Nong'Chili 🌶️🌵 Phi'Cactus (TulMax / MaxTul) - FF

#20 - Shock & Guilt

Tul looked at his mobile and grimaced.

It was late in the afternoon and he had just finished with his rounds and got back to his cabin.

He glanced once more at the message on his mobile and wondered how he was going to tell Max about it.

It was over a month since the incident on the lake. And though it had appeared like they had resolved their fight, things had not been quite the same since then.

Sometimes he wondered if it was just him overthinking or if Max had really withdrawn from him. He couldn't really fault Max's behaviour. The man was as per always attentive, caring, flirtatious and a delight to be around.

After coming back from their mini holiday Mew and Bhu had returned to Bangkok. And though Bhu had never told him why he had suddenly come for a visit he had looked happy and relaxed when he had left for Bangkok.

Tul thought about that night or rather the changes that he had seen after.

It had been easy to see something had definitely transpired between Foei and Meiko that night. If Foei coming to pick and drop Meiko to the hospital frequently was any indication.

He was not sure what, if anything had happened between Great and Min. But since that day Min seemed to be a frequent visitor at the bar and invariably it was Great who offered to drop her home.

But the one person who had looked positively radiant was Gulf. And if the stolen goodbye kiss he had witnessed by chance between his brother and Gulf was to be considered as proof, Tul was ready to bet his entire bank balance that the two had engaged in some blush worthy action between the sheets.

Though when Tul had asked Mew about it during one of their phone calls, his brother's answer had been vague and evasive.

Gulf on the other hand, though had retained his brash attitude was a little more positive and sunny like his boss Max.

But Max on the contrary had become a little less talkative. And there were times when Tul felt like Max was avoiding him. They had gone back to sleeping in their own beds. And since that day there had not been any occasion for a sleepover.

On several other occasions it felt like Max deliberately avoided any sort of physical contact. And it seemed like Max's idea of a kiss was now a peck on the cheek.

Tul had a few times wanted to initiate a kiss like he had done before. But since that night's fiasco he was too afraid and embarrassed to do any such thing.

Tul leaned back against the headrest of his chair and looked at the ceiling. How was he going to tell Max that Aim was coming to Bangkok in a couple of days and wanted to meet him.

What if Max misunderstood? That was the only question that blazed in Tul's mind like a wildfire.

He wondered if he should just pretend that something came up and he had to make a quick visit to Bangkok. It was not like Max would ever know. And even if he did it was not like he had all out lied.

But wasn't telling any lie, even one through omission the quickest way to murder every other emotion. From trust to respect to friendship it would all be destroyed in one stroke.

In the end Tul decided to tell Max. He would prepare dinner and when Max was in a good mood he would tell him. And hope that Max would understand why it was so important for him to go and meet Aim, his ex-girlfriend without revealing how bad a boyfriend he had been to her before.

But more than that he hoped Max wouldn't misunderstand and think he was like the foreigner guy who had gone back to his ex-lover and broken Max's heart.