cursed #31
Jane is surprised, as he brushes away dirt, to find an envelope with his own name on it. The writing is precise, yet…
Bringing it inside, Jane slides a letter opener through the fold at the top of the envelope. The wax seal is nondescript, so Jane isn’t sure what he’ll find, but when he unfolds the paper inside, he sees his name again, and he notes the way some of the letters wobble, and how there are several tone marks missing, or the words aren’t quite spelled right, and his heart squeezes in his chest because Ryan wrote this to him.
This knowledge alone makes him happy, and he looks over to the puppet. “He’s great, right?”
The puppet doesn’t reply, thankfully, and Jane sets himself to actually read, then pauses.
Ryan hadn’t actually given him the letter.
He folds the paper back up, tapping it against the table and biting his bottom lip.
Does that mean Ryan hadn’t wanted him to have it? Or just that Ryan had…dropped it? On purpose or by accident?
Jane looks to the puppet again. “Should I read it?”
This time, he wishes the puppet could answer. It would be a lot easier that way.
He shouldn’t…
But curiosity overtakes sense, and Jane unfolds the letter once more. It isn’t particularly long and the language is fairly simply, but Jane scans it over twice to make sure he understands.
P’Jane, it begins. I wrote you this letter because you taught me how. But, really, I want to tell you how I feel.
Ryan says he doesn’t expect anything, not even for Jane to like him back, but Jane is filled with hope.
“I have to break this curse,” he says. “I have to kiss him.” It sounds silly, spoken aloud, and Jane feels silly, but he feels good, too.
There’s a knock on the door and Jane hurriedly tucks the letter back into its envelope before surging towards the door. There is only one person who ever comes to visit him these days, and it’s exactly the person he wants to see, no matter the burn lingering through his chest and tingling through his limbs.
He opens the door, ready to say everything on his mind, but it’s not Ryan at the door.
It’s someone he hasn’t seen in a long time, and someone he never expected to see again.
Joy stands there, sapping away all of his happiness. “Nong Jane,” she coos. “I’ve missed you.”
Some latent cordiality returns and Jane forces a smile. “Khun Joy,” he greets with a wai. “What are you doing here?”
She pouts. “Do I need a reason to visit my beloved?”
Without invitation, she steps inside.