[Hello... Mmm, better not say.]
"You idiot, what's wrong with you?"
[You're not back yet, Duang?! I'm serious, why are you staying there for a whole week? What's so great about Chiang Mai? Just admit it already!]
"Oh, I forgot to send you a picture of Phi Prince. Here, check Line—I sent frFQ2it to everyone. I brought my camera, so I took a bunch of photos for them to post on IG."
[Who's Phi Prince again? I forgot. There are too many people. There are like six people on this trip, right?]
"Yeah, Phi Prince is Phi Khua Fah's boyfriend, Qin's relative. Phi Khua Fah is Phi Dao Nuea 's older brother."
[Hold on, I'm putting my AirPods in... holy shit.]
Duang chuckled softly as the read receipt popped up on Line, and right after that, Jetana started screaming incoherently upon seeing the pictures of Phi Prince , Phi Khua Fah, Phi Kluen, and Phi Dao Nuea in that order.
[I'm leaving right now. I'm gonna run myself to the airport.]
"Calm down, dude."
[Jetana never backs down. I'm meeting you in Chiang Mai.]"You just wanna come after seeing their faces, huh?"
[Let me ask you seriously, Duang. Are people like this even real? They're so hot, and they're all couples?! Just thinking about it is too much. I'm dying.]
"You're so gross, idiot."
[When are you coming back? I wanna go see the lights at Central World.]
"I'll come back when you get a girlfriend."
[You bastard. Just move your house registration there already. You're never coming back to Nakhon Pathom again.]
Jetana kept grumbling, complaining that everyone needed to stop pressuring him about getting a girlfriend. If it were meant to happen, it would. but it probably wouldn't.
Why, you ask?
[I'm a warrior, not a lover.]
"I'm a warrior, not a lover."
[How did you know I was gonna say that?!]
"Who wouldn't know? You say it all the time."
"Duang, Phi Prince asked me to call you. Come try the ribs he marinated."
[Khun Qin!!!]
"I heard Jetana. You're talking to him?" Qin asked, hearing Jetana's voice loud and clear through the phone. No doubt the guy was yelling as usual.
[Duang, let me talk to Khun Qin! Please, please!]
"No way."
"Give it to me."
Duang clenched his fists. He wasn't scared of his boyfriend. he just handed the phone over immediately.
Heh...
"What's up, Jetana?"
[Waaah, I miss you so much!]
"Really? ...Where are you? Bangkok or Nakhon Pathom?"
[I'm always in your heart.]
"Seriously?"
At that point, Duang completely lost track of the conversation because they started spitting English back and forth like a firestorm. Just like when Qin talked to Phi Prince . As mentioned before, Qin's parents had studied abroad and had always tried to speak English with him since he was a kid, so he grew up fully bilingual. His boyfriend really was raised well.
"Duang, try this for me."
"Sure. whoa, it smells amazing."
"I'm not confident in the taste, though."
Duang stood there, tasting the marinated ribs made by the household's master chef. They seriously took care of everything. Now he truly believed they were loaded—who even owns this many houses? Some propertieswere just for growing flowers, raising horses, or having riverside picnics for fun.
Please...
I'm begging you...
"It's delicious, Phi. Seriously the best I've ever had."
"Phew, I was worried the kids wouldn't like it."
"It's honestly the best I've ever eaten."
Duang complimented with a smile, and Phi Prince beamed back.
"Qin, Duang said it's delicious. Aren't I amazing?"
"You're amazing, Phi."
"Now, can you go find Kluen and Nuea for me? They're probably by the pool."
"What about Phi Khua Fah?"
"I'll go wake him up myself. He's probably napping upstairs."
Duang and Qin nodded as Phi Prince headed upstairs to get his boyfriend. Duang pulled Qin into a hug when he handed the phone back. Suddenly, he just wanted to hold him tight.
"What's with the clinginess, hmm?"
"No, I just want to hug you."
"We hugged all night last night."
"It's never enough with you."
"Mmm... I miss Fluffy."
"Same here. No matter how much we FaceTime, it's not the same as getting to sniff like this."
The tall guy pressed his nose against the other's cheek and held it there. Qin didn't pull away since there was no one around. Honestly, after that day when he got all clingy because he was sleepy, he hadn't done anything too bold in front of the others again.
