Feel Something (BounPrem FF)

Chapter 32: In Love

Sinn opened the door to Chan's dorm and plopped down right next to him on the bed. The boy was already half asleep, and had a picture album next to him. The motion on the bed made his eyes flutter open.
   
“Babe, what took you so long?” He reached over and pulled Sinn closer. While Chan was laying down, Sinn sat up and let Chan rest his head on Sinn's lap.
   
“I had a family dinner remember?” Sinn ran his fingers through the soft black hair just the way Chan liked it.
   
“Ohhh. I remember now.”
   
“What's that?” Sinn grabbed the photo album and started flipping through it.
   
Seeing Sinn grab it, Chan sat up and rested his cheek on Sinn's shoulder instead, wanting to see Sinn's reactions. “Since you didn’t get to meet me in high school I thought I’d show you. Look, that’s me selling food for a fundraiser.”
   
“I bet you sold a lot.”
   
“Pshhh. You’re just saying that. Your face would’ve sold more. They came for the food, trust me.”
   
“I don’t know, I think you were cute.” Sinn looked at Chan and his sleepy eyes.
   
“I wish I could’ve met you back then.”
   
“Nonsense. You only fell for me because I defied you,” Sinn teased.
   
“Ohhh. Haven’t I told you? You caught my eye from the beginning. I just didn’t understand myself.” Sinn was pleasantly surprised. He never knew Chan felt that way.
   
Chan turned his head to kiss Sinn's shoulder and started flipping through the pictures himself. “Here’s my friends and I at the football camp we raised money for.”
   
“I have to tell you something…” Sinn didn’t mean to interrupt the happy memories, but he wanted to tell Chan as soon as possible about Mong, Tap and Chan's half siblings.
    
“Don't tell me you want to break up? Is it because I looked like that in high school? Look, I’m more grown now.”
   
Sinn tapped Chan's forehead playfully. “Don't be silly.”
   
“Fine, fine. What is it?”
   
“It's about your father. Mongkut.”
   
Chan sat up and his smile faded fast. He just found out about the money that day, and now his boyfriend was bringing him up out of nowhere. “What about him?”
   
“What’s your relationship like? I’ve only seen a glance.”
   
“Well…”
   
Chan wanted to be as open to Sinn as possible. He trusted Sinn as much as his family, and didn’t want any secrets between them even if it started with Mong.
   
“When I was little, it looked like my parents just split up, and I gained a stepdad. Mong was never around , but we would talk on the phone almost everyday. That was until I turned 11. He stopped calling and I couldn’t get him to pick up the phone. That’s when I found out the truth about him. I overheard my Mae and Pho talking one night, and she told him the truth. That Mong had a girlfriend from before her, and that I had a brother a year older than me. She didn’t know about it until he left her for his old girlfriend. Mae didn’t find out until that girlfriend sent her a letter, saying to stay away and that they were getting married and were having another baby.”
   
Sinn suddenly knew why Chan hated Mong so much.
   
“My whole childhood I still loved him, looked up to him, and missed him. Mae told Pho that Mong said he was only marrying for the family, because they were rich socialites who wanted things to ‘look’ good in the public eye. She said that the family even gave him a fancy, high-paying job that he couldn’t refuse. He was a total sell-out.”
   
“So that's why you wouldn’t talk to him when he came to see you that day?”
   
Chan nodded. “He didn’t even say anything after Mae passed. He just…went on with his life. I just found out he sent me money every month, even after he stopped talking to me. He’s the reason Pho was able to find a good job and move here.”
   
“How do you feel about that?”
   
“Still angry. Even more now. But it makes me curious at the same time.”
   
“Curious?”
   
“I want answers. Isn’t that fair?”
   
“I…” Sinn had to tell Chan before Monday. There was no time to hide anything about Mong in case Han spilled the tea. “I met Mong…he's our father's business associate and friend.”
   
Chan looked at Sinn with now wide-eyes. “What? When?”
   
“We met him a while back, but we saw him again tonight. This time he brought his son and daughter.”
   
“Daughter? So I have a sister, too?” Chan's mind was blown. Although he knew he had siblings, he didn’t have any interest in them until this time. After Sinn had met them it only seemed right that Chan should.
   
“Mmm…I also met your brother.”
   
“Really? How is he? Are they both like me? Do we all look alike? Am I the most handsome?” He teased, giving Sinn a grin.
   
“Chan…I don’t know how to tell you…”
   
“I'm not the most handsome? Don’t tell me you have a thing for my brother?” He suddenly gasped, startling Sinn. “Don't tell me you’ve dated him before?”
   
“You have a wild imagination.”
   
“Okay, okay. So what about him?”
   
“Your…”
   
“No! Don’t say anything.” Chan put his hands over Sinn's mouth. “I’ll find out for myself.”
   
“What?” Sinn mumbled under the hands.
   
Chan let go, then thought aloud. “I'll have to talk to the sperm donor if I want answers. But I’ll get them myself.” He rested his head back on Sinn's lap and flipped a page in the album. “Thank you for telling me, though.”
   
“I don’t think he knows about us, but there’s a possibility…”
   
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t out you to your father.” Chan remembered that Dee and Sinn had to keep Chan and Sook from Aawut, but that Kaew was okay with them. He didn’t know what it was like to have parents who opposed having gay kids.
   
