When Monday came, none of the two men reported to the office. Gulf has been insisting to the older that he will be fine on his own, but Mew has been done with the idea of leaving the younger all alone especially that Gulf’s wound is not yet fully healed.
Mew can still remember what happened yesterday morning…
Mew woke up when he heard a painful whimper which literally put him in panic first thing in the morning, only to realize that it was Gulf who forgot his wound and was about to rush to the bathroom to vomit, when he fell back on bed because he accidentally put force on his foot.
The older quickly shuffled to his feet and carried the whimpering guy on his arms. Mew felt his heart ached seeing the teary-eyed Gulf on his arms and when he put Gulf by the toilet, the younger had literally half-cried while puking.
“Ssh, it’s okay, yai nong na. It’s okay…” Mew repeatedly whispered while caressing the other’s back.
The older didn’t really like seeing a crying Gulf, but Gulf had been nothing but a crying mess when his buttons were pushed and maybe the pain from his sole earlier triggered it.
“Phi…” Gulf started to cry.
Mew enveloped the younger hoping to give a little comfort. “I’m here. I’m here, yai nong.”
…Mew can only sigh. He absolutely doesn’t like the sound of Gulf’s cries, and he always feels bad whenever the younger does. He feels like he isn’t providing enough for Gulf.
“Nong, I told you, you don’t have to do this,” Mew says for the nth time again.
When Mew decides to work from home for the meantime, Gulf also insists to send his work through the older’s secretary, so Mew did. And Mew can even bet that his secretary has detected something, but has chosen to keep his mouth shut—something that Mew commends the man for.
Gulf huffs while frowning. “I want to do it, Phi. It’s my job.”
And seeing this, Mew decides that it’s time for him to shut his mouth. He can only stare at the younger worriedly from his desk since Gulf sits on the couch. He wants Gulf to rest, but the younger is too stubborn and followed him in his study to work nonetheless.
“Say, how about we watch a movie later?” Mew asks as he props his elbows on the desk, clasps his hands and places his chin on it.
Gulf turns to the older’s direction as he squints his eyes. “Are you trying to laze around?”
Chuckling, Mew replies wiggling his brows, “Are you reprimanding me, boss?”
Gulf smirks then purses his lips. “Depends on what movie.”
Mew can only laugh hearing the other. Simple conversation like this makes him realize the progress they made. Two months of living together might sound short, but so far they did well—something he never expected. Guess, his effort paid off.
True enough, after their lunch nobody went back to the study and they settled on the living room watching a movie.
Until, the doorbell rings indicating that someone is outside.
“Did you expect a visitor?” Mew asks, pausing the movie.
The question got Gulf chuckling. “This is your place, Phi.”
Mew blinks. “Oh…right.”
Gulf can only shake his head grinning as he follows the older with his eyes. When he hears the door being opened, he heard a squeal of a girl exclaiming ‘Suppasit’ which got him frowning in curiosity.
Who could it be?
However, Gulf’s question is answered right away when a woman, a goddess if he may say, graces in the living room, wearing a short shorts and a quite revealing off-shoulder crop top apparel. Gulf has to blink a couple of times before he realized that he is not seeing things.
“Oh my! Who is this pretty human being?” the girl exclaims referring to Gulf who is sitting and blinking on the couch.
“Nong, this is Loveaya, she’s my—”
“Friend!” Loveaya butts in a little too abrupt as she rushes to Gulf’s side who is almost squirming on his sit.
“I’m Mew’s friend.”
The words coming from the woman has got Mew frowning. True, they are friend but does the woman has to act all defensive like she is afraid that Mew will mention of them being exes in the long past? Not like he intends to, but why does he feels unsettled all of a sudden?
And the younger’s flustered face is not helping the Mew at all. Loveaya is a beautiful woman. Is she perhaps, Gulf’s type? She isn’t, is she? Damn.
Loveaya is Mew’s good friend and ex-girlfriend. As ironic as it sounds, they dated for a whole good week until they realized that they are better off as friends and they have been friends since then, it has been years and they never lost contact. Although they don’t see each other a lot—thankfully—since the woman travels a lot and nags him for becoming workaholic for few years now.
“Um, n-nice to meet you, Phi. I’m Gulf.”
Gulf’s shy reply brings Mew to his senses as it also deepens the crease on his forehead. So, he’s shy now? And fucking blushing?!
