Forever or Never (TulMax / MaxTul) - FF

#15 - Where is Tul???

~A/N~ I was not going to upload a chapter this week. But last night while chatting with a friend I finished typing it.

You can all thank TylAshke for this update.

Thanks Tyl !!! 💙😜

...continued

As he closed the main door his phone rang.

It was the same unknown number flashing in the caller ID.

Tul looked at the screen of the mobile and wondered what to do. He did not want Max to know. But it was getting increasingly difficult to keep the secret from Max.

As he reached the lobby of the building, he saw Farm ride in on his motorbike. He quickly made his way to the main entrance and after a quick greeting to the younger guy got on to the seat behind him.

All the way to the café Tul was silent. Contemplating what to do next.

"You okay Phi?" Farm asked in a concerned tone.

"What? Yes! Yes! I am okay." Tul replied.

They had reached the café and he had been so lost in his thoughts that he had not even realized it.

Tul quickly gave himself a mental shake and went about his daily business. Today he would have to do Max's work as well and he didn't want to disappoint Max by making some stupid errors. He carefully checked the previous day's cash collection, filled up the paperwork to deposit the same in the bank. Then checked the inventory sheets and filled out the requisition form for the items that they would have to buy for the pantry.

Max had implemented a lot of changes and introduced some SOPs (Standard Operating Procedure) which in some ways were quite beneficial for the smooth running of the café but at the same time quite tedious and time consuming.

Soon Tul realized there was nobody who could take the previous night's collections to the bank for depositing. Along with Max another 2 of the employees had called in sick.

Finally, around noon Tul decided to go himself. The bank wasn't very far, just a short walking distance. He took the short cut through another restaurant owner's property which was located behind the café, separated by a hedge. The entrance of this restaurant faced the main road. As he walked through the premises, he saw the manager of the other restaurant and gave him a nod of greeting.

Then he continued along the main road and crossed the street and then turned into the lane which would bring him to the small bank. This branch of the bank was small, with just a teller counter, a help desk and a customer service desk. He quickly went to the teller counter greeted the grey-haired guy behind the glass partition and from the small window in the partition slipped in the cash and the paperwork.

After completing the transaction Tul made his way out the door. On his way out he greeted the young girl at the helpdesk with a smile.

Tul stepped out once again his thoughts drifting to the phone call. The beads of sweat that decorated his forehead were not all from the heat of the midday sun. Some were from the constant fear that if Max found out, Max would leave him for good.

Not that he would blame Max if that is what Max chose to do.

Or would he? Tul wondered. Max never did confess his feelings. Not once, in almost the 3 years that they had been together. But in all these 3 years hadn't he always stood by him. If there was one thing Tul knew about Max, it was Max's staying power. Max was the type of guy you could depend on and rest assured that he would stick around no matter what.