“They said you were dead! They gave me your necklace…” Lom trailed off. He opened his shirt collar to show that he was wearing the AHAW chain then quickly realized he wasn't and asked Somchai where it was.

"It's around your boyfriend's neck," said Fah in a tone so cold and fierce no one could believe it was him speaking. “Who said I was dead?” 

“The guys in the car that followed me that day. They surrounded me, I was trapped. More men arrived. They threw the necklace at me and told me they’d killed you.”

“I got a text message you were dead with photos of your bloodied body on the ground from your burner phone. I tried calling it and your other phone several times but neither had service,” said Fah. 

“They lied to both of you!” said Mek. “Although they must have believed they'd killed Lom because Ton never searched for him.”

Lom took another step closer. He reached out and grabbed Fah’s hand. The sting of Somchai’s slap on his wrist startled him. 

“Your ex shows up and you’re ready to leave me right away?” Somchai was incredulous.

“No!” Lom snapped at Somchai.

“No?” yelled Fah, appalled.

“No, I didn’t mean no but…” Lom had so much he wanted to say and to ask Fah. At the same time, he didn’t want to hurt Somchai. 

“Let’s get out of here,” said Thanwa, grabbing Fah’s hand. Fah followed him outside. 

“Fah, wait! Come back!” Lom screamed. He watched Fah and Thanwa disappear outside, followed by Khun Korn.

“What the hell!” Somchai yelled at him. “I found you when you were almost dead, nursed you back to health, took you into my home and bed, and now you want me out of the way? For what? For somebody you once hooked up with?”

“Not just someone, it's Fah!” said Run, angry at the outsider.

“Who the hell is Fah?” asked Somchai.

“My brother and Lom’s boyfriend,” said Run.

“Excuse me but I'm his boyfriend." Somchai was irritated with the whole group now. His beautiful night with Lom was turning into a nightmare.

“Mek, where did they go?” asked Lom.

“Probably next door, they were going to find a quiet place to talk,” said Manao.

“The hotel?” Lom couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Why not? You replaced him already.” Run spat the words at Lom. “I can't believe I ever trusted you to take care of him.”

“You’ve got the wrong idea, it’s nothing like that!” pleaded Lom.

“Oh, so what is it like then?” said a furious Somchai.

“Somchai, I’m sorry, but I told you from the beginning that I loved someone else,” said Lom. 

Somchai’s eyes became glassy. Saying nothing he backed away from Lom. He lowered his head and his face. Lom wanted to console him but he had no time. 

“Who was that with Fah?” asked Lom.

“That’s Thanwa,” said Manao. 

“Are they dating?” asked Lom. It was clear he was worried about the answer.

“Does it matter? You are, so leave Fah alone. Do you know this was the first time, the first time, in over two years, that we got him to leave the house?” Run couldn’t control himself anymore. Mek put his arm around him but Run pushed his arm away.

“Really?” Lom was astonished.

“Lom, he’s been a wreck. We thought you were dead. To say he didn’t handle it well is an understatement. He doesn’t go to work, he’s not in school. Every day he stays in his room. He doesn’t read or watch TV, he just lies on his bed staring at the ceiling. Fah wanted to move out of the house but his parents were too worried he wouldn’t survive alone. He’s given up on living,” said Mek. He was angry at Lom but also glad to see his friend was alive. 

“Why didn’t you ever contact him?” asked Manao.

“I tried, but his phone wasn’t working,” said Lom.

“He doesn’t speak to his friends anymore. His phone service ended at his request because he said there was no one he wanted to call,” said Run.

“Before they beat me they told me his final words and threw the necklace I gave him at me,” Lom spoke aloud but mainly to himself. He was still trying to process the evening’s events. 

“Did you ever try to verify what they told you? Did you try to go to his funeral? Why didn’t you reach out to any of us?” Run had ceased asking and was now cross-examining Lom.

“I lost my phone and the burner phone so I had no one’s number. Somchai found me but it took weeks before I could sit up and use both arms and even longer to learn to walk again. By that time I was sure Fah’s funeral was over. My father was behind the attacks so I decided the best option was to stay away from the city and let everyone think I was dead.”

Manao walked to the side of Lom and held Somchai’s hand. 

“Somchai, I’m Manao, Lom and Fah are my friends. Thank you so much for caring for Lom and saving his life."

Somchai regarded her and saw she was sincere. He gave her a quick nod, afraid he'd break down if he spoke.

