“You haven’t changed at all.”
"As for you, Khun Tul, you’ve changed a lot.”
“Me?”
In the same old living room, Tul continued to stare at Kon Hin without looking away.
Finally, there was time to truly observe the close companion who had risen to become a lover. Kon Hin, whose face was equally worn and haggard, turned to look at him, offering a smile. In his eyes was a longing and yearning that was no different from Tul’s.
“Yes, you seem more mature than before, Khun Tul.”
And he looked at Tul with a gaze more open than before.
If before, Khun Tul was the man who excelled at hiding his feelings, now he was someone incapable of lying to anyone. His eyes did not attempt to conceal the emotions he felt for Kon Hin in the slightest. Kon Hin was surely not imagining that he wasn’t the only one longing to the point of despair—Khun Tul too was yearning to the brink of madness.
“And as for you, you’re still just as adorable as ever.”
“Me, really?” Kon Hin echoed uncertainly, causing Tul to laugh with a hoarse voice, raspy from heavy crying.
“I’ve seen you as adorable for a long time, Hin. For a very long time. I just... didn’t want to admit it, that’s all.”
"And now?”
“I could call you adorable all day if you’d like.”
Tul smiled, the kind of smile Kon Hin had always wanted to see.
It was a smile filled with happiness, prompting Kon Hin to move closer and grab his superior’s hand tightly.
“These past six years, I’ve lived with this, Khun Tul.” Kon Hin pulled out the phone that Nong Rose had broken and placed it in Tul’s palm, followed by the pen he’d never had the chance to give him.
“This is the birthday gift you gave me, and this is the birthday gift I planned to give you back then. I’ve survived because of these two things. They made me wake up from the dream to face the reality that I didn’t have you.” Kon Hin spoke openly. He had suffered enough. He wanted to share everything about his life over the years.
That prompted Tul to clutch both items tightly before taking something out in return.
“You and I are so alike.”
What Tul handed to Kon Hin was the same stone Kon Hin had given him long ago during a trip, a stone he had carried with him all this time.
“I’ve kept the stone you gave me during our trip. It helped me endure living in this world.” Tul spoke with a laugh, but the listener found no humor in it. On the contrary, that laugh revealed just how much Tul had suffered, prompting Kon Hin to take everything from Tul’s hands and pull him into a tight embrace.
“From now on, we don’t need these anymore, right?”
“Right,” Tul answered, hugging him tightly.
“From now on, I’ll have you every single day, right?”
“Yes,” Tul swore with everything he had.
And Kon Hin asked the same question.
“Can I love you?”
This time, Tul pulled back to look into his eyes and spoke with more determination than ever before.
“If you don’t love me, I’ll die to show you.”
From if you don’t love me, I’ll kill you, everything had changed because Tul had finally accepted just how deeply he loved the person in his arms. That made Kon Hin smile for the first time in many years.
“Then, Khun Tul, listen to me.”
“I’m listening.”
“I love you.”
A declaration of love that made Tul smile through his tears.
“Then I’ll make you love me for the rest of your life.”
And Kon Hin smiled in return.
“As you command, Khun Tul.”
With that, the entire world became brighter than it had ever been.
They knew that from now on, there were many matters to handle, but as long as they had each other as they had for more than half their lives, Tul knew he could accomplish anything. Likewise, Kon Hin was ready to do anything for this man.
Three months later.
"Here are the documents you need to review and complete by this morning, Khun Tul. At 1 PM and 3 PM, there are meetings, and at 6 PM, there’s a dinner appointment. However, it can be rescheduled if Khun Tul would prefer to have dinner with Khun Phupha instead."
Inside Tul’s office, Kon Hin outlined the schedule for the day in one breath, causing Tul to look up from the pile of paperwork and ask with an amused tone.
“That last part—are you saying it as my secretary or as my Mia?”
Thunk!
Kon Hin froze, staring at the golden-brown eyes tinged with amusement.
“As your secretary, of course.”
