Peace

Chapter 18: Promise

Win jolts awake from his sleep when he feels like he has been watched by someone. He flutters his eyes open, and it turns out he is not wrong. Bright is sitting on a chair not far from their bed, staring at him with his arms crossed to his chest. The younger man gulps because the look on Bright's face is incomprehensible. He cannot describe it at all.

He sits up and glances at the clock on the nightstand. It's five minutes past seven in the morning. Win fiddles with his fingers, avoiding eye contact with his boyfriend. Not long after, Bright heaves out a deep sigh and stands up. "Go shower. I'll make breakfast," he says before walking down the stairs. Win wants to refuse breakfast, but then he is scared if Bright would scold him or be angry at him even more.

His phone rings, pulling him out of his reverie. He grabs the device. His manager is calling him. "Good morning, P'Eed."

"Good morning, nong. I just want to tell you that I woke up earlier feeling sick. I have a fever," the woman informs.

"It's okay, phi. You can take a day off today. I'll go to the perfume store myself later," Win replies.

P'Eed pauses to cough. Win silently winces at that because it sounds bad. "A company would like you to go for a casting call as their model. It's a company that sells multiple types of clothes. I looked it up, and the company is trustworthy. They request to have you at the studio around 5 p.m. today. Everything is in the message I just sent. If you'd like to go, let me know. I can give them the words."

"Khrab, phi. Thank you so much. I'll take a look at it and let you know," Win says. He ends the call afterwards. The company must have come across his Instagram account. He sometimes posts his pictures there. They all have a great distance from the camera lens. Win does not think he would make a good model, but there is no harm in trying. He gets up from the bed to shower.

Fifteen minutes later, he walks into the living room. Bright is already there, waiting for him with their breakfast at the coffee table. He made French toasts. There are also some fruits on the plate with honey. Win quietly heads over to his boyfriend and sits down next to him. Bright stacks two toasts onto his plate and pours some honey on them. He then puts some strawberries and blueberries on top. Win's stomach churns at the amount of food served for him.

"Eat," Bright pushes the plate towards him.

Win picks up a knife and a fork from the tray. He slowly cuts the toasts into small pieces. "I, uh...A clothing company wants me to attend a casting call...to be their model," he breaks the silence between them.

Bright simply nods while chewing a strawberry in his mouth. "Just be careful," he reminds the younger man. The rest of the breakfast is accompanied by an awkward silence. Ame and Charlotte seem to understand the situation in the house, so they too contribute to the silence. Bright is the first to finish his food, and he goes to the kitchen to wash his plate at the sink.

After that, he grabs his bag from the chair at his working table and swings the strap over his shoulder. He then rushes to the front door. Win instantly gets up to catch up with him. He tugs on Bright's hand, making him turn around with anticipation. Win bores his eyes into his boyfriend's big and sparkly eyes before going forward to hug him. His arms are wrapped tightly around his neck. He is on the verge of crying.

There are so many things he wants to say to Bright, but the words get stuck in his throat. He doesn't know how to begin. A tear escapes his eyes when Bright wraps his arms around him, rubbing the small of his back. "Take care, Prince," the older man whispers and they part away from one another. Bright kisses his forehead, smiling a little.

Win leans in and plants a kiss on his jaw. "I love you."

•••••••

Fifteen minutes before 5 p.m., Win has already arrived at the building where the studio is located. He picked up the nicest outfit he owns to wear for the casting, even though he is sure he'll have to change into some other clothes that the company sells later. The man walks into the building and he is guided to the studio that is located on level two.