I Want You To Be My Last

Part 6 : Worries

The meeting took another three hours to finish, and by the time he was able to check his phone, he found out he had at least five offline messages from several people - one from his mother, another from Mild, and the other three from S.

As usual, the text from his mother was just her asking if he was planning on coming home on his next day off, which he answered jokingly with, If P'Best managed to wrangle one for me in this lifetime, I'll let you know, Mom. I miss you.

He skipped reading Mild's text and checked S' messages next. The first one was sent just a few minutes after he went back to the room to join the others - he'd turned off his phone at that point, out of respect to everyone who were in that room when he'd left earlier, but not before he'd text S his apartment address, just as he promised.

Thanks for the address, K. By the way, I'm at the boarding gate now. Will message you again once I've boarded. Don't work too hard, okay? And eat your dinner. I have a feeling you haven't had one yet.

Gulf shook his head after reading that, amused and equal-parts charmed, helplessly so that it was ridiculous as it was embarrassing.

Goodness. Talk about someone who knew how to charm the pants' off of someone else just by a simple text.

Message number two was sent just a few minutes before the last one, and Gulf was helplessly giggling when he'd read it that he realized his reaction earned him another undignified eye roll from P'Best who was standing next to him on the elevator on their way down to the parking lot.

Boarding now. Man, why are there lots of Chinese people here? Oh, right. They're all going with me to China, why didn't I think of that?

The last one read,

Alright, my flight is leaving in a few and I'll have to turn off my phone now before that lady comes in and snatches it away from me. Please text me when you can, maybe after you're done with work, Mr. Hardworking pants? Okay, time to go. Talk to you again soon.

Gulf sighed and read the message twice, realizing something.

He already missed hearing S' voice.

Shit.

"So, what do you think about the project, Nong?" P'Best's question brought him back to the present, the older mans' voice startling him. "I mean, I know we said that every possible work is an opportunity and we should try our best to welcome each and every one of it, but it's still your decision. We know that you think that singing and dancing aren't really your forte, but -"

"No, I... I know my limitations, P'," he said, cutting the older man off. "And I don't have much to show for it but I guess I...I'll try. I'm willing to try. The producers trusted me enough to offer me this, so, why not go for it?" he said, but still with uncertainty, momentarily forgetting his earlier dilemma concerning the man he'd last talked to on the phone earlier, and trying to focus his attention on the possibility that he would end up in a boyband for this particular project should he say yes.

P'Best, as always, looked like he knew exactly what he would say, chuckled the same way Gulf's mother would when she was feeling particularly proud of him but didn't know how to say it.

"If you say so, Nong. Now, how about dinner? I don't know about you but I'm starving.That sandwich they called dinner didn't even make it past my esophagus, no kidding. What do you feel like eating? I'm sure that the restaurant serving your favorite is still open at this hour. Do you like that? Come on, it's my treat."

Gulf thought about S' comment about his favorite Kra Pao Moo Grob before, wondering what the other man would say now if Gulf told him he was eating said food again. He couldn't help himself grinning imagining S' reaction, realizing P'Best was watching him again a second too late when the older man chuckled as if on cue.