He admitted it, he was shy. Not like Phi Fah and Phi Prince, who are sneaking kisses everywhere.
"Let's go find the others."
"Okay."
"Wanna go for a drive today?" Qin asked as they walked toward the swimming pool. Prince's house was pretty big. At first, even he was confused—so many rooms everywhere.
"Sure! Duang wants to go somewhere more local."
"Then let's take the motorbike. I saw the housekeeper has one."
"Duang can't drive, though. What do we do?"
"I wasn't gonna make you drive. I'll take you instead."
"I'm gonna hold on tight to your waist, okay?" Duang said cheerfully.
"I'm begging you."
Qin laughed softly, following behind Duang, who was being a tease all the way to the pool. When they arrived, Dao Nuea and Kab Kluen were there, heads down doing something until they almost dunked themselves in the water.
"Nongggg."
"What are you guys doing? Phi Prince asked me to call you for lunch."
"Playing 'Where's Waldo?' Remember, Qin? We used to play it when we were kids."
"The one where you find the guy with glasses?"
"Yeah! Come join us. Prince won't come down anytime soon if he has to wake Phi Fah."
Dao Nuea scrunched his nose, thinking about his troublemaker of a brother. He definitely won't let him come down easily.
"Phi Kluen, you okay? You seem out of it."
"A little. Dao made me play. My eyes hurt from all the searching. It keeps getting harder."
Duang laughed because Kluen really did look tired but was still humoring his boyfriend anyway. The four of them sat huddled together by the pool, agreeing that the loserwould have to wake up early to cook breakfast for everyone tomorrow.
"I really can't find him. Kluen, did you?"
"Not yet. But I'll definitely find him before Dao."
"Wow, that's some trash talk."
"Phi, I think I found him."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously. I have eagle eyes."
Duang was giving it his all. No way was he letting Qin wake up early to cook. Besides, he was pretty good at these 'spot the difference' or 'find the hidden object' games. Every time he played with Hia Nan, he never lost.
"Here he is, Phi."
"Whoa! You're right!"
"Good job." Qin smiled softly and tugged gently on his boyfriend's ear in praise.Dao Nuea, who was desperate to win, flipped to the next page with a determined face. It really did keep getting harder. The images became so detailed that finding the man in glasses and a red hat was almost impossible.
"Found him."
"Whoa! Kluen, are you gonna lose to the kids?"
"Three out of four. Chill." Kab Kluen wrapped his arm around his boyfriend's waist to keep him sitting properly. When Dao Nuea got too excited, his hands and feet would be all over the place. One wrong move and he'd be falling into the pool.
To be fair, Kluen had been playing with Dao Nuea for hours before the others joined, and his eyes were already strained.
"Duang, cut us some slack, will you?"
"No way, Phi. My boyfriend doesn't like waking up early."
"He's doing it for love." Dao Nuea teased.
"Of course. Plus, I want to try the breakfast you guys make."
"Kluen's a good cook, really."
"Then I'm definitely winning because... I found him. End game." Duang clicked his tongue and pointed at Waldo triumphantly.
"Whaaaat!?"
"Heehee."
Kab Kluen chuckled softly and shook his head. Sharp eyes, no doubt. But honestly, the reason was cute, he just didn't want his boyfriend to wake up early. If anything, Kluen wanted to lose so that Dao Nuea would finally get up early for once. That guy had been sleeping in all week. So stubborn.
"Let's go eat the ribs. It'll comfort the losers."
"Phi, I'm counting on you."
"What? What!?"
"Tomorrow's breakfast."
"Kluen, let's go buy ingredients this evening. Come on, I'm not gonna lose. Master Chef Dao Nuea~"
Duang smiled to himself as he listened to Dao Nuea babbling while holding onto his boyfriend's arm. The four of them walked to the dining table but didn't see the person who had been so eager to marinate and roast the ribs.
"Phi Fah's at it again!"
"Don't bother them. Let's eat first. Prince will probably take a while."
"This early in the day, Phi?"
"Something like that. It's Phi Fah, after all,"
Kab Kluen replied to Duang, who still seemed not quite used to that scandalous couple. It would probably take a while because things could get even more obscene.
