Content Warning: This work is intended for mature (NC17) audiences. If you are younger, please kindly leave this site.
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Perspective - Third person
The turquoise sea meets the bright sky, bordered by pure white clouds. Below lies an endless stretch of sandy beach. The sound of waves lapping against the shore creates a soft fizz, giving rise to foamy white bubbles. A refreshing sea breeze sweeps across everything in its path, bringing life to each person it touches.
This natural beauty, so fitting for a couple to share special moments together, is not meant for...
"Ai'Tinn, don't stop your hands! Come on, crack it! You're too slow. I can eat it faster than you can crack it open." Hmphhh.
It is not meant for an odd couple like… No, not the handsome guy and his flirty partner sitting in a beachside restaurant. Here is the handsome man, decked out in a luxury brand despite being at the beach, wielding a pair of scissors in one hand and a crab claw in the other. He works meticulously, prying the meat out piece by piece to place onto the plate of… the glutton beside him.
The glutton who, once anything lands on his plate, does only two things: one, dunks it in seafood sauce, and two, stuffs it straight into his mouth.
"Do it yourself," Tinn replies with weary patience, though he doesn't stop. Meanwhile, his companion… starts rambling.
"No way, I don't want to! I'm exhausted from the whole week. Since it's the weekend, you should pamper me a bit. All last week—no, all month—I've been serving customers every single day. My arms ache, my legs ache, and even my back aches. Feel it! It's rock solid here. Then my mouth is sore too. So, you have to show me some love."
Without missing a beat, Kirakorn grabs his partner's hand, still smeared with crab meat, and presses it to his firm hip, insisting Tinn feel the tension, even as neighboring tables turn to glance with curiosity.
What sort of job involves so much service that it leaves one's arms, legs, back, and even mouth aching?
No matter how it is spun, it sounds suspiciously like…
"Stop talking so that others misunderstand already."
"Huh?! Misunderstand? What the hell are you talking about? I am a trainer at a fitness center. Where did I say anything wrong about having to serve clients and also speak sweetly? Then yesterday, I practiced yoga a bit incorrectly, so now my waist hurts. Where's the misunderstanding?"
The naive one continues to be naive, but because he talks so much, he rambles until those around him misunderstand, while the one cracking the crab lets out a sigh.
"Never mind."
"Ah, what are you sulking about now?" Khaen immediately asks, looking at the person who shakes his head but still continues to serve him. The other party merely replies casually.
"No, I just think that you are not the only one who has to work. I work too, and I just returned from a business trip in America, but it seems I am the only one who serves you."
Well, that's true.
The listener fell silent immediately, looking at that handsome guy who lately has become even more attractive by a considerable degree.
They graduated more than a year ago. Then, after Tinn reached an agreement with his father, he started working instead of going back to pursue another degree, as his mother wished. As for him… as mentioned, he enjoys working as a personal trainer at the fitness center.
The part about how my romantic partner has become even more handsome… Well, that's because these days Ai'Tinn has become a bracketed high-society guy. Just walking past him, you'd know he's the son of the company owner—not an ordinary employee. Then lately, he's also been smiling more often (though it's more of a business smile), but I've heard rumors that socialites are throwing themselves at him. Still… he's infatuated with me anyway.
This is the thought of someone who grins widely, but his hands continue to toss the large grilled shrimp (which Tinn is the one peeling) into the seafood dipping sauce as before. However, the next step has a change because…
"Ah, Khaen will feed you, Tinn." The teasing tone (though the listener finds it sweet) rises, along with a large shrimp extended to his lips, prompting Tinn to turn and make eye contact, gazing into those crescent-moon eyes that smile brightly, just like the first day they met, causing him to glance at the object in Khaen's hand.
"Eat, okay? Khaen feeds you." Khaen says this while gently dipping the shrimp into Tinn's mouth, compelling him to open it and receive the shrimp.
"Is it delicious?" Khaen asks, his voice tinged with laughter, but based on Tinn's expression and the sparkle in his eyes that seems to smile, Khaen knows what the answer is.
"It's good."
Khaen translates: Tinn saying "good" means "very good."
"Well then, eat some more. Come on, you must be tired after being away for so many days. Open wide!"
Although the one feeding makes a silly face, opening his mouth wide to show off, and dipping another half shrimp into Tinn's mouth, Tinn obediently opens up to receive it, making the feeder smile broadly. However, if Tinn thinks this is the ultimate in affection–Khaen's style only goes this far–the fair-skinned partner leans in closer.
