Right Here Where You Left Me (KimPete)

Chapter 17

"How are you?" Pete wanted to laugh at that. Did Kim ask him to talk privately to ask if he's okay? His gut feeling was right. He shouldn't have agreed to this. They had nothing to talk about. After all, Kim seemed okay with leaving him without a word back then. He scoffed at the thought.

"I'm doing just fine, Khun Kim." He says, indulging the younger man's question. He watched the man nodding slowly as he looked away from him.

"That's good," Kim murmured.

"Good for you." He whispered but loud enough for Pete to hear. And just like that, he felt all the patience went away, and all the resentment towards the younger man flooded in.

"What do you want, Kim?" He asks, voice full of venom and contempt. How dare Kim mocked him. How dare he say that, like Pete didn't go through all the pain and self-doubt after he dropped him like a hot potato.

"It's been a while since you called me by my name." He mused as Pete scowled at him.

"If you're here to reminisce, I'll leave you to it. I have more important things to do." He began to march away from the main family's gazebo, but a firm hand stopped him from going away.

"Stay."

"Please." He added. Pete yanked the arm that Kim was holding and looked at the man with rage in his eyes. It faltered a bit when he saw the agony in the other's eyes. He cleared his throat and spoke again.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I-I honestly don't know." Kim ran his fingers through his hair and let out a frustrated sigh. "I just want to see you and hear your voice."

Pete opens his mouth but closes it again. He couldn't think of anything to say, so he just stood there looking at Kim with confusion all over his face.
Why is Kim being like this?

A heavy silence fell between them, and as Kim's gaze on him intensified, he looked away. A swirl of ugly emotions boils in the pit of his stomach. It felt achingly familiar. He had felt this before. Back when they were still together, when they fought, right after saying something hurtful to each other and feeling sorry because they both knew they didn't mean it. Pete didn't like this feeling. It sets his teeth on edge.

"Are you really marrying Vegas?" Kim broke the silence, and his question made Pete look at him.

"Yes. Why wouldn't I?" 'When he had loved me in ways you couldn't' was left unspoken. Kim balled his fists at his response.

"Do you even know him?"

"Of course I do."

"No, Pete. I doubt you do. Vegas isn't what he seems."

"You're the one to talk." Pete scoffs. How dare Kim say that to him. He felt the rage slowly boil inside him again.

"I just want to make sure that you know what you're getting into," Kim says in a small voice.

"I know what I'm getting into, Kim. Besides, it's none of your concern." Not anymore.

"Do you-do you really love him?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"I wanna know if you really love him, Pete."

"Of course I do. Why would I marry him if I don't?!" Pete tried not to shout at Kim's face for asking such silly questions. The man is clearly wasting his time, and it will be a few more minutes before Vegas notices his absence.

"Look, I don't know where you are getting at this, but if you continue to talk nonsense, I'm out of here." He started to turn around to leave.

"Vegas isn't capable of love." Kim's words stopped him in his tracks. Slowly, he faced Kim again, and then a loud slap echoed through the gazebo. Kim held his face; shock was written all over his face with Pete's sudden slap.

"How dare you say that!" Pete's voice shook as he said the words through gritted teeth. "You have no right to badmouth my fiance, Kim."

"I'm not-that's not what I'm trying to say, Pete. I don't want you hurting again."

Pete can't help but let out a sarcastic laugh. "You're a hypocrite, you know that?"

A flash of hurt crossed Kim's face, but he kept silent.

"Stop acting like you care because we both knew you don't."

"I-I cared for you, Pete. I always have and always will."

"That doesn't seem to be the case when you don't have a problem leaving me," Pete scoffed. "Stop saying things you don't mean, Kim."

"I-it isn't -"

"Stop," Pete says, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just stop, Kim. Whatever you're planning, stop it. Let's forget everything and move forward, shall we?"

Kim felt his chest tighten at Pete's words, his tone pleading and tired. And it scares him because he sounds so done with him. He wants to scream and shake Pete, to break the spell that his cousin had cast on him. Kim can't let him marry Vegas. He knew it was selfish, but he couldn't pretend to survive watching Pete marry someone else when it should be him.

"But we never broke up, did we, Pete?"