“Where’s Dylan? I have something to discuss with him” Po asked everyone
Jun shrugged,
“Yeah, where’s P’Dylan? He’s usually the first to attack the food.” Nano said with food in his mouth.
“Who knows. Probably with Grey again.” Jun replied flatly
“Let him be. He’ll come back when he’s hungry or he’s done” Pepper calmly said
“We can’t babysit him forever.” Thame said, glancing at Po
“Eat first. We’ll deal with him later.” Po quietly replied, tense after what happened earlier.
Dinner went on with one seat empty. Hours later, as the clock neared midnight, the silence in the villa grew too heavy to ignore.
“Should we look for P'Dylan, P'Jun?" Nano said, yawning
"Why? He'll go home if he wanted to" Jun replied
"He’ll get too drunk again" Nano said
“Fine. Let’s look for him before he gets into trouble.” Jun irritated but rushed himself to grab a jacket
“I’ll check the bars nearby.” Thame said, following Jun, Pepper and Nano.
“I’ll wait here. Call me if you find him.” Po said but Thame didn’t budge.
They find Dylan at a table, drinking with a couple of locals. He’s laughing too loudly, clearly tipsy.
Thame followed the others into the bar, the dim lights and loud music making his head pound worse than his thoughts. Jun caught sight of Dylan laughing too loudly at a table with a few locals, a glass in his hand and that smug grin plastered on his face. Jun stormed up first, voice sharp.
“Get up. We’re going home.”
"No, I'm enjoying here and you suddenly showed up here. Ugh go away" Dylan said, pointing at Jun.
The words stung the air, making the locals glance over. Thame felt his jaw tighten, irritation spilling into his chest though he couldn’t tell if it was because of Dylan’s tone or because his mind was still stuck on the way Po had handed Grey his number earlier.
Grey stirred awake from a corner seat, blinking in confusion at the commotion.
“What’s going on…?”
Before things escalated, Jun stepped forward, grabbing Dylan’s arm with more force than he meant.
“We’re done here. Let’s go.”
Dylan didn’t fight back, but the smug curve of his lips lingered as they dragged him out.
Thame barely registered the rest, the walk back to the villa, Nano’s muttered jokes, Pepper's complained, even Jun’s silence holding Dylan. His head was still buzzing, but not from the bar. It was from Po and the unsettling thought that maybe he was starting to care too much.
-
Nano was asleep soundly and Pepper was nowhere in his bed. Thame looks at Po’s bed, facing opposite of him. Slowly, he climbed off his bed and walked outside the house. While walking he saw the familiar figure of his friend sitting by the shore. Thame plops down beside him, restless.
“Is Dylan okay?”
“Yeah,” Jun calmly said, exhaling smoke.
“You’re smoking, you’re clearly stressed about Dylan and Grey”
Jun put out his cigarette realizing what Thame said.
“Why would I be? It’s not like he’s mine.” Jun snorted
“Yeah, sure. You can say that all you want, but the way you looked at him back there? You care, Jun. More than you admit.” Thame softly chuckle
“And what about you?” Jun asked, smirking
“What about me?” Thame confusedly asked
“You’ve been sulking since dinner. Don’t tell me it’s just about Dylan acting like an idiot. I saw the way you glared when Po gave Grey his number.”
“That was nothing. I was just annoyed. He could’ve said no, you know? Managers don’t need to hand out their numbers to every stranger.”, Thame laugh it off
“You sound jealous.” Jun teased
“I’m not. Why would I be? It’s Po. He’s… he’s just our manager.” Thame was quick to defend himself
“Right. ‘Just your manager.’ If that’s what you want to believe.” Jun leans back unimpressed
“Even if I did… even if I liked him, it doesn’t matter. He’d never see me that way.” Thame’s voice was low, almost muttering.
“Then keep telling yourself that. But don’t expect me to believe you.” Jun shrugged
Thame falls quiet, staring at the ground, biting on his lower lip.
Jun doesn’t press further. He just lets the silence hang, almost smug in the way he leaves Thame stewing in his own thoughts.
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No, I didn't forget. I just kinda lost some ideas hehe but I kept thinking about this story. And go read the next chapter now.
~Gie.
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Strings and Shadow
FanfictionThame has always kept his feelings for Po hidden, his quiet admiration masked behind music. When their band escapes to Isla Liyag, Po is determined to track them down. But between rehearsals, late-night talks, and unspoken glances, the line between...
Chapter 3
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