Sarawat's POV
Tine was on his third glass of whisky and I already knew he was tipsy. Two glasses were his limit. After which, he would become a different version of Tine. It reminded me of the last time Tine got drunk after drinking half a dozen tequila shots when we were out for dinner, trying out different restaurants for the beer festival.
That's when I learned Tine starts talking really fast every time he got drunk, and unexpectedly, he would turn into a true flirt.
The more he drank, the faster he talked, and the more he flirted.
It came as a crashing surprise to me. The first thought on my mind was — did he do that with everyone else too? Did he flirt with everyone he got drunk with? Or just me? Honestly, I was too afraid to even find out. The thought of someone else seeing Tine like this seared through my heart.
When Tine clung to me that night and said 'my buttons were making him lose his sanity,' every part of my body began to crumble.
When Tine wrapped his arms around me and said he hated how much he liked me — there was a fire that ignited inside me.
I wanted to take Tine back to my room, build a fortress, and keep him beside me forever.
I wanted to love Tine and keep him happy forever.
So I waited patiently. I waited for Tine to walk up to me on his own and show me his heart. I wanted him to come to me, dead sober and tell me he wanted me — and he did. It took him time to see my heart but he did. And I will forever be thankful for the heavens for that. Everyday with Tine is a new adventure, a new blessing.
When Tine joined the company three years ago, I knew about it right away. I just wasn't sure I wanted to meet Tine again when I was at my worst. I wasn't sure what good would come out of meeting Tine again because I assumed he was engaged. It would only break my heart more.
So I left. I left the country in search of myself. In search of the new Sarawat who didn't burn money on crazy parties. The Sarawat who didn't need expensive cars to feel better about himself. The Sarawat who didn't have fake friends around him. The Sarawat who didn't get drunk and made unforgivable mistakes.
Tine had left for Japan but I always thought about him. Almost felt thankful that he wasn't there in college watching my downfall like the others.
Two and half years later, when I came back to Bangkok for holidays, I went to the company's office Christmas party for a short while. No one noticed me because they didn't even know who I was. But I did notice Tine, smiling and talking with his colleagues. It tugged a string in my heart and made me realise how much I was still in love with him. Tine was like the sun, always gleaming and lightening up the room.
It made me realise that if I didn't make an attempt to woo Tine, I would regret it for the rest of my life.
That's how, I decided to join the company after all. The only thing I knew about Tine was that he still wasn't married, and considering how much he worked in the office, he was probably single. I wasn't sure though, but if this was my only chance to woo Tine, I wanted to show him I could be the better man for him. Turns out, I didn't need to fight anyone to be with Tine — I just needed to fight through Tine's delusion that he hated me.
Tine never hated me. I know that. I always knew that. He just hated that he wanted me. The tension between us was just too real to ignore.
I didn't think I was good enough for Tine then, and three years later, I probably still am not. But now, now I want to try and be a better man for Tine.
I loved Tine. I loved Tine the moment I first saw him taking a seat in front of me in our business class. And I still loved Tine drinking carelessly through the whisky bottle while sitting next to me, with the pool reflecting the moonless sky.
But I couldn't just tell him that right now. No, I had to find the right time. It was all about the perfect timing with Tine. I have learned Tine overthinks a lot, there is always and always something going on in his head. Sometimes, I can practically hear the gears churning in his brain.
Though not right now. My drunk Tine was a simple and straightforward man. He liked his liquor and he liked me. That was his only focus.
"Wat, take off your shirt and lets take a dip in the pool." Tine straddled over me and talked in his demanding boss vibe. But I knew he would pass out in 30 minutes flat.
I placed my cold hand over his cheek. "Not now babe, may be tomorrow."
"No. You take off your shirt right now."
Tine started fidgeting with my buttons. How does this man enthusiastically take off my shirt literally every night and still does not know how to open the buttons properly?
I put my hand over his. "Not now Tine. You are drunk." I said it in a stern and clear voice, hoping it would reach my brain which was going in a million directions now that Tine was sitting right on my lap.
"You said we would take a dip in the pool."
"I did say it. You are right about that. But I didn't know you would get this drunk."
Tine moved his tongue across the column of my throat. A moan slipped out of my mouth from deep inside my body. "Please." He murmured and in that moment I just wanted to give him whatever he could ask for.
"Tine.. don't do this. I am just a very, very weak man." I said in a low voice, almost pleading.
"Please," He said again as his soft kisses moved south, onto my chest, hardening something between my pants.
"Okay, that's it!" I put my hands around Tine's waist and picked him up. "Lets go back to the room."
