A/N : Sorry for not updating yesterday 😭 I was a little busy and I didn't have time to sit down and write 🥺 Hope y'all forgive me with this update!
Anyways, just wanna say that I may not be updating this daily now due to my busy schedule and also starting the MacauChayKim side story! I'll definitely still actively upload though, just depends on which story 🥰 So make sure you add both books into your library!
See you guys tomorrow ❤️
- 12 -
Conflicting Confessions
PETE'S POV
Everything became a blur after what Vegas said. All that was replaying in my head was that sentence.
"Come back tomorrow. You'll help me in the shower until I can walk again."
How can I handle that for the next few weeks?
What if his injury doesn't heal for months?!
Which brings me back to wondering what injury was that. I caught many glimpses of it when I was taking off his pants. It looked very deep.
I didn't even notice P'Zee who was standing guard outside of Vegas's room until he grabbed my arm as I walked out.
"Aowh, Pete!"
I pulled the breaks on myself and stumbled a little backwards.
"P'Zee, you're here," I stood there, clothes and my bangs slightly wet as I still had the towel in my hand.
I could tell my face was red, because even being in the air-conditioned room, I felt heat everywhere on my body.
P'Zee locked eyes with me, his hand not letting go.
"What happened to you? Your clothes and your hair... it's wet."
He's worried again.
And I can't tell him about what happened. P'Nop told me Vegas's condition was a secret.
I sighed and for the first time, I lied to P'Zee, "It's nothing Phi, I'll see you later when your shift ends!"
And with that, I got out of his grip and dashed through the hallway, ignoring any possibility for him to say what he wanted to say next.
VEGAS'S POV
"How much longer do I have to stay in here?" I was beginning to whine. Though these past few weeks I've gotten to sit down and truly plot my revenge, everything else was difficult for me.
"Long enough for the public not to suspect your injury has anything to do with your parents, Vegas," Uncle Korn said as he took a sip of his coffee, sitting across from me at the coffee table in my room.
I sighed.
"Nop will spread the news that you hit the edge of a sharp table in your room in a week and injured your thigh because it cut into your skin deep, then you'll be able to show yourself in front of others afterwards."
Excuse me?
A person like me?
Careless enough to hit the edge of a table and injure my thigh??
What am I, five years old?
"Uncle, does that even sound believable to you?"
"We can say it was the middle of the night and you couldn't find your way to the bathroom."
Oh great. That's just worse now.
I rolled my eyes at what Uncle Korn said and took a huge gulp of my thankfully not scorching hot tea in frustration.
"Well, do you wanna get out of this room earlier or do you not wanna use the fake story of your injury? You choose. It may only be just a few months more in this room. It doesn't bother me that much," Uncle was using his words again to provoke me.
And it worked.
"Fine," I clenched my jaw, "I hit the sharp edge of the table in the middle of the night and it cut into my skin deep."
"Good, join us for lunch and dinner again starting next week," Uncle smiled victoriously.
And with that, he left the room, leaving Nop with me.
The polite smile on my face dropped and I lifted a finger, signaling Nop to come close.
"What did you find about the Ponpiboon Family's recent business plans?"
"They've been looking into investing on areas of the Enslaves to open up new cities that'll be directly linked to the center of Bangkok through underground speed trains."
"And how are they planning to fund the project alone?"
"They've decided on using the Enslaves from the areas as hard labor workers, this'll down the cost to a minimum and allow them to spend their budget on other aspects."
Of course they are.
"They're smart." I smirked, "Report this to Kinn and tell him I'm interested in the project."
"Khap, Khun Vegas." Nop nodded and as he was about to go back to his guarding post, I stopped him, suddenly remembering something else I wanted.
"You may focus fully on helping me with this issue and follow my orders. Since I'm not able to go outside for the time being, I'll need you to run the errands for me."
And then I got to the point, "That bodyguard — Pete. Let him serve me personally starting tomorrow."
PETE'S POV
I was just about to leave the room when the door opened, revealing P'Zee who had just gotten off his shift.
We usually could only talk to each other during the small intersection between the changes in day shift and night shift.
P'Zee looked like he wasn't too pleased when I walked out of Vegas's room last night.
I smiled at P'Zee, in an attempt to lighten up the mood and when I was just about to greet him, he beat me to it by asking, "Did he hurt you?"
"Ha?"
"Vegas. Did he hurt you?"
P'Zee was frowning. He had that look on his face again. The one where he looked like he was blaming himself for whatever reason, the one where he looked like he was frustrated.
"Of course not, Phi! Don't worry about it, he wouldn't. P'Nop had an errand to run so he assigned me temporarily take his place guarding Vegas on the inside."
He let out a deep breath and ran his fingers through his half-messy hair, looking like he had been at war, "Thank God. I was so worried about you, Pete. I don't know what I'd do if he actually did something to you."
I shook my head and smiled. There he goes again, worrying about me.
P'Zee really is good to me.
I grabbed P'Zee's towel from the hanger and handed it to him, "I didn't do anything wrong so don't worry, Khun Vegas won't do anything to me. And you should take a shower and go to bed, you look really sleep deprived."
P'Zee smiled warmly and hummed in response, accepting the towel.
There was a short silence between us and I took a peak at the clock on the wall.
I still have half an hour before my shift starts. Maybe I can stop by the cafeteria to grab a-
"Pete," P'Zee snapped me out of my thoughts, "Remember when I said there was something I wanted to tell you when we pass the bodyguard exams?"
Of course I remember. I have been itching to know about it for the past few weeks but we were on different shifts so we barely even met.
