AGAINST THE RULES

Chapter 40

The camera turns on just in time for both men to enter the frame.

The views are quick to accumulate, they are like bees to their honey.

Win speaks first, greeting everyone and thanking them for their time.

Bright looks up, finally settled on his chair, and when his eyes rest on Win he has to take in a breath.

They only had ten minutes to dress up and clean up before the Live started. Ten. And yet Win Metawin looked like he had an hour with the best glam team Thailand could provide.

And so as he has done countless times before, Bright stares at Win. Forgetting like he always does where the camera is, losing himself in Win's handsome profile, drinking in his every word.

But unlike all those times before, Bright allows himself to say what he had always wanted to say whenever he got lost in Win:

"You're adorable," he says, eyes still glued to the man beside him.

This catches Win off guard and he laughs, his whole face turning crimson as he tries to hide in his own arms. Whatever it was he was saying, he had forgotten it. Goddamn Bright.

Win tries to recover and shakes his head.
"You are such a cheesy man," he says, giving Bright a look of disbelief.

"You love cheese."

Win bites down another laugh. "We are supposed to be promoting our upcoming schedules. Not discussing my food preferences."

Bright smirks. "Oh. So am I food, now?"

Win's eyes almost fall out of their sockets. And his jaw drops to the ground.
He is speechless and Bright wiggling his eyebrows his way was not helping at all.

Finally he gains composure and tries to hit Bright on the knee but Bright catches Win's hand just before it lands and squeezes it.

Unwilling to lose, Win tries to hit Bright with his other hand but unfortunately Bright catches that hand too.

So here they are now face to face, both arms up, both hands holding the other. Both mouths grinning so wide, their jaws were hurting.

"We should at least read the comments," Win finally says, breaking the trance.

Bright nods and lets go of Win's hands. He doesn't stop staring at him though. His eyes will never look at anything or anyone else ever again if he could help it.

Now, Win does something he has always wanted to do whenever Bright would stare at him too long : he winks.

This flusters Bright, his mouth opening and closing like a fish dragged out of water.

This only makes Win laugh again. Bright may call him adorable but really who could be more heart-achingly cute than Vachirawit? With those doll-like bow lips and incredibly round eyes?

Somewhere off camera, Saetang loudly clears his throat.

Win snaps to attention and turns to the camera to read the comments but they were coming in too fast.
Their view count has not stopped increasing either.

The text on the screen was almost a blur.

"Woah guys, I can't read anything. Bright help me out here."

Bright finally turns to the monitor and he too is visibly surprised at the speed of the comments and the amount of views coming in.

He scoots closer to Win and leans forward towards the monitor to be able to help read.

The screen glitches and finally some of the comments freeze long enough to understand.

"StellaBunny says: Are you all serious right now?"

Bright laughs, he cannot help it. He will probably laugh all throughout this Live.

The next comment wasn't any better:
"Did Bright just call Win adorable?"

A happiness fills Bright's chest. He looks at Win and very gently pinches his cheek.

"Yes, I called him adorable," he says softly. "Because he is."

In response, Win simply fixes a stray strand of hair on Bright's forehead. His vocabulary was seriously impaired every time Bright touched his face.
He doesn't notice doing it, but Win was biting on his lower lip, his thoughts drowned out by how loud his heart was beating.

There was no script for tonight.
No hidden agenda.
No long speech.

The only plan was to be themselves.
To turn on that camera and just be who they really were. No more pretenses.
No more walls. No more fear.

Bright took it to heart.

They want to know who he is?
He is a man head over heels in love.

If Win was choosing him despite all the risks then he would show the world he was a worthy choice.

If Win wanted the world to know the truth then Bright would hold nothing back.

Win was trying valiantly to keep the Live going as if everything was normal. As if it was standard that Bright was playing with his fingers as he spoke or that he was perpetually blushing.

Win starts rambling about his schedule. Telling viewers where he'd be on certain dates. He excitedly tells them that he's shooting an advertisement for a Vietnamese brand really soon and he will probably fly to Hanoi in a couple of days.

Win turns to Bright. "How about you, don't you want to tell everyone where you will be?"

Bright smiles at Win, then holds his hand, intertwining their fingers. "Right beside you, Win. I'll always be right beside you."

Right at that instant, their Instagram Live crashes.

But Bright and Win don't notice just yet.
They were too busy looking into each other's eyes.

"By my side, really?," Win asks, eyes locked on to Bright's.

"In every lifetime."

"Such a cheesy man."

"You love how cheesy I am."

"I do," Win says, every molecule in his body calling out Bright's name. "I really do."