Chapter 3

Snobby is unable to go back to sleep after taking his husband’s call. Despite lying back to bed afterwards, the dance happening in his head makes him wide awake.

However, at 6:15 in the morning, a loud sound echoes throughout his room: it is his alarm. It is around this time when he usually wakes up. With his first class at 8 a.m., he knows he better heed the alarm. Otherwise, he will be late and endure the wrath of Doctor John Doom – his professor in the subject at that time.

Snobby gets up and immediately takes a shower. He has a slim but not frail body frame. He has little visible muscles because of the veins that line his forearms. His blue eyes can convey messages on behalf of their owner: those who know Snobby can attest that he can speak through his eyes without the need to talk. Apart from that, he is the personification of “someone who is rosy white”.

He comes out of the bathroom with an embroidered bath towel wrapped around his waist, which has small abdominals protruding from his tummy. As he makes his way to his cabinet room, he is wiping his hair with a small stark face towel.

His cabinet room alone is enough to contain about four persons inside. With that much space, he can freely move around to see himself in the mirror that stands in a corner. Snobby, however, doesn’t just let any other person in his room – even his parents. It all roots to an event that happened when Exeter and he have just become boyfriends.

Exeter was at Snobby’s house as it was his parents’ wedding anniversary. The celebration concluded nearly midnight, so Snobby’s parents asked Grumpy to stay for the night and go back early the next day. Grumpy and Snobby were already inside the room and lying together on the bed having a pre-sleep chat. Then, while Grumpy was still talking, Snobby got up and kissed his boyfriend in the lips, sealing it shut like a cork to a wine bottle. While they were still kissing, Grumpy grabbed Snobby by his waist to put him on top. As a result, Snobby ended up mounting his boyfriend. From the lips, Snobby went for his boyfriend’s neck first, made a hickey in the middle, before he went to the side – just below the ear – as his tongue traced the way. Exeter, being ticklish in the neck, let out soft moans and shivers. When Snobby tried to straighten up, Exeter took him by the nape, pulled him back down and into a kiss. As they wet each other's lips, Grumpy started to undo the buttons in Snobby’s pajamas. After he had been relieved of his top garment, he took off Exeter’s shirt with ease: since it was a sudden overnight stay, Exeter had no choice but to wear the old clothes of Snobby’s father – a sweater and a loose jogging pants that reeked of both varnished wood and moth balls. Afterwards, Grumpy straightened up to sit, and Snobby ended up seated on Exeter’s lap. They were about to kiss again when the door suddenly opened. They both looked towards the door, and at frame stood Snobby’s mother.

“Mom!” screamed Snobby, hurryingly dismounting from his boyfriend. He yanked his dress from the bed then turned his back from his mother to put it back on. Snobby’s mother has always accepted him as gay, but she was still surprised with what she saw. Unable to speak, she just bowed then turned her head to the side.

“You should’ve knocked, mom,” spat Snobby, a bit mad and very much embarrassed.

Exeter, on the other hand, covered his body with the blanket, rubbed his temples as he looked down and shook his head. He looked at his Snobby after, covered his face from his soon-to-be mother-in-law with the same hand he rubbed his head with.

“Where is my shirt?” whispered Exeter.

“What?” Snobby glanced at Grumpy’s direction, with his back still turned from his mother.

“My shirt, where did you throw it?”

Snobby found it on the floor, picked it up, and threw it to Exeter, who caught it with his face.

When Snobby was finally done fixing himself, he turned around and saw his mother looking straight at him with a smile etched on her face.

“I see you two have passed first base; going for the second are we?” She was toggling her eyes between his son and will-be son-in-law.

“Sorry auntie.” Exeter pushed the blanket away from him to fix his sweater.

“Don’t apologize nong. A word of advice: lock the door.” She winks at them, smiling: she knows that he had just disturbed the two in front of her from going up to fourth base. “I just came to return your phone: you left it downstairs.” She waves her son’s Samsung.

“Mom, it’s free to knock. So next time, knock,” Snobby said after a grunt.

His mom did not answer. She just walked further inside and stopped by his table to put down his phone. Before she left, she looked at Exeter, smiled, and said, “He is a bit ticklish down there. Good luck.”

“Thanks Mom. Good night.” said Snobby. He locked the door after his mom left the room.

Both of them were silent when they lied down on the bed again until Exeter let out a little laugh. “Do you still want to do it?” asked Snobby, with his head on Exeter’s tummy.

“I’m no longer in the mood, Snobby. Sorry, but that just took all my urge away.”

“Sorry about that Grumpy.”

“Let’s call it the day. It’s already quite late.”

Snobby, then, puffed out his cheek, which Grumpy kissed. After that, Grumpy did the same, which Snobby kissed as well. Then, lastly, they kissed in the lips and went to sleep.

After that day, everyone who tries to get inside Snobby’s room knocks first and waits for his consent before entering – everyone except “you-know-who”.

Inside his cabinet room, Snobby gets his white coat, which is part of his school uniform. On its left chest part is pinned his university nameplate:

Dauwan Pitchitara

Faculty of Medicine – Department of Surgery

College of Applied Science

Dauwan’s nickname is Sun, which fits perfectly as “Dauwan” means “Sun”. After getting fully dressed up, Sun picks one of his scents and sprays it over his neck, nape, body, and then, to both his arms under the wrist, which he rubs together afterwards. It was Exeter who taught him this.

He walks back to his bed clutching his school bag, which already has all the things he needs for today. Sun has a penchant of preparing all the stuffs he needs for the next day on the night before. From it, he pulls out an electronic tablet to look at his agenda for today. According to it, he has three classes before calling it the day at four in the afternoon. He is browsing his notes in the gadget when someone knocks on the door.