"Dad said it might be a bit dusty all over. We have someone who takes care of the place regularly, but none of us has actually used it for at least four years." Kongpob explains as they walk the pebbled alley up to his family's vacation house in Hua Hin.
The white villa stands tall on top of a hill and it's surrounded by a luxurious garden. Tall palm trees frame and give shade to a pool filled with water as blue as the skies above. Arthit can't wait to sit in one of the lounge chairs and doze off as the breeze caresses his cheeks.
Once inside, Kongpob guides him upstairs. The master bedroom looks like the suite room of a five star resort hotel, as Arthit has only seen on TV before, with the bed as comfy as he expected and the satin sheets soft to the touch.
"Wow ..." is all he can utter.
"P'Arthit, let's go for a swim in the pool."
"Just gimme a second." Arthit says, stretching his body and rolling over, enjoying the cool, silky texture of the covers.
By the time he finally decides to get out of bed, his boyfriend has changed into a pair of swimming trunks and thrown a thin shirt on, leaving it unbuttoned. Arthit can't help stealing a few glances at his toned torso, while Kong is busy unpacking some more stuff from his suitcase.
"Do you wanna go in town, later on?"
"Are you going dressed like this?" Arthit blurts out, earning a surprised look from the other. "Um, I mean ..."
"I might change, but what's wrong with this outfit?"
"Never mind ..."
After playing in the water for a while, they lay in the chairs at the edge of the pool and allow their skin and hair to dry. Arthit is positive he could fall asleep right away. Unfortunately, the Nong has other plans: Arthit yelps in surprise when Kongpob pulls him by the waist straight into his lap. The older one squirms in the strong hold for a few moments but soon gives in. He rests his head on the other's shoulder and runs his fingers up and down his arm.
"I'm so happy you agreed to spend the weekend here with me." Kongpob speaks, breaking the silence.
As a response, Arthit nudges his shoulder with the nose and snuggles up even closer.
"Me, too. I wish we could stay like this forever."
The junior looks down at him and lifts his chin to place a kiss on his lips.
"P'Arthit, if you don't stop being so sweet, I might not be able to hold back any longer. I am trying to save my energy for tonight." Kong whispers against his mouth.
Arthit, cheeks on fire, pushes him away and stands up.
"We ... we should um ... go into town now. Yeah ... let's ... let's go." he stutters.
Out the villa's gates and strolling down the street, Arthit is in the midst of deciding whether he should hold his lover's hand but he gives up on the idea all together when someone calls out the junior's name.
"Ai'Kong!"
The couple turns to see a girl, around Kongpob's age, waving at him.
"It's really you!" she continues, walking towards them and opening her arms to bring the still dumbfounded boy into a hug.
"Fai, long time no see." Kongpob says, pushing her away gently. He looks over at his senior, who is watching them with a blank face.
"What brings you here? Are you alone or is your family with you?"
"No, I'm here with my bo-"
"Hi, nice to meet you. I am Arthit, his senior from back in uni." Arthit interrupts, stepping in.
Fai greets him shyly. She tries to smile but she feels rather uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze.
"So ... you guys are here ... together? Just the two of you?" she inquires in a small voice that is mostly meant for Kong's ears to hear.
"We were just heading into town, we wanna check out the market."
"What a coincidence! Me, too! Then can I go with you? We can catch up on the way." she says, holding onto Kongpob's arm and urging him onwards. Arthit follows, a few steps behind, hands in the pockets of his shorts.
It's not a surprise to see the streets swarming with tourists and locals likewise, it's a Saturday afternoon after all. The market is busy, too, with sellers screaming their lungs out to attract buyers and clients trying to bargain for a cheaper price. The air is filled with all sorts of smells, one more appetizing than the other and Arthit feels his stomach grumble.
He keeps a small distance from the other two, even though Kong would prefer if he walked beside him instead. Fai gives Kongpob advice on what is worth buying, while Kong, being the gentleman that he is, offers to hold her shopping bags. The senior can't shake off the feeling he's third wheeling a newly wed couple.
"Have you been working out?" she asks, touching her friend's upper arm. "You look so much stronger."
"I do like to hit the gym whenever I have time. I want to stay fit."
"Oh, I get it. You want to look good for your girlfriend. Or, wait, your wife? Did you already tie the knot?"she inquires, pointing at the ring on his finger.
"Not yet married, but hopefully soon." he replies with a short laugh.
"She is such a lucky girl. If she were here with you now, I would tell her, though I'm sure she knows."
Kongpob opens his mouth to say something, but Arthit cuts him off again.
"I feel like eating some fresh fruit. What do you recommend, Nong Fai?"
"Oh, if it's fruit you want, I know the best place in this entire market."
She meanders through the people and the stalls with such confidence that Arthit is quite impressed, despite not being particularly fond of her. He has no idea how they reach the opposite side of the busy market in just a matter of seconds.
"Ai'Pete! Ai'Chai!" she yells at two guys who have their backs turned at them, busy unpacking some fruit.
"Hey, Fai. What's up?" one of the young men says.
When the other recognizes his friend, he puts down the crate he's been holding and wipes his dirty hands onto his apron a few times before he goes in for a hug.