“He gave me his business card. He wanted me to help him talk to you.”
   
“Really?” Chan thought Mong must’ve remembered seeing him with Dee and Sinn that one day. Mong must’ve also been desperate to go through Sinn instead of Khem. “I’ll call this week, then.”
   
They stayed there looking through the pictures until they fell asleep. Chan woke up randomly after midnight, not remembering even closing his eyes. He got up and dragged Sinn's legs further down to fully lay down and not slouch. “You call me silly but you can sleep like a toddler -anytime and anywhere.”
   
He crawled back into bed and watched Sinn cuddle up to him. “Suh a big baby na.” Chan patted Sinn's head and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead. “I love you.”
   
Sinn stayed asleep and Chan watched his body moving with the slow breathing. “Whatever you do, or wherever you go, I’ll be by your side if you let me. So just keep wanting me near you na.”
 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
   

Dee met up with Sook at the “Dusk” bar after his family dinner. When he walked in, he saw Dawn teaching Sook how to shoot darts. He leaned against the wall and smiled watching his small boyfriend having fun.
   
“Dee!” King's large hand landed on Dee's shoulder, bringing him down with it. “Whoops!” King helped him back up.
   
“Oi King! You’re too strong for your own good.” Dee rubbed his shoulder and laughed it off with the man.
   
“It’s about time! I only taught Sook how to play pool a million different ways. We finally switched over to darts.” Dawn took a big chug of water before giving his husband a big kiss. “I saw you bring Dee down, don’t be so harsh, look at him!”
   
Dee looked between himself and King. He was a twig compared to King. “Hey! What’s wrong with me?” He pouted and Sook came to hug him from the side.
   
“Don't worry, I can see your progress.” Sook smiled from Dee's chest.
   
“Hey, this one has some good looking muscles! He knows it, too! He was flexing all over the place while we played pool. Show them!” Dawn tugged at Sook's jacket and helped it off.
   
Sook didn’t have to really move to show off his muscles, they simply existed. They were toned and lean muscles, and very noticeable in his tight white t-shirt. “Hey! Those are only for me!” Dee started putting the jacket back on Sook quickly, sleeve by sleeve, then zipping it all the way up.
   
“Dee!” Sook brought the zipper back down.
   
“Who were you trying to impress when I’m not around?”
   
“What? Your boyfriend can’t look good? Then people would think I’m not good enough.” Sook stuck his bottom lip out just a tad, but a smile was behind it, teasing his boyfriend.
   
“Fine, fine.” Dee wrapped his arm around Sook and pulled him close. “I'll be taking him now. Thanks for keeping him busy for me!”
   
“No problem, come around anytime,” Dawn said, smiling and waving from a barstool.
   
When they walked down the alley, Dee held his lover's hand tightly. “Sook, I met the girl today at dinner.”
   
“Oh really? How was she?”
   
Dee was nervous to continue, but wanted to be as open and honest as possible. “She hated me. She told me she has a boyfriend her parents don’t approve of. I told her I had a boyfriend, too. So…we kind of made a pact to fake it. At least until the end of the year.”
   
“That's a really good plan! Then your parents won’t pressure you so much.” Dee was pleasantly surprised at how Sook was taking the news.
   
“So you’re not mad?”
   
“No. Why would I be?”
   
“You trust me?” Dee had never really been with anyone who trusted him. Just one look and they thought he was a playboy.
   
“Of course I do.” Sook's smile gave Dee the best feeling. He trusted Sook, too. He wanted to show Sook who he really was, and his entire life. “So does that mean that she’s going to tell the truth to her parents at the end of the year?”
   
“Yes, she’ll have to tell her parents the truth. That she has a boyfriend. Even if they don’t approve.”
   
“What about you?”
   
“What do you mean?”
   
“Is that when you would tell your parents you have a boyfriend, too?” Dee hadn’t thought about that part, yet. He just wanted to help out Lee.
   
“Oh…uhhh…I'm not sure. I guess it depends on where my Pho is with gays at that point… He's going to be mad at me regardless for faking it with Lee.”
   
“Her name is Lee?” Sook changed the subject right away, knowing that Dee wasn’t sure about coming out yet. Sook didn’t want to pressure his boyfriend. He understood him that way, because not everyone comes out the same time in their lives or the same ways.
   
“Sumalee. She’s a senior in high school, but she just turned 18 so our fathers decided we should meet at least.”
   
“She sounds nice, to make a pact to save your relationships for the time being.”
   
“I think you two would get along.” Dee didn’t like that Han was her brother, but so was Chan, and she was like him in some ways. “Did you eat yet? Do you want to grab something?”
   
“Dawn and King fed me. I’m just ready to sleep.” Sook yawned and stretched out his arms, making room for Dee to sweep in and wrap his arms around Sook's waist. “Oi! Dee!”
   
Dee kissed the boy's neck repeatedly, tickling Sook. “I'm not sleepy just yet.”
   
Sook wiggled out of his arms and pushed his arm. “Shia! What if someone sees us?” Sook laughed but still looked around just in case.
   
“Come on, no one knows us here!” Dee chased after his boyfriend, with Sook jogging away and laughing down the street.
   
Their love story wouldn’t be as easy as it was that day, but at least for that time they felt fearlessly in love. That’s all that mattered.