"Sigh... Let's eat, Nong Qin. I'll feed you, okay?"
"..."
"Ahh~"
And it seemed like Duang still wasn't used to seeing his boyfriend being treated like a five-year-old by someone older who acted like a three-year-old. LOL.
__________
"You're heavy."
"Can you handle it? If I knew we'd tip over like this, I'd have just taken the car,"
Duang pointed toward the luxury cars parked in the garage. But Qin shook his head and said he could handle it. Duang trusted him but still reminded Qin to drive slowly. The cool breeze brushing against their faces and flowing past them felt different from their usual outings—it was better. Duang smiled widely, watching Qin focus as he rode. Qin said he'd take him to Ang Kaew and find something delicious to eat around the university.
Actually, Duang once wanted to study fine arts here, but somehow, he ended up in Nakhon Pathom instead. Oh, he just remembered why and couldn't help but smile—because of Qin, of course.
"Did you know? I once wanted to study fine arts here."
"Why didn't you? Didn't pass the exam?"
"I remember my score was enough, but you weren't here, so I didn't come."
"Hopeless romantic," Qin laughed, teasing Duang with a phrase he often used. Talking like this today, Qin felt that sooner or later, something between them might change.
[Qin]
'What's up?'
[What's the difference between liking and being fond of someone?]
He didn't tell Duang about these things—afraid the other would overreact. Some things are better learned slowly, without rushing.
"How do you know your way around the university?"
"I've been here many times. Phi Nuea likes to bring me. When I come with friends, they like to come here too."
"What do they do here?"
"Chill, check out girls, take photos."
"Check out girls, huh?" Duang huffed.
"Sometimes."
"Oh, come on. Seriously."
"Always so dramatic."
"I'd punch any girl you look at."
"And not punch Qin? Qin's the one looking."
"My boyfriend can do no wrong," Duang declared. Qin shook his head at how indulgent Duang was. Sometimes, he wished Duang would be more selfish, but Duang always said that his happiness came from spoiling Qin, not from being spoiled.
Qin parked the motorbike in the designated area, and when Duang saw the view of Ang Kaew, he gasped in amazement. It seemed to be his first time here. Honestly, it would've been nice to have brought some beer to enjoy, but that probably wasn't allowed on campus.
"The weather is so nice. I'm glad we came in December."
"Satisfied now? This is the cold weather you wanted," Qin teased.
"It's just cool during the day, but at night, I do get chilly."
"I'll take you for a walk. Over there is the zoo."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You can even hear the animals."
"Good thing I brought my camera. I didn't expect it to be this beautiful. I
mainly brought it to take photos of you," Duang grumbled. He hadn't gottenmany pictures of Qin throughout the trip. This roll of film would be just for his boyfriend.
"Why haven't I seen this camera before?"
"..."
"Duang?"
"It's Phi Nan's. I borrowed it."
"You do realize you're a terrible liar, right?"
"Sorry... I bought it before our Chiang Mai trip. Eighteen thousand baht.
T_T"
"Do you have a death wish?"
"Come onnnn."
"You already have too many cameras, Duang."
"Don't be mad. I can make it up to you. I just don't want you to be upset."
"I'm not. If I nag too much, just tell me. Sometimes, I think I worry about you too much," Qin said, making Duang feel guilty. And honestly, Qin was right. When Qin bought clothes, at least they could share them. But Duang's cameras? He already had more than he could use, some just sat there collecting dust.
"If you want to collect them, just tell me. I'll understand."
"Don't be so cute, seriously."
"There are probably more than ten cameras already. Or are you buying them for investment?"
"Here 'she' comes, the business-minded 'girl'."
"Who's the 'she' here?"
"Sorryyy."
Qin rolled his eyes and nudged Duang to follow along, stopping occasionally to let him take photos. Along the way, a lot of people were glancing at Duang while Qin, who wasn't doing much, spent all his time observing.
Duang was the type who didn't realize how good he looked. Maybe not striking enough to turn heads everywhere, but his charm... it was so much that it surprised Qin.
"Qin, come sit casually for me."
"Take a candid shot yourself, I'm not going to sit for you."
"You're so mean. If it were Phi Dao Nuea, he'd be shaking my shoulders, making me take endless shots, and already have angles planned out."
