Korn lay awake, staring at the ceiling.

No matter how hard he tried...

His thoughts always returned to the same person.

Phawin.

He closed his eyes.

"Forget him."

He whispered the words to himself.

"He loves Narin."

"They're happy together."

"You have no right to feel this way."

He repeated those words again and again.

But his heart refused to listen.

The next few weeks were different.

Not for me.

For Korn.

Whenever I visited Narin's uncle's house, Korn greeted me with the same gentle smile.

"Hi, Phawin."

"Hi, Korn."

He acted exactly as before.

No one noticed anything unusual.

Not even Narin.

Only Korn knew how difficult it had become to hide his feelings.

One Sunday afternoon, Narin and I helped his uncle clean the backyard.

Korn joined us.

The three of us spent hours sweeping leaves, moving flower pots, and washing the garden furniture.

Narin laughed as he splashed water toward me with the hose.

"Hey!"

I stepped back just in time.

"You did that on purpose."

"Maybe."

I picked up the hose.

"So did I."

Before Narin could run, I sprayed water back at him.

Within seconds, we were both laughing.

Korn stood nearby, watching us.

He smiled.

It was impossible not to.

Seeing Phawin laugh so freely made him happy.

Yet...

There was a quiet ache inside him.

He wished, just once...

That Phawin would laugh like that because of him.

The thought came so suddenly that it frightened him.

He quickly looked away.

As the sun began to set, everyone gathered on the porch to rest.

Narin sat beside me, our shoulders touching naturally.

We talked about school.

About exams.

About our plans for the summer.

Korn listened from the chair opposite us.

Every now and then, he glanced toward me.

Not long enough for anyone to notice.

Just long enough for his heart to remind him of something he wished he could forget.

When it was time to leave, Narin walked me to the gate.

"I'll see you on Monday."

"As always."

He smiled.

"As always."

Behind them, Korn stood quietly on the porch.

He watched until Phawin disappeared down the road.

Then he let out a slow breath.

"I really should stop..."

he murmured to himself.

"But how do you stop loving someone..."

"...when every time you see them..."

"...you fall a little more?"

The evening breeze carried his words away.

No one heard them.

No one...

Except his own heart.