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Rain and P'Phayu started dating just before their final exams in the 1st year of Architecture. And Ple would never forget the day they announced it, the day they had all gone for lunch at a nearby restaurant after completing all their preparations for the Freshmen Orientation. It had been so hard for Ple to accept that the man she had a crush on was taken. That too by a boy who supposedly had a crush on her. How did that even happen? P'Som had been scandalised. She could see that on his face. All of their friends could, as Rain and P'Phayu had walked out of the gathering hand in hand.
She knew Rain was a good person. He was kind and loyal and sweet. But what did P'Phayu see in him? Phayu was the 'God' of the Architecture faculty. He was beyond good looking. He was smart, talented, intelligent. In short, he was perfect. And Rain? Rain was so.. boring. He was clumsy, klutzy, if not lazy, definitely a procrastinator. He was bubbly and cheerful, yes, but he was an airhead and had zero brain to mouth filter. He was nothing like a person she had imagined P'Phayu would date. She had secretly hoped he would date her, but now she was just disappointed. Maybe the 'God' was not that worthy after all.
Thanks to P'Som's long suffering whining about Phayu and Rain, Ple started distancing herself a bit from their group of 5. At first, the others didn't say anything, but eventually one of them must have figured out something. So they would deliberately drag her into discussions. She noticed that Rain would keep his distance, and surprisingly, so would Sky. She didn't know why she felt bad about that. One day, when Sky and she were alone in their practice lab, she asked him about it. He told her that Rain was the first real friend he had, someone who had gone through hellfire for him, and someone who was his soulmate in the truest sense of the word. He said that both Rain and he had heard the conversation between P'Som and her, dissing Rain and that did not sit well with him. He added that he was a little disappointed in both her and her brother. But Rain didn't want to make a big deal out of it. He hadn't even told Phayu about it because he knew P'Som had applied for internship at P'Mhok's firm.
Ple was shocked, yet not very surprised. She had started backing off from 'Phayu' discussions with P'Som because she had begun to feel guilty about what he would say about Rain. Rain was not all that bad, and he did not deserve P'Som's continuous attack on his character and abilities. By the time the third year rolled around, they were too busy to even breathe, so all former animosities were forgotten. Except for that first year of their relationship coming out into the open, Phayu had stopped coming to the faculty, not even to pick Rain. Rain would be teased mercilessly that it seemed like Phayu had finally come to his senses and dumped his sorry ass, but Rain would laugh it off. Rain was still the same, goofy and silly, a prankster personified. But the only difference was that his projects were submitted on time and his theory also became better.
There were still those who kept saying that Phayu helped him in his designs, even though it was crystal clear that Phayu and Rain's styles were diametrically opposing. While Phayu went sleek, modern and all sharp edges, and his designs were usually for commercial buildings, Rain went softer, more green, focusing on sustainability in individual homes. Their approach was vastly different, but people still hated the fact that Rain was Phayu's boyfriend. Surprisingly, while Sig and Por continued to be offended on Rain's behalf, Rain simply laughed it off. Ple's heart broke the day she heard her four friends talking. "How do you put up with this shit Rain? Why do you put up with it?" Sig asked angrily. "Ai'Sig, when I could put up with one of my best friends talking shit about me with her brother, why would I care about what strangers think of me?" Rain said, laughing. She had decided to be nicer to Rain after that, but Rain just took it in his stride.
In their final year, everyone applied for internships, and Ple, at the behest of her brother, applied in P'Phayu's firm. P'Som had still not gotten over him, and hoped that Ple being there would give him another opportunity to talk to Phayu. Ple really wanted to tell him to give up on Phayu, that Rain and Phayu had been together for nearly four and a half years, but she knew that that would be useless. So she did as he asked. And she got the internship. But no one knew where Rain did his. His name hadn't been posted on any of the boards but he had not looked disappointed. Or worried. Ple wondered if it was because he was sure of getting into P'Phayu's firm. But Rain was not there when she entered on the first day.