"Kong, it's been so long since I last saw you. What a pleasant surprise. And look at you, you're as buff as me now, what happened?" he laughs.
"Chai, Pete, nice to see you, too."
"Guys, how about we all go out for dinner tonight, reminisce the good old times?" Fai suggests all of a sudden and Kong's childhood friends agree.
Arthit pretends to be fascinated by the large variety of fruits and vegetables on display, even if he's actually all ears at their conversation. He stubbornly avoids eye contact with his boyfriend.
"I'm not here alone and I've already made plans ..." the junior answers.
"I wouldn't mind if you also brought your girlfriend along but I suppose you're not ready to introduce her to us." Fai muses.
"What? Why? Afraid one of us handsome boys will steal her from you?" Chai mocks.
"No, I just ... Actually, guys, my lover is ..."
"Kongpob, you should go with your friends." Arthit speaks.
"But, P'Arthit ..."
"Go have fun. See you later."
Before Kongpob can reply, his boyfriend walks away and disappears into the crowd, while the other three exchange confused looks behind his back.
"Um, so ... your ... friend over there ... who ... ?" Pete starts, but Fai stops him with a short shake of the head.
❈❈❈
Kongpob returns in the evening to find Arthit on the balcony, staring into the horizon, lost in thought.
"P'Arthit ..." the junior says, touching his shoulder.
"This is quite the view." Arthit speaks.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gone with my friends and leave you alone."
"Nonsense. You haven't seen them in years, you must've missed hanging out with them. You see me everyday."
"Yes, but you are way more important to me than they are." Kongpob retorts.
Arthit rolls his eyes and lets out a deep breath; he goes back inside to sit on the bed. The younger man fists his hands tightly to his sides and remains glued into place for a few seconds. He won't have the conversation end like this, even with the risk of upsetting his lover. So he walks into the bedroom and stands in front of his P'.
"P'Arthit, why didn't you let me tell my friends about us? And don't think I didn't see you take off the ring before any of them would notice we are wearing matching ones."
Arthit bites his lips. Oh, right! He touches the pocket of his shorts and is relieved to feel the shape of the ring through the fabric, an indication it's still there and he hasn't accidentally dropped it on his way home.
"I'm tired, can't we talk about it some other time?"
"They are my childhood friends, they would totally understand and accept it. Why are you still so reluctant to let people know ... ?"
"If our families and closest friends are okay with our relationship, it doesn't mean everyone would be. I didn't want them to hate you or be disappointed in you for ... dating another guy."
"I thought we were over this already. Why can't you stop caring so much about other people's opinions!?"
"It's not like I'm not trying. It's just ... "
"Try harder!" Kong begs.
The mattress dips with the junior's weight when he sits next to his lover.
"This was supposed to be a fun and relaxing weekend, it was supposed to be just you and me ..."
"Forget it. By the way, P'Earth called and asked if I can go to work tomorrow, they need help." Arthit interrupts, coldly.
"What? But it's Sunday! And didn't you tell her you are out of town?"
"Kongpob, don't be ridiculous! If she can sacrifice her day off for urgent work related matters, then so can I."
Kongpob has his lips set in a thin line, eyes shining with a mixture of conflicting feelings. His senior can't stand to look at him.
"What's the big deal if we leave a day earlier? I bet you actually brought me here only to have your way with me ... I remember what you said earlier, about wanting to save your energy for tonight ..." Arthit blurts out.
"How ... how can you say that? I ..." Kongpob's voice cracks.
"Are you going to deny it?"
The junior lowers his head and lets out a sudden, strangled laugh that startles his lover. Without giving a second thought, he lunges forward, pushing Arthit flat onto the bed. He smashes their mouths together and it hurts when the thin skin of their lips is trapped in between their teeth. As Kong pries open his senior's mouth with his tongue, Arthit digs his nails into his shoulders, trying to push him off.
"Kong ... pob ... !!"
The younger one refuses to let him speak, doesn't want to hear whatever else he has to say, so he continues to force kiss upon kiss onto the man pinned under him.
"St-stop ... Kong ..." Arthit manages to utter when his boyfriend finally moves his teeth and tongue to bite and lick at his neck.
Waves of panic wash over Arthit, as Kongpob's hand slithers inside his shorts to grab him roughly.
"No, stop! What's ... ah! ... what's wrong with you!?"
"What's wrong? Why are you acting so surprised? You said all I ever think about is f**king you, that's all I want from you, right?" Kongpob growls, about to go in for another kiss.
He is thrown off balance by Arthit's unexpected punch.
Breathing heavily, he stares at his boyfriend while cupping his aching jaw. He watches Arthit try to button his own shirt but give up midway when he finds some buttons have been ripped off. Then realization hits Kongpob hard, as though he's finally awoken from his trance.
"P'Arthit, I'm sorry! Please, hear me out, I ..."
"I'm leaving!" Arthit cuts him off and rushes out before his junior can say or do anything else.
A/N: You are probably going to hate me for writing this chapter. It was supposed to be all fluff but I don't know why it ended up this way. 😓