Our summer never ends | VegasPete side stories

Chp. 6 - Pete's first confession

After their date, Vegas and Pete sank into the episode 12 routines (for three times just so you know hahaha).

Pete was exhausted and fell asleep deeply. Vegas gazed at him wide awake. He couldn’t sleep at all. What Kinn had spoken to him before kept hovering inside his head. Do you wish to come back? You have chosen to live. There’s no away you can get away. Pete and Macao are his weaknesses. Too many family businesses used to count on him. It’s hard to tell what would Khun Korn do if he refuse to cooperate.

The moonlight shined on Pete’s sleeping face. Vegas appreciated his beauty quietly, stroking his face with the softest touch. He was fond of Pete’s eyes: they blinked like bambi and always focused on him with determination and purity. Vegas couldn’t resist to kiss them. Also, Pete had a small and sexy upturned nose…Oh his lips were a piece of art too, though they were a bit picky about food. With his thought Vegas chuckled.

During those days that Pete had left the safe house, Vegas thought about the times with him over and over again.

He recalled Pete’s little tricks for tailing him. At that time, he never regarded this head bodyguard as any sort of threat. Every time he caught him, Pete’s reactions were so adorable that softened his heart. So he simply let him go.

Not until the day that he exchanged intelligence with Tawan at the temple. He noticed that Pete was following him again, which meant Kinn had been suspicious about his dealing with Tawan. He didn’t want anybody to destroy his plan, so he decided to teach Pete a lesson.

He asked Macao to catch Pete in front of the temple. Pete was wearing a navy shirt over a white tee, looking gentle and clean. It's difficult to relate him with the head bodyguard title.

He and Macao forced Pete to join the monk’s sermon. He had never heard sermon before, which he found kind of inspiring. “The person who keeps the percepts with utmost rigidity will become happy and prosperous…”

The percepts? Happiness? Vegas wondered, is that he no longer deserves any happiness because he has abandoned all the percepts?

”Khun Vegas, do you like listening to the sermon?” a voice asked. Pete was looking at him with his bambi eyes which poked right at his soft spot. An influx of memories –

“Vegas, do you like rugby?” “Vegas, do you like coconut candies?” “Vegas, would you like to do so? Mommy will not force you.” Those were questions that his mother always asked when he was a kid. After his mother died, nobody ever cared about his liking.

He was unprepared to answer such a question from this somebody beside him.

This question was beyond Vegas’ anticipation. Well-rounded of him seldom encountered things that were out of his expectations. He liked to dominate, liked his plans be followed, like watching people exposing their inner-self. It’s his biggest pleasure.

Vegas was not prepared to respond,  that’s why he treated it rhetorically, “Isn’t that a good thing? Your heart will be peaceful and calm. Or what do you think, Pete?”

“We make merits together. So next life, we will get to see each other again.” Vegas threw a life threat on Pete and the latter obviously understood his implication.  Vegas brushed his back when pouring the water of dedication and blessing. To Vegas’ surprise, Pete’s seemingly weak and slim body was stronger than he had predicted. He couldn’t resist to snake down...

That night, Vegas dreamt of his mother.  For years after her death, he had been busy with taking care of his little brother and the family’s business, as well as collecting intelligence of the main family. He played all the dirty tricks and hurt people’s heart for striving a position in the world of mafia, alone.  He no longer missed his mother that much as when he was young.  Come on, it’s just a question of “do you like...?” Vegas soon forgot the throb he experienced that day.

Maybe it’s destiny. The man who had asked him “do you like...?”, later also become the person who concerned about “does it hurt?”; “what’s your blood type?”; and the person who made him cook.  The feeling of being cared about and being needed was magical.

When he got shot, Vegas was suddenly afraid of death. He felt lucky that he had wished in front of Dharma to meet Pete again in next life.  In next life, he would definitely keep all the percepts, live a prolonged life, and become the best version of him to love Pete.  But how about this life? He wanted to stay alive. He wanted to cook curry for Pete. The curry that had been destroyed by his father, and had not been shared with Pete. He could hear Pete calling his name over and over again. Thanks God, he survived.

“Grandma….” In the middle of his dream Pete muttered. Vegas kissed him gently and fell asleep embracing him.

The next day, Vegas woke up early. Pete saw him sitting at the front of the bed and using laptop.

“Vegas, are you working?”
“No. I am buying flight tickets. Pete, give me your passport number.”
“Where are we going?”
“Chumphon. Let’s visit your grandma. Is that great?”
Pete bloomed a smile of surprise, “Seriously, Vegas? We are going to Chumphon?”
“Certainly! Tell me your passport number.”

