BURNING PLEASURE ☆ EARTHMIX AU

♤43♤ fake it till you make it

"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do."

- Rumi

"Something's wrong with my son."

"What do you mean?"

"He's been rebelling more than usual. I can't fucking seem to keep tabs on him," Mr Watthanasetsiri groaned.

"Well, he is twenty-eight, I don't think he is as naive as he used to be. He might be suspecting something."

"Suspecting what?" Mr Watthanasetsiri chuckled, "he isn't that smart."

"I think, that you are underestimating him a big time, Mr Watthanasetsiri."

"I'm not going to listen to someone who was supposed to keep an eye on the rest of the bodyguards but failed! Look what happened with Jay, you mean to tell me that it wasn't your fault that we didn't find out sooner?"

"My apologies, Mr Watthanasetsiri, I should have kept my eyes on him for longer but since he had become your son's bodyguard I figured that he wouldn't be a problem."

"Doesn't matter that just because he was my son's bodyguard, that he didn't have access to whatever I was doing! You are lucky some of my other men have found out before he could say anything to my son or to anyone else! Now go, I'm tired."

Relaxing into his chair, Earth's father felt as if the whole world was settling down on his shoulders, pushing him down. Something didn't feel right. His business was going smoothly all those years but suddenly there were suspicious appearing close to his business. Not so long ago he got a report from one of the casinos that a suspicious young couple recently went into the casino but they didn't play or interacted with anyone besides a waitress and they were there only for a couple of minutes before they quickly left. The fact that none of the casino staff recognized them made it clear that they were there for the first time and according to staff, they didn't show up there again either. Earth's father was on the edge for a couple of days after that but nothing happened so eventually he calmed down.

But then there was Jay. Jay used to be one of the most trusted if not the most trusted Watthanasetsiri bodyguard. Letting Earth take him wasn't as easy as his father made it seem but it was better to give Earth what he wanted rather than give him more reasons to poke his nose into the family business more than it was necessary...at least not yet. The fact that Jay ended up being the one that wanted to bring the whole business down surprised even someone as paranoid as Earth's father. Jay already had a lot of evidence and connections to the media including the biggest newspapers in Thailand. Earth's father isn't really sure why Jay still waited but he sure is glad that he did. It would be a disaster if everyone would find out about his not-exactly-legal business. Jay had to be killed, there was no other choice.

But he knew that Earth is going to have questions. Something was telling him that Earth didn't believe that Jay committed suicide.

And then there was also his stupid wife. He didn't even know why was he still making those monthly visits to see her; it wasn't like he loved her...he never did...maybe he did it because it was better to keep a personal eye on her once in a while. Well, if she wasn't being a bitch and threatening him that she would go to the police and tell them everything, she didn't have to be locked up in that disgusting clinic. It was her fault. Just like the fact that his own son hated him.

He needed to find a way to make that unsettling feeling disappear but how?

.....

It was raining.

Just like the day they were driving to the clinic for the first time. Surprisingly Earth didn't feel nervous anymore. It was like all his nervousness and worries got drained out in the last couple of days of waiting. Driving through the busy roads, Earth had a small smile on the corner of his lips, fingers lightly tapping on the steering wheel while the other hand was gently holding Mix's hand.

Mix was watching Earth carefully, a gentle calmness with a hint of amusement crept into his heart as he was on one hand happy to see Earth calm again after all those days of being fine and not fine over and over again. On the other hand, Mix was a little bit amused, maybe confused too how Earth suddenly switched to this calm and collected person.

"Did you have a good sleep?"

Earth glanced at Mix and shrugged, "you were cuddled to my side the whole night, of course, I did."

Mix shook his head, smiling, "okay okay, let me ask again; you seem really calm considering  where are we going, why?"

Earth shrugged again, "I don't know. Maybe it's because of you."

"Me?" Mix asked surprised.

"You keep saying that my mom remembers me and that everything will be fine; I guess I finally believe it."

"Ohh, thank god, I was starting to feel like a parrot, repeating the same thing over and over again," Mix teased.

"The cutest parrot out there. True," Earth winked and parked the car in front of the clinic. He leaned over to Mix and kissed him. "Thank you...for being a parrot."

"Shut up!" Mix laughed, shoving Earth's shoulder.

Earth leaned in and kissed Mix again, sucking and licking his bottom lip before slowly pulling away, "seriously, thank you."

"Now's not the time to be kissing like that, Pirapat."

"How, hmm?" Earth raised an eyebrow.

Mix rolled his eyes and got out of the car, "let's go, time to meet your mom!"

"You are going to meet my mom. Aren't you nervous?" Earth asked as he got out of the car and interwind their hands. The rain was calmer now as it was slowly falling on them and their surroundings.

"I am," Mix chuckled as they run inside, "but I'm pretending that I'm not. You know...fake it till you make it."

Earth laughed, "alright Mr fake it till you make it wait for me here."

Stepping closer to the reception, he rang the small bell on top of it. A second later a chestnut hair, then the head and eventually the entire body of a nurse showed up from the other side of the counter. "Oh, hey...I'm sorry I was just looking for my bobby pin because it fell somewhere here and—"

Earth was looking at the young nurse with a bored expression, waiting for her to end her monologue.

"Oh, yes, sorry...you are here for...?"

"We called together," Earth said, "I'm here to see my mother, Mrs Watthanasetsiri."

The nurse quickly nodded, "oh yes yes, of course, I remember. Come this way," she grabbed a set of keys and walked towards an old metal door on the other side of the hall.

Earth looked at Mix and grabbed his hand, following the nurse as she opened the door and was making her way through the private parts of the clinic.

"It looks even creepier here than in the entrance hall," Mix whispered.

"Yeah, hopefully my mom's room isn't that bad or I'm taking her away from here before anyone can even realize what is happening!" Earth murmured with a frown.

The nurse suddenly halted her steps and turned to the right towards a door number 100. "Your mother is here. I'll let you talk to her. Once you are done call the reception...you have the number, right?"

"Yes," Earth nodded but he wasn't really paying any attention anymore. His focus was only on those locked doors and the fact that his mother is just behind them clueless that her son is standing so close.

To be continued...

P.S. Earth and his mom reunion in the next chapter :( Also...his father is pretty dumb...