The end game

4.Plathong and Mint (part 2)

Plathong was greeted by a cozy hallway that led straight to a spacious, warm living room. A beautiful middle aged woman, whose soft, brown locks were falling down her shoulders came up to him.

He bowed to her politely.

"Sawadee kha, you must be khun Thong. Oii, no need to bow, come in quickly and change, you're drenched." She ushered him inside, "go straight and left, that'll be your room and the bathroom is right next to it." She walked him to his room and kept chatting freely, as if they were acquaintances for a long time. "Please change and come out to eat, I made lots of dishes."

"Thank you khun."

"Please call me aunty." she smiled at him "thank you for coming to help us."

"Only if you call me Thong, and that's my job, no need to thank me." he smiled back at her.

When he came out of his bedroom, dry and clean, aunty and pink creature (who was now wearing pajamas and looked so homie) were already sitting by the table in the kitchen and waiting for him.

The delicious food fragrant filled the room, and Plathong felt so good. He felt very comfortable and warm. It felt like he was finally home.

Plathong smiled at the thought and sat at the table, right across the cute guy, aunty was sitting at the head of the table.

"Mmm everything looks so delicious, I'm starving. Thank you aunty." He nodded at her and started to eat.

"Here, eat more," her lips curved upwards and she put more food to his plate "Oh my dear, slow down, I made a lot."

"Sorry auntie, It's just... I forgot the last time I had a homemade meal like this." He proceeded devouring his food.

"Oh, handsome and smart, don't you have a girlfriend to cook for you? Or anyone else for that matter?"

"No I'm not in a relationship... yet..." he added as he stole a glance at the cute creature. "Mae passed away a year ago, she was ill." he added quietly, fumbling with his chopsticks."

As he looked up, auntie and cutie had stopped eating, looking at him wide eye.

"Hey, no need to look at me like this, I'm ok now." he sighed with relief. Thong was scared that when he looked up, he'd see pity in their eyes. The same look people have been giving him since Tod passed away, and then mom. He didn't want to be pitied. He was strong, he overcame the grieve and it made him the person he is now.

Auntie, as if reading his mind, gave him a tender pat on his shoulder.

"I honestly admire you. You are a strong person, and you did well so far. I lost my husband a while back. I would've been a mess if not for Mint, he is a good son and I had to be strong for him."

"Oh, so this cutie is your son?" He teased and winked at Mint.

"I. Am. Not. Cute." Mint hissed angrily through his teeth, but the red tips of his ears betraying his real feelings. "Mae, I'm not hungry anymore." He got up and left.

Plathong chuckled.

"Is he always this grumpy, auntie? Seems like he never smiles."

"No, he wasn't like that. He lost his father, and then his fiancee. I don't know what happened between them, but when he came back from Bangkok, he was never the same again." She pursed her lips and Plathong knew she wasn't telling everything, but the conversation is over.

Plathong helped her clean up after dinner and went to bed. He threw himself onto the bed, stretching his tired limbs. The mattress was hard, but Plathong felt so comfortable. He likes it here, more like he likes someone here. He thought he could live here, away from the loud city and lousy people.

******

Soft knock on the door, screeching sound of curtain rings sliding open against the metal rode and bright sunlight filling up the room, made Plathong bury himself deeper into his sheets.

"Come on, wake up khun Thong. The sun is up today, but it won't be much longer. We need to get to work." Mint's voice probed through his unconscious mind.

Tod knew he had to get up, he always wakes up early, he is very punctual and always arrives to meetings and work 10 minutes early. However today, he even slept through his alarm clock, it was the best sleep he has gotten in years.

"Khun Thong, mae made breakfast." Mint shuffled the sheets, trying to pull them off Plathong.

At the word "breakfast" Plathong's stomach growled lowly. He scrunched his nose and opened his eyes, squinting from sunlight.

Close. Too close.

Mint's face was dangerously close to his own. They stared at each other, both surprised at sudden proximity.

The man was gorgeous.

Thump, thump, thump.

Plathong's heart picked up a beat and raced inside his chest, sending thousands of butterflies through his body, until they settled in his belly. "Shit!" he cursed under his breath, grabbed the man by his nape and pulled him down, turning him sideways, so the other fell on the mattress on his back.

Plathong snuggled to Mint's side, throwing his right hand and leg over the flabbergasted creature and buried his nose in his neck.

"What the fuck are you doing, khun?" Mint's voice came out sinister and dark.

He pushed Thong away and tried to get up, but the younger only pressed himself closer, if it was possible, and trailed his nose up and down along the vein on the older's neck. He noisily exhaled, sending Mint's heart into a frenzy. All the blood in his body seemed to rush down his stomach, waking something in the pit of it.

Mint froze, chanting "Shit, shit, shit" out loud.

"5 minutes please?" Plathong pleaded and hugged the other tighter.

*******

When they arrived at the plantaintion the sun was fully blazing. Volunteers were all sitting under the trees, hiding in the shade. Plathong almost felt bad for making them wait.

Mint was wearing a ridiculously pink hat and a matching t-shirt, Platong thought he looked like a whimsical creation that stepped out of really sweet fairytail.

"Khun Thong, these are my friends- Bambam and her fiance Bo, P'Yo and his wife Tubtim, P'Wave and his wife Nok."

"Hi guys, Let's do this!" Thong exclaimed and took out the blueprints to explain the agrarian structure change, to redirect the water.

Everyone was eager to start working and each of them came to introduce themselves as the work progressed.

Little later Mint's mae and two other ladies came to cook lunch. When lunch was ready everyone sat on the ground, forming a large circle and bombarded the city boy with questions.

Bachelorettes giggled happily when they found out he was single, but disappointed when he said not for long, since he met someone he really liked.

The week passed by really quickly and the work was going faster then he initially thought it would. People here sure are really hard working. Plus, they seem to genuinely care about him. With aunty dotting on him, motherly taking care of him and the villagers showering him with attention he felt really happy.

He kept making advances towards Mint, but they didn't progress much this week. It's ok, he could be nothing but persistent and he still had a year to win his heart.