"He has been like this since we were kids" Qin smiled softly as he thought about Phi Dao Nuea.
"No wonder Phi Fah is so possessive. That day when the deer stole his phone, I was dying laughing."
"I thought he wouldn't get it back. Otherwise, Phi Fah would've just dragged him to buy an iPhone 11 on the spot."
"True, he spoils him so much. Phi Kluen is way stricter."
"Not true. Phi Kluen is the real spoiler—but only when they're alone."
Qin shared because Duang probably hadn't seen how Kab Kluen acts when it's just the two of them. Qin once stumbled across them by accident, and yeah, Kab Kluen was just a warm, easy-going guy who was soft only for his boyfriend.
"But Phi Prince and Phi Fah though, I can't deal with them. That morning, I got up to drink water and saw Phi Fah making pancakes without a shirt on.His back was covered with long scratch marks."
"That's nothing. I once saw handcuffs on the sofa when I went to their condo."
"For real?"
"Daddy kink."
"Whoa... Want to try it? Come on, call me daddy."
The little tease earned him a smack on the head. Deep down, Duang already liked their sex life as it was. It wasn't completely plain, but his tastes didn't go that far. Just the thought of tying Qin up or using toys made his heart ache. Even now, whenever he accidentally got too rough, he still got mad at himself for not holding back.
"Forgot to tell you, Ma has found a house. We can move in as soon as we get back."
"Wow, Ma works really fast."
"She was going to rent, but since I'll be staying there for years, she decided to just buy it. At this rate, Ma and Pa probably own houses all over Thailand."
Qin's tone was light-hearted.
"I'm talking to a rich kid. I keep forgetting. My apologies, Khun Qin."
"Stop teasing me."
"But moving quickly is good. It'll help Fluffy adjust. He's used to your room. Whenever he's in a big space like my parents' house, he just whines."
Duang wrinkled his nose.
"I want Fluffy to have a friend, but I also don't want to take care of another pet."
"That's just like you... and just like Fluffy."
Duang glanced over at Qin, who was waiting patiently while he took photos of people strolling and chatting. With the cool breeze, the winter chill, and the sun setting on the horizon—it was all perfect.
"Possessive. Doesn't want anyone else around."
It really was perfect.
___________
I grabbed a beer from the fridge. In this big, empty house, it was just the two of us, cuddled up in the home theater watching our favorite movie instead of hanging out with the others. I heard the friends from Bangkok had arrived and were going to Warm Up. Phi Khua Fah had a mischievous smile when he mentioned it, but I had no clue what kind of history he had with that place.
'Go change right now. Don't even think about leaving the house in that shirt.'
'But it's long-sleeved.'
'It's thin. I can see through everything.'
That conversation between Phi Khua Fah and Phi Prince still played in my head. I can guarantee—super revealing. The whole daddy kink thing I joked about? Probably 100% true.
With an age gap of ten years like that... T_T
"About time, huh?"
I handed a beer to Qin, whispering for him to come down. We sat cuddled together on the wide sofa. I pressed a kiss to his shoulder, where the loosefloral T-shirt he loved wearing to bed hung off him. We had already showered, but we still sat there, sipping beer and watching a movie.
I love days like this, the kind where I don't have to think about any unfinished work.
Just holding him close, finding something to do together...
That's all it takes to make me happy.
"I really like the hero's dad."
"Same here."
We chatted quietly while watching the movie. This was better than any theater. Qin and I talked about everything. If we disagreed, we'd open our minds and try to understand each other's point of view.
"When we move into the new house, should we get one?"
"I've wanted one for a while too."
"Okay, I'll find a store."
I made a mental note to look for a projector. That way, we could watch movies every Friday night, just like the characters in the film. I tightened my arms around him and kissed his soft cheek. The movie played on until the scene where the hero traveled back in time to court the heroine again and again, until everything fell into place just the way he wanted.
And I thought, I was so damn lucky. I couldn't go back and redo anything, but everything I did led me to have Qin today. Led us to this moment. Then Qin started crying. It was during the scene where Jim, the main character, traveled back in time to walk along the beach with his father one last time. And when Jim said that line, Qin cried even harder.I hugged him closer, brushing away his tears with gentle kisses.
