Gulf felt his breath hitch as Bright's proximity intensified. The air crackled with tension between them, and Gulf's heart raced in his chest. He met Bright's intense gaze.
"You... You're not here for the boy?" Gulf's voice came out as a whisper, his confusion evident.
Bright's voice lowered, his eyes locked with Gulf's. "No, if I was here for the boy, I would have left the moment Dew told me where the boy lives."
Gulf gulped. He didn't know what to say. It felt as if his words were caught in his throat.
"Don't you wonder why I am here?" Bright said, leaning closer. Bright's desire to be as close as possible to the man grew stronger, and he had never felt this way before.
"I..." Gulf was cut off by Bright's sudden action of pulling him closer.
"It's you why I'm here," Bright confessed. Once he knows what he wants, he never backs away.
"What?" Gulf could feel his lips dry. The distance and the words coming from Bright brought feelings he never thought he would have.
"I'm here because I wanted to see you, Gulf Kanawut," Bright said, never breaking eye contact.
Gulf felt his cheek burning up. Was this a confession? Suddenly, Bright smirked and let Gulf go.
"Anyways, do you have any bread left? That bread from the other day was good," Bright said, casually sitting down on the sofa, leaving Gulf dumbfounded.
Gulf took a few minutes to process what had just happened. He stood straight.
"What was that supposed to mean?!" Gulf said, raising his voice. How could this man say something like that and then ignore it?
"I think it's pretty clear what it is," Bright said, taking a sip of his coffee.
Gulf's mouth opened wide in disbelief. The nerve of this man. He sat down in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't want to talk to him.
"You look cheerful," Bright commented, amazed by how cute Gulf looked.
"Sorry, I don't talk to strangers. Besides, all I know about you is your name," Gulf said, opening his laptop. He wanted to ignore the man.
"Hmmm," Bright smirked, taking another sip of his coffee.
They were quiet for a few minutes before Bright spoke up.
"I had this one master when I was a child," Bright placed his cup on the table.
Gulf paused his motion for a moment. Why the sudden flashback?
"My father was busy with his business, so he was never present. But that master treated me like his own child. He also had a child the same age as me. We never spoke to each other, but I could never take my eyes off the boy. He was beautiful, even as a child," Bright said, standing up.
Gulf looked up.
"Why are you telling me this?" Gulf said.
Bright then walked towards Gulf and turned Gulf's chair to face him. He placed his hands on both handles of the chair, trapping Gulf.
"Until now, my motivation to live has always been that boy," Bright said.
Gulf gulped. This was dangerous.
"Why the sudden..." Gulf was cut off when Bright suddenly leaned closer.
"I've told you about my childhood. Now, we're not strangers anymore, right?" Bright smirked.
"What?" Gulf furrowed his eyebrows.
Bright smirked before moving away from Gulf.
"Next time, I want to eat bread," Bright said before leaving.
"Wait!" Gulf stood up. However, Bright had disappeared. Gulf sat down, trying to process the words.
"Does he..." Gulf said, biting his lower lip. It's impossible for Bright to still remember that.
"No... It can't be," Gulf sat down on his bed. If he remembered, things would be dangerous. He should stay away from Bright, or things would turn bad.
It had been two days, and Bright was in a good mood. Ignoring the fact that he had just killed three people earlier that day, he was feeling cheerful. It's been two days he hasn't seen Gulf and he couldn't wait to have freshly made bread.
"I wonder what his expression will be like today," Bright said to himself. He was sure that Gulf would be more conscious of him now and would naturally fall into his arms.
As usual, he went to Gulf's apartment, but to his surprise, the apartment was empty.
"Gulf?" Sensing something was wrong, Bright searched the whole apartment, but it was all empty. All of Gulf's stuff was gone.
"What's going on?" Bright said, frustration filling him as he couldn't find that man. That night, Bright went home in a somber mood.
"P... You look pale... again," Win commented. He had noticed that Gulf had been daydreaming a lot these past two days.
"Huh? I'm fine... Maybe just a bit tired," Gulf said. He was tired. He couldn't sleep well these two days. All he could think about was Bright.
"P... If you're that tired, maybe you should take a day off," Win said.
"I'm fine... really," Gulf assured Win.
A customer arrived, and they went to attend to their tasks.
"What can I get you, sir?" Win said. Gulf was looking down, waiting for the order.
"I want him," the voice said. Gulf looked up and was surprised to see Bright in front of him.
Win turned around to see whom the man was pointing at, and it was Gulf.
"P?" Win asked, worried as Gulf's face turned pale.
"Where did you go?" Bright said. The other customer turned around when he raised his voice.
Gulf was aware of its surroundings and walked towards Bright. Then, he pulled Bright to the back.
"What are you doing? People are watching us," Gulf whispered.
"You weren't in your apartment yesterday. Where were you?" Bright said.
"Where did I go is not your business. I can go wherever I want," Gulf said, avoiding Bright's eyes.
Frustrated by this action, Bright grabbed Gulf's chin.
"Look at me! Tell me where you went!" Bright said, raising his voice.
"I was avoiding you!"
TBC