"I’m sorry, I'm sure this is a shock to you too. It’s not that we don’t respect your relationship with Lom but for the past two years, we believed he was dead. During that time we had to keep Fah from hurting himself. Fah used to be a fun guy. He was a lawyer who loved his job, being with his friends, and going out. He spoke more tonight than he has since the day of the attacks. As I said, we’re all stunned and want to protect Fah but it doesn’t mean we want to disrespect or hurt you.” 

“Thank you, Manao,” said Somchai, his voice subdued.

“I’m sorry, Somchai, it’s not your fault,” said Run grudgingly.

“Me too, sorry Somchai,” said Mek.

“Thank you both,” said Somchai. 

“How about we all go somewhere to talk?” said Manao. Still holding onto Somchai’s hand she gave it a little squeeze and smiled at him.

“I will, but first I need to speak with Fah, you can understand that, can’t you?” asked Lom.

“You might have to put that conversation on hold,” said Khun Korn as he returned to the group. “ I just watched as Fah and Thanwa checked into the hotel.” Lom’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. 

“No! He can’t, he’s mine!” yelled Lom. 

“He’s what?” asked Somchai, still not accepting his new status with Lom. 

“Mine, he’s mine. I’m sorry, Somchai, I’ll explain it all to you. Later. Right now I have to stop Fah from making a mistake,” said Lom. Breaking from the group he ran after Fah.

The rest of the group, which now also included Ohm and Win, ran after both of them. They came to a halt inside the hotel lobby where Fah and Thanwa stood. 

Seeing Lom come their way, Fah spoke to Thanwa. “Please, put your arm around me and act like we’re a couple. If you want me to, I’ll pay you for helping me but right now I’m begging.” Thanwa complied.

Lom arrived first and came to a stop in front of them. “Oh, good, I thought you’d already checked in. Fah, stop, please don’t. I love you!” 

“Hmm? Really? Living with someone else as their boyfriend all this time, that’s a pretty odd way of showing me you love me,” said Fah in a catty tone.

“I thought you were dead!” said Lom.

“Ditto! But I didn’t shack up with someone right away. I didn’t consider you someone instantly replaceable.” 

“Please, Fah, can we talk? Just the two of us?” Lom reached for Fah’s hand but was rebuffed.

“We can talk in the morning. Thanwa and I are going to spend the night here. We’ve already checked in but were coming back to tell my friends since I don’t have a cell phone.”

“No, why? Please stop and think before you do this,” begged Lom. The rest of the group arrived. 

“Everyone, I was coming back to tell you not to worry about me. I’m spending the night here with Thanwa,” said a defiant Fah. He noticed Somchai's smile but chose to ignore it. “Come on, Thanwa, I need to erase the memory of the last man I slept with.” 

Lom was about to follow them when Somchai reached out and grabbed his arm. Lom turned to see who was stopping him. 

“Please, don’t go.” Somchai’s voice was soft and pleading. Lom felt guilty, knowing what he was doing to the only person who’d cared about him for the past two years.

“Somchai, I don’t want to hurt you but I need to speak with him,” said Lom as he gently removed Somchai's hand.

“Speak to him tomorrow,” said Somchai.

“It will be too late.”

“Too late for what?” 

“Too late to stop him from making a mistake. I’m the only man he’s ever been with and I want to keep it that way.” 

“Isn’t that just vanity?" Somchai shook his head and stared at Lom in disbelief. "My boyfriend wants to stop his ex from sleeping with someone new and expects me to understand?” Somchai was deflated but still hoping he had a chance.

“I can explain it better when I’m not this stressed. Please, Somchai, don’t be mad at me.”

“Lom, do you love me?” Somchai asked the question and the whole group looked to Lom for his reply. 

"You know I don't. I've never hidden the fact that Fah was the only one I loved. You begged me to be with you and accepted that so why are you upset now?" 

"You also said you wouldn't walk out on me, that if things were going to end you'd talk with me before leaving." Somchai's voice, while still defiant, was quieter. His eyes reflected his broken heart. 

“I did say that. But how was I to know my dead boyfriend might unexpectedly turn up alive?” Lom noticed the rest of the group watching them. “I care about you. A lot. When you found me I told you there was someone else in my heart, someone who could never be replaced. That was Fah.” 

Again it was Manao who came to comfort Somchai. Hugging him she said, “ Everyone is shocked and emotions are running high. I think we should all go somewhere and relax.”

“Manao, you’re lovely.” Somchai began to cry as he spoke. “I’m not part of this group, you’re all Fah’s friends. I get that.” Somchai withdrew from the group and disappeared into the crowd on the street.