"Hia, hurry up! We'll be late!" Ping scolded, standing by the door with his arms crossed.
Keng replied from inside the room, his voice playful. "Just a second, teerak."
Ping shook his head, but the smile tugging at his lips betrayed him.
It had been exactly a year since that night—the sirens, the fear, the waiting.
And today, Keng was graduating.
"Yes! I'm done!" Keng announced as he stepped out, smiling so brightly it made Ping forget whatever complaint he had prepared.
"Oooooiii, Keng," Tao called out the moment they arrived. "What exactly were you two doing that made you this late?"
"Mind your business,asshole," Keng replied flatly, walking past him without answering.
Ping laughed under his breath.
"Sawatdee khap, mom… dad," Ping greeted politely as he bowed slightly to Keng's parents.
"How are you, dear?" Keng's mother asked warmly.
"I'm fine," Ping replied with a soft smile.
"Tsk," Keng clicked his tongue. "Seems like Ping is your favorite now."
"Don't be jealous," Keng's father said, patting Ping's shoulder. "Ping is far more well-behaved than you."
Keng opened his mouth to protest—but stopped when he spotted Ping's mother approaching.
"Sawatdee khap, mom," Keng said immediately, pulling her into a hug.
"How are you, baby?" she asked fondly. "And congratulations."
"Thank you, mom," Keng replied without hesitation.
So now you call him your baby?" Ping asked, pretending to sulk.
Ping's mom ignored him completely and turned to greet Keng's parents instead.
"See?" Keng said smugly. "You stole my parents, and now you don't even want to share yours. How selfish."
"How did I even end up with someone this childish?" Ping muttered, shaking his head.
"Mom," Keng whined instantly, turning back to Ping's mother. "He said I'm childish."
"Oooi, Ping," she laughed. "Don't be mean to your boyfriend. Come on, let's take a picture."
After the group photos, Ping's mom looked at Keng curiously.
"Now that you're done with college, what do you plan to do next?"
"I'll take over my family's business," Keng replied confidently. "Then marry little Ping."
Ping choked. "Hia—"
"But you'll wait till Ping finishes school too, right?" Keng's mother added gently.
"Of course, Mom," Ping replied, smiling shyly.
Satisfied, the parents excused themselves, leaving the boys behind.
"I never imagined our families would be this close," Ping said softly.
"Me neither," Keng replied, intertwining their fingers.
"Hey, lovely doveys," Tao interrupted dramatically. "Since you're done taking pictures with your parents, let's take ours."
"Yeah," Bank added. "After today, we might not see each other like this again." He added cleaning his eyes dramatically
"Oooooiii, Bank," Jinn scoffed. "Is it because you've spent too much time with Tao that you're acting like him now?"
"Asshole," Tao snapped, smacking the back of Jinn's head.
"Can we just take the picture already?" Rain scolded.
"I'm hungry," Tao added, rubbing his stomach.
"Wait," Jinn said suddenly.
Everyone turned as he stepped forward—and then went down on one knee and brought out a ring.
Rain froze.
"Rain," Jinn began, his voice steady but sincere. "We've known each other for four years. We've been through a lot. And I want to be part of every phase of your life. Will you… be my boyfriend?"
Rain's face flushed instantly. He had imagined this moment more times than he could count.
"Yes," Rain replied softly, stretching out his hand.
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Bank, Tao, and Ping chorused.
Jinn hesitated, worried Rain might feel shy—but before he could think further, Rain tiptoed forward and kissed him.
The cheers grew louder.
"Oooooiii," Tao sniffed dramatically. "I've never felt this single in my life."
"Keng," Bank said, smirking. "Don't let them outshine you."
"They can't," Keng replied proudly. "We were together before they even dreamed of meeting each other."
"That won't do," Tao teased. "Look at them."
"Fine," Keng said, pulling Ping closer and kissing his cheek.
"Hia—people are watching," Ping protested, blushing.
"Who cares," Keng replied before kissing him fully.
Rain and Jinn laughed, watching the shameless display.
Four hearts, two loves, one truth: they were finally free to be happy.