"I just try to live every day as if I've deliberately come back to this one day, to enjoy it, as if it was the full final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life."
"Duang is like that."
"Like what?"
He sobs against my chest. Even crying because of a movie—I still don't want him to cry... I've never wanted him to cry, not even a little.
"My extraordinary, ordinary life."
I smile faintly, tilting my face to kiss him as How Long Will I Love You starts playing along with the end credits. I cradle him in my arms, his body pressed close to mine... At what point did a comforting kiss turn into something more intense? I can't figure it out—I only know that if I don't love him tonight, I'll probably go insane.
I pull off Qin's t-shirt. He's very cooperative. I kiss the hollow of his throat, letting my lips trail lower, claiming the peak of his chest while he mutters to himself that he can't believe we're actually doing this in someone else's home theater.
I laugh softly, pressing kisses further down until I reach his pale stomach, unable to resist nipping at it hard enough to leave a mark.
"Every time I watch a movie with you, it always ends like this."
His grumbling voice turned into a moan when I didn't hesitate to take him with my lips. Qin's fingers penetrated my hair. He kneaded and twisted naturally on the sofa, while I got down on the floor, kneeling in front of himloyally. He panted, begged and pleaded for me to stop, but I insisted on staring at him until he reached his dream.
"You finished so fast."
"Want to try it yourself? You never take a break, Duang."
"Your mouth is so small, I don't want to tease you there... I'd rather tease here."
I glance at his backside with a gleam in my eye, pressing a kiss on his thigh and flicking my tongue against his skin. It smells so good—soft and irresistible.
"Can you use a condom? We might mess up someone else's house."
"Duang didn't bring it."
"Then let's go to the room."
"No."
I acted stubborn. He made a face like he was going to scold me, but when I nuzzled his neck, bit his shoulder, and pampered him with a kiss, Qin finally complied. I did it without rushing, licking him slowly as if I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to absorb all the feelings between us. I told him I loved him over and over as I thrust myself deeper into him.
It was warm, hot and tight that I could barely control myself. Everything seemed rough and messy at first. That was because I used saliva instead of a lubricant. It was a sex that happened out of nowhere. I didn't plan to make love to him so hard here.
Qin pressed his face against the pillow. He screamed when I thrust all the way in. His hips were beautiful, his waist was small, and his white back was covered in kiss marks when I sped up. I leaned in to kiss his cheek repeatedly. He was in my favorite position, turning his back, arching his back, and looking so cute.
"You're so cute."
"Duang, stop it."
He's the type who doesn't like being complimented, no matter the situation. But I know that deep down, it makes him shy... His warm, tight channel clenched around me so tightly that I had to take a deep breath, murmuring softly near his ear in pleasure. The vanilla sex he likes drives me absolutely crazy.
"Mm... Duang... Ah... Ahh..."
The sweeter I am to him, the more he responds with an overwhelming amount of cuteness. I pull myself out, watching Qin pout like a little kid before thrusting back in again. I repeat the motion over and over until he comes, and I speed up my hips, chasing my own release right after.
Qin covers his face with his hands, looking displeased because he feels uncomfortable. I glance at the evidence of my release dripping out of him, and I can't bring myself to calm down.
"Go get some tissues and wipe it off."
"Stay still. I'll clean you up and carry you to the shower."
"I told you to wear a condom."
"I'll wear one for the second round."
"What's the point now, damn it." He grumbles, then glares at me when he realizes I just mentioned a second round. Qin raised his middle finger at me and buries his face in the pillow. Once I'm sure the couch is completely clean, I scoop him up. We're about the same size, which makes it a little funny, but he's much lighter than me.
Getting to the bedroom is quite a struggle. He complains the entire time we're in the shower about how awful I am. I press him against the wall, telling him to stay still as I scoop out the evidence of our activities from inside him. Qin pulls a face, letting out a helpless moan when I slide my fingers in deeper to get every last bit out.
"Are you okay?"
"Mmh."
"Wow, you're turned on again."
"Look at yourself first."
"...So, can we go another round?" I ask, testing the waters. He turns his face away but gives me a small nod.
"Wear a condom this time."
Sigh.
How can you be this cute, Khun Charasmi. :(