"As for tonight, I will help you relax. Okay?" The shameless eyebrow raise and wink from Khaen cause Tinn to pause momentarily before his eyes sparkle with excitement because "relax" from Khaen usually ends up exhausting both of them.
Khaen is unashamed. He feels no embarrassment, and ultimately, they always have their passionate nights.
"Can I have some now?" Nevertheless, Tinn leans in closer, sliding his hand that holds Khaen's hip beneath his white tank top. And as for the recipient? No, he feels no shame; he just smiles coyly and leans in closer.
"Do you want it, huh?"
"Hey, you guys are hiding here!"
However, just before the two are about to kiss without caring about any spirit or deity, a voice from outside the shop, separated by a wooden fence between the establishment and the sandy beach, pulls Tinn back. He rolls his eyes in annoyance and then shifts his gaze to... a large group.
It is not just Pound standing with his arm around his partner. Rather, Pond's high school friends follow suit, along with their college senior, Manophop, who stands beautifully posing for pictures by the sea, causing Tinn to let out a heavy sigh.
"Are you eating?" The one who should be disappointed, the friend, casually lifts a crab leg to invite his friends as if nothing has happened, prompting Pound to shake his head.
"Wait a minute, have you seen Ae and Pete? They were walking together, and when I turned around, they disappeared. Come on, if they're going to hide away together like you two, you should at least let me know so I can sneak away with Em too."
Grab.
"Ouch, Em! Pound is just joking, I'm just joking! Please don't hurt me, it hurts!" Once the half-Italian guy finishes speaking, his girlfriend pinches his arm and pulls hard, causing Khaen to laugh, chew the last piece of crab, and then stand up, pulling the person beside him to follow.
"Come on, Tinn, let's go find those two! We came all this way to be the meddlers at the three-month reunion. We should fulfill our roles as expected!"
"Khaen, you are absolutely right! High-five me! Today, we must meddle!" Pond laughs.
"You skip work to meddle; just admit it outright," their high school friend, Dīe, shouts in reproach, making Pound turn and smile broadly before saying…
"Raise your child quietly, Ai'Dīe; let your husband take charge here." Ai'Dīe merely shows his teeth in a grin as he turns to lead a stunning mixed-race person in another direction, while others burst into laughter and speak in unison.
"Let's meddle in Ai'Ae's affairs."
~~~
Splash, splash…
The sea continues to wash ashore as it did in days past, yet the white sand beach has something different today... two men are walking hand in hand. Two men of different styles—different skin tones, body shapes, clothing, and appearances—but one thing is the same: both are smiling. A blissful smile that anyone glancing over can understand holds profound meaning in their companionship.
"It's peaceful here."
"Ae, are you saying others are too loud?"
"It's not just the noise… it's the fuss, the complications, all the drama. I just wanted to come with my Mia—just the two of us." The muscular, dark-skinned young man shakes his head, saying the word Mia quite openly, causing the tall, fair-skinned man beside him to burst out laughing as he gives his hand a light tug.
"This time, it wasn't me who said it," Pete says with a laugh, causing the listener to pause for a moment before confessing.
"I slipped up…but I didn't tell them directly. They invited me out for drinks, and I just said I was going out with you. I don't even know how that fucking shit-lizard Pond figured out I was coming to Pranburi, but he managed to round up the whole Gang like this. I really don't understand his special talent for that."
The listener laughs, recalling years ago when they had gone on a trip together and still found themselves joined by a whole crowd of friends.
"But I think it's fun, you know. This is the first time since I got back that we've seen everyone together like this," Pete says with a smile, causing the hand-holding companion to stop walking and turn to meet his gaze.
"If you're okay with it, then so am I." Finally, the once-annoyed man smiled along, reaching out to gently tuck strands of soft hair, blown astray by the sea breeze, back behind Pete's ear.
"Are you happy?" The question brought a wider smile from the listener, who took that hand and held it against his cheek.
"Very happy, Ae. Right now, I'm happier than ever. Sometimes I even forget how painful those three years were."
"That's good. I want you to be happy, and I'll keep trying to make you happier every day," Inthach said, lightly caressing Pete's cheek. This gesture made the handsome man comment with a gentle tease.
"You know, Ae, you're so much gentler than the first day we met." At that, the darker-skinned man can't help but laugh.
"Though the first day I met you… What kind of guy was that? Looked good, sure, but so clumsy and tearful—even after I said I wasn't any good at comforting people who cry." It was as if he was remembering that first day they met, the day this man helped him after he'd nearly been hit by a car. He'd yelled, asking if Pete had a death wish, but had still taken him to the infirmary. Pete smiles at the memory.
