"Okay, meet me outside in hour. I'll be waiting for you on the backside gate right where I left you last time."
Tine's POV
I kept checking the clock till it was finally time to leave. There was no staff in the house tonight, but that only made it difficult for me to sneak out because any movement would be easily seen on the CCTVs. Its not like the guards could stop me, but if Mil saw me, he would either want to accompany me or report directly to mom. I couldn't deal with either of those things.
So, I took out my black sweatshirt and cap and quickly peeked outside my room. Mom and dad were long gone and there were no guards inside the house. The lights were dimmed out as I made my way through the stairs and slowly walked towards the exit when someone tapped on my shoulder.
"Where do you think you are going?"
"FUCK! Where did you even come from? Are you some kind of ninja?"
"Where are you going Tine?"
"I am going out to get some fresh air"
"Okay, let me call the team. What car will you be taking?"
"NO! I am going alone Mil. Nobody will be accompanying me and I am not taking my car"
"Then how are you going out?"
"Umm. Sarawat is picking me up. I am going with him. Just a casual drive"
Mil rolled his eyes at me. "Casual drive on Christmas eve with Sarawat?"
"Mil its really not what you think. Actually—"
"No. No. No. Don't give me any details. If you tell me, I will be obligated to answer to your mom. It is not my place to know so I won't ask you anything. Just tell me how far you will be going and by when will you be back?"
"I don't know where I am going yet. I will be back in a few hours. Don't spend your night trying to track me Mil. Get some sleep. I promise I won't get into any trouble"
"Okay, but you better be back before 6 — The house staff will come back after that. Reporters will also be here for your mom's Christmas address, and someone might see you sneaking into the house."
"I know. I know. I will be back soon"
I walked towards the backsite gate and gave the security guards stationed on the gate some Christmas cookies that we had inside the house. I wasn't trying to bribe them, I just felt incredibly bad that they had to work all through Christmas night, away from their families.
When I finally stepped outside the gate, Sarawat was already leaning against his car. He was wearing a crisp white dress shirt and black pants. He probably wore a tuxedo for the party and took off his bow tie and suit on the way. He looked tired, like someone who hadn't slept for days and I instantly felt guilty for asking him to come all the way here.
"Hey, shall we go?"
That's all he said. He didn't smile. He didn't ask how I was. May be it was because we still had security guards around us and he probably didn't want to seem too friendly in front of them. So, I just went along with his rouge, hoping his mood would brighten up when we get inside the car, like last time.
"Yeah. Lets go"
Sarawat flaunted the keys in his hands, but he didn't give it to me. Instead, he walked dangerously close to me and whispered in my ears. "Don't ride it too rough. This isn't a Ferrari. Its delicate and its old"
I tried to hide my very obvious blush and took a few step backs to create some distance between us so I wouldn't be able to smell Sarawat or feel his breath on my neck.
"Just give me the keys, Sarawat. We need to leave before anyone sees" I can't believe I felt guilty for this guy, even if it was for a few seconds.
Sarawat just smirked, gave me the keys, and went to the other side to sit on the passenger seat. I took a deep breath before going inside the car, and we drove away from the Residence.
"Did you miss me while I was gone?" He was smiling at me again and I had instant regret of calling him today.
"Why would I miss you, Sarawat?"
"Well, you did call me out the day I landed back in the country. You know, there is no harm in admitting that you missed me, Tine"
"I did not miss you, Sarawat. I only missed this car and I wanted to go for a drive becasue I clear my head— which is why I called you."
"You missed this car? The car you made fun of the last time? You pointed at me and laughed at it because it was a Toyota, Tine. Is being a hypocrite a pre-requisite to become a politician? "
"HEY!" I yelled. "That was before I knew this was your mom's car and why she bought it. I honestly think she was pretty genius for getting a car like this. I don't know why I never thought about it"
Suddenly, Sarawat's mood dampened when I mentioned his mom. He didn't try to one me up with a witty comeback, instead he just looked down at his shoes. And, I felt a pang in my heart. He looks like a sad puppy. Come on Tine, say something, just anything.
"You know..I used to really like your mom growing up. Even my dad was a fan. She was really hot to be honest. Like, she could get it" Wow, is that all my stupid mouth could come up with?
"TINE! Can you please, for the love of god, not refer to my mom as hot! Its creepy and sounds very, very wrong" Sarawat put his hands on his ears and he had this crazy expression on his face like he couldn't believe what he had just heard.
"Sorry, I didn't realise I had said it out loud. But I mean, it was true" Sarawat started laughing and so did I. His same goofy smile was back and I felt so good for being the reason behind his smile.
I rolled down the car windows to feel the cool night breeze. I took a peak on the backseat, and sure enough Sarawat's blazer was lying there — he had come directly from the party.
"Were you at a Christmas party when I called?"
"My grandfather throws a Christmas part for his closest 300 friends every year and attendence for us is mandatory"
"I am sorry for calling you and dragging you out tonight. Honestly, I didn't think you would come—"
"You can drag me anywhere you want, Tine"
I was too overwhelmed with Sarawat's words. I didn't have courage to ask him if he meant what he said, so I took a quick turn on the road and pretended to focus on driving. But my pretend driving with no sense of direction lead us to a busy road full of people that were busy celebrating Christmas.
"Dammit. Sarawat keep your head down." I adjusted by hat slightly so I wouldn't get noticed.
"Take the next right and then the second left, we'll be on the highway exit"
"You sure?"
"Yes. Now hit the accelerator before anyone sees us"
I took the road Sarawat suggested and sure enough, we were finally on the highway. The breeze got stronger and I could finally feel the fresh air as we got further away from the city. I looked on my side, towards Sarawat, who was looking out of his window and seemed tired. I should have driven back. I should have asked Sarawat to go back home. I shouldn't have asked for more of his time. We hardly knew each other and I was probably imposing on him.
But here's the thing — I was Tine Teepakorn, the Prime Minister's son and I never let go of things that make me happy. For now, being with Sarawat made me happy and I didn't want to go home just yet. Now, I just had to convince him to stay with me.
"Hey Sarawat?"
"I want to drive to this place I always go at nights, but its a one hour drive from here. Do you want to come with me? If you are tired, we can go back."
Sarawat squinted his eye. "We are already on the highway. You have already decided you want to go there and you obviously have no plans for turning back. So, let's just go"
I chuckled. He honestly saw through me this time. "If you said no, I was planning to take you there against your will"
"So, you wanted to kidnap me? Sounds pretty kinky. But if you are into it, I don't really mind.
Take me to your secret night place, Tine"
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A/N: I love writing this story so much. The conversations flow so smoothly, I don't even realise how soon I finish writing the chapters. I know Sarawat's seems pretty forward right now, but just wait for a few more chapters for Tine to really embrace his true self, he going chase Sarawat till the ends of the Earth and it will be really 🔥🔥🔥