She was seeing Phayu after quite a while and she was still feeling just as bedazzled. In a way, she was glad Rain was not there, because that meant that as Ple's university senior, Phayu would definitely pick her to work with. But that had not happened. She had been assigned to another architect and Phayu had worked with Sky, who was interning there as well. Their comfort level with each other was staggering to see. At the end of the internship, there was a wonderful farewell party, but Rain didn't come for that either. She started wondering then if Phayu and Rain had really broken up. But Phayu had not even bothered to talk to her or Som when they came to meet him. He had just waiied politely and left, leaving them both flabbergasted.
Phayu didn't come for Rain's graduation either, which was shocking in itself, since Prapai didn't come either. "Why are your boyfriends not here boys?" Por asked. "Family business," Sky replied and turned away, sharing a small smile with Rain. Lots of pictures were clicked and efforts were made to stay in touch. Ple looked at Sky and Rain. In her heart of hearts, she still couldn't believe that Phayu and Rain were together and she hoped they would not be anymore.
Now five years later, Ple sat with Sig and Por, as they waited for Sky and Rain. Other students, both juniors and alumni mingled in the large crowds of the alumni meet of their faculty. She wondered if P'Phayu would come, if he and Rain would come together, or if they were even still together. She knew her brother had come in the hopes of seeing Phayu once again. He still hadn't moved on. And Ple couldn't really blame him. Neither had she. "Rain?" Por's shocked voice made them all turn their heads towards the entrance. Ple was blinded! That was Rain? She had always wondered what Phayu had seen in Rain. He was so nondescript, according to her, with all that mousy brown hair and weird fashion sense. But this Rain? He stole her breath away. He was beyond ethereal. Dressed in trim black pants, a crop jacket and a mesh shirt inside, the long ashy blond hair, braided on one side, those sultry grey eyes with their subtle make-up and those adorably pouty lips, plumped with gloss, this was a Rain out of someone's wet dream. He was wearing slightly high-heeled boots, also in black, giving him a sublime aura that was making it hard to believe that this was actually the Rain they knew.
Sky stood next to him, dressed in a maroon suit, no shirt, and when he turned to go towards the bar, almost no back. He looked just as powerful and beautiful as Rain and the hushed silence that followed their entry made it clear that Ple, Sig and Por were not the only ones holding their breaths. The two of them quickly took their drinks and made it to the booth where their friends were sitting. "Hey you guys!" Sky and Rain said cheerily. Ple couldn't help but wonder where Phayu was. But before she could ask Rain, another hush fell over the crowd as P'Phayu and P'Pai entered the hall. Several people had come with their better halves, so it was not surprising that P'Pai had come with Sky. "Why didn't they come in with you?" Sig asked. "Because they are coming directly from the airport," Rain said, as he and Sky quickly stood up and made their way to Phayu and Pai. Ple watched in never-ending amazement as despite their backs turned around to the two men approaching them, Phayu and Pai unerringly lifted their arms to fit their partners under them.
After a while the four of them came back to the table, where the three juniors waiied to the two seniors. "Go mingle P'Phayu, Rain will be fine here," Rain told his partner, pushing him with both hands. That's when Ple, Sig and Por caught the glint of something on his finger. "Ai'Rain?" Por said, jaw dropping. "Yeah?" Rain turned slightly. "You are engaged?" Sig asked, pointing to his hand. Rain looked down at his ring, and started to laugh. "No dude. We are married, as are Sky and P'Pai," Rain said, as Sky also showed off his ring.
They all sat down after P'Phayu and P'Pai left. "We thought you guys broke up," Sig said. Ple couldn't utter a word, afraid of sounding like a mean bitch. "Huh? Who said?" Rain asked, looking shocked. "I mean, P'Phayu stopped coming for events. He didn't even come for your graduation. And you didn't intern at his company," Por listed the points. "Okay. Let me take this in order. P'Phayu didn't come for events anymore because he didn't want me to face more drama. He didn't come for graduation because P'Pai and he had planned a huge surprise party for us with family only where they asked us to marry them. And I did not intern at his company as I did not intern at all," Rain said, ticking off all of Por's points. "Wait! What? You didn't intern?" Ple asked, shocked. Rain shook his head. It was Sky who answered for him. "Rain received a scholarship to study his Masters in Singapore. So the Uni gave him a pass with his internship since he would have to do one after that as well," he said, looking proudly at his best friend.
