Like wine

08. Missing

Phamueang had a business trip booked for the weekend. The biggest problem is that this trip was to Italy and he didn't want to leave Namnuea behind.

"Loooove ~!", the man complained for the thousandth time.

"No, Phamueang! You know we can't both go out and leave the winery alone! The employees need someone to take care of the complicated details.", Namnuea said without a trace of doubt, still folding the clothes meticulously inside his boyfriend's suitcase.

"I like to imagine that our employees are more competent than that, you know? Besides, if Phasinee can come with me, why don't you?", Phamueang argued, lying close to where the other was sitting on the bed.

"Because her specialty is important on this trip that you are going! It's business, love! If I knew my presence would be useful, I would go too. Now let's go to sleep because you need to arrive at 7 am at the airport!", Namnuea said closing the suitcase, turning off the lights and lying down next to Phamueang.

"I totally disagree with that! Phasinee can be useful to close the deal, but you are useful for my heart!", Phamueang said, cuddling with his boyfriend and laying his head on the curve between his neck and shoulder.

"Ok, ok, big baby! Next time I'm going, ok?", the other one reassured the needy boyfriend.

"It's a deal, then!", Phamueang kissed his jaw.

Hours later, after a good night of sleep and rest, the owner of the Red Forest Vineyard was on board of the flight to Piedmont, Italy. The trip would take 3 days and, all working out, they would settle an important partnership with an Italian winery to exchange techniques and research processes in the field in which they worked.

What Namnuea didn't expect was to miss Phamueang so much. Of course, he expected to miss the other, after all, they've been dating for some time by now. But it was quite different to feel on skin the others' absence.

Several times, Namnuea forgot he wasn't there and went to Phamueang's office only to find an empty chair and to remember that he was so far away. In the next days, it became his habit to have lunch in the boyfriend's office, thinking that maybe that would make him feel closer to the man. Sleeping in the couple's big bed was also an almost impossible torture to deal with.

Phamueang was not in a very different situation. Ever since they arrived in Italy, he felt that he had forgotten something. He checked his documents and belongings several times, Phasinee offered to help him trying to search for whatever it was, but he couldn't even explain what he was missing so much or what he was looking for so desperately.

Three days later, with the deal closed, Phamueang and Phasinee returned home. Namnuea offered to pick them both up at the airport, but they refused and chose to take a taxi. When Phamueang got out of the vehicle in front of the winery, he saw Namnuea at the door giving some order to the gardeners who were listening intently. In the eyes of the traveler who had just arrived, the beauty of the winery's manager seemed to have intensified many times in his absence and he was more dazzling than ever.

"Phasinee, I found what I was looking for!", he said to the employee and longtime friend before running towards his boyfriend and hugging him by surprise.

The action brought out a whine from Namnuea who soon recovered and broke into a smile brighter than anyone had ever seen. Namnuea didn't travel, but he felt himself coming home hugging Phamueang.