Teeradon tossed and turned restlessly in bed, boredom seeping through every fiber of his being. Monday had arrived without him at the office—both his father and secretary had conspired to ban him from work. Of course, Toey had earned himself a tongue-lashing over the phone for tattling to his father, but the unflappable secretary who never backed down from a fight had somehow managed to spin the situation in his favor.
"Your father will see how hard you've been working at both locations—exhausted to the point of delirium, doing everything yourself, even climbing up to inspect the computer technicians under the roof. He'll take pity on you and come back to help with the work soon..."
The man had saved his own skin. Even while taking Teeradon's side, Toey hadn't forgotten to slip in a few barbs.
Panes, one of his flings, had heard about the incident and promised to come take care of him at home.
Taking care of him by stripping off his clothes and straddling him, no doubt. No way. I need a break. Panes was all energy and intensity, with a fondness for rough play. If he showed up now, Teeradon might end up permanently disabled.
The whole thing with Wittawin still stung. He was starting to doubt whether that object falling on his head had been a genuine accident or staged. And now the man was playing it cool—the very person who'd injured him. Two days in the hospital, and not even a courtesy visit. Only Sarayoot had come to apologize on his behalf. Whatever happened, it was always Uncle who had to clean up the mess.
The reason Wittawin hadn't visited him in the hospital to apologize was probably because his uncle was too mild-mannered to force the issue. Poor Sarayoot, stuck with such a stubborn nephew.
Just wait. When Wittawin showed up at the company according to the ultimatum and deadline he'd set, there'd be one more item added to his list of things to apologize for.
Teeradon pulled himself out of bed and wandered from his bedroom, pausing by the swimming pool before walking to lean against the balcony railing. He gazed out at the sky beyond, cool air brushing against his face. The morning air was crisp and fresh. Winter had finally visited Bangkok—late as always, but the chill had only just arrived as December neared its end.
Despite the pleasant weather, he felt restless. Listless, somehow.
He didn't want to go anywhere today. He wanted someone to keep him company, to float lazily in the pool together, then wander around his private kingdom on the top floor of The Royal Heights residential tower.
Pirayu...
Beautiful smile, cheerful, gentle, and great at conversation. Being with Pirayu put him at ease. And it looked like the man could cook too. Lately, he'd grown tired of eating alone and sick of dining out for every meal.
Most importantly, Pirayu didn't oppose him.
Unlike Wittawin.
What kind of person is he? Stubborn. Obnoxious. Born to be his natural adversary, it seemed.
If his face hadn't caught Teeradon's eye from their first meeting, he wouldn't have let him get away with floating around so carelessly.
Oh right, that nice ass helped his case too.
Full lips, berry-red. Slightly puffy cheeks, a prominent nose, thick eyebrows. Sharp eyes that held so many contradictions—worldly yet defiant, melancholy yet troublesome. But somehow, when you really looked at him, he was rather endearing.
After 'handling' his stubborn nephew who had a talent for creating headaches that required constant damage control, Sarayoot called Toey to confirm that 'the guilty party was ready to surrender.'
Sarayoot recalled Wittawin's saying: "I'm only doing this for the company. Just because I'm going to apologize to Teeradon doesn't mean I'm admitting fault. I didn't do anything wrong."
Still, despite Sarayoot's firm assurance that Wittawin would meet Teeradon on the appointed day and time as 'ordered by the boss,' Toey wanted to meet with Sarayoot first to 'align their understanding' before the scheduled meeting. He'd requested they meet at a restaurant.
"I'll teach you how to send photos via mobile phone too," Toey had reasoned.
Sarayoot walked into "Starlight Terrace," a casual dining garden restaurant, scanning for the pale, slender young man with the characteristically bright, cheerful smile. While searching for the secretary, Sarayoot startled when someone approached from behind.
"P'Yoot. Hi. Remember me?"
"Pirayu." Sarayoot's voice was soft, accompanied by a gentle smile. "How could I forget?"
"We haven't seen each other in years."
"I heard from Win that you've been busy with school." Sarayoot glanced around before asking, "Are you dining alone?"
"No," Pirayu shook his head with a smile. "I'm with a friend. He gets bored, so he invited me to keep him company for dinner. He can't eat alone."
"Not like Win. That one's easy to please—give him a single dish and he'll happily eat it sitting on the office stairs." Sarayoot spoke fondly of his nephew.
"Strange, isn't it? Win isn't like you, and he's not like me either. But somehow we all get along." Pirayu smiled as always, making Sarayoot think of another face filled with equally bright smiles, though more quick-witted.
