The Wait (PhaYo)

Chapter 8

AN: Hope you enjoy

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Kit and Pansri were puttering around the kitchen, going over the last-minute preparation for the big dinner. They would be having some special guests tonight and both seemed rather excited. The grocery and fresh produce that Phana and Beam had brought the other day would not go to waste after all.

It was a day earlier that Bright had procured contact details of the young boy named Wayo from Yiwha. They had called Mr Suthiluck and explained the situation. It was a surreal experience when they started the video call and Phana first looked at the child. His reaction had said everything. His eyes went wide with recognition and he was staring unblinkingly. He was looking at the screen as if stunned, his eyes suddenly sparkled with a watery sheen. Pansri was standing beside him and she could see the little boy on the screen. Phana seemed like he was holding his breath. Pansri had to nudge him to get him out of the trance and start speaking.

Seeing Phana, the little boy had exclaimed, "Daddy! It's him! It's him." Phana introduced himself finally and the little boy, 'Wayo', talked about himself. He's a few months shy of his eighth birthday. Phusikt too was lingering around watching the scene as the two boys talked briefly. A few minutes later Pansri had decided to talk with the child's parents and invited them over so the two families could discuss the matter.

And this is where the Kongthanin family and friends found themselves now, preparing dinner and waiting for their guests.

While Kit was helping in the kitchen, Beam found himself in Phana's room, trying to keep him calm and help him get dressed. Although it was just a casual affair and Phana always looked good, he was still stressing out, changing shirts and t-shirts. Beam felt amused because Phana had packed just a few pairs of clothing with him and was now just switching between them. He wondered what his friend would have done if he was at his house in Bangkok, where he has a huge walk-in closet full of designer shirts and suits.

When Phana went to change into the t-shirt he had tried on four times already, Beam had had enough. He grabbed his friend's hand and looked him in the eye, "Pha, stop. Okay? Take a deep breath, and just calm down for a minute." The tall man seemed to have stopped fidgeting and breathed in slowly. Beam pushed Phana by the shoulders to sit on the bed as he snatched the t-shirt from his hands. Phana met his friend's eyes and took a few deep breaths together. The jitteriness seemed to have calmed down slightly. Beam patted his shoulder and handed him a casual white printed shirt. It was loose on Phana's body and didn't look intimidating. Paired with regular jeans, Phana managed to look smart yet elegant.

The taller man checked himself out in the mirror, satisfied with the look, he gave a half-hug to his friend and both made to go downstairs.

It was about half an hour later, as everyone was loitering around the living room waiting for their guests, that Phana suddenly stood up and rushed to the door. Beam was right behind him as he held his friend by the arm. There was a buzz of activity as everyone realized that Phana must have sensed his soulmate getting closer. Beam said, "Pha, stop. You cant rush towards them like this, it will make them really nervous. Wait, okay?" Phana looked as if he was in pain, having to restrain himself, but he gave a small nod anyway. It was almost 10 minutes of fidgeted waiting from Phana later that the doorbell rang. Beam had a strong hold on Phana's arm, not letting him rush to the door as he wanted to. It was Pansri who welcomed the guests with a soft smile and Waiied politely.

The first thing that hit Pansri was the striking beauty of the small child who was holding hands with a pale-skinned man. When the child saw her, he involuntarily moved closer to the man, almost clutching his leg. The child turned his head and hid behind the man's legs, probably uncomfortable around new people. A moment later though he pulled his head up and stretched his neck to peer around Pansri. The woman too looked back and her eyes widened to see her son standing stunned, Beam's grip strong on his arm.