But I didn't say that out loud.
I just hummed in agreement.
P'Zee took a step closer to me, entering my personal space as he locked eyes with me. He looked serious. It was only when we were this up close and personal when I began to notice his dark circles. Something he didn't have when we first met on that plane.
He must've been so exhausted to have gotten the night shift.
I wish I could help.
I wanted to say something about it but I didn't. Because the next thing he did made my body stiff.
P'Zee laid his chin on my left shoulder and wrapped his arms around me.
What's going on?
Maybe he's exhausted.
"Pete," he was speaking softly but I could hear him clearly from my right ear, "I think..."
I still didn't know what to do, or what was happening, or where the conversation was heading to until he said...
"I think I like you."
As friends, right?
Excuses were beginning to form inside my mind. I didn't know why this all was making me feel confused and scared.
Why am I scared?
I smiled from common reflex, "Err, I like you too, Phi! You're a really good Phi."
To give him assurance, I moved my hands up to his back and gave him a firm pat.
"It's not like that, Pete... I know you may not be... I mean I... I don't even know if you like men... but I know that I like you... in a romantic kinda way."
What?
P'Zee likes me?
But why?
How?
I don't know how to react.
P'Zee pulled away from the hug first but he kept both his hands holding my arms, his eyes not allowing me to escape from his as he showed a look of anticipation.
But I knew whatever he was anticipating wasn't going to come because I knew I didn't feel the same way.
Because I didn't feel happy to find out.
I was just scared of losing him once he knew I didn't feel the same way about him.
But I didn't wanna lie to him either.
I knew I shouldn't.
It would only hurt him more.
"Phi... I don't think I like you that way."
P'Zee finally let go of me, his hands slipping down my arms slowly as he returned them to his sides.
I couldn't tell what was going to happen next but I was extremely nervous.
All I felt was fear of losing him as an older brother.
What if he says he doesn't wanna see me anymore?
What if-
"That's okay, Pete. I understand."
He does?
I looked at him, trying my hardest to read his expression.
But I couldn't tell what he was thinking of right then and there.
I couldn't tell if he was angry.
Or sad.
Or actually fine with it.
Just when I was about to apologize, P'Zee said, "I'm gonna head to the shower room now. Good luck at work."
And with that, I was left alone in the room with my thoughts.
The rest of the walk to my guarding post consisted of me, trying to form words to explain things to P'Zee. He deserved to know how I felt.
Maybe when I end my shift and I see him, I could tell him something like...
"I'm so sorry, Phi, but I really appreciate you. You're the only person here who's been this nice to me and without you, I know I wouldn't even be alive right now. So I really really really am so grateful to have you, Phi. I don't wanna lose you and I hope that we can still be great friends."
Yes. I meant every word of that and I think P'Zee will definitely understand and hopefully this makes him feel better.
That seems good enough, I'll tell him when we meet!
But since that morning, we have not met one another.
It was like P'Zee was avoiding me. When I got back to our room, he was already no where to be found and when I wanted to leave for work, he would not yet be back.
Or maybe it's also because my guarding schedule had been changed and it became even harder for us to meet.
Strangely after that day in the shower with Vegas, my schedule had been updated to look after Vegas in his room from 7am to 7pm, which was basically my work time for a day.
I didn't know if it was P'Nop that changed it personally, because I was the only one besides him that knew about Vegas's actual injury. P'Nop updated me that it was a gunshot wound and no further questions should be asked on how he got it.
But I had my own suspicions that it had something to do with Khun Achara's death.
Everything seemed too suspicious.
But regardless, it was my job not to ask any questions and just keep my mouth shut.
"Would you like to take your painkillers too after meal, Khun Vegas?" I was standing a safe distance from Vegas as he sat having breakfast in bed.
Vegas took a bite of his omelette, chewed it and swallowed, "No need. It doesn't hurt much anymore."
I nodded in response and excused myself to pour him a glass of water and prepare his medications.
P'Nop had briefed me on everything I needed to know about Vegas and his current condition.
Besides the medicine and his work schedules, I also had to note down some of his habits like how he's a complete neat freak, how he doesn't like lights shining through his windows before 3PM so the curtains should be drawn, how he prefers tea over coffee and how he doesn't like others touching his books...
And also obviously, that he doesn't like to be questioned.
Which is why, though I was constantly asking myself why Vegas doesn't want to wash and dry his own hair with his own perfectly functioning hands, I would never ask this out loud.
Vegas swallowed down the pills like a good boy and then handed me the glass of water he had taken a few sips of.
"Get me my shirt and help me get changed," Vegas ordered and I nodded, immediately grabbing the shirt that I had already prepared for him from the drawer after knowing all of his habits.
When I turned around to look, he had already taken off his robe, the top half of his body was once again exposed and I am still wondering why the hell my heart skips a beat whenever he shows some skin.
It has been days, Pete, you should be used to it by now!!!
Locking my eyes on the ground to prevent myself for feeling as though I've seen something I wasn't supposed to, I handed him the shirt and took the robe from him that had become warm to the touch due to his body heat.
"Sweatpants."
And just like all the days before today, Vegas sat at the corner of the bed as I crouched down before him, half kneeling on the floor with shaking hands again, helping him put on his sweatpants.
It was just the beginning of the day, but I was already sweating from the pace of my heart rate.
- END of CHAPTER 12 -
So, Zee confessed his true feelings for Pete 🥺 But I guess love doesn't always go both ways, right?
Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter ❤️
Tell me in the comments below if you ship ZeePete 🤭
love,
Skyes.