#25 OBSTACLES

OPEN UP

Dressed in their finest, the two couples sit at a small round table in the middle of the fanciest Korean restaurant Rain has ever been to. He feels like he shouldn't touch anything, even the bathroom is fancy with its gold sinks, floor to ceiling wood framed mirrors and marble floors. He's pretty sure the toilet spoke to him. P' Layla was right though, the food here was INCREDIBLE. Rain had eaten until he thought he might burst. He sat next to Layla all night listening to her talk about Maya, her daughter who recently started a new job as a personal assistant to a manager of a Thai Pop idol. It sounded fascinating. He had no idea that managers had personal assistants. His hubby was busy talking "shop" with P' Mai, per usual. Rain liked that Payu had someone older to talk to, someone with much more experience in the field. She's so easy to talk to and gives great advice. The two get along so well they've been known to yammer on for hours. The couples had become fast friends after their very first dinner date. It seems just as Rain's personality matches Layla's, his hubby and Mai are the perfect stoic pair. Only becoming animated when talking about work. They're a platonic foursome made in heaven.

As Rain listens to Layla speak, he unconsciously pulls his necklace from inside his buttoned up dress shirt and begins mindlessly caressing the charm between his fingers.

"What is that Rain?" Mai asks from across the table.

"Huh?" Completely unaware of what he's doing.

"The necklace." She points to her chest.

Payu's head whips to the right. Noticing for the first time that Rain is wearing his umbrella necklace. How did he not notice it? He must have had it tucked away. That necklace is like a mating call, akin to a male bird flapping their pretty colorful wings and doing a little dance. Rain knew exactly what he was doing when he put it on before coming here. Payu's cock twitches in his pants.

"Oh." Rain looks down at it before he quickly shifts his eyes up to catch his hubby's reaction, a scowl on his face that only Rain knows the meaning of is ever present. He grins, "Here." He reaches around and undoes the clasp and hands it to his hubby who then passes it along to P' Mai.

"I had it specially made and gave it to him on our Bali trip," Payu explains. "Turn it over."

Mai flips the silver umbrella and reads the English inscription "Rainstorm" she says out loud. "Oh, Payu, it's beautiful." Her hand covers her heart.

"He surprised me with it, after telling me he wanted to be with me forever." Rain smiles brightly.

"You two are so cute," Mai says as she hands the necklace back to Payu. "You definitely remind me of us when we were younger." She looks at her wife and smiles.

Rain puts the necklace back on but intentionally leaves it out over his dress shirt.

Payu smirks knowingly at him.

"So Rain, I know that you start your internship soon at your hubby's firm, but I have a bit of a spoiler for you."

"What P'?" Rain asks.

"Well, B.E.D. was very pleased with you, and I'm almost 100% sure they are going to extend a job offer to you." Mai says excitedly.

"Well, after what happened with that asshole I'm not sure that's the best idea." Payu blurts out without really thinking. So comfortable with his present company, forgetting to be discreet.

Mai looks at Payu, knitting her brows in confusion. "What do you mean, what asshole?"

Payu's eyes go wide with the realization of what he just let slip. He looks over at his boy and mouths the word, "Sorry."