Toey stepped out of his car and crossed the street with practiced ease. Today he was determined to invite Sarayoot to dinner as a thank-you for helping with the whole "delivery" situation—getting Wittawin to their boss.
Ever since that day, Teeradon's mood had improved dramatically. Everyone around him was happier too, no longer having to weather the "handsome storm" that had been raging for weeks.
Sarayoot seemed to know he was interested, but expecting him to make the first move like he should? Fat chance. By the time a regular train like Sarayoot chugged over, he'd have fallen asleep waiting and woken up several times over. No, he needed to be a bullet train—slam right into him. Sarayoot wouldn't stand a chance...
But wait. There was an obstacle blocking his path...
Who was sitting with Sarayoot?
"Khun Toey, are you here to see uncle Yoot?" Wittawin emerged from the back door of the office, eyebrows raised in surprise at seeing Teeradon's secretary standing in the middle of the room, dressed impeccably—a stark contrast to himself and Pirayu, who sat chatting with Sarayoot.
"Yes, I came to invite Khun Yoot to dinner as a thank-you treat." Toey flashed a wide smile and turned to Sarayoot.
"We'll be done talking soon," Wittawin said softly, glancing at Sarayoot and Pirayu while secretly noting the displeasure in the young secretary's eyes. "Please, have a seat first."
"Working late today? It's already this hour and Khun Sarayoot still has client meetings?"
"Not a client. Pirayu is my friend—he's known uncle Yoot for a long time too. We just haven't seen each other lately. Actually, today we were planning to grab dinner together. Uncle Yoot must be so busy with work he double-booked. How about we all go together?"
"No, it's fine. I don't want to interrupt. They haven't seen each other in ages—you probably want to catch up on old times. If I tag along, it would be awkward because you wouldn't be able to talk freely, and I wouldn't know what to discuss anyway." Toey quickly replied.
Before Wittawin could respond, Sarayoot's office door opened. Pirayu walked out first, his face bright with its usual cheerful smile, followed closely by Sarayoot. But when he saw Toey stand up and step to the side—since Wittawin had been blocking the view—his eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Hi Khun Yoot.I apologize for coming without an appointment." The young secretary smiled broadly, then turned to Pirayu, whom Wittawin quickly introduced. Immediately, he found himself comparing this man to Teeradon's latest "young man."
Beautiful smile, bright and cheerful, could smile constantly. Just being near him felt like some kind of psychological therapy. Quite pleasant...
His boss's brief description echoed in his head.
But the other one—ask him two questions, get one answer. Annoying, stubborn, deserves a beating...
The second person Teeradon had described was definitely Wittawin. But the first one—he couldn't help thinking the personality sounded just like Pirayu...
After Wittawin had gone to apologize to Teeradon at work, Toey's boss couldn't help but "gossip" about the two young men, then asked his opinion on who he would choose. The answer he gave made Teeradon burst out laughing and say, "We really are nothing alike, are we, Toey?"
Who could ever be like Teeradon? He's one of a kind.
"Let's go eat together, Khun Toey. There's a delicious restaurant not far from the office. Not very fancy, but the food is excellent." Sarayoot's voice snapped Toey out of his reverie.
"Yes." Despite having just declined Wittawin's invitation, the capable secretary simply nodded in agreement with Sarayoot.
He wanted to observe Pirayu, wanted to know just how much this personality and looks combination outshone him...
And Wittawin too—he seemed ready to cheer on his friend to the point of being obvious, acting like he wanted his "uncle" to settle down.
Hmph. Here I am, helping with the Teeradon situation, but he's playing the villain in my love path…
***
Sarayoot stood waiting for Wittawin and Pirayu outside the restaurant, with Toey standing quietly beside him. Tonight, the usually articulate young secretary seemed unusually silent and different from his typically sharp-tongued self.
"Are you feeling unwell, Khun Toey? Or was the food not good?" Sarayoot asked gently.
I'm sulking. Can't you tell? Annoyed at Wittawin, irritated by Pirayu, pouting at you…
And jealous too...
"I have a slight headache," Toey said, raising his fingers to massage his temples. "I don't know if I can drive home. My place is very close. Tomorrow I have to deal with Khun Don's mood again. Things at the company are really stressful right now. You must have seen how when Khun Don is in a bad mood, I practically get strangled."
"You can leave your car at the office. Taking a taxi home would be better," Sarayoot said without thinking it through.
Are you crazy? Instead of offering to drive me home, you're telling me to take a taxi. Actually, I wanted you to say, 'Then sleep at my place.' But someone like Sarayoot would never say that. If this were Teeradon, he'd have already scooped me up, put me in the car, and taken me to get medicine...
"It's fine. I can take the bus home," Toey couldn't help but be sarcastic.
"Really? Where do you live, Khun Toey?" Sarayoot looked troubled.
He probably realizes now that he said something inappropriate...
"Charoen Sanitwong," Toey answered, waiting to hear Sarayoot say... 'That's near my place. I'll drive you myself.'
"Pirayu lives in Sathorn."
I really want to punch Sarayoot. He's probably going to say next, 'So you can catch a ride with Pirayu'...
"I don't want to bother Khun Pirayu. Khun Win and Khun Pirayu probably want to hang out together, just the two of them. I can see they're very close." Toey quickly responded.
"Oh, those two are just friends. They're not like that," Sarayoot laughed.
"So you're saying I should catch a ride with Khun Pirayu while you go back with your nephew?" Toey couldn't take it anymore, dropping a heavy hint for Sarayoot about what he should do when someone was feeling unwell with a headache.
"Uh, Win and I don't live together. That guy stays in an apartment, and not in a very good area either. He likes to sneak over and sleep at the office," Sarayoot still didn't understand what Toey wanted.
"Sleep at the office?" Toey repeated, filing this information away in his brain.
"My place is near the office," Sarayoot continued, then turned to see if Wittawin and Pirayu had come out of the restroom yet.
"Khun Yoot, please drive me home."
I can't take this anymore. If I wait for him to offer, I'll never get the chance to hear it...
"Uh, yes?" Sarayoot ended with a high tone, as if asking a question to confirm he'd heard correctly.
Good thing I didn't ask, 'Can I sleep over too? Since your place is near work anyway...'
"But if it's inconvenient, it's fine. I don't want to be a bother. You probably have other more important things to do. Just going home alone—it's just a little headache. I can manage by myself." Toey turned his face away and raised his other hand to press against his eye socket, then shook his head to try to make himself feel more refreshed.
Just this much and Sarayoot will be done for...
"Alright," Sarayoot agreed with a brief response.
***