***
New.
My every day with Tay was a combination of random banters and endless cuddles.
At times we would argue about the most nonsensical things such as Tay randomly leaving his used boxers on random parts of the unit or him accidentally leaving the faucet running just because he was listening to some songs on his phone.
I even had to completely control myself when he broke the television when he accidentally knocked it down while reaching for the USB port on the back of the TV.
But no matter how big or small our arguments were, he was always the first one to apologize, well he was at fault most of the times anyway, but he sort of implemented this rule of not sleeping unless the issues were resolved.
We should never end the day with you screaming my name because of anger. We should end it with you screaming my name because of another reason, as he would always say. Tch.
Ours was definitely not the perfect setup, considering our differences, but nonetheless, it was fulfilling. It was more than I could ask for.
"Love, what should I wear?" Tay asked as he held two shirts in front of him. His brows were furrowed as he compared the two as if there was so much difference.
Geez, they only differed in color.
"The blue one," I curtly replied before placing the rest of my things inside my bag. He happily went with my choice and even let me style his hair.
We were preparing to fetch his parents from the airport and I couldn't be more nervous as the thought of seeing them again continuously played in my mind.
"Hey, are you okay? You're shaking."
I swallowed hard and thickly as Tay held my hands and held them tightly. The nagging feeling inside my chest didn't cease despite the warmth of his hands against mine.
"Y-yeah. Just a little bit nervous, I guess?" I chuckled.
"Come here."
Tay made me sit on the bed before kneeling in front of me. His hands never left mine and the more he tightened his grip on me, the more nervous I became.
"Hey, love. Look at me. They love you, okay? You don't have to be nervous."
"But still, it's been years, love. And after everything that happened, I don't know if, if everything would still be the same once I face them again."
"Love, everything's gonna be fine. Trust me on this, okay?"
I let out a smile and slowly nodded my head.
"Come on. We don't wanna be stuck in traffic," he said as he placed a quick kiss on top of my head.
***
"Mom! Dad! I miss you," Tay exclaimed as he rushed over to his parents who were apparently waiting for us as we got stuck in traffic.
His parents still looked as fine as ever but I noticed how they lost some weight, especially his father. Probably because of what happened.
I maintained my distance from them, fearing that Tay's parents might react differently than we first met. It was Nannon who approached me first.
"Hey, how are you?" he asked as he tapped my shoulder.
"F-fine. How about you?"
"I'm doing great," he grinned.
Nannon had definitely grown more mature than I last saw him. He also grew a bit taller and gained some muscles.
"Glad to know you're still with my brother."
I glanced at Tay who was helping his parents with their luggage. They were coming towards us, making my heart pound harder than usual.
"G-good day, Mr and Mrs Vihokratana. Welcome back," I nervously said as I hid my shaking hands behind my back.
It was Tay's mother who grabbed me into an embrace. "Oh, dear, I missed you. How are you? You got a bit thinner."
I just let out a nervous chuckle while simply throwing a glance at her husband who was standing just behind her.
"Come on. Let's go. We have a lot of catching up to do," she grinned and locked her arm with mine.
I simply nodded at her and gave her a smile.
***
"Are you okay?" Tay asked as he slid his arm around my waist and gave me a side hug.
"Yeah. I'm just fine. Don't worry about me."
We went straight to his parent's house where a simple celebration was held. The party was just a simple one and there were only us and some of their relatives.
"Okay, I'm just gonna go help. Just call me when you need something," he said and kissed me on the cheek before heading to the kitchen.
"Hi, New!" Namtan approached me with a huge smile on her face. "I'm glad you're here."
"How are you? When did you come back from the States?"
"Oh, we actually just came back yesterday. Tay's been bugging me about coming back here for days already."
"You look good, I must say," I genuinely said.
"Ugh! Don't be fooled because underneath this makeup are several layers of eyebags. I didn't expect motherhood to be this exhausting to be honest," she exasperated as she placed a hand on her forehead. "I've been sleepless for countless nights already because the baby will just wake up in the middle of the night."
I let out a chuckle as I watched her flail her arms around.