Mew watches from the sideline with uneasiness in the pit of his gut for some unknown reason.
Loveaya, on the other hand, almost squeals like a fangirl upon seeing a cute and pretty guy.
“Please call me Love, pretty Gulf,” Love says. “I’m Russian anyways and we look good together. Phi sounds like I’m old,” she follows with a chuckle.
Mew is subtly fuming hearing his friend but he doesn’t want to appear childish. Damn Mew, it’s just how his friend is whenever she sees cute guys. It’s normal. But just…dammit!
Gulf blushes upon hearing the woman’s words. “Okay, L-Love.”
Love literally squeals by then, she can’t hold it seeing such blushing cute creature. And Gulf blushes even more, he is not naïve, it sounds like an endearment more than a simple name but what can he do? And Love is really…gorgeous.
Meanwhile, hearing the younger address his friend irks Mew. It simply doesn’t sound right in all angles.
“Call her P’Love, yai nong.”
“Why do I have to be called Phi? I’m not Thai.” Love shots Mew a stare.
Mew narrows his eyes on his friend. “You are in Thailand, Anastasia.”
“Suppasit!”
As the two glares at each other upon the declaration of their names, Gulf simply watches from the side, quite confused of what’s going on.
Love rolls her eyes before he turns to Gulf with a beaming face. “Can I hug you, pretty?”
“Huh…?”
Gulf is not sure what he just heard but when the woman opens her arms he feels bad to turn her down…it’s just a hug. He is a man after all; he must feel honored to hug a beauty like this. But he can’t help but feel the heat creeping his way to his face. He is a little uncomfortable but something about the woman’s flair is nice.
So while biting his lower lip, he slowly nods, and it only takes seconds before the woman crashes him into a hug.
Are foreigners always this bold? Gulf can’t help but asks in his head as he feels the thin arms around him.
And that’s what it only takes for the other human in the room to flip.
“Will you stop hugging my wife? He’s pregnant,” Mew says rather rudely than he intends to sound as he emphasizes the word wife.
Mew doesn’t feel comfortable with the way his friend is hugging Gulf in front of him and Gulf’s blushing face is not helping him at all. Does he like Loveaya? Sure, his friend is irresistible that a man would be willing to die for, especially with Love’s a little underdressed fashion sense. But still…fucking damn. What is wrong with him all of a sudden?
If a face can possibly turn into maroon, that would be Gulf’s face by then hearing the older utter the word he has never heard from the older’s mouth before. Wife. He feels even more stupid for feeling something out from that word instead of the fact the Mew just blurted their situation.
The younger is too flustered hearing the word than hugging a stranger. He feels shy but at the same time he feels ticklish in his stomach with the way Mew said it. Can he be more twisted than this?
Upon such revelation, Love pulls away from Gulf as she gapes and holds the younger’s arm.
Gulf holds his breath and waits for any disgusted reaction just like what he always expects, that’s why he is quite conflicted when the older woman shows nothing but excited eyes.
“OMG! For real?!”
“Um…y-yeah,” Gulf stutters.
Love squeals for the nth time as she again hugs the younger without asking any permission this time. “Oh my god!”
“I told you sto—”
“Oh, shut up you possessive bastard, I’m just happy for him!” Love cuts his caveman friend.
“Y-You’re not…d-disgusted?”
Love laughs hearing the younger’s words before she pulls away. “C’mon baby boy, I’ve been travelling everywhere of course I’ve heard about your case.”
Trying to hold his attempt to flip again, Mew huffs. “Where were you to even know such things?”
Love smirks as she finally turns to his friend’s direction. “You didn’t know those?”
There is a good minute of silence before the woman breaks into fits of laughter.
“Oh, you ignorant fool, you just stabbed him with yo—”
“Anastasia Loveaya!”
The Russian woman laughs more. “What?!”
Gulf’s face is basically not cooling any minute soon as he listens to the conversation. He suddenly has the urge to hide somewhere or anywhere, just…not there but for the churning god of embarrassment, he has to need a wheelchair because Mew might scold him again. And…damn, why does he need to hear it in the first place?!
Seeing Gulf’s flushed face and Mew’s pinkish cheeks, Love laughs harder. “Boys, we’re not toddlers here, are we?”
“So, how many months is it? It’s still not visible,” the woman follows beaming at Gulf.