"Wow! What?" Sig was staring at Rain with his mouth open. Rain shrugged, like it was no big deal. "So where do you work now?" Por asked. Rain and Sky looked at each other. "We have our own firm. It's called 'Anakhot'," Sky said. "The futuristic design company?" Sig asked. "But that's a Theerpanayakul company," Ple said. Rain and Sky nodded. "It gives us our own space. And allows our husbands to take care of the other family businesses as well," Rain said. "P'Phayu and P'Pai have other family businesses? Like together?" Ple asked. Sky nodded. "Obviously. They are brothers after all," he said. "Wait! What? Who are brothers?" Sig asked. Ple felt like it was the night of shocks. "P'Phayu and P'Pai are brothers, cousins," Rain said, smiling a little.
Ple looked up to ask something when she saw her brother trying to get close to Phayu. It irked her. It was clear that Phayu was taken. He made sure that he held his drink with his left hand so that his ring would glint. Why couldn't her insufferably shameless brother see that? Something in her expression must have alerted Rain, because he turned around before she could say anything. He immediately turned back. "Doesn't it bother you?" Sig asked, seeing the tableau in front of him. Rain shrugged. Sky smirked. "What? What are you not telling us?" Por asked, immediately curious. Rain and Sky looked at each other. "Come," Sky said, crooking his finger at them. They moved to the dance floor laid out. They all watched in amazement as Rain began to dance. Within seconds, he was surrounded by a bunch of people. One man even came close enough to touch him. but before he could, Phayu was there, looming like a thunderstorm over him. The man put his tail between his legs and disappeared.
"What do you think you were doing?" he asked, growling. "Nothing you didn't do," Rain answered, smiling cheekily. Phayu stared at Rain for a moment and then grinned. "Som," Phayu said to the junior who had followed him. "Meet Varain Kirigun Theerpanayakul, my dearly beloved husband," he announced proudly. "He accepted everything about me when none of you even knew who I was. I showed him my worst, yet he didn't leave. You tried to show him at his worst in front of me. Did you think I would leave him? Did you think I didn't know what was being said about him the hallowed halls of this faculty? Did you think I didn't know the derision he faced every day just because he was with me? Did you think I wouldn't come to know how the love of my life was being treated? Not just by the students, but even by the teachers?" Phayu said, sounding angry and bitter.
Everyone shrank at his words. There was probably no one present there who did not know who the Theerpanayakuls were. Had they seriously messed with one? Their careers could have been ruined with just one finger lifted by Rain. But he had done nothing. Even now, he was tugging at Phayu's sleeve, trying to keep him quiet. But Phayu was having none of it. His partner had struggled for five years in this rot, and Ple knew that nothing would stop Phayu today. He was the very tornado he was named after. "You are lucky the donations the faculties of this university received did not just peter out. You should be grateful to Rain and Sky for that. Don't think I don't know how Sky was treated because he was Rain's friend," Phayu said. Sky said something to Pai, and Pai shook his head, looking grim. "You questioned Rain on his looks, his capability, his passion, his achievements, everything, but he did not say a word. But did any of you know that Rain was the only recipient of one of the most prestigious scholarships in Architecture from the National University of Singapore from this University? Something that even I could not achieve. So far, I let everything go, but now I think I don't want to do that," Phayu said with a finality that brought ice crashing down the veins of everyone present there.
"Let's go Rain," Phayu said, as intertwined his fingers with his partner's.. no, not partner.. husband's and walked out, followed closely by Sky and Prapai. The entire club was silent. Ple looked at the retreating couples. She had always wondered what Phayu had seen in Rain. Now Ple knew. He had seen his loyalty, his steadfastness, his sweetness, his faith and his acceptance. Now Ple knew. What Rain had seen in P'Phayu would probably have been a better question.