Autumn is a second spring

17. Surprise

Prem was really tired after the whole day of shooting. It was a movie in which he was offered the lead role but as the shooting schedule clashed with his Wimbledon tournament and practice, he had to take a step back and take a support role instead.

The work was hectic and really wanted to catch up on his sleep. He parked his car in front of their home and walked in. He had come home earlier than usual, hoping that he would get to tuck Bew into bed tonight as he had missed bedtime every time these days.

He walked into the house hoping to find the father-son duo. Unexpectedly the house was empty. No one was there.

Prem frowned and dialled Boun's number to find out where he had taken Bew. He heard the phone ring on the dining table.

He couldn't believe that Boun had actually left the phone at home and left. Just as he was about to call James to check if Boun and Bew were with him, lights went out. 

Prem found it out as they never had a power outage in their area. He felt something was odd about the situation.

Suddenly he noticed the garden lights being turned on. He slid open the glass door and stepped onto the grass lawn. The lights next stone path on the grass lawn were lit up leading to the gazebo in the centre of the garden.

Prem walked down the path and reached the gazebo, only to find a table full of food on the gazebo.

"SURPRISE!" The father-son duo screamed from behind as they jumped scared Prem.

Prem glared at Boun. Boun's big smile instantly flattened. He knew he was going to be scolded for some reason.

Just as Prem was about Prem was about to speak, he felt a tug on his trousers. He looked down to find his son looking at him with a pitiful expression.

"Dami, you didn't like the surprise?" Bew asked with his puppy eyes.

Prem instantly felt his insides melt. He quickly picked up the toddler. "Did my darling prepare this surprise for Dami?"

"Yes!" Bew answered enthusiastically. "Dada also helped."

Prem cast an uninterested glance at Boun and turned his attention back to Bew. "Really? What all did my darling boy prepare for Dami?"

Bew excitedly started introducing the variety of Chinese dishes spread across the table. Prem had an extra liking towards Chinese cuisine.

Boun wanted to appease his Pao, so he cooked all of his favourite Chinese dishes.

"I was the one who did most of the work!" Boun couldn't bear it anymore and protested seeing how Bew was taking credit for all the work he had done the whole afternoon.

"I went shopping for the groceries for you to cook," Bew claimed.

"I came along with you. All you did was sit in the cart and point at the snack section! I was the one who picked up the groceries. I paid for them!" Boun retorted.

Prem massaged the region between his brows seeing the two people bicker. 

"I found the recipe for you" Bew said.

"You used the tablet that I bought, using the internet I paid for to find the recipe." Boun scoffed "Even after finding the recipe you only sat there and I was the one who made the food."

"I helped too. I washed the veggies."

"Yeah! You washed the veggies and splashed water all over the kitchen that I had to mop the whole place up!"

"Enough! Stop it both of you." Prem couldn't believe that Boun was being so childish enough to bicker with a four-year-old with something so silly. "I am hungry. Let's start eating"

Boun and Bew were making faces and stinking their tongue at each other behind Prem's back.

"I can see what both of you are doing!" Prem's words made the two of them still.

They came over and sat on either side of Prem like obedient kids.

Prem looked at the two of them and sighed internally. This pair always made him feel that he wasn't just the parent of one toddler but two. The father-son duo was made of the same mould and Prem often ended up being stuck between the two.

Things were better when he was stuck between Boun and Fluke and their childish bicker. But when Bew takes Fluke's place at home, it becomes really hard for him. He couldn't bear not to take Bew's side which often irked Boun to throw even more tantrums.

Prem picked up Bew's little bowl and scooped some rice for him.

Since Bew was yet to be proficient in using chopsticks, he used a tweety learning chopsticks to eat. This was one of the reasons why he didn't like eating Chinese the Chinese way.

Prem also topped the rice with some sweet and sour pork ribs that Bew loved.

On the other side, Boun could only watch Bew taking up all the attention and care from his Pao. He sulkingly filled his bowl with rice and started eating while watching how Prem and Bew were chatting happily.

He was grumpy throughout the dinner as Prem didn't pick any food for him but for Bew. His jealousy knew no bounds. 

After dinner, Prem carried Bew back to his room. He read a bedtime story to put the little guy who seemed very energetic today for some reason. He stretched himself after having managed to get Bew to fall asleep. 

As he walked out of the kid's bedroom, he saw Boun waiting for him. In the past few days, Boun had been doing everything he could to make it up to him for not being able to attend his tournament. But he had shown no signs of forgiving Boun

Not that he wasn't touched by Boun's actions but he loved how the older had been treating him for the past few days. He liked the attention so much that he continued to act as if he was still mad.

Boun mentally cursed as he watched Prem walk past him without a word. His Pao had placed a ban on touching him. He couldn't even hug his Pao even though the latter was home almost every day and he was frustrated.

Especially the fact that Bew got all the care and attention from Prem while he was left with nothing, made him more irritated.

He regretted not having sent Bew to his brother's place for the night so that he could have dinner with his Pao alone. The dinner was a big flop as the little brat had monopolised all of Prem's attention and he didn't even get to speak to his Pao.

"Your cooking skills have improved" Boun heard Prem say as he followed closely behind the younger.

Boun was pleasantly surprised. It seemed like all the effort that he put into cooking all that food didn't go to waste. Indeed, the best way to conquer a man's heart was through his stomach.

He smilingly entered their bedroom following Prem. "As long as you like it I will cook again for you in the future."

Prem turned around and pecked Boun on the cheek before going to the washroom to freshen up.

"What just happened?" Boun muttered to himself, looking at the washroom door. "Does this mean that he forgave me?"

The thought made his smile grow wider. He picked up his pjs and headed to the washroom. As he expected the washroom door wasn't locked. His Pao had forgiven him.