You’re The Only One In My Heart

Billkin walks into the classroom to the sound of his friends hooting and wooting like the bunch of rascals they are. 

 

“Billkin Putthipong! The man of the hour!” Pond yells straight to his face. 

 

“Ugh, what now? Why are you being weird again?” Billkin asks exasperatedly. He really doesn’t want to know the answer. 

 

“Oh, don’t act like you don’t know.” Sky says. 

 

“I really don’t.” he replies with his most deadpan face. 

 

“Don’t you know what day it is?” Pond asks.

 

“Friday…?” He has no idea where this is going.  

 

“I mean the date, dumbass.”

 

“February 14th?”

 

“Exactly! It’s February 14th, which means it’s Valentine’s Day!” Pond looks like he’s expecting Billkin to have some sort of spectacular revelation, but the only revelation Billkin is having is about how his friend has finally lost it. 

 

“I know it’s Valentine’s Day. But what does my Valentine’s Day have to do with you?” Billkin shoots back. There’s only one person who matters to him on this day, and he’s got classes in a different building this morning. 

 

“Hey! No gift for me?”

 

“No.”

 

“Obviously it’s for me cuz I’m his favourite.” Sky speaks up. 

 

“Ha ha. No.”

 

“Man, how does a stingy guy like you get all the gifts huh?”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

Sky gets up from his seat on the table in front of him and Billkin’s desk finally appears in his line of sight. The poor flimsy thing looks like it’s barely holding together under the mountain of letters, gift bags and flower bouquets piled on top of it. Every gift is decked out in pink ribbons, lace and frills, and clearly took a lot of effort and time to make. When Billkin steps closer, his nostrils are invaded with 20 different sweet perfume scents mixed together in a sickly concoction that makes him gag. 

 

Sky claps him on the shoulder, “What did we tell ya. Man of the hour indeed.”

 

“I don’t even know why you have so many admirers. Can’t you save some for us?” Pond taunts. 

 

“Owh, it’s cuz I’m handsome,” Billkin replies ******ugly. 

 

He gets two nice slaps on the head for that. 

 

***

 

Billkin somehow manages to clear the pile of gifts from his table before class starts. He’s flattered really but he knows he couldn’t possibly accept any of them.

 

No, really. PP would whack him with the bouquet if he did. 

 

Speaking of PP, Billkin is once again lost in his thoughts as he thinks about his boyfriend. He’s usually the most attentive person in class, but today he just can’t help his drifting mind. All he wants to do is see his boyfriend’s pretty face, hold his hand on their Valentine’s Day date night and make him blush when he gives him the gift he had prepared. They had met briefly this morning when Billkin had picked him up and drove them both to school. Everything had been like it usually was, but when they arrived at PP’s building he had leaned over and planted a kiss on Billkin’s cheek, whispered a soft “See you later.” and walked out the car before Billkin could function again. 

 

It was just a ******all, simple act but his heart had started beating so fast he had to calm down before driving again. It wasn’t like PP had never kissed him on the cheek before. They crossed that line a long, long time ago. But something about it was so domestic and loving and comfortable, quietly acknowledging that it is a special day but there wasn’t a need for grand gestures, and Billkin can’t help but ******ile just thinking about it again. 

 

A buzz from his phone snaps him out of his daydream. He looks down and sees the text from PP. 

 

PP💙❤️: business ed. pg 142.  

 

Billkin reads the message a few times, trying to figure out what he means. Did PP mean to send the message to someone else?

 

His eyes fall on his textbook in front of him and a light bulb goes off in his head. He quickly flips to page 142. The book opens to the chapter on cost-benefit ************ysis and there, tucked snugly between the pages, lies a piece of notebook paper folded in half. 

 

He gingerly plucks the piece of paper out of the book and opens it under his desk. It was a note written in PP’s ******all and neat handwriting:

 

P’Kin,

 

You’re annoying, and loud, and noisy. Some days I just wanna slap you in the face. Do you know how much I have to put up with? I bet you don’t cuz you’re annoying like that. You’re always going on about the costs and benefits of the most random things. Well, I want you to know that no matter how annoying you get, no matter how many times I roll my eyes, I’ll always choose you every time.