"I think we were born with shared karma, which is why we get along despite being so different." Sarayoot smiled gently as usual. "When you're free, let's arrange dinner for all three of us."
Pirayu agreed and excused himself to find his friend. Sarayoot then walked deeper into the garden restaurant toward the section by the large pond, where he spotted Toey waving at him.
The young secretary looked unusual—his hair was rather messy and unstyled, wearing a t-shirt and athletic pants, while Sarayoot was properly dressed in his work clothes with a tie.
"You look so cool, Khun Yoot," Toey complimented, his eyes sparkling with genuine admiration.
"Thank you. I dress like this every day."
"It's hard to believe you're Wittawin's uncle. I'd believe it if you said you were his older brother." Toey rested his chin on his hand, gazing at the man across from him with openly infatuated eyes, making Sarayoot smile shyly. He'd never encountered anyone who showed such direct interest in him before.
"Actually, we're only ten years apart."
"Really?" Toey's eyes widened. "So you're only 34, same as Khun Don."
"No, I'm 37, almost 38." Sarayoot smiled bashfully again.
"Ha! Unbelievable. So Wittawin is 27 going on 28. You know, Khun Don thinks your nephew is a fresh graduate."
"Win has a young face. No one can guess his age correctly. When he wears a white short-sleeved shirt with black pants, he looks even more like a university student." Sarayoot chuckled softly when talking about his tall nephew.
"Khun Don was furious about being outsmarted by a new graduate," Toey said with a clear laugh. "But if he knew Wittawin was almost 28, he'd probably calm down considerably."
"Is Khun Don really that angry and displeased with Win? Win complains that Khun Don picks on him." Sarayoot's expression grew concerned, worry creeping into his voice.
"Khun Yoot. You have no idea." Toey lowered his voice and leaned forward, as if about to share a secret with Sarayoot. "Let me tell you something. I've been working with Khun Don for a while now, but before I was secretary to Khun Don's father, then switched to work with Khun Tin, the adorable younger brother, before being pushed and shuffled off to handle Khun Don's moods every single day until now. Since I've known him, I've noticed Khun Don acting stranger than usual, which is a sign that something unpleasant is brewing."
"I don't understand," Sarayoot looked puzzled.
"You'll understand soon enough. I'll feed you information bit by bit. We need to work as a team." The secretary's voice turned serious, while Sarayoot maintained his confused expression.
"Do you have a boyfriend yet, Khun Yoot?" Out of nowhere, Toey blurted out the question, making Sarayoot smile shyly and unconsciously raise his hand to scratch his head—a gesture that made the other man even more smitten than before.
"I, uh..."
"Do you want to have a boyfriend?"
"Well..." Sarayoot grew even more flustered.
"Let me rephrase that. Why do people want to have boyfriends?" Toey changed the question.
"Well... uh... I suppose being alone for too long gets lonely. Having someone as a companion would bring happiness." Sarayoot answered softly.
"Lonely and bored," Toey nodded. "Khun Don is in crisis mode. When something exciting and challenging comes along, he reacts strangely."
"Are you saying that…you mean…." Sarayoot was beginning to understand.
"Are you feeling lonely and bored right now, Khun Yoot?" Toey abruptly changed the subject.
"Well... uh..." Sarayoot stammered again.
"I'm lonely and bored too," Toey said with an expressive face. "See? People in our current state need someone to be by our side, to be a friend, to share life's joys and sorrows, to be a soulmate, to make each other happy as you said."
"Yes," Sarayoot nodded in agreement.
"Do you want your nephew to be happy?" Toey asked seriously, his face matching his tone.
"But I don't see Win as lonely or bored. He's just himself—quiet, reserved, with his own little private world. People might think he's..."
"Are you sure he's not lonely?" Toey interrupted. "You're not with him all the time."
Sigh. This is going to take a lot more coaching. Sarayoot seemed capable when it came to business management, but when it came to managing matters of the heart, he appeared rather inexperienced.
This is the sexiest thing ever. Shy men who weren't too forward—just seeing Sarayoot's face and mannerisms nearly sent him over the edge. How can someone be so unaware of their own appeal?
Sarayoot unconsciously furrowed his brow in thought, giving Toey the perfect opportunity to drive his point home: "Khun Yoot, someone who's almost 28 shouldn't be living alone."
Someone who's almost 38 shouldn't still be single either...
As for someone who's 34 like Teeradon—I don't know what to call that. Not quite single, not quite attached, but definitely fooling around, or sleeping around. Teeradon should experience real love like everyone else at least once and have a proper, serious relationship. His current situation is extremely bothering me.
"You love your nephew. You need to make him happy," Toey emphasized once more with a firm, determined tone.
***