Chapter 9
I Uphold my Childhood Vow
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"Let's sit together." Thanwa released me from his embrace and led me by the hand to the chairs under the fragrant star gooseberry tree.
"At my fifteenth birthday party, many of my friends came to celebrate. I saved you, who was only seven at the time, from drowning in the pool. But for some reason, you declared in front of everyone that you would be my bride when you grew up to repay me for my heroism. At that time, I was a teenager. Having a chubby, unattractive kid confess to me was very embarrassing. Who could fall in love with that?! Honestly? I went to study abroad to avoid you. My parents betrothed me to you, so I cut off all contact.
“Several months ago, when I returned to work at Siri Hospital, I had the chance to meet a female spirit. It was strange that I could see her. I wasn't even scared of her, even though it was a supernatural occurrence. She had amnesia and only knew her name was Aiye.” He gave me a knowing look.
“At first, I pretended not to see her. Believe it or not, she declared right in front of me that she would court me to be her boyfriend. After that, she followed me around like a stalker. As time went on, she became a part of my life. On days I didn’t see her, I would look for her. Eventually, she found out I could see her, and we agreed to be a couple.
“There was a case of a comatose patient named… I think her name was Alinda… who woke up. The spirit told me that she had been in spirit form, visiting the past. This made me and her suspect that she might not be dead, but rather just in a coma, just like Prasita.
I searched for her body until I finally found it, it turns out she was in a coma, just like we’d suspected. I showed her what I’d learned, and her memory began to come back to her. When she remembered everything, she disappeared and woke up as you, the Aiye sitting in front of me right now.”
He reached out and took my hand in his. His hand was soft, his fingers gentle as they rubbed circles into my palm. “That girl was kind, had a good disposition, and liked to help newly deceased spirits. But honestly, I think she was very meddlesome..."
Suddenly, hidden memories surged through my mind, confirming everything he had told me as true. Thanwa hadn't finished speaking yet, but I immediately interjected because what he said wasn't quite right. "Thanwa, Aiye wasn't meddlesome. And that case with the coma patient—that was Prasita Perl in bed seven, not Alinda. Alinda wasn't a spirit. She was a doctor who could see spirits."
His eyes lit up. "Aiye, you don't have amnesia,” he said. “You remember everything, both when you were a spirit and after you woke up... You've been so cruel to me, Aiye, when all I’ve been trying to do is love you like you once said you loved me." Thanwa turned his face away from me.
I couldn’t help but wonder if his broken heart was my fault. In a way, I supposed it was.
Do I have to be the one to coax him into feeling better?
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***
I decided to try.
I sighed. I guess I've teased him enough. I decided to get up and sit on Thanwa's lap. Using both hands, I cupped his handsome face, staring into his eyes for a long time, conveying all the love I had with sincerity.
"Thanwa, are you tired of chasing after someone you love, but they don't appreciate you? Now you know how I’ve felt my entire life. You've only been pursuing me for a few months, but I've been chasing you for over a decade. I wanted to be the perfect bride for you. I had to go to the gym, control my diet, study hard. You're a doctor, so I became a pharmacist to continue my family's business.
“I did all that because I kept my promise to be your perfect bride when I grew up. I just want you to remember this moment well, to see how much we've gone through to love each other. I love you, Thanwa. I've loved you since I was seven."
Having said that, I took the initiative to lean down and kiss those thick lips, channelling all my feelings into where our lips met. We kissed for so long that I ran out of breath and had to tap on Thanwa's chest a few times to get him to stop.
When Thanwa pulled away, I took the chance to greedily gulp in air.
"You kiss like a kindergartener. You need to practice more, you know," Thanwa whispered softly into my ear.
Our kiss was supposed to be sweet, but I’d nearly suffocated.
How embarrassing!
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After clearing up our misunderstanding, Chan came to the house the next day to explain to Thanwa that he was just a prop, not my suitor. We only wanted to be friends.
“I was heartbroken,” I told Thanwa. “I begged him to pretend to court me to get back at you, that's all.”
In fact, Chan already had a boyfriend; he didn’t even like women.
Thanwa suggested we should go on a trip together to Phuket before returning to work as we each desired. So, I packed my bags and off we went.
Thanwa and I were sitting, waiting to watch the sunset at Phromthep Cape. It was peak tourism season, so the place was packed with both Thai and foreign tourists. Some had drinks and snacks, and lively buskers sang to entertain the tourists. I couldn’t have been happier, just sitting there and absorbing it all with my love.
The moment the Sun touched the horizon, Thanwa got down on one knee and opened a ring box, revealing a gorgeous diamond ring exactly like the one I dreamt of receiving from him as a child.
"Aiye, will you marry me?"
I fell silent for a moment, stunned by the picture-perfect moment. I only came to my senses when the people around us started cheering and clapping rhythmically, the sound reverberating all around.
“Yes, yes, yes! Yes, yes, yes!” the tourists chanted.
I glanced around at the many people who had come to witness this marriage proposal, feeling shy.
"Yes, I will."
I agreed, then extended my left hand, and Thanwa slipped the ring onto my finger. The coolness of the ring against my skin signified that this was reality, not a dream.
Thanwa was proposing to me!
My childhood dream had come true.
After Thanwa put the ring on, he stood up and kissed my lips for a moment, causing the crowd to cheer even louder.
Our beachside wedding passed in a blur of bodies, family and smiling faces.
We ate my favourite cake and ate chicken that reminded me of the offerings I ate from as a spirit in the hospital. I never thought I’d grow nostalgic over a meal. Tears welled in my eyes, but my new husband wiped them away.
That part of my life was behind me. The world, my husband—my Thanwa—lay ahead.
When we entered the honeymoon suite that night, I almost cried again.
The place was decked out in rose petals, flowers, and candles, which Thanwa promptly lit after laying me on the vast bed.
“Are you ready for the night of our lives, love?” Thanwa said, his voice as silky-smooth as the sheets I lay on.
I smiled bashfully down at him as he undid the clasps of my wedding dress and undressed me. “I hope it is everything you hope for, Thanwa,” I said. I was nervous. I couldn’t deny that. My legs shook as he too undressed and lowered himself on top of me, his skin hot against mine as he kissed me long and hard.
“Aiye,” he purred as he readied himself for our joining. “As long as I am with you, my life is a dream.”
We stayed up all night together, renewing our vow to “love, hold, and cherish” each other over and over again until both of us were too tired and flushed to do anything but lie together and kiss, whispering “I love you.”
I was in awe of how lucky I was.
Thanwa had brought me back to life in more ways than one, and I knew that as his perfect, committed bride, the best was yet to come.
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