Chasing Rainbows

Chapter 19 ~ farewell meal ~

Chet and Tap's burgeoning relationship had been going from strength to strength, so much so that Tap had asked Chet to leave the resort and move in with him now the purchase of the house had been completed. 

He had decided to purchase the property with the separate annex, it was perfect for both of them and had so much potential. He knew that Chet was used to living on site at the resort but the property was only in the next village and a few kms away.

He had hired professionals to go in and deep clean the property so they could just move in and decorate at their leisure because even though he was paying for the property he wanted Chet to put his mark on the place and make it his own, he didn't want Chet to feel like a lodger.

Chet had offered to give Tap his savings but Tap refused assuring Chet that as grateful as he was, even though he wasn't on the same level as Kiri Junphanatat he was financially comfortable enough to take care of them both and his future in laws. 

Chet's parents were overjoyed that Chet was moving back into the village where he had grown up and would only be living a short walk away down the beach. They hoped to be able to see a lot more of him but knew even if they couldn't see Chet that they would be able to see Tap.

It would all take a little getting used to but Tap and Chet were confident they could do it and the pair were moving in at the weekend. Chet wouldn't be able to get his plants and other large items until Phikhuam and Ian had left his cottage but that was ok.

Phikhuam's wrist seemed to be healing nicely and his need for pain relief had lessened to such a degree that he had started taking something milder and Ian was trying to keep him on a diet where he was eating foods which would help to keep any further inflammation at bay.

Ian had been considering what Champ had said regarding he and Phikhuam, to just go with the flow and enjoy the time together for as long as it lasted. It made sense but deep down Ian wanted something a lot more permanent than that.

He was greedy, he wanted the whole nine yards, marriage, maybe a sprog or two and a house with a white picket fence. Maybe Phikhuam wouldn't want that but only time would tell and he supposed Champ was right, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Champ only had another two days before he was flying back home to Willow's Brook so they were going to have dinner tonight. Kiri had booked a private room in a restaurant further inland, somewhere where Phikhuam and Liam could go in comfort without having to worry about paparazzi.

Phikhuam could eat by himself now, the finger exercising having paid off and he was anxious to have the cast removed but he had to wait at least two more weeks. Ian made sure Phik' was comfortable before heading up to the resort for his afternoon meet up with the guys. 

The resort staff was quite used to seeing them all now and they had made many friends who would be sad to see them go. For Kan and Andy however, the departure would only be temporary.

Ian would miss this place and he was sure that Champ would too for all his putting a brave face on it. These past few days Champ always seemed in a rush to get back to his room and Ian couldn't help wondering if his suspicions about Liam and Champ were correct?

Liam hadn't ventured out since their afternoon on the beach and Champ had told everyone about how he was almost caught. Ian suspected that he wasn't the only one who thought something was going on between them, Kan and Andy had raised a brow or two since then.

Champ however always played his cards close to his chest so no one ever knew what he was doing or thinking unless he chose to tell them and that included his best friend Kan. The four friends were cheerful as they shared a jug of non alcoholic fruit punch and talked about what they were going to wear for dinner.

"well, it's our last night together for a while, I think we should go all out" Champ had said.

"agreed" Kan replied and Andy and Ian nodded.

Soon it was time to head back to their corners of the resort, Ian to the cottage where Phikhuam was waiting for him. Kan and Andy up to the penthouse where Kiri and Lon were working together in the home office and Champ to his room where Liam was reading a script that he wanted Champ to help him with later, there was a particularly difficult kissing scene that he just couldn't seem to get the hang of but with lot's of practice he was confident that he could pull it off.

Phikhuam and Ian spent a lazy afternoon sitting on the porch enjoying the view and the cool breeze and by 5.30 Ian decided he needed to start helping Phikhuam to get ready for dinner. He helped him to shower before helping him to dress in dark coloured pants and a button down shirt then he applied product to his hair and styled it for him before jumping into the shower himself.

Ian also chose pants and a shirt and when they were ready, all they had to do was wait, they had hired a mini bus again so they could all travel together and drink, well, all except Phikhuam who was still under strict instructions from Ian but maybe he could have a spritzer.

The biggest problem was getting Liam out without anyone seeing him so Champ went down the stairs first and as soon as he had made sure they were clear, he texted Liam to come down then they went through a side door to the front of the resort and stood in the shadows waiting for the other guys.

By 7pm they were all heading to the restaurant and everyone was in high spirits but there was also an underlying sadness. Kiri and Kan were leaving the following afternoon where Champ's flight was at 10pm and Lon and Andy having achieved what they had originally set out to do had decided to leave the day after that.

Andy had wanted to stay at the resort with Ian but Ian could tell that Lon didn't want to be separated from him so he made the excuse that he was going to be too busy with Phikhuam's therapy.

Ian couldn't be sad about it, he was supposed to have been leaving with Champ so he couldn't expect everyone to put their lives and careers on hold just because he had even so, Ian would miss their daily afternoon meet ups and seeing everyone.

It wouldn't be long before he got to see Champ again anyway, two or three weeks because once Phikhuam got the cast off there would be nothing else for Ian to do. 

The meal was wonderful and everyone was having a great time. The food was amazing and they all talked about how the past two weeks had been great, the football match, the karaoke and the dreaded club night which caused Kiri to blush profusely and Kan to glare at him.

It was getting late when they all climbed into the mini bus to head back to the resort, they dropped Phikhuam and Ian off first as they passed the cottage but not before Ian promised Champ he would see him the following afternoon to say goodbye.

When the rest of the gang reached the resort they thanked the driver before heading in and Lee stayed back while Champ went on ahead to check that the coast was clear. Liam had decided to go back himself after Champ had left, there was no point staying holed up in a hotel room by himself after all.

It was the last night of what had been a lovely vacation and as everyone got ready for bed in their own rooms, an aura of sadness hung about them.

Champ and Liam didn't do sadness even if that's what they were feeling they would never admit to it, on the contrary they fooled around and joked with one another and spent the night indulging in hot and heavy sex.

Ian had climbed into bed to be pulled up against Phikhuam's body and cocooned in his warmth as the pair fell asleep and Kan and Andy sat up for a while with a mug of cocoa while Kiri and Lon did a little more work in the office then at about 1.30am their men came to fetch them to go to bed.

In an all night bar several kms away, the driver of the mini bus was making a phone call to a number he had acquired, he'd heard that someone was promising cash on delivery of certain information and he was desperate for cash in hand so he could keep living off grid.

That's why he had taken the driving job which was also cash in hand, he didn't like living like this but what could he do, if the debt collectors caught up with him he would be lucky to survive the beating he would no doubt receive for trying to run away again.

***

~ if you enjoyed this please vote ~