"By the way, where's your baby?"
As if on cue, Rafael who was carrying the baby in his arms approached us. "Hi, there, New."
"Hi, Rafael. How's being a father?"
"Well, I guess you should ask about my situation as a fiancé," he chuckled before glancing at Namtan who already had a brow raised.
"Excuse me?? What is that supposed to mean?" Namtan hissed and slightly hit his arm.
Rafael just laughed. I peeked at the baby in his arms and lingered my gaze longer than I intended to.
"You wanna hold him?" Rafael asked all of a sudden and moved closer to me.
"Huh? No, I mean. I don't wanna hurt him."
"Oh, come on. You won't. Come here," Namtan clicked her tongue and helped Rafael in transferring the baby to my arms.
"But, I—"
"You won't hurt him. I promise, okay? I trust you," Namtan reassured me once more.
My chest was pounding all along as they both carefully moved the baby to my arms. I held in my breath as I tried not to move for the fear of dropping the baby.
"You're too stiff. Relax your arms and support the head," Namtan said and helped me adjust the baby's position in my arms.
The baby started moving and snuggled closer to me, making my heart pound even faster. He just looked so fragile that the mere thought of holding him scared me.
"See? He likes you. He didn't even cry."
I looked back at the baby in my arms and couldn't help but let out a smile.
Is this what it feels like?
"Hi, baby. Please, don't move too much, okay?" I chuckled at my own request.
I was still deep in talking to the baby when someone approached me and kissed the top of my head. It was Tay.
"Hi, babies," he whispered and played with the baby's finger.
"Babies? Can't you see I'm holding just one?"
Tay just chuckled and handed Namtan his phone.
"Okay, lovebirds, pose for the camera," she said as she aimed the phone at us.
Tay then snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me closer while his other arm supported mine.
"Okay, one, two, three, smile!"
"Next time, it's our baby you'll be holding in your arms," Tay declared and placed a soft kiss on my forehead.
***
"So, when's the wedding, Rafael?"
Everyone looked at Tay's dad.
"We're still finalizing the preparations, Uncle."
Tay's father nodded and continued eating.
I glanced at Tay who was happily eating his food.
Tay and I haven't talked about our wedding despite being engaged for months.
"I'm glad that you're finally settling with Namtan. You've been pursuing her since you were just kids," Tay's mom added, earning a laugh from Rafael.
"Yeah, but she was just so in love with Tay," Rafael chuckled.
"Hey, is it my fault that I'm this handsome?"
I swallowed hard and thickly and pretended to be busy with my food.
"Tch. I guess my standards were just so low back then," Namtan muttered with her eyes glaring at Tay.
"Psh, as if I'd be bothered by that. And besides..."
I flinched when Tay grabbed my hand out of nowhere and placed it against his chest.
"I already have the love of my life here with me, so I couldn't be bothered by anyone's words."
I hid a smile as Tay softly kissed the back of my hand. His eyes fixed on mine as he held it even tighter.
"I didn't know you have this side of you," Rafael joked to which Tay replied with a silly face.
"I know. I guess you do things you don't normally do when you're in love. Right, love?"
I could feel my cheeks flushing as Tay beamed at me and held my hand tighter.
"Ugh! Can you all stop? You're making my skin crawl!"
Everyone turned to look at Nannon who was grimacing at Tay. "Yuck!"
Everyone at the table laughed at Nannon's reaction.
"Tch. Wait until you fall in love, you idiot."
***
I hugged myself tighter as the cold wind touched my skin. Everyone was still inside the house, drinking wine as they talked about something, probably about Rafael and Namtan's wedding.
I decided to go outside and breathe some air as for some reason, I felt suffocated.
I was still deep in my thoughts when someone stood by my side and handed me a glass of wine.
"S-sir? Th-thank you," I said nervously as I got the glass from him.
"I've never seen my son this happy."
I stilled at his statement.
"Back in the US, I saw his grief. I saw how he was affected with the decision he had to do because of me. I was blinded with rage back then. I didn't want him to become someone who turns his back on his responsibility just because of love. I wanted him to take responsibility for what he did."
