Bittersweet Love // #KaoEarth AU

10

"It was nice catching up like this, Earth. Let's often meet whenever you're free."

That was what Kao said to him when the older was taking him off to the cafe for his evening shift. Earth washed his face in the sink and looked at his reflection in the mirror above it. Water dripped down from his face while his eyes staring hard onto his own shadow.

"Don't work too hard, Earth. Take it easy and take care of yourself. You're still young."

Kao said that when he knew Earth had an evening shift after their meeting. Earth sighed.

"I can't even talk about the debt with him. He and I...we live in a different world."

Then, his head started thinking about the older answer when Earth asked him about the woman he saw with Kao at the cafe the other day. He buried his face in his hands suddenly.

"Unbelievable, I'm so embarrassed! Why did I ask him that outright?"

Earth washed his face one more time to reduce the hotness he can felt coming from his embarrassment. His expression turned serious, and he gazed at his reflection in the mirror.

"She wasn't his girlfriend, but that doesn't mean he will be interested in you, Earth."

He gave himself a pep talk.

"It's better to remain friends than nothing at all. Let's maintain this friendship however long it lasts."

After saying that, he took some tissues and wiped his wet face with them, then he walked out of the toilet, ready for his work.

All night, Earth has been focusing his mind on somewhere else other than a certain someone. After his shift ended and he was on his way back home, he started to listen to a podcast channel when there was a honking sound coming from behind him. He looked back and found a familiar car, the one that dropped him off just this evening.

He couldn't hide his surprised expression when he saw Kao in the driver's seat, "Phi Kao?"

"Come in, Earth. I will take you back home," Kao said.

Earth was about to question the older more, but he refrained from doing so when he heard other cars behind Kao's start honking. He entered the passenger seat hurriedly, then to add more to his surprise, Kao initiated to put on his seatbelt—just like a gentleman would.

Earth held his breath when the older's face was inches apart from his. Earth let go a long sigh when Kao went back to his seat and started driving. He looked to the window to ease his embarrassment before he could face the older any longer, not after that unexpected scene just now.

"I'm glad that I arrived when your shift ended," Kao started talking.

Earth hummed, then after he blinked a few times and made sure to erase the blush that must have been covering his cheeks, he turned to look at the older's face.

Earth tilted his head, "I thought you would be going out with your aunt, Phi," he said. Then regretting it a few seconds later, why did I become nosy?

Kao snickered as if remembering something in his head, "When I relayed that someone praised her beauty and as far as calling her a goddess, she hurriedly told me to come to pick you up. Said I have to treat you better, and when I said you have work, she urged me to take you home." Kao made it like it was the funniest thing to him.

Earth sighed softly, not letting Kao hear his sudden drop of spirit, "You don't have to force yourself to take me home, Phi. Your aunt is a cool person," he said, with a forced smile on his lips.

Kao chuckles, "I'm not forced. She was going to drag me to be the guide to her shopping spree anyway," he replied.

Earth decides not to take it too seriously because half of him is still reluctant to let his heart free for this man anymore. Well, even if the other half is still hoping for more, it is still far from his reach.

When the younger one hears Kao's reply, Earth lets out a soft laugh, just imagining Kao holding too many shopping bags in his arms from accompanying his aunt shopping. Women can be scary when they are on a shopping spree. He looks at Kao's relaxing expression while the older man is driving.

Kao looked sideways for a moment, meeting Earth's eyes in the process. With a smirk on the older man's face, he said, "I like your company more."

to be continue

a/n:
Sorry for going AWOL these 5 days. I went to take my diploma at the university and then went on some staycation with my sister's family while being sick. I got a sore throat a week ago, then caught a cold from Tuesday night to Wednesday night. Then, after the cold went away, I got an inflamed throat and gums, also got the flu. These days my head will feel heavy and hurts, and when that headache came, that means my body demands me to sleep. That is why I haven't updated yet. Truthfully, I have written until chapter 12, so all I need is to paste those chapters to Wattpad, but got no energy to open my laptop, and I wouldn't say I like to update from my phone. Well, see ya tomorrow (if I have recovered some stamina to update tho).

Updated on the 28th of March 2021,

junijunipers.