Forget Me Not

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Aren't you getting up?" Mew asked when he stepped out of the bathroom.

Korn was still in bed with none of the urgency of the last two days.

"I have nowhere to go."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I finished my work, called in to the office and told them not to expect me until Monday."

"Wait, you're staying...for the weekend?" Mew asked in shock.

"If that is not a problem."

"You should have told me. I would have tried to get some time off then we could have spent it together.

"You have to go to work and bring home the bacon. I'll be here waiting to fry it up."

"Seriously?"

"Fine. I'll spend most of the day catching up on the rest I missed and you can take me out to dinner later."

"Whatever you want," Mew said easily.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Korn asked. "I've sprung a lot on you this week."

"It's been great having you here...and I'm really glad you want to stick around even though your work here is done."

Mew gave him a quick peck and then did his best to get ready for work instead of giving in to temptation and joining Korn in bed. They had breakfast together but when it came time to leave, Mew had a moment of doubt. He'd never left anyone alone in his house and the attack of nerves was stronger than he expected.

He wasn't afraid of what Korn would find. There was nothing to find. But he still felt like he was opening himself up to something frightening. The domesticity of it felt like the culmination of a dream he'd held inside him with little hope it would come true. He hadn't been even been willing to acknowledge its existence. Now that he was looking at the reality of being with someone he could conceive of having in his life—for the rest of his life— it was hard not to pin his hopes on Korn.

To have expectations, to open himself up to disappointment and heartbreak—it all mixed up in his belly to make him slightly queasy.

~

Korn was at a loss. If he had been home there would have been things to do, places to go, people to see. Instead, he was in Bangkok, a place he'd lived for most of his life but not felt foreign. He wanted to call his old friends but he wasn't ready to invite anyone into his life with Mew—not just yet.

On the other hand, he couldn't just sit around doing nothing. He was looking around the bedroom when he realised Mew had never given him the tour. He'd been so tired he hadn't cared enough to question him about it. He'd only seen the kitchen, living room (in passing) and the bedroom.

He took the time to walk around; seeing everything for the first time.

He was already familiar with the kitchen. Well organized, he was already more than a little in love with the breakfast bar where he and Mew had enjoyed their meals. There was a laundry area beyond it that overlooked one side of the building.

The formal dining area and living room led out of the kitchen and connected making it easy to go from one to the other. A wide balcony, where Mew had set up a small sitting area, let in natural light through the huge sliding doors.

The apartment had three bedrooms; the master bedroom with its ensuite bathroom and two guest rooms that shared a full bath. Mew had converted one into an office cum library and Korn lingered; looking at the book titles and wishing he had the time to read all of them.