6 Please
And then I found a small living creature called a 'cat' lying buried in a pink basket lined with thick, soft cushions. The little orange cat, which I was a bit worried might've died from being abandoned, was sleeping with its eyes closed, completely unaware of anything. Honestly, I always felt calm when I was near Teach Renu because of the sound of her heartbeat. But right now, I was pretty annoyed because it was loud and rapid with anxiety, even though the teacher's face showed no emotion.
She's really good at keeping a straight face.
"When did you take it in, Teach?"
"Friday."
"What?"
I glanced at the lovely teacher's face with slight disbelief since I remembered that I was still tutoring math in her room that day.
"After you left, I went to get it that night. You said its mother abandoned it. I thought it was too small to find food on its own."
"Okay," I responded briefly, not knowing how to express my thoughts. Just as I was about to ask what she planned to do next, Teach Renu spoke up hastily.
"I'm looking for a solution. Right now, I've sent my brother to discuss keeping the cat with our family. There shouldn't be any problems."
Actually, I knew from the moment I touched that handsome young man, but I pretended to nod in acknowledgment.
"Okay."
"Are you going to tell your mother?"
"Technically, pets aren't allowed here."
"..."
"But since you've found a solution, I'll pretend I don't know anything."
"Thank you," she said, and I noticed the worry in her eyes. The beautiful teacher crossed her arms and hesitated before speaking about the past few days. "I know we've been talking less lately, and it seems like there's some anger."
"I felt that way too. I was a bit dumbfounded that we were fine on Friday, but after you went out with another guy the next morning, we became distant."
"..."
"I'm sorry if I talked too much and made you uncomfortable. You were right; it wasn't my business."
I hoped that the striking teacher standing before me would make an excuse or do something to make me feel better since she felt guilty. But no, it seemed like her scolding me with 'It's none of your business' was something I deserved, and there would be no apology.
Teach Renu was really blaming me for overstepping, and it made me frustrated again.
"But in exchange for not telling my mom, you have to tutor me in math," I demanded.
This wasn't a request like before; it was coercion from someone seeking revenge. Teach Renu's heartbeat quickened again, but it seemed more irritated than excited. Yet, the beautiful teacher nodded calmly, showing no emotion as usual.
"Fine. It's my duty anyway. Even if you didn't bring up the cat, I'd still teach you."
She was accusing me of blackmailing her, but I didn't care and didn't feel bad because I was more furious. So, I just grinned and excused myself.
"See you later."
"See you."
From a teacher and student who once had a cute, close relationship, it now felt like we were playing a game of wits. I wanted to be close to her but acted like I had thorns growing out of me, like a sarcastic teenager. Meanwhile, the adorable teacher tutored me out of duty but without the usual smiles.
What I loved most was Teach Renu's smile and her gentle kindness. But now, I wasn't getting any of that. What was the point of facing this situation?
While I was stressed and starting to hesitate about whether I should go for math tutoring this evening because I didn't want to face that awkward atmosphere again, I stood hugging my math book to my chest. Suddenly, I heard someone clear their throat behind me. When I turned around, I saw it was the teacher's younger brother.
"Ong," I called out his nickname without thinking. For a moment, I saw the handsome youth standing still, stunned, and I could hear his thoughts loudly.
'She knows my name.'
Yeah, come to think of it, I'd never heard his name from asking either him or his sister. It must've been strange that I knew who he was before he introduced himself.
"I heard Teach Renu call you that, so I figured it must be your name. I remembered." I smiled widely, not knowing how to make my expression look believable. But the sound of his heartbeat was loud, and I could read his thoughts immediately.
'She's so cute.'
Looking at me and thinking I'm cute, what are you thinking?
I was a bit shocked and stepped back, tucking my hair behind my ear and smiling.
"Are you here to see Teach?"
"Oh, yes. Has Re come back yet?"
"She should be back soon. I'm here waiting for math tutoring with her."
"You're waiting for her, too?"