"And what about now?"
"You?" Ae pauses to think, looking at the one watching him so expectantly that he has to laugh.
"You're still that same what-kind-of-guy-are-you, so handsome that the girls swoon but still fragile, still a crybaby…" The listener's face falls bit by bit, expecting something more complimentary from the other man, but then the blunt one continues…
"But you're the one I'll be there to wipe away your tears for—the one I promised to protect for life…the one I'll always hold when you cry, even if I'm no good at comforting anyone. That's what you are to me, in my eyes and my heart." The listener's smile grows until they break into laughter.
"And what am I in your eyes, then?"
"A difficult guy, tough-looking, totally unromantic." This time, it is Ae's face that turns sullen, watching as the other laughs joyously, clearly pleased to see him react this way.
Then Pete adds, "But you're also the man whom Pitchaya loves the most." With that, he reaches out and grasps Ae's large hand, interlacing their fingers firmly.
"You're the man who taught me strength, the man who taught me patience, the man who makes me a better person. The man who wipes away my tears, the man who's my hero, the man with a heart broader than the ocean, and the man I will never give up to anyone." Then Pitchaya smiles.
"I'm grateful for everything that led me to meet you, Ae. Thankful for fate, destiny, or maybe it was just chance that brought you there on that road, that pulled me up and gave me a new life. I'm grateful for everything that let me… love you, Ae." The outpouring of his heart was a gift to the one he loves most, and Inthach listens intently, squeezing his hand in return.
"You're not done speaking, Pete."
"Hm?" Pete raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and Ae continued right away.
"It's not just that you got to love me. You've got to thank everything that made you love me. I love you, and… We love each other."
The listener's smile grows even broader as he listens to Ae's deep, tender voice continue,
"I don't care if it was chance that brought us together or not. All that matters to me is that if chance brought you to me, then from here on out, I'll protect you and love you, with all the intent of my own heart."
Countless words are exchanged between the two as Pete laughs shyly and looks down.
"Hey, Ae."
"Let us take a couple photo... I do not want to post a picture alone anymore." Just then, a strong embrace constricts from behind, along with a phone extended forward, prompting Pete to look up at the camera.
Click!
Then, Ae reaches out to take the left hand, lifting it for the camera to see that the plain silver ring is no longer on the right ring finger.
If the right ring finger signifies possession, then the left ring finger indicates... he is taken.
"Now, Ae is obsessed with the camera."
"I am more obsessed with you." After Pete playfully teases, the listener immediately retorts, causing the white cheeks to redden slightly as he gazes at the camera where they are pressing their cheeks together against a backdrop of the turquoise sea.
Snap!
The memory of the two is captured, while Ae nudges the chin of the other to turn for a sweet kiss. However...
"Found you, damn it!!!"
"Bloody damn!" The exclamation escapes Ae's lips fully, while Pete cannot help but laugh, turning to look at the group of friends who are rushing toward them, led by that guy from the 'Three S.' as Inthach refers to him in his mind.
Why do I have to coincidentally be friends with such a nosy person?!
"Do not look at me like that, Ai'Ae. This time, friends are here to celebrate our reunion, damn it. Shorty, smile a little!" Inthach's words elicit a broad grin, causing his friend Pond to pause momentarily, while the former short guy slowly puts away his phone and nods, accepting.
"Uh, I should be happy, right?"
"Um, yes."
"Then come let me kick you in celebration, you bloody damn Pond!!!" With that, Ae takes off chasing the Italian guy, who whips around and dashes away immediately, scattering sand everywhere. However, the one pursuing does not relent, as today, not touching him means he might not sleep well. Meanwhile, Pete laughs loudly as Manophop rushes over to hug him, insisting they take a picture together amidst the joyous sounds of the large group of friends, who are exceedingly happy to be together once more.
The laughter is filled with happiness, friendship, and love.
If the 'coincidence' brought them together, the 'love' that follows, they will define themselves.
Whether it be coincidence, fate, or destiny, the final element that determines whether a relationship will continue lies in their own decisions.
If a man is not committed to waiting…
If a man does not commit to love,
If a man does not strive to attain,
And if a man does not commit to trust,
Then no matter how many coincidences arise, they will not create love. However, once love occurs, they will wish to preserve it with their hearts.
Thus, this love... must belong to you... and only you.
The End.
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