"What? No, I want to swim." He whined.
"No swimming for you today. No anything for you today."
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Tine was right. There were too many stairs in this house. While I loved the white marble staircase, I just never thought there would ever come a time when I would have to carry a very drunk Tine through it — Again.
I finally breathed when I threw Tine on my bed. Sweat dripping down my temple. It was an all too familiar feeling. This wasn't the first time I had to do this, and I didn't think it would be the last.
Tine stared at me slumping on the bed, with a sly smile on his face. "Come here."
I sighed. I knew what he wanted. I knew what his smile meant and my body was aching for it. But now right now. Not like this.
"No, you are drunk. Go to sleep, Tine."
"I— I'll go to sleep. I just don't want to sleep alone. I just want to hold you and sleep." He pouted and I realised I was just a weak man wrapped around Tine's finger. And I will probably always be.
"Fine, but you better stay on your side of the bed."
"Yes, promise." Tine nodded his head willingly.
It took Tine exactly five seconds to break his promise. The moment I lied down on the bed, he pounced on me and he was straddling me again. Grinding his hardness against mine and reminding me what a weak man I was when it came to him.
"Tine..." I let out a low whisper, scared if I spoke any louder, it would break my resolve. "You promised, babe."
"And you promised you would take off your shirt." Tine leaned in to kiss my lips — hungrily and violently. I had never felt him kiss like that before. My hands went to his nape to deepen the kiss and I realised I was falling deep, very very deep.
I don't know how long we kissed. May be it was a few seconds, may be it was a few hours. Time felt still as Tine's tongue explored my mouth. Where has my boyfriend been hiding this very hot and very needy part of him?
I came back to my senses when I heard a screeching sound and a cold breeze brush through my chest. When I broke the kiss and looked down, I realise Tine had torn through all the buttons of my shirt.
Tine tried to lean in for a kiss again , but I dodged. "What have you got against my shirt buttons Tine?"
"They are my enemy." He declared and I couldn't help but laugh. Right then, Tine leaned in and put a soft kiss on my chest, slowly sliding his mouth down south.
"OKAY THAT'S IT!" I yelled and threw Tine on the other side of the bed. "TINE, YOUR DRUNK!."
"And you are very hot."
"Oh god." I stood up from the bed, rubbing my temple. "You are drunk drunk, huh?"
"Why do you keep repeating that? Come here. Come back to bed. I feel cold." He was demanding now.
I sighed. I needed to trick this trickster if I wanted to get out of this alive. "Okay, how about you close your eyes and relax for sometime? I will go take a shower and then come back to bed."
"Why do you need to take a shower?"
"I really-really need to take a cold shower right now."
"And then you will come back to bed?"
"Yes,"
"And then you will kiss me?"
"Yes?"
"Promise?"
"Ah yes. Just close your eyes okay? Close your eyes and relax."
"Okay...."
Tine lied down properly and put a blanket over him.
I went inside the bathroom, but I didn't take a shower. I took care of something else in my pants and then counted down the minutes.
When I finally came back half an hour later, Tine was already snoring.
"I knew it." I chuckled.
I crawled into the bed, wrapping my arms around Tine and putting a kiss on Tine's forehead. "See, I always keep my promise."
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I woke completely disoriented, realising someone was knocking on my bedroom door and calling me on the phone for sometime. And I knew right away who it was. I was the idiot for not even considering this a possibility last night.
"What's wrong?" I heard Tine ask.
"I think its mom"
"W—what?" Tine sprangs up from the bed. "You said she was in Japan."
"Well she was in Japan until yesterday, but now she's knocking on the door. Wait, stay quiet" I whispered. "
"Mom, I am sleeping. I'll come out in a second." I yelled and the knocking finally stopped.
"Why aren't you opening the door, Wat?"
"Mom, give me five minutes, I'll be right down." I yelled back.
"Okay, come out quick, let's have breakfast together."
Finally, I heard the footsteps move farther away from the room.
When I looked at Tine, he seemed even more shocked than me. "I am really sorry Tine, I didn't know mom was going to show up like this."
"What are you apologising for? Its okay. She was probably worried about Phukong."
"Yeah probably."
"But the question is — how do I escape from here now without her finding out.?"
"Do you-- do you have to escape?" I asked. "We could just go out and I could introduce her to you — officially. I don't — I don't want to hide you, Tine. We have nothing to hide here."
I could see Tine's chest tightening. He was overthinking. Most definitely overthinking. This isn't going to go where I would want it to go.
