Catching Up
Tone and Akk waited outside their homestay, wearing their matching dark blue swim trunks and dark t-shirts as the others would be meeting there before they would head to the beach together. After a remark from Neung, the sign read “Tone and Akk’s Homestay”, which made Akk very happy. (It made Tone happy too, but Akk was easily delighted.)
“Who do you think will be here first?” Tone asked.
“Hmmm...probably Neung and Kay” Akk answered after a moment of thought. “After all, Kay helps out here all the time”
“That’s true” Tone replied thoughtfully.
Ten minutes later, true to Akk’s guess, Neung and Kay, wearing white polos and green swim trunks—Neung’s with zigzags, Kay’s with palm fronds—came strolling up to the homestay, holding a cooler between them and backpacks on their backs.
“Hey guys” Kay said cheerfully.
“Hey you two” Akk replied, equally cheerfully. “The walk wasn’t too bad, I hope?”
Neung made a face, but shrugged. “Not too bad, considering it wasn’t as hot as it could be. We’re waiting for everyone else?”
“Mhm” said Tone.
“Then I’m sitting down” Neung said as he sat on the steps to the homestay. He dragged Kay down so that Kay was in his lap. Tone raised his eyes to the heavens. He knew it was the beginning of Neung being ridiculously over-the-top to show Akk that he and Kay were together. Not that Tone entirely blamed him. He was slightly nervous about Akk seeing Sompai, even though he knew nothing would happen. She and Ying were very cute together and Akk loved him unconditionally. Tone’s thoughts were interrupted by a very loud Kin, followed by a slightly embarrassed looking Pong, who was holding a big tote bag.
“Akk!!! Hi!” Kin said enthusiastically. He was wearing a button down yellow shirt and bright pink swim trunks. He hugged Akk, who had been his best friend during the internship, then said hi to everyone else. Pong, wearing a white t-shirt and basic black swim trunks, said hi to everyone as well, deciding to sit next to Neung and Kay while Kin caught up with Akk and Tone.
“Hey, how are you two?” Pong asked curiously. He hadn’t seen them for a while, as he and Kin lived farther away than most of the group.
“We’re doing pretty well, wouldn’t you say, Kay?” Neung answered. “I’m modeling when I can get gigs and Kay is working at a restaurant and sometimes here”
Kay nodded in agreement. “What about you and Kin?”
“Well, Kin is working at a beauty shop-you should see what he brings home in commission, all the girls love him”
Neung snickered. “They don’t know he has zero interest in them?”
“I guess not. I’m working at my school’s supply store, which is boring, but I’m looking into environmentalist companies for when I graduate next year.”
“Nice” Neung and Kay nodded approvingly.
“Look at those two” Pong jerked his head at Akk and Kin, who were talking about Kin’s work at the beauty shop. “They send letters to each other, isn’t that hilarious? We all have the group chat and individual messaging, but no, those two still send letters!” Pong sounded slightly exasperated while also managing to sound very in love. Neung and Kay gave each other amused looks.
“Honestly, I should do that with Tops. Remind me to ask him if he wants to do that, Neung” Kay said.
“Who’s Tops?” Pong asked curiously. He hadn’t heard of him in the group chat. Admittedly, he hadn’t kept up with Neung and Kay individually, instead keeping up with Nook and Toey.
“Our friend, more Kay’s though, cause he’s a cook too. I’m more friends with Tops’ boyfriend, Win” Neung replied with a grin.
“Oh, nice” Pong said. “Hey look, there’s Toey and his boyfriend”
Toey and Min had indeed driven up, in a nice looking pick-up truck. Pong sat up to go meet them, while Neung looked slightly guilty.
“Hi everyone, this is Min! Please be nice to him” Toey, wearing blue and red swim trunks and a light green button down, said once they were out of the truck.
“Hi” Min said, slightly nervously. He was tall and handsome in his white tank top and yellow swim trunks and both Akk and Pong thought they might have known him before. Tone was slightly suspicious, as he had met Min before and Min had acted like he didn’t like him at all. Tone thought he might have known him in the one semester he was in college but couldn’t think of anything that would have made him a target towards him.
“Hello Toey’s boyfriend” Kin said, looking slightly alarmed. Pong knew it was because it was another face he would have to keep track of. Fortunately, everyone else now knew that Kin had face blindness and wouldn’t be offended by the wrong name, which was bound to happen since it had been so long.
Min was looking between Akk and Pong like he knew them. “I think I know you two...Akk, right? I think we were friends in middle school before I moved. And...Ping? In high school?”
“Pong actually” Pong replied, brightening as he realized he was right, he did know him from when Toey described him the one time. “But don’t worry, I thought your name was Mork”
“Was it basketball I knew you from, Min?” Akk interrupted.
“Yeah, it was!” That it was all it took for the three of them to get into a conversation about basketball.
Kin pouted and turned to Tone. “I didn’t know Pong did basketball in high school”
“Hey, at least he doesn’t act like you’re going to steal his boyfriend. That’s how Min acts around me” Tone told Kin.
“Hey, I told him he better get over that, so don’t worry, Tone” Toey said as he patted Tone’s shoulder.
“I mean, you know the plan today, Toey” Tone whispered when he was sure Akk and Min weren’t looking at him.
“I think everyone does, don’t worry” Toey whispered back.
“What are you whispering about?” Akk asked curiously as he came over to Tone, threading his arm through Tone’s.
“The plan for who’s in which car” Toey said smoothly. “I was thinking Min and I could drive Valen, Nook, Ying, and Sompai and you two could take the rest”
“Sounds good to me” Akk replied. Tone was grateful that Kin hadn’t heard him and Toey whispering, as he was terrible about appropriate reactions. He was in the know, but if he had forgotten, Tone was okay with Pong reminding him at the last minute.
“Do you think Akk knows?” Neung whispered into Kay’s ear as he watched Toey talk to Tone and Akk.
“I doubt it” Kay whispered back.
“What are you two lovebirds up to?” Valen asked, wearing black swim trunks with white stripes on the sides and a matching t-shirt, as he walked up to the group. Nook, in a patterned purple one-piece and a long pink skirt, was holding one hand and Valen had several umbrellas in the other arm.
“Hi guys” Kay said to them, grinning conspiringly. He tilted his head towards Tone and Akk, who were starting to load their truck. Valen followed his tilt and smiled.
“Ah yes”
“How’s the hotel?” Kay asked.
“Doing better than ever” Nook replied. “Everyone is going to be sad to see Tone go, but they’re glad the homestay is doing well enough that he can leave. Also, the new interns are going to be coming soon. I’m nervous, to be honest”
“Why?” Pong asked as he came up from his discussion with Min. “You’ll do fine Nook, I remember you in high school. You took no nonsense from the freshies in all the clubs”
Valen made a face like he didn’t like the reminder that Nook knew Pong from before, but otherwise stayed quiet.
“Where’s Sompai and Ying? Didn’t they come with you?” Pong asked Valen.
“No, Ying was making them run a little late, they should be coming in a taxi soon though” Valen answered. “Speak of the devil”
A taxi had come up and Ying and Sompai came out, wearing matching hot-pink two pieces with long cardigans, holding huge tote bags, giggling. Sompai paid and the taxi left.
“Looks like we’re all here” Akk called out cheerfully. “I think it’s Kin and Pong and Neung and Kay in our truck, and Ying and Sompai and Valen and Nook in Toey and Min’s truck, that okay with everyone?”
Everyone seemed okay with it, so they loaded up the last of the stuff people had brought. Tone and Akk’s truck was only a two-seater, so the others were in the back, while Toey and Min had a four seater, leaving only Valen and Nook in the back.