"Yeah."
"What a coincidence."
"While we're waiting for Teach, why don't we sit down and chat over there?" I nodded towards a stone bench. Suddenly, I felt that talking to the teacher's brother might be pleasant. "We don't have anything else to do anyway."
"Sure. What's your name?"
"Jom."
"I'm Ong."
"I know."
"Oh, right. I forgot."
As my mother often said, I wasn't very good at making friends. For me, talking to others was difficult. So, meeting Teach Renu's younger brother and inviting him to chat was filled with awkwardness, not knowing what to talk about. But luckily, Ong didn't let our conversation fall into silence.
"Are you Re's student?"
"Yes, Teach Renu is my school counselor and a math teacher."
"Are you close?"
"Well... I don't know. It's not really close, but not distant either."
"You must be somewhat close; otherwise, Re wouldn't let you get this close. My sister is hard to approach and doesn't like people being too close. She keeps a proper distance."
"You seem to respect Teach Re a lot."
"Do I look that way?" The handsome young man smiled shyly. "Maybe it's because there's a big age gap between us. I have to be more respectful, unlike siblings who are just a year or two apart."
"Tell me about yourself."
"Hmm?"
'She's interested in me.'
I felt a bit awkward hearing that thought and quickly waved my hands as if to explain. I didn't mean it the way he thought.
"I mean about Teach Re, the relationship between you two as siblings. Think of it as killing time while waiting for your sister."
'She's really interested in me.'
Whatever...
I knew I'd made the right decision to talk to him and ask questions. If we wanted to know someone, if we couldn't learn through them, we should ask those around us. I got to know Teach Renu through Ong from a different perspective.
Teach Renu's family consists of five people.
Father, mother, and two younger siblings, with the pretty teacher being the eldest. Teach Renu was born perfect in every way—appearance, status, and intellect. She excelled at everything from birth, even competing in the mathematical Olympiad selection.
"But she didn't make it. Re sees it as a blemish in her life. No one can talk about it."
"She doesn't accept defeat, does she? By the way, how many people do they select for that competition?"
"You have to be in the top twenty-five."
"And what rank did she get?"
"Twenty-six."
A narrow miss; no wonder she was so frustrated.
"But even if Re had made it to the top and won, it wouldn't have made our father happy. He wanted a son to take over the family business."
"So no matter how well she did, it meant nothing to him."
Behind the flawless face, there were deep wounds, too...
"Your father must have high expectations for you, then," I continued. Ong nodded and kept praising his sister.
"But expectations are pointless. I'm not even a fraction of Re."
"That's true."
"What?"
"Where were we?" I quickly changed the subject while he was still confused and didn't hear clearly. "What surprises me is that someone as talented as her, even if she ranked twenty-sixth, is still very impressive. Why didn't she choose another profession? As we know, teachers don't earn much. If she's that smart, why not become a doctor, architect, or engineer, something that leans towards math?"
"Rebellious spirit."
"Hmm?"
"Our father used to belittle the teaching profession. So, Re wanted to spite him by becoming a teacher."
This new information made me quite impressed with the adorable teacher's thinking. Beneath her calm and indifferent demeanor, she chose to become a teacher just to spite her father because he didn't like the profession.
Unbelievable...
"So, Teach Re didn't really want to be a teacher, right?"
"No one can predict what Re wants to do. Everyone in the family sees her as a wonder of the world... except for our father. She's a woman with a very complex thought process, so intriguing that even as her brother, I can't help but admire her."
"That's cute."
I genuinely admired Teach Renu's brother. It was rare to see a younger sibling so proud of their older sibling or family member, almost like they were a celebrity. I could sense how he felt because I saw it. In Ong's mind, Teach Renu was someone to respect, honor, and look up to.
Listening to this was truly awe-inspiring. That woman, the one I couldn't read her mind at all, caused me to pretend to be bad at math just to get her to teach me, all because I longed to get to know her.