"Wat, I—I can't just meet her like this. I reek of whisky and I-- I literally slept here with you. I don't want her to get a wrong impression of me."
"She won't."
"I—I don't want to meet her like this. May be some other day?"
He was right. I wouldn't want to meet his mother in a situation like this too. I just need to give him time
"Yeah, yeah, of course. I understand.
Well, you could stay here in the room while I have breakfast with her. I'll make her go out of the house in a few hours and then you could leave."
"Few hours? Wat, I have to be in the office in less than an hour. I have an important meeting with the Head of Marketing. I can't be late. "
"Oh god." I sighed. "Okay, okay. We can do this. How about you go take a shower first? There should still be some formal suits in my closet here. Pick whichever you like and get ready. And I—I will go talk to mom, see how I can distract her to get you out of the house. Close the door and lock it from the inside. Don't open it unless you know its me, got it?"
"Yeah-- yeah okay. Wear a shirt before you go. Why were you even sleeping without a shirt?"
I chuckled. "A feisty creature attacked me in the night."
"What?"
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When I walked out of my bedroom, I noticed mom walking to the kitchen. But I didn't go meet her, I went to Phukong's room first.
"Did you meet mom already?" I asked. Phukong was already up, resting on his bed and watching some football match on the TV.
"Yeah, why did you even ask her to come back?"
"I didn't! She came back on her own! And now Tine—"
"Wait, Tine is still here? Did mom see him?"
"He stayed the night and no Mom has not seen him yet. I don't want her to see him here.
Listen, I am going to get mom here, you coax her, emotionally blackmail her, do whatever you can, just keep her in this room for at least 15 minutes so I can take Tine out and drive him to the office."
"Or you could stop hiding and just introduce Tine to mom."
"Not now. Not right now. He literally just spent the night here. I want to introduce him properly. So just help me out here, I am running out of time."
Phukong shrugged his shoulders. "Fine. I'll help you out only because I like Tine."
"Good, I'll get mom..."
"I want that Gucci jacket you bought last month."
"What? No!"
"And I want you to help me go to Japan next weekend."
"Excuse me! You are not going anywhere for the next few weeks, not until your doctor gives you a full clearance."
"Fine, then I'll start yelling from here and tell mom your boyfriend is hiding in your room right now."
"Phukong, don't you even dare—"
"MOM...."
"FINE! FINE! But you can take my jacket but I won't let you step a foot outside this house until the doctor clears you. Got it?"
"Deal." Phukong shook his head.
After making a deal with the devil, I walked downstairs and finally found mom cooking something in the kitchen.
"Mom, when did you come back?"
"Oh you woke up?" Mom turned to look at me. "I came back early morning. Your dad wanted to come back too but he had some meetings today."
"You really took a late night flight alone? Mom, you shouldn't have. I told you I had everything in control. Phukong is doing better now with his medication."
"I know. I know. I was — I was worried about Phu and I couldn't just stay there attend parties while he was in pain here." She pressed her lips. "I was so worried last night. Now that I have seen him — I feel a lot better."
"You should go back tomorrow and enjoy your vacation there mom. I'll stay here with him till he gets better."
"No, I don't feel like going there anymore. It was all boring anyway. Your dad might also wrap up his work and come back in a few days. No point of me going back." Mom's attention went back to the frying pan.
She wasn't bored there. She was enjoying it. She has a lot of friends in Tokyo. She just didn't want to leave Phukong. I could see right through her excuses but also knew I couldn't make her go back to Tokyo if she didn't want to.
"Mom, Phukong was —"
"Why didn't you open the door when I knocked?" She asked leaving me stumped.
"Oh I-- I was sleeping?"
"I knocked a lot..." She looked up at me suspiciously.
"I—I was sleeping."
"I thought I heard someone talking in your room..."
"Huh? What? I — I don't know. May be I was mumbling in my sleep."
"Or more like talking to someone?" Mom raised her eyebrow. God, how do I get out of this?
"No-No mom. May be you just misheard."
"May be... I also saw the whisky and beer bottles near the pool. Were you watching a movie there last night?"
"Yeah. I am sorry I forgot to clean up. I will do it now—"
"Who were you watching the movie with?"
"Huh? I am sorry — What?"
"Well, you don't drink whisky anymore and you wouldn't let Phukong drink over his medicines. You are smarter than that. So, who were you watching the movie with?" Mom put her hand on her waist and she was smiling at me now. She had caught me, almost. But there was still room for plausible deniability.
"I—I was alone. I didn't drink whisky. I was just looking at the bottle. It seemed nice."
