gotta watch you walk in the room baby, gotta watch you walk out

Chapter Thirteen

Tin spent just two days in Bangkok before he flew to London. Once there he took a car to Bristol and without even checking into his hotel, went straight to the address Keen had supplied him and rang the doorbell.

The person who answered the door hadn't changed a bit. Still ridiculously handsome with the same sad eyes, now reflecting shock at Tin's unexpected appearance.

"Tin?"

"Hello, Hin. How have you been?"

-o-

"Darling, Ola tells me that you broke things off with Ace after just two dates." Rasaa took a dainty sip from the glass of wine in front of her and pinned Tin with her accusing glare. "Really, Tin. He's perfect for you. Handsome, famous, rich."

"And boring," Tin added, wishing himself anywhere but having lunch with his mother. She was in Bangkok on one of her regular week-long shopping trips and he'd been summoned. He knew he was free to say no, but life was just easier if he allowed her to think she had some importance to him. "Frankly I'm amazed I managed two dates. Nice guy? Yes. Boyfriend? Never. I prefer someone a little more feisty." Why he'd even agreed to one date he didn't know. Ace had taken him by surprise by messaging him just as he'd switched his phone on when he'd landed back from England.

He'd just wanted to forget.

Rasaa's eyes narrowed. "Feisty is a euphemism for 'common', no? You'd prefer one of those colourful young men you invited to my birthday party...perhaps the one you left with, hmm?"

Tin grimaced at the observation, too surprised to maintain neutrality.

"Boys like that are the type you can have some discretionary fun with, nothing more." She gave a tinkling laugh as she appeared to reminisce. "We've all been there. They're never keepers."

"I really don't think you get a say in who I 'keep' or not, Mother. If I wanted to...elope with someone 'colourful' then that's my business." If only the woman knew that he'd been turned down by someone she would consider far too common for her only son.

"Elope! That kind of behaviour is something your good for nothing brother partakes in—"

"So, did you go and see Tul in the end?" Tin interrupted, keen not to get into any further discussion about his love life.

She frowned but took the hint, shaking her head, "That boy has brought nothing but shame to the family name. After this I'm washing my hands of him for good."

"He's being discharged on Friday. I've made arrangements for him to stay at the house."

The look on his mother's face was priceless. "Whatever for? I thought you'd long since disassociated yourself from him."

Tin gave a slight shrug, "He's still my brother."

-o-

Someone somewhere liked them, Can decided. Fate hadn't completely pulled the rug out from beneath Techno and Type after all, and by association, Can's business was good to go as well. He didn't fully understand Type's explanation of how they'd recovered the money considering Tul Medthanan had been in hospital at the time, but he supposed he didn't need to know the details if everything was mostly back on track. The only fall out from what had happened was that the launch was put back two weeks due to having to re-order the gym equipment.

'Plant and Page' was opening it's doors today. He'd resisted suggestions that he call the café 'Cantaloupe's' or similar. Too personal. Plant, because all the food was plant based, and Page because he had decided to incorporate second-hand books that customers could read and buy if they wanted.