(Dis)order (A Never Let Me Go Fanfiction) (Bilingual Book)

Chapter 12 - Umbrage

"Watch out, Khun Nueng!"

Palm drew him to himself before he bumped into a trolley, which had probably been left in the middle of the walkway for a moment by a cleaning person in labor.

Nueng's back hit Chanon's son's torso after the latter's somewhat abrupt move, and the contact suddenly brought him to his senses. The young master turned his head to the side and noticed that Palm was holding him firmly by the shoulders, while he tried to make sure there was no injury by looking at him from every angle.

"Are you all right?" Palm asked, his eyes constantly shifting between the face and body of the man he was ready to keep safe, close to him, for as long as Nueng felt the need.

Not only because it was his duty... but also and above all because it was his wish, unquestionably. Among the most dearest.

"Sorry," Nueng sighed, while rubbing the space between his eyebrows with the tip of his index finger. "I'm just a little tired. Nothing serious."

"..."

Palm's hand, which was still resting on his shoulder, tensed slightly against the sleeve of his uniform as he tried to pull away from him. It was rare that Nueng apologized. Especially to him. For Palm, it was a sign. A sign that action should be taken without delay.

"If you're not feeling well, maybe it would be better if we called it a day," he offered gently, holding him close. We'll continue searching tomorrow, when the school is crowded. "That will give us a chance to ask more people, which will also mean a better chance of finding clues."

Nueng turned around to prove to him that his determination had not been affected by this brief period of inactivity:

"No. No way."

Palm expected him to ignore his advice, given his extremely stubborn nature.

When his boss's son had made up his mind about something, it was always difficult to get him to reconsider, even only partially. This required a patience that not everyone was blessed with.

"Khun Nueng..." Palm tried again, because it should not be forgotten that he too was a persevering person. "We should be back by now. Our parents will..."

"I've already notified your father, anyway," Nueng immediately cut him off, not really in the mood to negotiate. "Since this is an order from me, Chanon has nothing to say."

He paused for a moment, then continued in a dull tone:

"As for my mother... she's so busy with work that she probably didn't even notice that I hadn't come home yet. She might not even be there, for that matter. Who knows..."