“T-Three…” Gulf answers in a small voice. He and Mew never really talk about it, they just know. But hearing a question like this…he realized he’s not mentally prepared for such question.
When Love noticed Gulf’s shyness, she quickly changed the topic by glaring at his friend. “Aren’t you too rude, won’t you at least serve me some drinks perhaps?”
Gulf literally wants to jump on the offer if not for his foot. Just great…of all time!
Honestly, Mew doesn’t want to leave the younger with his friend. He doesn’t like it but it also seems that his friend is right. So with a last glare to his friend Mew stands to go to the kitchen. For the first time, he regrets not having a 24/7 househelp.
When Mew comes back after some time because he literally messed up as he tried hard to be in hurry, he is welcomed with a view of Gulf sitting crisscross on the couch and his friend smiling and hooking her arm with the younger’s. And it doesn’t help that Gulf’s shorts rides up to his thigh a little too dangerously high by sitting in such a way.
Mew’s not sure what pissed him off. The woman’s clothing or the younger’s blushing face as they talk animatedly. Is Gulf liking the way she’s latching on him? I never expected him to be this type of a guy. Huh, he acts all timid with him but with her? How many hours has he known her? It’s not even barely a fucking hour yet!
And what more, she’s acting all touchy with him and seems like Gulf’s even liking it. Is Gulf losing his mind? Is she his type? That thought seems to constrict something in Mew’s and makes him kind of breathless.
He snorts. They look like best of friends. Best of friends, my ass!
“Gulf, would you like to take a nap, now?”
It is not Mew’s intention to sound in a hard tone, but it seems he can’t help it.
Love turns to Mew. “What? Why does he need to sleep?”
“Because he needs it.”
Love can’t help but raise a brow. “He didn’t say it.”
Mew returns the gesture. “I thought you’re here for me?”
The woman scoffs with fake disgust. “You sound really cringey right now?”
The two bicker a little more and Gulf simply watches the playful exchange of words.
Gulf eyes the gorgeous Russian woman. She’s slim and average in height and very striking. Her light brown hair seems to complement her green eyes. And standing by Mew earlier, Gulf can’t help but notice how good they look together.
The gorgeous woman’s height which makes her appear so small beside Mew. And for Gulf, the height difference is even more ideal. It’s cute. He always likes girls whose height is around is chin or his shoulder. And Love is perfect, an ideal height to be taken care of.
To be carried. To be pampered.
Gulf doesn’t know where the insecurity is coming from but he feels it and it’s an ugly feeling. God, was there even a time he’s had height issues? On the contrary, he takes pride of his height…but now…why…
Has he gotten so used of being taken care of by Mew to feel this way?
Feeling a little off with his own flow of thoughts, Gulf interrupts the two. “I’ll take a nap now, Phi.”
“There!” Mew blurts almost excitedly like a child winning a toy in an arcade as he points Gulf.
Love can’t help but laugh seeing his friend this childish, it has been so long.
After Gulf utters his quick apologies for not entertaining the guest further, Mew comes to the younger’s aid and carries him right away. Being used to it, Gulf circles his arms on the older’s neck as they climb the stairs silently.
Love, a spectator of everything that has just transpired, can’t help but smirk as she shakes her head in amusement.
The silence of the two drags on until Mew deposits the younger on their bed. It’s not like they talk all the time, but they both can sense that such silence is different from the usual silence that has occurred between them.
However, as the two are unsure how to address such atmosphere, they silently decide to let it go. Gulf curls on the side of the bed, into a fetal position his back facing the older.
Mew can only rake his hair in an unknown frustration bubbling inside of him. He takes a deep breath for a couple of times as he battles with himself. But the only thing that he can pathetically come up with is a:
“Please change into sweatpants later, Nong.”
And Mew wants to beat himself for it. Plus the younger’s hum of confirmation is giving him unsettling feelings. He stands and stares at the younger’s back a little longer before he sighs and turns to leave. Damn.
***
To be continued…
VOTE and COMMENT :)
My bad for the late update. :( Everything has been so hectic with my sched. :3 Thank you for waiting na! Thank you for the votes and comments as well, keep on with it. I’m still trying to find time to write my drafts for the future chaps.
Anyways, keep fighting everyone! Love yourself! Part 2 of this will be in the next few days, I hope I can find time to finish it up on Wed. Until then! xoxo