Fated to be yours

Chapter 18

The evening of Mew's father's birthday,

Gulf collects the flowers and the gift from the passenger seat and gets off the car. Thanking the valet after handing over his key, just as he is about to move to the entrance of the restaurant, he sees Mew's car driving up to him so he waits for him. 

The man is still in his suit from the morning, still looking so fresh and handsome as always. Gulf pouts and looks down at his own clothes. It's just going to be family at the dinner so he didn't want to dress too formal but they were going to eat at a fancy place so he didn't want to go for something too casual either. So he had picked a cream and white striped full-sleeved top and wide-leg midnight blue pants that had white strings to tie in the belt loops. But now he is doubting his clothing choice. "Am I underdressed?"

"No, you are not. I bet Mom's first words when we enter will be about how cute you look."

Surprised, he looks at his side to see Mew who had slipped next to him without him even noticing. "How did you-"

"You were thinking aloud" the man chuckles, before gesturing to the entrance of the restaurant, "Let's go."

"You brought flowers for Dad?" Mew asks him as they are led to the private dining room Mr. and Mrs. Jongcheveevat were waiting at.

He shakes his head, "No, they are for Mae." He then lifts the gift bag he is holding in his other hand, "This is for Phor."

Mew grins at him, "You never forget to bring Mom flowers, do you?"

"She loves flowers" he shrugs. He loves seeing her happy and smiling, she is the closest to a mother figure to him in his life. And flowers make her happy, so yes, he never forgets to bring her flowers.

When they reach the dining room, his mother-in-law beams at him. "Oh, my son-in-law looks so cute!"

Mew smirks at him, raising an eyebrow as if to say "see, I was right."

Gulf thanks his mother-in-law even as he feels his face going warm at the compliment. He hugs her back when she pulls him into a hug but as he is giving her the flowers, he halts at his father-in-law's words.

"Gulf, I thought the flowers were for me, it's my birthday today after all. I feel insulted!"

Alarmed, he looks at his father-in-law, who is giving him a stern look, his face unreadable.

Oh. 

Puzzled, he looks at Mew but his stomach drops when he sees him shaking his head, his expression grim. Was he really expected to bring flowers? Is that why Mew was asking about it earlier?  

He drops his gaze down at the gift bag in his hand. He has been feeling underdressed already and now on top of that, he has even messed up in bringing a proper gift. He feels his eyes starting to sting and has to blink to control them from tearing up. He isn't really this sensitive normally. But since morning for some reason he has been really keyed up, a deep kind of anxiety rolling in his stomach, pulling it in knots. It happens sometimes to him, without any reason and out of the blue, where everything makes him anxious and edgy. And on top of that, the day hasn't been the best. In the morning, he had gotten late for his classes, then he wasn't able to have lunch because a professor had asked for his help (not that he was regretting helping), Coach had made him run extra laps at practice and sit him out of the game even when clearly it was someone else mistake, and he hadn't slept well since few days-

"Stop messing with my son!"

He looks up just as Mae smacks Por's arm. Beside him, Mew bursts out laughing but he is too confused at the moment to understand what's going on.