STORM CHASING [Love in the Air | PayuxRain]

eleven

Said friendly man took two glasses of liquor from a passing waiter and offered the other one to Rain.

"Loosen up a bit," he said. "You're already here. Might as well have a good time, right?"

Rain didn't want to get the glass. He didn't like drinking in an unfamiliar place and although he wasn't the smartest cookie in the box, he could tell this man was hitting on him. 

"Come on," the guy urged, extending the glass to Rain's direction with a hopeful, pleading look.

Rain hesitantly lifted both his hands to get the glass. He didn't need to drink but could hold it just to stop the guy from pushing. Before his fingertips could even touch the smooth cool surface, another hand came in between them, pulling the offered glass away from Rain's direction.

"Alright. Thank you dude. Your offer is appreciated. But this guy's not drinking under my watch," Hima said loudly.

Hima swirled the contents of the glass a few times and placed it on the tray of another passing by waiter and thanked him sweetly. When the waiter was gone, Hima side eyed the guy who offered Rain the drink, arms crossed and a bit threatening.

"Hima..." the other guy said in resignation.

"When I introduced Rain to you guys earlier, I told you to back off. He's not here to find a fling or a one night stand."

"Why else would someone go here for?" the guy asked, genuinely baffled as he stared at Rain. 

"None of your business," Hima said, pushing his friend away. "Go over there and prowl somewhere else."

"Che..." the guy frowned, looked at Rain for a few more seconds before turning away.

When the guy disappeared in the group of people moving in the pulse of the ongoing song, Hima sighed and crossed his arms. He'd pulled the sleeves of his white dress shirt up to his elbows and a few buttons over his chest had been let loose. His eyeglasses reflected the wild strobe of lights, his eyes barely visible. The annoyed curve of the man's lips shooed potential approachers as Hima stood there beside Rain.

"Aren't you popular?" Hima drawled. "This is the fourth time I have to chase people away from you. I go to the rest room for no longer than 5 minutes to piss and someone's already trying to get to you."

"Ha..." Rain snorted. "You're probably seeing things. It's just that one guy from your circle of friends."

"No. You're not the one doing the fending so shut it."

"..."

"They assume you're some random greenhorn undergrad and when they learn you're an architect, they flock around like vultures. An ego boost isn't it?"

Rain almost laughed. "Is that why you go here? To have your ego stroked?"

Hima raised a brow. "Not my ego. But I go here for sure to have something else stroked."

Rain shook his head, his mouth turning up in a grin.

"Good joke, isn't it?" Hima grinned back.

"Liar. We both know you're not joking."

Hima chuckled with a shake of his head. When he went back to his aloof expression, he pulled his phone out from the pocket of his black slacks and frowned.

"I gotta take this call," he said, looking at Rain. "Don't wander too far."

Hima already had the phone to his ear as the man weaved his way out of the gyrating bodies in the dance floor. Rain watched his friend for as far as he can see and then sank back into his lean against the wall when he could no longer see Hima.