Single dad Arthit has always known Kongpob, a regular at his cafe, as a player. The latter brings in different partners every month and Arthit swears he'll stay away from him for good. However, life seems to have a different plan for him when Puimek...
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Ding dong ding dong ding dong—
Kongpob's eyes snap open to the ringing of his doorbell that echoes off the walls of his house. With a groan, he rolls over to look at the digital clock by the bed stand and a childlike whine vibrates from within his throat.
It's a Saturday. It's still too early to be awake.
Scratching his stomach lazily, he stretches in bed like a cat before swinging himself off it, landing on the balls of his feet. Somehow, the perpetrator has stopped abusing the button on his doorbell but the tintinnabulation still lingers in his ears.
He wonders who's at the door.
Ding dong ding dong ding dong—
"I'm coming!" he yawns, mid-holler when the ringing resumes. If it's his senior, Bright, he's pretty sure he's going to give the man a piece of his mind, no matter how hazy it is with sleep.
When he reaches the door, Kongpob unlocks the bolts before pulling it ajar, only to see the least expected person standing in front of it.
"P'Arthit?" he rasps, removing the barrier between them, leaving the door wide open now. The older man looks like he's in need of an oxygen tank with the way he's panting so heavily, both his hands on his hips.
Throwing all courtesy aside, Arthit takes a step forward to peer into the younger man's house. "Puimek... did she come here by any chance?"
Kongpob hears the rush in his voice, so he steps aside to let the man in. "No. She didn't. What's wrong? You could've just called—" the words died on his tongue when he notices the phone in Arthit's left hand being gripped tighter.
Right, how oblivious of him.
"I'm sorry. I think my phone's on silent?" says Kongpob, more of a question rather than a statement. Arthit pivots around to fully face him, his expression is apprehensive. He seems to have regained some of his breath. "Is there something wrong with Puimek?"
"Puimek's missing," reveals Arthit, and Kongpob sees the flicker of fear in his eyes. The younger man swallows down the overpowering dread that has suddenly emerged in the pit of his stomach when the father adds, "She went to the amusement park with her new family today. But the moment Namtarn took her eyes off her, she was gone."
"Shit," cusses Kongpob, not because of habit.
"They've broadcasted a lost child notice and searched the entire park but there's no sign of her at all so they went to the police station to file a report and they asked me if she's with me by any chance and I told Namtarn that she's not—" Arthit pauses for breath, and Kongpob's heart lurches at the sight of the older man trying to hold back his tears, his lips trembling as he chokes out again, "W-what if she got kidnapped? I- I shouldn't have let her go— What should I do—"