"What kind of person would win Teach Re's heart?" I murmured, then realized and instantly locked eyes with Ong. "Since you're her brother, you must know about Teach's boyfriend, right?"
"Boyfriend?"
"Yes."
"Well..."
Before Ong could elaborate on the man who had captured the stunning teacher's heart, the person we were talking about spoke up as if she knew the timing perfectly. I could only close my eyes in disappointment.
"Have you been here long, Ong?" Teach Renu chose to ignore me, knowing we'd talk soon, while her brother stood up and smiled at her with a mix of admiration and respect.
"For a while now. I was talking with Jom while waiting for you."
"And what did the family say about that matter?"
"That matter? Oh... the cat, right?" Ong looked almost reverent, even putting his hands behind his back in a formal stance as if he were a soldier reporting to his commander, "Dad said no. He thinks it's a burden."
Teach Renu just nodded in acknowledgment and dismissed him in a calm voice.
"I see. Go home now; I need to rest."
"I have to go now? I thought you'd let me go up to your room."
"I have to teach math. You should go."
"Okay."
If it were any other younger brother, he might've thrown a fit for being sent away after coming all this way and only exchanging a few words. But Ong willingly complied and walked away, looking dejected. Besides being aloof, his sister showed a complete lack of interest in interacting with him, which surprised me. Despite the age gap, she shouldn't be this apathetic.
Why is she so hard to predict?
"Let's go study."
The beautiful teacher nodded at me knowingly. Initially tense, seeing her indifferent attitude made me even more unsure of how to act. I felt like I shrank to the size of an ant, even though we were about the same height. When we reached her room, the familiar cotton scent hit me as usual. The cute teacher walked to the balcony and loosened her shirt to get more comfortable while I sat at the writing desk, too afraid to move, just waiting.
"Jao-Jom."
Teach Renu's voice made me jump a little before I responded politely.
"Yes?"
"I've been thinking..." The stunning woman paused for a moment, then spoke directly, not beating around the bush. "I'm very uncomfortable."
"What?"
"Because of the cat, I have to tutor you in math. I don't like feeling forced to do something. So today, I'm going to tell your mother that I need to move out."
I stared into her eyes, unsure of what made her feel that way, but it seemed asking would do more harm than good.
"Are you uncomfortable with the cat or with meeting me?"
"I'm uncomfortable with you."
Ouch...
Teach Renu let out a big sigh.
"I'm someone who always follows the rules, never bends them. The cat was the first thing that made me break my own rules for no reason, and I don't like that about myself." The beautiful teacher looked at me. "It's dishonest, a bad example. But more than that, being blackmailed by my own student and constantly worrying about getting caught makes me stressed."
"Teach..."
"I don't want to tutor you in math anymore. If you have questions, ask at school. As for the cat, I'll talk to your mother. You should go home."
Not only was her brother getting pushed away, but even I, who thought I could get closer, was also shut out. I gathered my textbooks, hugged them to my chest, and followed the adorable teacher to the door. But I didn't open it; I just stood there beside her.
"I didn't mean to blackmail you or make you feel terrible. I just..."
"It's fine. I've made my decision."
I shook my head and looked at her with tears welling up. Lately, I'd been very emotional, especially with this lovely teacher.
"I just want to be close to you."
Then I said something even I couldn't believe I was thinking. My mouth hung open while the gorgeous woman seemed stunned to see my uncontrollable tears streaming down my cheeks.
Damn, what did I just say?
But it seemed my weaker side was revealing my true feelings, and I couldn't hide them anymore...
Even though I didn't want to believe it, it was inevitable. I had to accept it.
"I like you so much it's driving me insane. Please... don't push me away."
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Rhythm Chapter 7 Onwards are available for reading on Lunarwrite's official website: https://www.lunarwrite.com
You could read Rhythm entire story and find many more Thai Girl Love, Thai Boy Love, and Romance stories on Lunarwrite's official website: https://www.lunarwrite.com
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