Next Life Let Me love you again

Barking Dog

"Did you cheat?" the man asks Pai rudely, throwing his helmet like a toddler having a temper tantrum.

"Do you want video proof? Besides I didn't win by just a little, it was a landslide victory." Pai answers. His normally cheerful demeanor giving way to irritation at this spoiled kid in front of him.

"If it wasn't you," he rounds on Phayu who is in front of the garage's tent, checking the bike the guy had ridden. "This is your fault. You gave me a bad bike."

"You chose it yourself," Phayu reminded him.

"I lost because of you and your shitty bike." He says spitting on the bike.

"You fucking chose it yourself." Phayu is trying his best to hold in his temper. He might be P'Pakin's favorite mechanic but even he would not be easily forgiven if he punched this boy like he wanted to.

"Why else would I lose?" The boy says.

"Because you have no skills." Causing the boy to grab his collar, "If you want to throw a temper tantrum do it at home otherwise prove yourself in the race, not just bellowing that you're the best. It pathetic."

"Pathetic, huh." The boy makes to punch him but is stopped by P'Chai.

After the boy leaves the race Phayu does his best to school his emotions. Outwardly he is calm, but inside he is a perfect storm of rage and fear. Rage at what the boy had done to the bike and for implying that Phayu had deliberately not done his best as a mechanic when it was what Phayu took the most pride in. Fear, not for himself but for Rain, because he had known the boy.

No one had asked the boy's name but Phayu knew it was Stop. He glanced over at his tent glad that Rain was out of view inside. Rain stands up and moves to him when Phayu enters the tent.

"What's the matter, P'Phayu, you look angry." This was another thing that hadn't changed about Rain. He always seemed to have a strong sense of empathy. Not just with Phayu, he seemed to be able to naturally read the emotions of all the people he cared about.

"It's nothing Rain, I just met someone annoying. P'Chai has already taken care of them."

Rain slipped his arms around Phayu's waist and said, "Then smile, you don't want to scare your darling do you? Please, if you smile your darling will reward you." Phayu felt his anger and fear slip away like water down a drain. How could he be angry when his Rain was being so cute. "There you are," Rain said and kissed him.

The next day P'Mhok called Phayu and the rest of his team into the office to discuss changes on the difficult couple's house. The husband and wife had finally agreed on a few points of contention, but wanted new plans by Monday. Phayu sighed, he would have liked to spend the day at the garage looking over the bikes from last night's race and spending time with Rain. Sometimes being a hyper responsible person sucked.

To his surprise, when he arrived at the garage that afternoon Rain was busy in the office entering client forms into the laptop. Phayu knew Saifah and Nui were behind on work because of several people missing due to illness. He just never thought about Rain helping pick up the slack. He felt a wave of pride wash over him.

He waited for Rain to finish then startled him by pressing a cold drink to his cheek. "What's this," Rain asked.

"Your wages." Was Phayu's answer.

"Just this, I have been typing for hours."

"Minutes or hours, it's your duty as the garage owner's lover. That way the money doesn't leak. What more do you want?"

Rain presented his lips in a challenge to show what wages he actually wanted and Phayu happily paid them.

They were interrupted by Saifah, "Phayu that boy challenges you to a race."

"What boy?"

"The one that spat on your bike and accused you of cheating."

Stop, Phayu thought with a ghost of the fear from the previous night in his heart. He looked at Rain then Saifah trying to decide the best thing to do. What would keep Rain safe. The logical thing seemed to have as little interaction with Stop as possible, at the same time Phayu felt that fate was once again working against him and Rain. It didn't seem to be a coincidence Stop showing up so soon after Rain had come back into his life.

"I won't race him," Phayu declared to Rain's relief. "He is just a barking dog, let him bark."

Phayu took Rain home but none of them noticed the man watching them from a distance, taking special note of the way Phayu held Rain close as they walked.

One morning, a little over two week's later Rain had gotten up early because he wanted to make his boyfriend's breakfast before work. Feeling a little mischievous he dressed in P'Phayu's tank top and his boxers. The top was too big on him making it drape low around his shoulders and neck.

"What's this?" P'Phayu asked.

"Breakfast," Rain answered cheerfully, pretending to be oblivious of the way P'Phayu's eyes roamed over his body.

"Rain, what are you wearing?"

"Whatever, it's pajamas." Rain said with a grin.

"Naughty boy, see how I will deal with you tonight." P'Phayu threatened. Rain stuck his tongue out feeling particularly bratty and happy that they had these moments together.

After P'Phayu left for work, Rain considered if he should go get some more sleep or walk to the market to pick up food. He finally decided sleep first then market this afternoon.

As he was returning home with his bags of food he saw the delivery truck and driver parked in front of the house.

"Package?" He asked a little confused. P'Phayu usually had packages delivered to the garage.

"I have a delivery for Khun Phayu," the driver confirmed, "It's a large package, could you help be lift it down."

Rain nodded and moved to the back of the truck. Just as he turned to help the driver someone from behind grabbed him and put cloth over his mouth and nose. There was a pungent smell and Rain felt his eyes start to close and the food bags slip from his fingers as the world started to slip away.

Phayu was a little uneasy that day, but he told himself that it was only because of the nightmare he'd had the previous night.

Phayu's nightmare

The household was in an uproar when Phayu, Saifah, and Pai returned that night. They had spent the day working with the Royal Guards to clean out the criminal organization and hunt for Stop, who seemed to have disappeared.

"What's wrong?" Phayu asked one of the maids. It was late and everyone in the house should have been asleep by now.

"Master Rain is gone, no one can find him. One minute he was in the courtyard, the next he had disappeared. One of the scholars found this in the courtyard." She handed Phayu a torn piece of blue silk with gold stitching that looked like part of a flower. It was a piece of Rain's favorite top that Phayu had made for him out of the silk he had fallen in love with. Phayu's blood ran cold.

Just then one of the household guards rushed in and shakily handed Phayu a note that had been delivered to the door just now.

"Come alone or you will never see your lover again."

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Notes:

It was a hard decision not to have P'Phayu race Stop, meaning no post race victory "spicy fun", but I couldn't conceive that this Phayu, knowing what he did, would agree to the race.

We'll just have to imagine Rain got his riding lessons at a different time. 😂