After rain comes the clear sky (Kaoearth)

1. Nightmare

"Whatever I did, I did it for you." The fragile young man yelled.

"All these years I have stood by your side. I had become one with your shadow. But still, you never gave me a glance..." the man sobbed.

"All I wanted was a little attention from you. Why do you have to treat me like dirt? Why do you have to turn a blind eye to my feelings for you."

"Do you have any idea how much I love you? I had fallen for you ever since the day I met you! All these while, you were the centre of my universe. There was nothing more important than you in my life. But is this what I get in return? For all the sacrifices I made for your sake?" the man looked exhausted.

"Tell me, Kao! Tell Me Why! Tell me why you never cared for me! Tell me why my feelings never mattered to you! Tell me why you are unseeing my love for you!"

"I was there with you even when others left you. We have been through thick and thin together. Then why don't you give me a chance."

"A chance, that was all that I was asking for."

"But no. You pushed me away. You tossed my efforts away. Now when I finally decide to turn my back on you. You came over to find me." The man started laughing.

"You came to me begging for mercy. But you know what Kao, the look in your eyes. The way those eyes are telling me how desperate you are right now."

"You do know that is not what I want to see. I want to see your yearning for me. The hopelessness in your eyes, they are only for the years of hard work that I might ruin and not for me, not for us."

"Kao, you are the one who pushed me into doing this. I never wanted to stoop so low. YOU BROKE MY HEART, KAO!!! YOU BROKE MY HEART INTO PIECES!"

"Do you have any idea how delighted I am to see you looking at me and only me? As if there is no one else in this world. I absolutely love it. It is a bit different from the way I used to picture it to be, but I like it. I freaking like it."

The young man moved forward with a creepy smile on his tear-stained face.

"Since you are here begging on your knees. I will give you a chance darling. You should know that I am unable to get over you." The young man smirked.

"Obey my orders. Be mine tonight. Then I might consider giving you a way out." He ran his long fingers over Kao's face.

"You are way more disgusting than I thought. I can't believe that I trusted you more than anyone and kept you by my side all these years." Kao said as his eyes spewed disgust toward the young man before him.

"Kao, you seem to forget that I am not the one who is asking for favours here. It is you. I am not your old friend, whom you used to keep as a sidekick. Today I am standing in front of you as your biggest rival. A rival who has the ability to take away anything and everything you love, your years of hard work, your passion, and most importantly your arrogance."

"So, the choice is yours to make. Either surrender to me or lose everything you own to me." The young man tilled his and smiled.

The smile that Kao once found adorable looked especially creepy that night. He felt that the one in front of him was not the friend he had known for years but a look alike.

***

"Kao?"

"Kao, are you alright?" Kao heard a voice beside him.

He woke up sweating profusely. He was having a nightmare again.

He drowsily opened his eyes. The blurry face of a middle-aged man came into his vision. He recognized the person in front of him.

"Swadee Khrab, Aa [1]. When did you get here?" Kao sat up quickly adjusting his clothes.

"Swadee. I just reached here. I about what happened from your Aa Ann, about what happened to the company, and about that friend of yours." The middle-aged man took a seat opposite Kao

Kao kept looking down without saying a word.

"Did you spend the night in the company again?" The man asked.

Kao nodded lightly "Khrab, Aa. There were little more papers to check."

"Kao, I fully understand that you want to get the company back on its feet and get the Board of Directors' trust back. But look at you. You are a mess now! I think you should take a break, luk." the middle-aged man patted Kao's shoulder.

"If you keep doing this you might collapse."

"I don't think this is a time when I can afford to take rest, Aa" Kao massaged his aching temples. "I am going to stay here until everything is sorted"

"I know you are worried that all these would affect Ohm as well. But be rest assured, it will not. I will not let it happen. This company is the years of effort put together by the two of you. I will not let it go down like this. So, listen to my words luk. Take some rest" The man tried to persuade his nephew.

"Give yourself some time. Sort things out within your head. I will hold the fort for you here till then." He added.

Under the insistence of his uncle, Kao went back home.

His uncle was right. He was a mess now. Emotionally, mentally and physically.

After giving it some thought, Kao handed over his authority to his uncle and decided to take a break. He badly wanted to run away. Away from this mess. Away from his current life.

Kao packed some essentials and left his house without telling anybody. He had left his phone behind as he didn't want anyone to contact him.

He sat on a random long-route bus. He took the ticket for the last stop without even enquiring where the bus was going.

The bus was deserted apart from a few sleeping passengers.

Silence prevailed in the bus and the silence was killing Kao. It was so silent that he could hear his own thoughts.

Kao pulled the hood of his jacket over his head which was already covered with a hat. Adjusting the seat position, he leaned back looking at the fast-moving scenery outside the window.

He didn't want to think about the past. He didn't want to think about his company. He didn't want to think about anything at all. He wanted to shut his brain down and get some rest.

Kao felt that he made the right decision to run away from home. Maybe a change in the atmosphere would prevent him from losing his mind completely.

[1] Aa- younger uncle/aunt