is he your boyfriend?"
Save nearly choked. "W-What?! No. No, he's just… we're just in the same group."
"Ohh," she said knowingly, nodding like she didn't believe him, then moved on to serve someone else.
Patji tried not to smile too wide, but he looked at Save with a raised eyebrow.
"Villagers ship you two now," he teased softly.
"Shut up," Save muttered, ears pink.
He turned back to his plate, suddenly more silent than before.
Patji didn't push. He just scooted his plate a little closer.
"Wanna trade curry? Mine's too spicy."
Save glanced up — and saw the quiet offer, the lack of teasing in Patji's eyes. Just understanding.
He nodded once. "Thanks."
And somewhere behind him, Auau looked over again, gaze lingering for a beat too long this time.
---
The sun hangs low in the sky, painting the village river in soft orange light. Students scatter freely along the bank — some skipping stones, others dipping their feet in the water. The air is quiet, peaceful, filled with birdsong and distant laughter.
Save stands near the water's edge, hands in his pockets, staring at the gentle current.
A few meters away, Auau glances over at him.
He's with a group, laughing, but his eyes keep drifting back to where Save stands alone.
Auau
(walking up to him)
"Do you wanna play in the water?"
Save
(without looking at him)
"No… I'm okay."
Auau watches him for a second, then nods and walks back toward the others. But before he joins them, he looks over his shoulder once — just once — eyes lingering on Save, thoughtful.
Then he disappears into the group again
---
The river glittered under the afternoon sun. Students laughed, skipped stones, posed for silly pictures. Someone's windchime tangled in a tree already. Chaos.
Save sat alone again, legs curled in, sleeves rolled tight around his arms like they were holding something in.
Auau had gone off to throw stones with the others, and Save's eyes followed him — even though he tried not to.
Patji lingered near him. Quiet.
He hadn't said much all afternoon. Just jokes here and there, teasing Tong, pushing Por's face into the camera when he tried to take a group selfie.
But his eyes had been sharp. Watching.
Watching Save, the way his fingers never quite relaxed around his windchime. The way he smiled too late at jokes, or not at all.
And watching Auau — the way Save watched him.
Patji didn't need to ask. He already knew.
He'd known since that day.
---
Flashback
It was raining. Not the dramatic kind. The quiet, steady kind that soaked through without you noticing — like sorrow.
Patji had been waiting under the middle gate of the school, half his body dry, the other half being bullied by the rain as he munched a bag of shrimp crackers.
He spotted Save walking, head down, eyes blurry like someone had erased his world with water.
"Oi! You're walking like a sad ghost in a drama!"
He said it lightheartedly, snack still in hand. Ready to tease him about something, anything.
But then he saw Save's face.
Wet. Not just from the rain.
Patji's words dropped out of his mouth.
And then suddenly — arms around him. Tight. No warning. Just clutching him.
Patji froze. Just for a moment. Then dropped the snack and hugged him back. No words. Just held him there — in the rain, in the silence, while Save cried into his shoulder like he'd never let himself before.
He didn't ask what happened.
He didn't need to.
Patji had always watched. Always seen. Every quiet glance, every shrinking gesture, every way Save tried to make himself invisible.
"You're soaked," he'd finally said, voice gentle. "You look like a wet cat. A very depressed wet cat."
And he'd caught it — that tiny breath. A breath that sounded just a little like a laugh.
That's when he knew Save would be okay. Maybe not soon. But one day.
---
Back to Present — Riverbank
Patji let a pebble roll between his fingers now, staring out at the water. His eyes drifted toward Auau and Por again — their easy, silly friendship. Save was still watching. Still quietly shrinking.
He sat down beside him.
"Man, even the river looks sad next to you," came a new voice.
Save shook his head.
"Did the water say something depressing, or are you just that powerful?"
Save huffed. "Shut up."
Patji plopped down beside him with a dramatic sigh. "It's Day Three. I was hoping to see you at least smile once without it hurting."
There was a pause.
Then Patji turned his head, voice softer. "You okay?"
Save didn't answer right away. Then: "Is it that obvious?"
Patji nodded. "A bit. But I don't mind. You don't have to pretend with me, you know. I've seen you when you eat spicy noodles and cry like a baby. Nothing can scare me now."
Save's lips twitched — just slightly.
"You wanna talk?" Patji asked again.
"No."
"Wanna play in the water?"
"No."
"Too bad."
Before Save could react, Patji leaned forward and flicked a splash of cold river water at him.
"Hey—!"
Save's eyes widened, shocked, then narrowed. He leaned forward, scooped a handful of water — and retaliated.
The splash hit Patji's side. "You dare challenge me, sad prince?" he laughed.
They both laugh — briefly, lightly.
And just for a second, Save's face glows with a rare smile.
From a short distance away, Auau looks over again.
He sees them — the water play, the soft laugh between friends.
His expression shifts. Not jealousy. Not exactly. Just… something.
A pause. A tug at the edge of his heart that he doesn't fully understand yet.
Then he looks away.
And for the first time that day, Save smiled. Not forced. Not polite. Real.
Patji leaned back, shaking off droplets. "There. That's the face."
Save looked down, still smiling. "Thanks."
"Anytime."
In the distance, someone calls:
"Let's go! We're heading back soon!"
Patji
"Shall we?"
Save doesn't respond right away. Then, slowly, he nods.
As they walk back together, Save looks behind him once more — at the river, at the space he stood in.
He pauses… thinking.
But we don't see what he's thinking.
Only that something lingers.
---
The sun had long dipped behind the hills, painting the village in gold and shadow. The bus was quiet now — the kind of quiet that only comes after a long, beautiful day. Students leaned against windows, some whispering softly, others already asleep.
Save sat by the window, forehead resting against the cool glass. The trees outside blurred past like watercolor strokes, but his eyes weren't really watching them.
Beside him, Patji had dozed off, his head tilted slightly to the side, lips parted in peaceful sleep. His hand had accidentally brushed against Save's earlier — a reminder that someone had been there. Someone had seen him today. Really seen him.
But Save's gaze slowly drifted forward…
To Auau.
He was sitting a few rows ahead, chatting quietly with another student. His laugh — light, casual, untouched by the weight Save carried — drifted back to him like a ghost.
Save's chest tightened.
> "He doesn't even know… does he?"
"He doesn't know what he means to me. Or why I look away. Why I keep pretending."
"I've been so cold. So careless."
He swallowed the ache in his throat.
> "They all joke about him and Por like it's nothing. And I sit there, like it doesn't stab me. And he… he doesn't know why I flinch."
"How could he? I never told him anything."
A part of him — the quiet, tired part — whispered gently:
> "Maybe I should say something. Not everything. Just… sorry. For pushing him away."
His hand clutched a little tighter around the jacket draped over his lap — Auau's jacket, the one he'd handed him without a word earlier. A silent act of kindness. One that made Save feel both warm and terribly undeserving.
> "Maybe tomorrow," he thought. "If I can find the words."
He exhaled slowly, eyes heavy but heart louder than ever. Patji shifted beside him in his sleep, his shoulder brushing Save's again. The touch reminded him — he wasn't entirely alone.
From his seat, Auau turned slightly. Just enough that Save caught the faint side of his face, his profile silhouetted in the fading light.
They didn't speak. They didn't need to.
Save looked away first, back to the window. And for a moment — a short, quiet moment — the storm inside him settled. Just a little.
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— End of Chapter 11 —