"Uh huh. Sure. And if I go up to your room right now, I won't find a man there? A man who is approximately as tall as you?"
I gritted my teath. "I-- I would really like it if you didn't go up to my room right now."
"Why? Because you don't care for your mother enough to tell her about an important relationship in your life?"
I sighed. There was no point lying anymore.
"Fine. I admit, there is a guy in my bedroom right now. I am sorry I brought him over when you weren't here, without your permission. He was with me when you called yesterday. He wanted to come with me because I seemed worried. He helped me take Phukong to the hospital. Actually, he is the one who convinced Phukong to go to the hospital. Because lets be honest, I couldn't carry that giant alone to the hospital if he didn't want to go.
I insisted that he stay the night-- and he did."
"This is your house too Wat, you don't need my permission to bring someone here."
"I know, but I am still sorry mom."
"And this guy... he is someone you are dating?"
"Yes. He's my boyfriend."
Mom nodded. "Well, he seems like a good guy, Wat, seeing how he helped with Phu. Though, I feel a little bad that even Phu has met him before me."
"I am sorry, mom." I looked down at the floor.
"You should be. Now, go tell him I am making breakfast for everyone and he better come down in ten minutes. I think its time I met him. I also want to thank him for yesterday."
"What?" I looked up in shock. "No, mom you can't meet him yet. Not now." I said in a single breath.
"Why?"
"Mom-- its just — " I took a deep breath. "We have only been dating for a month. I really like him but its still new. I already brought him here and if I make him meet you, he might feel overwhelmed. I promise I will properly introduce you to him, soon. I will be introducing him to both dad and you. Just not today. He already feels bad enough. He doesn't want to meet you as the guy who snuck inside your house without your permission."
"But I don't care about that, Wat. "
"I know. But he does care, mom. And honestly, I would have done the same thing if I were in his position. Do you think it would be a good idea if I met Tine's parents in a similar situation like this?"
"Yeah, I guess you are right about that." Mom nodded and then suddenly looked up smiling. "So his name's Tine, huh?"
Oh god.
"Mom, no. I meant time — I am out of time — I mean late." I looked at the clock hanging on the wall. "He is in a hurry because he has an important meeting at the office and I need to drive him there or he'll get late. Please just let me go this time and I promise to make it up."
"Oh. He works at an office? What does he do?" Mom asked enthusiastically.
God, how do I get out of these spiralling questions?
"Mom, I promise I'll set a dinner for you to meet him soon and I'll answer all of your questions. Just not now. Could you please go to Phukong's room and stay there while I take him out? I don't want him to feel embarrassed."
"At least let me take a sneak at him while he goes out."
"NO MOM, PLEASE DON'T!"
"He won't see me."
"NO MOM, PLEASE. If you behave like this, I am not letting you meet him — ever. And I won't even tell you Phukong's plan to go to Japan next week."
"Why would Phu go to Japan? He's unwell."
"Well, I'll tell you all about it if you just go to his room for 15 minutes."
"Fine. But you better tell me everything about Phu and I want a dinner scheduled Tine soon." Mom pressed her lips and started walking up the stairs to Phukong's room.
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"You ready? Its me." I knocked on the door two times.
"Hey. I am ready. Can we leave now?" Tine finally opened the door, wearing my unworn three-year old Prada suit that I was supposed to wear at my college convocation ceremony -- but ended up not attending. I never touched that suit again because I thought it was cursed. It just hung by itself in the back of my closet.
But now, seeing Tine wear the suit, it looked blindingly beautiful. Like he was always the one who was supposed to wear it. Like he was always supposed to turn all my bad memories into good ones.
"You—you look really nice in that suit."
"Thanks. I didn't think it would fit, but when I tried it on, it did!"
"Yeah." I smiled. "Like it was made for you." I put a kiss on Tine's lips.
"Wat!" Tine jerked back with wide eyes. "Someone might see us."
"No one's around. Lets go. I'll drive you to the office and then I'll drive you back in the evening because..." I circled my arm around Tine's waist to pull him closer and put another kiss on his lips. "Because if I don't get to strip that suit off of you today, I might go crazy," I said, in a low voice.
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A/N: Two updates in two days? I don't even know who I am anymore.
I guess I was just excited about writing Sarawat's POV – this very, very whipped man. I think somewhere in this story, Tine and Sarawat struggle with the exact same issue even though they don't realise it: Each one of them thinks they are not good enough for the other. In a way, the story is about them realising that they are enough. That their love is enough for each other.
On a lighter note, it is taking a lot of self control in me to not write too much smut for this story.