After rain comes the clear sky (Kaoearth)

76. Dinner

"Thank you, Mae." Earth kissing his mother's cheeks.

Darla was cooking a feast for everyone to celebrate winning the case without suffering much loss. The sentences that were given to those students to those students were way beyond her expectations.

She knew that both Kao and Tom had pulled strings behind the scenes so that justice was served. She was preparing pretty much all of their favourites so that she could thank them. 

Darla gave her son who just thanked her, a judgemental look before turning back to stir-frying the vegetables. "I thought that ever since you got a boyfriend, I thought you had forgotten that you have a Mae."

There was a slight tone of complaint in her tone. Her son had totally changed since Kao became his boyfriend. Not that she was unhappy about the change but she felt that she already lost her son to Kao so early.

"Mae... Stop teasing me...." Earth whined and hugged her. He rested his chin on her shoulder while eyeing the vegetables on the pan.

"Who is teasing you?" Darla was amused by the statement. She was complaining, not teasing.

"I am just too happy that P' Kao also loves me and agreed to be my boyfriend, na Mae. He is going to go back to Bangkok in a few days. That's why I am trying to spend maximum time with him when he is here." Earth pouted.

"Then ask him to bring you along."

"Should I?" Earth tapped his index finger on his chin as if he were seriously considering the idea.

Darla smacked his hand "You smelly brat, you can't wait to run off with your boyfriend leaving you Por and Mae behind, can you?"

Earth giggled and hugged his mother again. "I was just kidding na Mae. I am not going anywhere until I finish high school."

"Until you finish your high school?" Darla turned around holding the spatula in her hand "After high school where are you planning to run off to?"

"To Bangkok, obviously," Earth answered slipping onto the kitchen slap.

Darla stared at her son wordlessly.

"Mae, stop giving me that look na. Don't you know that I and Fluke had already made plans to join Chulalongkorn University to continue our studies after school?" Earth asked while munching on the raisins that his mother had soaked to add in desserts.

Darla didn't say a word and snatched the bowl of raisins away. If she let Earth hold the bowl for even another second, she might not have enough soaked raisins to add to the dessert.

"Mae..." Earth whined seeing his mother's reaction. "Didn't we already discuss this matter earlier and get into an agreement? Are you going to back out on your words now? I really want to go to Chula na Mae!"

"What is going on here?" Mac entered the kitchen directly heading for the bowl of raisins. He grabbed a handful of raisins from it.

"You Por and son are going to finish them all now!" Darla pushed the rest of the bowl of raisins to the father-son duo. There weren't enough raisins left for her to use in the dessert. "Forget about the dessert tonight."

"Aw darling, Don't be angry na," Mac hugged his wife "I will get another pack of raisins for you."

Earth rolled his eyes at his father acting like a cute puppy and happily munched on the raisins.

"You get them and you make the dessert yourself then. I don't want to spend the whole day in the kitchen." Darla huffed and pushed her husband away and walked out of the kitchen.

"What happened to your Mae?" Mac asked Earth.

Earth shrugged and acted innocent.

"Darling!" Mac ran after his wife as Earth finished off the raisins. "What happened? Tell me na"

Darla huffed and turned to her husband "What happened? What else was there to happen? Your son can't wait to run off to Bangkok with his boyfriend!"

Mac looked at Earth with a sceptical look on his face.

"Por, Mae is thinking too much. I just told her that I would have to move to Bangkok once I joined the university. "

"Why? Can't you go to Chiang Mai University?" Mac asked.

"Not you too Por!" Earth felt helpless. "You guys already agreed about me joining Chula, right?"

"But it's too far away from our home, Earth" Mac said.

"It isn't that far Por. A lot of students from all over our country go there. It is one of the best universities. Also, Fluke will be with me, Por. You wouldn't have to worry about me." Earth tried to convince his parents.

"There are a lot of students joining the Chiang Mai University as well" Mac actually didn't have much issue with Earth moving to Bangkok. But at the thought that their baby boy would be left alone with a big bad wolf like Kao, he was having second thoughts.

"Por..." Earth started sulking. He didn't understand why his parents suddenly changed their minds.

He noticed his three friends walking. "Fluke, come with me!" He grabbed Fluke's hand and dragged him to his parents. "Flukie, help me convince Por and Mae about us going to Chula."

Fluke awkwardly looked at the couple who had their arms crossed while staring back at him. Their body language clearly screamed out that they were in no mood to listen to anything he had to tell them.

He then looked at Earth, who was making a pleading face at him and was put in a dilemma. He cleared his throat and spoke "Por, Mae, I understand your concerns. But we still have two more years before we go to the university. Both of us will be way more mature by then."

"Two years in school is going to pass in a blink of an eye, Fluke and two of you will be leaving our sides." Darla started her emotional melodrama.

Earth looked at his best friend helplessly. He didn't know why his mother was being a drama queen all of a sudden.

Fluke quickly went forward and sat next to her. He wrapped his hand around her shoulder "Mae, Please don't worry, na. I will be with him, Mae. I will make sure that P' Kao won't knock him up before he graduates from the university."

"Asshole!" Earth immediately grabbed a cushion and started attacking Fluke "I asked you to help me solve the problem not to add fuel to it."

Fluke didn't dodge the attacks and was giggling.

"As long as you can ensure that, it's okay," Darla answered.

Earth's hands halted upon hearing his mother's words "Seriously, Mae! That was what you were worried about?" His cheeks were starting to heat up.

"What else?" Darla hmphed.

The three friends were laughing their lungs out at the expense of Earth's embarrassment.

Earth threw the cushion at his friends and went upstairs huffing and puffing. He only came down after Kao and the other guests came and had dinner.

Following the dinner, everyone stayed behind to play games and have fun.