He paused.
"But I failed to listen and to believe my son. I didn't listen when he stated his side. I didn't believe him when he was actually telling the truth."
I didn't say a thing and just took a sip of the wine. My hand was shaking but I tried not to show him how nervous I was.
"He's been through so much. I saw him worked so hard just to save our company to the point that he sacrificed a lot of things, including the person he loves the most...you."
I heaved a deep breath as I continued listening to him. My chest felt heavy but at the same time, I was glad that I got to talk to him.
"I'm sorry, New for unintentionally taking my son away from you."
That startled me.
"No, Sir! I-I mean, you don't have anything to apologize. I, I know that you just did what you thought was right."
"No. It was never right, New. I should have listened when Tay stated his side."
"Still, I don't think you have to apologize for that, Sir. What happened may have hurt us but it only proved how much we love each other. He came back to me, Sir. That is all that matters. He came home to me."
"Thank you, New, for accepting my son again, and for making him this happy."
"Your son makes me happy, too, Sir," I said with a genuine smile on my face.
Silence ensued. We just stood there, calmly sipping our wine while looking at the stars in the sky. The chatters inside the house never ceased and I could even hear the relatives giggling over the baby as he made inaudible sounds.
"It's just that we have to fix one thing, New."
The sudden shift in his tone made me nervous again. I tried recalling what I said to him but I couldn't remember saying anything that could have offended him.
"Until when are you going to call me Sir? My ears twitch every time you say that word."
I froze on the spot as I tried to comprehend what he just said.
"I-I, I'm sorry. I won't call you that way again," I heaved a deep breath to calm myself before letting out a wide smile, "Dad."
"Much better. Come on. Let's get back inside. Tay's searching for you already."
We both chuckled as we listened to Tay's voice which reverberated in the entire house.
I let out a wide smile as I faced him. "Thank you, dad."
"Come here."
I tried not to shed a tear as he spread his arms, inviting me for a hug.
"Just be happy, you two. We're just here for you. You can always come to us if you need anything."
I slowly nodded my head as I buried my face on his chest. "Thanks, dad."
"Come on before my son sees us. You know how possessive that man can be. He just gets jealous of everyone," he chuckled as he let go of me and started heading towards the house.
"Love! Where have you been?? I've been looking for you," Tay whined but eventually furrowed his brows when he spotted his dad standing beside me. "Daaaad! What did you say to New?"
His father's eyes widened in disbelief at the subtle accusation his son just did.
"Psh, just advised him to thoroughly think about his decision of being with you. You know, he might change his mind," he chuckled before raising his glass and walking towards the others who were still huddled around the baby, "Best of luck, sons."
"Dad! What did you just do?? Love, what did he say to you?"
"Try to guess," I giggled before approaching the others.
"Looovve," Tay continued whining as he tailed me.
I just giggled even more when he started pouting his lips and frowned at me.
"He said you love me so much you're willing to give all your properties to me," I whispered using a serious tone.
"Wait! How did he know I already transferred some of my properties to you??"
I froze.
"What?? Are you serious?"
"Well, some of them are gonna be conjugal when we get married but I transferred some of my land properties under your name."
"I was just kidding earlier! Why didn't you tell me about it?? I didn't ask you to do that!"
"Uh, dowry?" he grinned before signaling a peace sign.
"Ugh, geez, Tawan!"
"Remember our agreement. We should not end th—"
"Oh, to hell with that agreement. Come here. You better explain everything."
"Love, I mean, they're gonna be yours anyway."
"But you should have talked to me about it. They're your properties for Pete's sake! Why would you even do that?"
"Uh, because I love you?"
"This won't do. Come here."
But Tay had already made his way to the stairs while constantly explaining his side. I followed him in utter frustration.
"Shall we talk about this inside my room?" he grinned.
It was then that I realized that we were already standing in front of his room.
Ugh! He had everything planned.
"Tay Tawan!"
***
Belated happy birthday, Newwiee! 💙🥰
And of course, here's a screenshot of the photo Tay Tawan posted himself. Attaboy!