Vegas bought round-trip tickets of Chumphon. They planned to travel for three days. While Vegas wanted a longer trip, Pete declined because he was worried about Macao. They would come back on the weekend. And Macao would sleep over at a classmate’s house.

After things were settled they finally departed. But Pete didn’t talk much on the plane. He was so excited before their departure and kept asking Vegas about things to do, food to eat, gifts for grandma and her possible reactions. Now Pete was quiet.

“Vegas, “ Pete carefully uttered, “is it alright if I tell grandma that you are the friend who travelled to the North with me?”
“Yes, sure.”
“And keep secret about my resignation?”
“Okay.”
Pete relieved.

They soon arrived Chumphon but still needed to ride the ferry to reach Pete’s hometown.

“Vegas, are you tired?” Pete wiped Vegas’ sweat, thought that the trip maybe burdening Vegas’ body.
“I'm exhausted. If you give me a kiss my energy can be recharged…”
“Really?” Pete then hold the edges of Vegas’ face and pressed his lips on it.

Vegas didn’t expect Pete would really kiss him, so he slightly flustered.

As the ferry was approaching the island, they saw an old lady dressed in colourful outfits waving hands to them in the distance. “Grandma! Grandma!” Pete shouted while dragging Vegas’ arm, “Grandma, I am back!”

Pete’s tear dropped uncontrollably. He had been dreaming of meeting grandma again.

“This is Vegas, my pal of the trip to the North.”

Grandma looked at Vegas from head to toe and greeted him with passion, “Thank you for taking care of my grandson. Make yourself at home.”

“It’s my pleasure meeting you, grandma.”

“Aw such a nice man from the big city. Polite of you. How old are you? Are you single?”

“I am 25. I have a partner already.”

“Oh 25 and have a partner. Pete, look at you. You’re 26 but still alone! Leave it. I will introduce someone to you.” Grandma said as she pulled Pete closer to her. “Do you still remember the family which runs a supermarket next to our house? Their daughter is called Yu. Do you remember?”

Pete peeked at Vegas who was listening with great interest. “Grandma, I don’t remember any Yu.”

“How could you forget her? Isn’t her your first love? When you were in middle school you send her to school almost every day. Don’t you think I couldn’t notice?” Grandma laughed and considered Pete was just being shy.

“I see...sent Yu to school every day huh?” Vegas was smirking.

“Yes! With the bicycle of his grandpa. And waited for her everyday next to the supermarket…”

“Please, grandma, I am begging you.” Pete sounded like crying.

“Okok. Feel embarrassed in front of your friend right? Yu is still single and so do you. I can arrange a meeting for you both....” Grandma said, fantasizing her grandson could find a girlfriend before returning to Bangkok.

Pete peeked at Vegas again. He kept smiling and seemed not caring much.

Pete was grateful that grandma didn’t mention about Yu anymore. After dinner, Pete took a stroll with Vegas along the beach.

“The dinner was kind of spicy. Could you take it?”

“No problem at all. I ate a lot, didn’t I?” Vegas had been cooking yellow curry for Pete lately so he’s already got used to spicy food.

“I was born and raised here. When I was little I often took a walk with my friends at the beach.” Pete was having a good mood, “Vegas, what did you do when you were little?”

“Um...I played rugby, studied English and took various kinds of self-defense trainings...and participated knowledge contests. The one time that I had fun was camping. But as I might get kidnapped so it was banned afterwards. My childhood is a boredom.”

“Mine before seven was fun. But after seven I was forced by my father to train as a boxer. I fought competitions at the age of twelve.  Boxers of underground battles were all older than me. However, you could earn a high return defeating them, so I frequently fought with them and got punched badly.” Pete sat down with Vegas, “At fourteen I finally won an eighteen-year-old. But my head and eyes swelled up that I could barely see. I fell as I was returning home. Yu helped me get up and treated my wounds.” Pete continued to tell Vegas his story of first love, “Except my grandma, nobody had treated me so kindly.

Pete paused, looked at Vegas and tittered, “But she’s my first love in my mind.”

Vegas responded with silence. 

They were lucky enough that the sky was clear to watch the spectacular sunset.  When the sun was gone, Vegas leaned closer to Pete, forehead to forehead, and asked Pete with his lightest voice, “Do you still like her?”

“Vegas, I only adore you, I only love you.”

This was the first time Pete said “love” to him. Vegas braced the back of Pete’s head, lifted his chin and kissed his soft lips deeply.

[to be continued]