“Isn’t it because you softened up to our son, who’s been fussing about wanting me to come home for dinner?” Tul asked with a smile, looking at his newly appointed secretary, who had stepped into the role only three weeks ago.
Before this, Kon Hin had many matters to resolve, including both his own and those involving his parents. It had taken considerable time before he could stand here in Tul’s office as his trusted secretary. Outside the company, however, his responsibilities extended beyond work—one of them being the effort to get along with Phupha, the fiercely protective son.
That final remark of Tul’s made him think Kon Hin had spoken more in the role of a stepparent trying to win over Phupha’s affections.
Now, the young boy had realized that Kon Hin was the one managing his father’s schedule. Hence, the little mischief maker began to take out his antics on the person constantly by his father’s side instead.
“Khun Phupha doesn’t like me,” Kon Hin said with a sorrowful expression.
“Nong Phu doesn’t like anyone getting close to his father or mother,” Tul replied casually.
Hearing this, Kon Hin looked even more dejected, prompting Tul to rise from his desk and walk over to tightly wrap an arm around his trusted secretary’s waist.
“But I believe that one day he’ll understand that this person is the most important in his father’s life,” Tul said earnestly, gently stroking the head of the person in his embrace to console him.
“The more Khun Tul says things like that, the more displeased Khun Phupha becomes.”
“Just call him Nong Phu,” Tul remarked with a smile, but Kon Hin still wasn’t used to acting on equal footing.
“How many years did it take you to get me to admit that I love you?”
Kon Hin’s face instantly turned apprehensive because it had taken nearly twenty years for him to hear those words. This made Tul laugh heartily.
“Me and my son might not accept things easily, but if we love...” Tul locked eyes with the pitch-black ones and grinned widely.
“...we’ll give everything we have.”
Kon Hin listened quietly before letting out a heavy sigh.
“That’s exactly why Khun Phupha doesn’t like me—you said this right in front of him last time,” Kon Hin replied, exasperated.
It was true that they had been apart for a long time, so Tul wanted to express his love openly. This wasn’t much different from how Kon Hin felt. However, sometimes Tul’s displays of affection were in front of Khun Phupha, making the boy, who deeply loved and was possessive of his father, glare at Kon Hin even more. The more Kon Hin thought about it, the more stressed he became, prompting him to remove Tul’s hand from his waist.
“Let’s work, Khun Tul. I’ll reschedule the evening appointment so you can go home and have dinner with Khun Phupha,” Kon Hin concluded, about to turn and leave the room.
“Wait a moment.” Tul caught his hand, gently tugging to make him turn back and meet his gaze.
“Don’t forget your other duties aside from being a secretary,” Tul said with a smile.
Kon Hin looked into those golden-brown eyes and couldn’t help but laugh. He stepped forward to embrace Tul, leaning in to plant a kiss on his warm lips. Everything was slow and tender, so sweet that it made Tul’s heart pound. As expected, it was Tul who held onto Kon Hin’s waist, unwilling to let go, wanting more.
“That’s enough, Khun Tul. It’s time to work now,” Kon Hin protested, gently pushing away with a flushed face. Even after three months, he still hadn’t gotten used to it. As for his other duties aside from being a secretary—what were they? Providing Tul with encouragement, of course.
“All right, go work then.”
Tul returned to his seat, picking up a nearly invisible engraved pen and began reviewing the documents that needed to be completed by this morning. Meanwhile, Kon Hin returned to his desk, opening his computer to tackle the multitude of tasks he had to clear. Yet, out of the corner of his eye, he couldn’t help but glance at the stone sitting quietly on his desk.
A stone that always brought a smile to the man named Kon Hin. With that, the young man turned back to his work with determination, waiting for the end of the workday.
That was their time.
This was the life that both Kon Hin and Tul had envisioned since childhood, a dream they had nurtured as they grew. Yet, it took nearly thirty years to turn that dream into reality—the dream of a world where every second would be shared between them. For they were... each other's very breath of life.
Comments
Post a Comment