Chapter 22
Finally, the weekend arrived before the wave of exams could crash over them.
Saturday morning began just as it always did—BonBon licking Freen’s face, snuggling deeper into the warm comfort of Freen Sarocha, clearly having no understanding of personal space… just like his mother.
“Bon… get off me,” Freen mumbled sleepily.
But of course, he heard it—and completely misinterpreted it—nuzzling even closer with a happy little grunt.
“Ugh… I bought you your own bed for a reason. That shit is expensive,” Freen groaned, annoyed but still sweet in tone.
“Babe. Language,” Becky warned from her side of the bed, still half-asleep.
Freen wasn’t used to Becky calling her ‘babe,’ especially in such domestic moments—it made her heart race faster than the speed of light and thump louder than any drumroll. Every. Single. Time.
“This was supposed to be your kid,” Freen muttered. “He goes to sleep with you every night and always wakes up with me. What’s with that?”
“Because he’s our kid. Get used to it,” Becky replied teasingly, flashing a cheeky grin without even opening her eyes.
Freen sighed deeply. She didn’t have the energy to win a debate this early—not with BonBon, and definitely not with his mom. So, as always, she let him stay right where he was.
Sometimes, Freen would wonder quietly to herself—what was it with Becky and Bon? She always tried to push them away, wrapped herself in cold distance, made it clear she wasn’t open. And yet… they both seemed completely unaffected by her coldness. Like it never reached them.
And somehow, that thought always made Freen feel something deep, unspoken, ecstatic warmth— like a home.
No matter how hard Freen tried to keep her distance, it was obvious she was failing—miserably.
Becky for once may get caught up in her hectic schedule at times, but BonBon? He was becoming inseparable.
From falling asleep beside Freen every night, to joining her on morning and night runs, to being spoiled at the pet parlor under her care, to every single vet visit, Freen even made it a point to take BonBon to meet other pets once a week—just so he’d never feel alone. That’s how much, and how deeply, she had started to care for him.
BonBon was glued to her and even Freen couldn’t deny it anymore—she was just as inseparable from him.
He wasn’t just Becky’s dog anymore.
He was theirs.
And something about that terrified her just as much as it healed her.
And like every weekend, they were getting ready to head over to Becky’s parents’ place. Even though Freen always said she'd just drop Becky and BonBon off, Becky’s parents never let her leave. They welcomed her like one of their own—loving her, fussing over her, and wrapping her in the comfort of home.
“P’Fieen,” Becky said, fastening BonBon’s leash, “I was thinking of leaving BonBon with my parents for a week or two. With exams coming up and all…”
Freen looked at her, one eyebrow raised. “Aren’t your parents always on the move?”
“Yeah, they are,” Becky admitted. “But they can still look after him. Besides, I’m okay with BonBon. He doesn’t give me any trouble. It’s you he’s obsessed with.”
She pouted dramatically, clearly teasing—playfully sulking over the way BonBon seemed to love Freen more than his actual mom.
Freen smirked and rolled her eyes. “Maybe if you stopped spoiling him and started spanking him now and then maybe it would work.”
Becky responded by mimicking Freen’s exact tone and manner, mouthing her words in exaggerated silence—like a child mocking a parent. Freen burst into soft laughter.
“Let’s pack all his stuff then—” Becky began, reaching for BonBon’s bag.
“NO.”
The word escaped Freen’s mouth faster than she intended. It stopped Becky mid-step.
The thought of BonBon’s little corner in the apartment sitting empty—it unsettled something deep inside her. Or maybe it wasn’t just the corner. Maybe it was the idea of not having BonBon around at all. It poked at parts of her she hadn’t named yet.
“I mean,” Freen quickly added, trying to play it cool, “it’s too much work packing everything, hauling it over. We’ll just buy him new stuff on the way.”
Becky raised her eyebrows. “You spend way too much on him.”
“It’s because I can . Now come on,” Freen said, already heading toward the door with BonBon trotting beside her.
It was a strangely domestic scene—bickering over a pet like co-parents, teasing each other in the softest ways.
