AGAINST THE RULES

Chapter 20

Win is in the dark - literally and figuratively. He doesn't know what time it is or for how long he has been sitting alone in their family kitchen. All he knows is he's about to finish his second pint of ice cream and he is trying to determine if eating leftover pad thai next would give him indigestion. Indigestion is not something he liked thinking about normally but gas and pain were unsexy and he would very much like to not have any even remotely amorous thoughts right now. Especially since it would seem like the very beginning of his bisexual awakening would be marked by abandonment.

Shit. Bisexual awakening. Does this mean he's bi? Or maybe this was just an alcohol fueled slip up? He didn't initiate the kiss after all. 'But you kissed back,' the voice in his head taunted. "Shut up!," he says, a little too loud.

He looks at his phone. Apparently, it's 4am and he has not received one call nor one message. "I am not bi," he says spooning another mountain of ice cream into his mouth. "I am annoyed. And exhausted."

But as the vanilla melted in his mouth all he could think of was how much sweeter Bright's lips were, how hot his tongue was compared to the freezing cold of this dessert. He could not help but wonder how good it would feel to lick ice cream off the curve of Bright's lips...

Win lets out a string of expletives.
Maybe one kiss doesn't make him bisexual. But wanting more than one kiss? What does that mean? How do people figure this out? Google?

Was Bright thinking about any of this too? Or was it just him who's over analyzing?

He was a grown man. He knows kisses don't have to mean anything   People have kissed for shits and giggles before - especially at showbiz parties.
This wasn't even his first time to kiss Bright - they used to kiss each other for a paycheck. Kisses can mean absolutely nothing.

Win sighed. He could not fool himself. He knew in his food-filled gut that tonight was not nothing- at least not for him.

Bright has always been a force he couldn't ignore. All that time he spent being angry at how perfect Bright was, it was really just him being angry at himself for spending too much time thinking about the many ways Bright is perfect. Even when he could no longer afford to do so.

"From now on, the both of you will be marketed separately. We will slowly dissolve your love team and open up the both of you to a wider array of projects. This is the future boys! Imagine conquering the world," Mr. Lewis says with a cheshire cat grin before outlining the solo projects the network had already lined up for Win and Bright. Win was chewing a donut then, he could feel his attention beginning to wander.

That was until the new rules were flashed on screen, detailing exactly what needed be done to "dissolve a love team." Or rather, what he and Bright were no longer allowed to do. Win remembers losing his appetite, the donut suddenly tasting stale.

Win snaps back to the present, the memory of that day dissipating with every breath he took.

"I am too busy for this," he groans.
He gets up and starts cleaning up, forcing himself to concentrate on the shoot he had to be ready for in a few hours.

- - -

Saetang jumps at Win's growl. He has rarely seen Win in a bad mood but today was apparently a rare day.

"Bright cannot make it," Saetang repeats.  "He probably over exerted himself last night and his doctor thinks he should take a few days off." 

Win looks positively pissed. He stares out the van window, glaring at every passing vehicle.

"Don't worry," Saetang soothes the star. "The magazine was very understanding and they'd love to do a feature on you anyway."

Win lets out a breath and simply nods his head.

"Do you need to rest too?" Saetang asks. "I can cancel your schedules after this shoot. The welcome back party was a bad idea. It may have been too much for the both of you."

"No," Win says, forcing a smile. Willing himself to summon his trademark cheerfulness. "I just need coffee and I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Saetang asks again.

Win smiles a real smile at Saetang. Their manager could be overbearing at times but he really did care for them. "Yes. All I need is a big glass of iced coffee to drown last night away."

Saetang opens a food app on his phone and starts ordering cold brews. "What in the world did I let the two of you do last night?" he sighs while tapping on his screen.

Win tenses. "What?," he clarifies.

Saetang glances at Win. "I should have known better than allow the two of you to party so soon after being hospitalized. I apologize. I am sure Bright's mom is itching to give me an earful." Saetang makes a face and goes back to ordering coffee.

"Want me to get an extra cup of jasmine tea," Saetang asks. "Daisy Mae tells me you love the stuff."

"I am sick of tea," Win says, putting his sunglasses on before going back to glaring out the window.