thirty

Pete

"Could you please just stop pacing and sit down kind sir!?!"

I heard my best friend slash personal assistant, Kaleb, asked-more like reminded time and again and I went to and fro the same meter distance in front of him.

We were at my home office and we're supposed to discuss and examine a contract but I couldn't seem to focus on it.

Not at the moment.

"Seriously, Pete, I'm trying to work here! You know, my job, the one you're paying me for!?! And I can't do it properly because you're distracting me! If you miss him so much then why didn't you go and send him on his first day!?!"

I stopped on tracked and furrowed my brows at Kaleb.

I already know he has got a garbage for a mouth but he is my friend and he's good at his job and he make sense most of the time so firing him was out of the question even if he would give me an earful this way from time to time.

So I just stood there in front of him and pretended that I didn't know what he was talking about.

"What the hell are you talking about!?! No one's stopping you! Work! I'm just trying to do my business here with some indoor walking exercise."

I lied.

Although I know I could never ever get away from the eagle eye that is my best friend.

"Stop. You sound- not to mention look stupid. Kao is a smart guy and responsible at that. You also had Gum watching over him despite him telling you not to so what could possibly go wrong? It's his first day in college not day care, stop beating your balls about it. Although I pretty much know you missed having it getting beaten."

I narrowed my eyes at him and made a move to hit him on the head although he didn't budge.

"Yeah? You want to get beaten instead?"

As it is, Kaleb always has a point.

But I didn't want him putting it that way.

I didn't want Kao to run away again.

"Stop threatening the only person that could help you hey your first love back. And for the nth time, stop treating Kao like a child. I get that you want to make up for all the lost times but this is not really the smartest way to go about it. Obsessing and stalking are not sexy and romantic. Besides, lest I remind you, you're the one who thought about sending him to school. What now!?!"

I glared at Kaleb.

I didn't want him jinxing everything even before it even started.

The truth is, I was glad that despite his initial disapproval, Kao ended up agreeing to my offer of sending him back to the university.

"I've already decided."

I faintly heard Kao said when we arrived at the house and stopped on the drive way the other day.

"About what?"

I was a little bit confused when after a very quite trip home after he refused to talk to me as we left the university that after noon.

"I'm taking your offer. I'm going back to the school."

I blinked at Kao and ended up smiling at him.

I was really happy to hear what he just said.

"Okay. Great! Wow! Sure, let me call the Dean, when do you want to take the entrance exam? Or do you even want to? I can get you in without it just say the word."

I was too excited about the idea of Kao finally going back to the university and fulfilling his dream that I was not thinking about what I just said there and only realized about my advice of cutting in the line for the admission when Kao gave me a look.

"What? I'm just saying."

I shrugged as he rolled his eye.

"But yeah, okay, sure, I knew you'd ace the exam anyway so yeah."

Kao is smart.

That's a fact.

"I'm not taking the exam."

I furrowed my brows at what he said.

"Okay, sounds fine to me."

Anyway that he want it, as long as I can provide it for him, I don't mind really.

"For engineering. I'm not taking the entrance exam for engineering."

I stared at Kao wondering if I heard him correctly.

"What do you mean?"

I asked when I realized I really didn't clearly get what he just said.

"I mean, I'm not taking the engineering entrance exam."

Okay.

Maybe I was just too excited that I didn't really comprehend Kao's answer clearly.

One time he didn't want to cut the line and go through the admission process normally then he would decide not to go through with it the next.

It was confusing yes but it's Keno so I didn't really care.

Okay then, I'll let him be.

"Because I want to take up business management instead."

Kao continued and gave me yet another surprise.

"What? But you wanted to be an engineer."

He would always go on and on about wanting to build houses for people back in the days.

What now?

"Well, not anymore."

I looked at Kao trying to read his face hoping to see the reason behind what he just said but I couldn't make out any.

"Is this because I offered you the fast lane for the admission? Kao, you really didn't have to take it seriously. It was just an option, you can do whatever you like and go through with the admission process anyway you see fit."

I saw Kao shook his head before he opened the door of the car and got off leaving me there agape but not before he answered me.

"My decision has nothing to do with what you said, Pete. It also has nothing to do with you."

I shook my head as I got off the car leaving it opened by the driveway as I ran after Kao.

"But you've always wanted to be an engineer. What changed?"

We stopped by the door as he regarded me.

"We can't always have want we want. But that's not the reason I didn't want to study it anymore. I just felt like not wanting to and I hope it wouldn't affect your offer of helping me and sending me back to school."

Kao stared straight into my eyes as he told me all those words.

He looked to determined and fixed with his decision.

"Or. Do you want me to pursue engineering?"

He added and I shook my head.

"No. It's up to you. Whatever you want. But. No more engineering? Really?"

It's just hard to believe that Kao had a change of heart that quick considering how much he wanted this dream so much back then.

Made me scared of thinking about what else could have changed over the years.

But that was not what's important at the moment.

Kao.

He's what matters.

"You might just be confused. It's all new after all. My bad for not giving you a heads up. Maybe you want to reconsider? The next semester won't be until about a couple of weeks after so you still have so much time to think about it. No need to rush."

Kao shook his head.

"I've already decided. I don't want to take up engineering anymore. This is what I want now. If you're okay with it, then just let me be, okay?"

Kao said and surprised me when he made a step back out towards the door.

"Kao!!! Hey! Where are you going!?!"

I ran after him yet again as he walked straight to where the car was.

"Okay, fine! No more engineering! It's all up to you now! You really didn't have to go again. Come-."

I trailed off when Kao stopped by the car and turned towards me.

"Thanks. Now, can I get all the stuff in the car? I was informed it was all for me."

I tutted with my stupidity when I realized how Kao was just trying to unload all the stuff we bought from the car and not really ran away again.

"Oh, alright. Okay. Let me-."

Could I embarrass myself even more!?!

"I'm- I can't help it okay!?! It's Kao after all! He seemed to have a knack for hurting himself and be friending the wrong kind of people."

I told Kaleb as I sat on the chair across him at the table.

I didn't want to but I just couldn't really help but worry.

"By wrong kind of people, you don't mean you, right?"

I gave my best friend a death glare.

"No, I mean us. Us. We are people."

Kaleb chuckled as he shook his head.

"Now you're being sarcastic! That's a good sign, at least your mind can still concoct sarcasm instead of just thinking about Kao and the boys he could possible lure over the days he's at the uni."

I narrowed my eyes at my best friend looking so proud of himself with what he just said.

"You're not helping."

I snapped at him as I checked on my phone.

I sent Gum to keep an eye at Kao without being too obvious asking him to report to me every hour but he's missed five minutes already.

Another five minutes and I'm gonna have to call him.

"Dude! Just relax, okay? Why don't you help me out with these paper works instead so I could finish everything before I take my leave next week?"

Kaleb was set to go back to Bangkok for his wife's delivery due in two weeks.

That means I'd be left alone with Kao busy with university.

I was about to reply to my best friend and tell hell it's okay if he wouldn't be able to finish everything when he leaves but my phone vibrated signaling a call from Gum that I almost jumped off the chair where I was sitting startling Kaleb who cursed at me yet again but I didn't care.

I walked towards the window by my table and answered the call.

The moment I head what Gum said, I didn't know where to be happy or angry with what he just reported to me.

"Kao's just been asked out by two guys already."