✔️ Fated Encounter 2

4

"You guys drink like pigs" Kao made a note as he watched Thada and the guys down beer after beer.

Thada shrugged. "Be grateful they're civil tonight" he shouted back over the loud music.

"Civil? This is civil?" Kao laughed loudly and shook his head. He did not want to imagine them not civil. They were loud and rowdy with June and Pong cracking jokes like the clowns they were as they both competed against Brian in drinking and then complained when they lost.

June and Dash also trying too hard and yet failing miserably to get their girlfriends' attention who were both, as every other time they met, busy making Kao uncomfortable with their shameless flirting though Kao was surprised that the guys didn't mind it. Hippy was up on the stage, playing with his rock band while Thada and Brian sat quietly, drinking like pigs as Kao called it. Pong was busy flirting around shamelessly and getting them secondhand embarrassment over his antics.

They were chaotic to be called at least. The bickering, the insults, the loud jokes, yet their blunt, happy go lucky and friendly attitudes, it was all so different. And despite all his reservations, Kao surprisingly had a lot of fun every time he hung out with them.

Yes, he had a hard time letting himself get close to Thada and June. And yes, he was scared to death of what kind of people this crazy gang might be or for what reason they'd want to make friends with him since that was all people ever did to him. They'd wanna get close to him, either because they knew he was raised by Jamhornums or because they wanted him to get them through the exam.

And not to mention, they were a notorious gang as it was talked about a lot in the school in the past whole month. But they were nothing like the bad things they all said about them.

Hanging out with the gang was sure different than hanging out with your family. And the only friends he ever had before were Arthit and Dome and they were still both his brothers and younger than him by two years. But the last two months he spent with them, despite was the most fun he had, and got to explore the world outside the mansion the most. Yes, he still wasn't at a point to have pillow talks with Thada or June, not that he could even imagine Thada having pillow talks, but he was becoming more and more open to his new friends.

"Are you uncomfortable?" Thada suddenly asked.

Kao chuckled and leaned closer. "You asked that for the third time since I sat here" he spoke in Thada's ear.

"I told June not to gather them here when you're with us, I knew they'd spook you" Thada spoke back, both leaning closer to each other to speak easily over the loud drum. "Or even come to a bar. Have you ever had a beer before?"

"No, I was born on Mars, beer is scarce there" Kao rolled his eyes. "I'm fine as long as there's no smoke" he called back. Then after thinking. "Or, you don't force me to drink more. I'm not that good"

Thada chuckled. "Okay then... tell me when you are"

Kao chuckled and looked at the guys, all drowning themselves in alcohol. He had noticed that girls tried to flock around their table but May and Dash's purplish haired girlfriend whose name he kept forgetting would scare them away with just looks. They still tried to get the boys' attention yet Pong wasn't very serious and Brian was too busy drinking, while the other two had their girls with them. Thada was still looking at Kao himself. "Where did you find them all?"

Thada looked around at his friends and smiled so very slightly, a smile so rare and genuine that Kao hasn't seen on his fave till then.

"I grew up with June and Brian. Back at my home. Their fathers worked for my family. And we came here in high school. We... I met Pong when I took my bike to his garage for a quick fix. It took longer than I thought but... he was impressed with how I took care of it. Then he started talking and... the next thing I know, I was having a beer with him cuz... Who says no to a beer? And then... we were both fighting some shitty gang who came to trash his place and broke my bike's mirror too"