I Want You To Be My Last

Part 35.1 : Getaway

He had just reluctantly put his cellphone down when it started vibrating again. It was another call. Thinking it might be P'Mew again, he quickly picked it up, fingers already shaking. A sigh of relief and disappointment made its way out his mouth when he realized it was someone else.

It was his manager. "Hello, Phi -"

"Nong, are you still in the apartment?" P'Best was asking, cutting him off before he could even finish greeting the older man. Gulf noted that P'Best sounded breathless, if not frantic.

"Yes, Phi. I thought I'll take a quick shower first before I have to go. Why? Is there something wrong?"

"I'm driving back there. Get your overnight bag or whatever's important that you need with you. I'm picking you up. Meet me at the front - no, at the basement parking. Hurry."

He couldn't help it, he was on the verge of panicking too. He stood, looked around the apartment without actually knowing what it was he was looking for. Something told him this very sudden turn of events had something to do with what happened earlier. That interview he had no idea about, that reporter waiting out for him after his photoshoot job for an ambush interview.

He took a deep breath and did it again for good measure, vaguely hearing his manager muttering something indistinct from the other end of the line.

"I'm almost there, Nong. I need you to be ready to meet me there, okay?"

"But why? I mean, you know I'm supposed to leave in like, half an hour anyway. What's wrong? P'Best, please tell me what's going on!"

There was the sound of tires screeching on pavement, and then P'Best's voice was gone for a moment. Gulf started pacing around his living room, torn between dashing out the door and locking himself in his bedroom. He pushed his phone firmly against his ear, heart thudding in his chest as he waited for P'Best to get back, explain what had got him panicking like that.

"They found out where you live, Nong. Right now, they are camping at the front of your apartment building waiting for you. P'Bermb called me to inform me, so I am coming round back for you. Are you ready to go?" his manager was spouting things faster than he could keep up.

"Who are camping where?" he managed to croak out before his manager yelled at him to stop asking questions and just do what he was told. It was the first time he'd ever heard his manager sounding like that, so against his better judgments, he grabbed the bag he'd prepared for this evening from days before, pocketed his keys, almost forgetting his cap and facemask as he dashed towards the door.

-

P'Best looked absolutely pissed and disgusted, his eyebrows had shot up to his hairline when Gulf opened the passenger's side door and let himself in. He was huffing for breath, shaking his head in disbelief at the chaos waiting at the front of his apartment building when he'd chanced a glance earlier before making his way here.

"Phi -"

"I knew this was gonna happen. Just didn't expect it'd be so soon. I mean, it hasn't even been an hour since they've uploaded that damn interview and those sharks are already out for your blood!"

Gulf stayed quiet, alternating checking his phone for new messages and paying attention to his fuming manager at the front. They haven't left the basement, obviously because P'Best didn't want to take his chance and drive them out of there when there were still reporters apparently waiting for them at the front.

"I don't understand why they are focusing their attention on me," he wondered aloud as he switched apps. Twitter was currently on fire as well, and for very obvious reasons. "I mean, shouldn't they be checking with that bastard first? Ask him why he thought his supposed boyfriend was cheating on him with me and whether he had proof of that claim?" he grumbled as he continued scrolling through his twitter feed and seeing quite a number of photos taken during that post-conference dinner for the Boyfriend project, and some from that charity event held in Chiang Mai.