Midnight Rain

Chapter 4

        'What meets my eye is only you'

In the rooftop of a serenely quiet restaurant that stood on the height of nearly four hundred meters, Tin reached to greet his father who was already present, at eleven sharp.

Mr Tul, his father was not surprised at the extreme accuracy. After all he was used to Tin's management of time.

The legs he had folded throughout his wait were finally untangled and he sat upright to face his son sitting across him. Gun stood right behind Tin, a bit afar maintaining perfect space for a private talk.

"It has been such a long time that I shared food with my only son on the same table. Your father missed you dearly..." Mr Tul handed a piece of meat he had carefully sliced himself for his son to feast

Tin let out a polite smile "The same can't be said about mother, can it?" His voice loaded with obvious sarcasm made Mr Tul who had quite the appetite suddenly loose it. His face formed a frown at his halted movements.

He eyed his son who sat as if petrified into a perfect stone sculpture as he anticipated a response from his father. Mr Tul found himself clearing his throat and shifting his back ramming his brain for a delectable answer

"Oh... you know your mother misses you dearly. It's unfortunate that she's so busy to the point she fails to express it. Do not worry. I will convey it to you in her stead"

Tin scoffed at his father's not so appeasing answer "You are still a bad liar Dad." He shook his head as his father displayed objective disappointment in his face and dug onto the food in his plate

"So.... How is work going? I hope it's not too hard on you...." Mr Tul tries to loosen up the tight air. His eyes shifting vacantly across his son's calmly collected face

"It's been two years since I started father. Isn't it a bit too late to ask? I have adjusted completely well since the last time I was having a hard time" Despite the polite smile in his face Mr Tul could sense the obvious sarcasm in the choice of words. But was he to retaliate he knew he would be met with more ruthless remarks

He simply gave up his words and let his son pour out his grudging frustrations on him. After all,a father stands strong against any strong winds. In fact he's prepared for a hurricane as well. By the middle of the unsurprisingly quiet dinner Mr Tul's eyes fall onto a familiar face. He sees it as often as he sees his son. Or must he say he sees it every time he sees his son. Like a shadow trailing endlessly behinds him"So Guntapon is still working with you huh?" He inquired piquing Tin's interest. Of course. It was a topic Tin was finally familiar with

"He is. Not a surprise at all." Tin answered the obvious fighting the urge to look around and face him. His chest puffed a little as he straightened and his face lifted to great heights. He wants to brag after all. About his all too capable secretary.Mr Tul simply let him continue. It was all an attempt to converse with him.

"I'm glad he still chooses to stay with me. If not for him, I can't imagine anyone else who could possibly meet up to my needs." Tin breathed somewhat relieved. He talked of Gun quiet fondly. He was making it obvious that he is showing off "You know how picky I am father, and Gun is just the right person who meets all my standards. It will be all too hard without him. I'm afraid I depend on him too much. Haha." Tin showed extreme fondness for him. His best friend. His secretary. His other half

It of course didn't escape Mr Tul's analysis. Tin was from his days of self perception, rather than a picky child he was an extremely possessive lad. Whatever he owned was a pride point for him. It was his point of strength that made him the best of his capabilities.

The want to be worthy and never falling behind anything made him complete any of his raging desires. Anything he wanted,he had it attained. By hook or crook. No object could escape when it was set on his determined grasp

However there is something,this one topic that has made Mr Tul leer a sense of interest and concern in himself. He has been feeling it ever since he found Tin become possessive not just of inanimate objects.

Right now,he is witnessing it in person. The way his son projects his pride in an awfully glorious way depicting the deep rooted form of attachment to this one particular person he visualizes to be in a safe distance while in reality he holds him dangerously close

His best friend who now also holds the status of his personal adviser and secretary,Gun. Guntapon Wongwittaya.

A name that was introduced to him as his son's close friend when he was a student in tenth grade. He heard it ever since. So often that it made him unable to ignore him. What importance did he hold to be so constantly present even in his absence?

The answer he found was his son's obvious mentioning of him every chance he gets. He was so fond of his friend. So proud of hum. So much that he felt extremely obliged to keep him around. And his fondness had transformed into a constant need.

He was like a watermark for his son, he branded him. If it's Tin it's also Gun. Even graduating high school did not separate them as they both enrolled in the same university.

When time came when they were to finally separate paths was when Tin momentarily unleashed a certain point of his desperate needs as he clung onto his closet friend and offered him a position so appealing.

Gun didn't have to go through the trouble of fighting for a job at all. It was laid out and presented right at his feet for him to step on. The opportunity provided solely out of Tin's consistent need for him.

Tin does not realize it himself. But he has got himself addicted. To something more dangerous than drugs itself. Had it been an object,it would've been easier to rehabilitate.
However he got himself addicted to a person.

If Mr Tul is not mistaken in his analysis and all of this is to be true. What will happen to the two?

It makes Mr Tul his father, fail to suppress a sense of anticipation at what might happen next. He rubs his hands along the fate of gameplays that children these days are known to present in form of friendship and love

"So how was the dinner with your dear father? I suppose it was good?" Finally the formal tone dropped to a casual one and Tin was extremely comfortable whenever he heard it

"You stood at a safe distance. Couldn't you sense it?"

"I did. I saw you were having a good time chatting away." Gun fixed his eyes on the road however his face turned a slight smirk and his eyes gleamed in the sunlight.

"Hmm I must say it wasn't as bad as it used to be. Maybe because today he actually tried to talk to me"

"But the only one talking was you"

"That's a great development don't you think? He let me talk. It's amazing!"

"It's not that he doesn't let you talk. You just don't talk."

"Well that's true as well."

"So what made you talk so much today?"

"Well....he asked me about someone"

"Someone?"

"You seem unusually curious today!"

"Well I'm just fascinated." Gun shrugged as he pulled over the car to the basement parking lot reserved only for the owner of the car he was driving.

Discontinuing the ongoing topic Gun strudded out the door and fixed his uniform and followed Tin towards his office. The politeness jumped back onto him like it was automated as he carried himself calm and composed as the secretary he is always used to be