 

We’ve known each other for over 5 years. We’ve been through ups and downs, we had fights and misunderstandings, but we keep trying to work it out. I’ve been proud of you ever since the day I got to know you.  

 

When I see you here, and me standing with you. I’m glad to have grown up together and spent 5 years with you. 

 

Always and forever,

PP

 

Below PP’s signature were two stickers: a red Elmo and a blue Cookie Monster, with a heart drawn between them. 

 

Billkin feels the tears pool in his eyes, his vision blurring as he tries to blink them away. Damn his stupid, perfect boyfriend for making him cry in the middle of class. He folds the note neatly and puts it in his breast pocket so that it will be kept close to his heart. 

 

Needless to say, Billkin’s mind is far away for the rest of the day. 

 

***

 

After his last class of the day, Billkin finally gets to see his boyfriend again and it’s all he can do to keep from running straight to PP’s faculty building. 

 

As he approaches the entrance, he sees PP standing there waiting for him, his back facing towards him. He can feel his heart beat faster as he speeds up his steps, eager to close the gap between them. 

 

“Hey!” he says a little too loudly when he finally reaches PP. 

 

PP turns around and fixes Billkin with a ******ile that makes him want to ******ooch his boyfriend right in the middle of the compound without caring who would see. 

 

“Hey, uh, why are you out of breath?” PP chuckles. 

 

It’s only then that Billkin notices that he is indeed breathing a little heavier, though he’s pretty sure it had nothing to do with any physical activity and everything to do with his heart beating faster because he’s a whipped man. 

 

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Billkin reassures. 

 

“Ok…did you get my note?”

 

“Yeah, I uh- I did,” Billkin stutters, “How did you even put the note there?”

 

PP just ******iles at him coyly, “I have my ways.”

 

Billkin chuckles lightly as he tries to find the words to express how he was feeling. There were so many things he wanted to tell PP when he read the note. He wanted him to know that he felt the same, that he was proud of him too, that he felt so lucky to have such an amazing partner in his life, but the words were stuck in the back of his throat. Thinking about the message brings tears to his eyes once again and he shyly tries to look anywhere but at PP’s eyes. 

 

“Are- Are you crying?” PP asks, his tone slightly teasing. 

 

“No.”

 

“You totally are!”

 

“No, I’m not,” Billkin tries to wipe the tears away quickly. 

 

“Oh my god I can’t believe my note made you cry, you big baby,” PP squishes his boyfriend’s face between his hands while making cooing noises at him. 

 

“Mmmm..m’not cwying,” Billkin pouts making him look extra cute. 

 

“Uh, uh, not crying ok, ok,” PP laughs, “Well does my not-crying-baby wanna go for our dinner date now?”

 

Billkin nods. 

 

“Alright, let’s go then,” PP gives his boyfriend’s cheeks one last squish before letting go, taking his hand to lead him to the car. 

 

***

 

Half way through their dinner, PP’s phone buzzes and he checks to see who has messaged him. He immediately starts laughing when he sees the message and turns the phone around to show Billkin.

 

Pond: YOUR BF IS CHEATING ON YOU!!

 

Attached to the message is a photo of the enormous pile of gifts that had been on Billkin’s table this morning. 

 

“Dammit, Pond,” Billkin mutters. He’s gonna kill him. 

 

PP looks back at his phone and examines the picture, “Wow, that card is actually really pretty. I bet it took a long time to make.”

 

“You know all that doesn’t matter to me, right? You’re all I need.” 

 

PP ******iles fondly at the other boy, “Of course I do,” he reaches his hand out to hold his hand across the table, “I know that it doesn’t matter what those people say, no one knows you like I do, and no one loves you like I do.”

 

Billkin feels the telltale prickle of tears come to his eyes for the third time that day, but this time he doesn’t do anything to stop them. 

 

“I love you too.” 

 

PP gives his hand a squeeze before letting go, “Alright, alright, enough crying oh my god. You’re so dramatic,” he says, rolling his eyes before returning to his food.