Marriage Contract

[7]

The next day, Kongpob found himself within Arthit's embrace. He could feel the larger man's expired breath against his nape, the warm exhalation slightly tickled as it struck his skin, making his body stiffen while a rosy tint stained his ears.

Too close....

This kind of distance was too scary-too dangerous. Still rigid, Kongpob waited for about a minute to make sure Arthit had not yet awakened. Carefully, he took the encircling arm from his waist, then
stealthily snuck off the bed.

Next, for a while, he closely observed the man who still laid resting on the bed. Certain that said man had not been roused by his movements, a relieved sigh left his lips before he exited the bedroom to wash up. Absent-minded, he closed the door behind him and thus that man laying on the bed, opened his eyes.

Arthit propped himself up, leaning against the headboard as he sat on
the bed, waiting for Kongpob to finish washing his face then return.

He was curious as to what sort of reaction the smaller man would have after last night's incident, whether it would be the same dead-fish-face the boy wore the day before and if so, then...

He would just try coaxing him.

Kids are just so difficult to please.
Scoffing, then raking his fingers through his hair, Arthit reached for his
phone beside him, opening up a webpage to browse through the news.
For about five minutes he sat there, waiting, yet Kongpob  still had not
returned. No longer interested in reading the news, he got off the bed in
search of the younger man.

However in that house, apart from him, there was no sign of the other person
at all. There were drops of water sprinkled on top of the sink, proving kongpob had indeed just used it, but it seemed like he had already left.

Could he have worn his pajamas to class? Or.. He thought at once. It
looked as if he suddenly recalled something so he headed towards the guest room. Just as he had expected, he saw Kongpob's small suitcase sitting in
there on the floor.

Since it was, that on the very day the small suitcase's owner moved in,Arthit had also left for his business trip only to return just the day before yesterday. He simply did not take heed of where the boy's thing's were placed, or if the youth had spent those past two weeks sleeping in the guest bedroom.

Contemplating the matter made his face darken. It was his belief he and that
boy were together, therefore the master bedroom rightly belonged to both of
them. He just assumed the younger man would return to their room to change his clothes, and had never considered such an idea was all simply his own wishful thinking.

During those two weeks, Kongpob  had kept his stuff just as they were when he first arrived, neatly packed within his suitcase, as if at any moment he was ready to leave.

With his gaze fixed on the grey suitcase beside his feet, Arthit's lips pursed together just a little, with the look on his face not faring any better.

"Ah-choo-"

At that exact moment, riding on a bus, Kongpob sneezed, rubbing the goosebumps on his arms as he felt his back burst out in a chill.

Could it be Arthit?

..This feels like a bad omen. Kongpob  quietly thought.

When he returned to the apartment later that day, contrary to his
Caged expectations, Arthit had said nothing. The man had even gone to bed
earlier than him.

It's terrifying. Waking up on a unfamiliar surrounding and realize
From then on, the interactions between the two maintained such a state of
unease. At daytime it was tolerable, as one man went to work, while the
other went to class, greatly reducing their chances of meeting one another.
The crux of the matter therefore, was at nighttime.