BonBon, growing up fast, was learning who the important people in his life were. Becky’s mom and dad, her friends… he recognized them all. But there was still one person he hadn’t met—Freen’s grandmother. And Freen made sure it stayed that way.
Introducing BonBon to her grandmother would be like making things official —like crowning him as her child and sealing it as their new heir of the family. Freen wasn’t ready for that. Not yet knowing how dramatic her grandma is.
When it was finally time to part with BonBon, it wasn’t easy.
Becky at least had the freedom to show it. She hugged him, kissed him, told him she’d miss him.
Freen? She stayed behind her cold wall. Showing too much affection—too much heart —felt like daring the universe to take him away.
So she waited in the car, pretending to scroll on her phone, hiding the ache rising in her chest.
Becky walked over, BonBon in her arms. “Hey… aren’t you going to say goodbye?”
“It’s not like we’re going to space, Bec,” Freen replied, rolling her eyes—just in time for BonBon to leap into her arms, tail wagging wildly.
Becky smiled softly. “I know we can visit him anytime… but we’re going to be busy. And who knows what tomorrow looks like. Just… love him a little for now, okay? He’s really going to miss you.”
“Ohkee, ohkee… you and your mum are weird, you know that?” Freen muttered as she squished BonBon like a plush toy.
Then, still holding him close, she whispered:
“Be good to them, alright? Don’t be naughty or I’ll really punish you this time. Don’t eat anything from the ground on your walks. Don’t go around attacking people—someone might actually fight back. And don’t act too smart with Grandma, okay? Don’t trick her into giving you sweets.”
Becky stood silently beside them, watching Freen say more to BonBon than she’d ever said out loud in one go. And in that moment, her heart swelled.
This was it.
Watching her boy in the arms of the one person she loved most… watching them speak their own secret language… she knew with certainty—
She had fallen for Freen completely. And there was no coming back from that.
Three days into a packed exam week, the night was still and heavy, cloaked in the kind of silence that feels too calm before a storm. It was nearly 1 AM when Becky’s phone vibrated harshly against the nightstand, its glow slicing through the darkness like a warning.
She groaned softly, blindly reaching out from under the blanket and dismissing the call—thinking it was just another alarm she forgot to cancel.
But then it rang again.
And again.
And again.
This time, Freen stirred in her bed, her voice low but clear through the hush of night. “Bec… pick it up.”
Becky blinked herself awake, the unease in Freen’s voice sharp enough to snap her into alertness. She grabbed the phone and answered.
“Hello?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Baby… I’m so sorry to wake you at this hour,” came her mother’s voice—soft, slow, uncertain. Hesitant in a way that made Becky’s stomach twist. Her mother never sounded like that.
Immediately, Becky felt it—an invisible thread yanking at her chest. Her heart skipped. Then thundered.
“Mum? What happened? Is everything okay?” She sat upright, the sheets pooling around her waist, the room suddenly spinning with tension.
Freen, already sensing something was off, moved without question. She crossed over to Becky’s bed, her brow creasing, eyes locked on Becky like she was trying to read her breath. Silently, she gestured— put it on speaker.
Becky’s fingers trembled as she obeyed.
“Yes, yes, don’t panic. Your dad and I are completely fine,” her mother said quickly.
“Oh thank God…” Becky breathed, her body relaxing for a split second, the pressure in her chest easing. She ran a hand through her hair, heart still thudding from the scare. “Mum, seriously, you scared—”
“But It’s BonBon.”
The world stopped.
The words echoed like a stone dropped in still water—small, but enough to shatter the surface of calm.
Silence stretched across the line like a ghost.
Becky’s breath caught in her throat. Her wide, terrified eyes met Freen’s, who hadn’t blinked once. Her face was unreadable—calm, but not peaceful. Her gaze turned darker, like a storm cloud quietly brewing. Something inside her already knew.
Something inside her had already felt it.
“What…?” Becky’s voice cracked. It barely made it out of her lips.
It wasn’t a question. It was a plea.