Autumn is a second spring

29. Secretary 2

Kao threw his head back as he rested his back on the comfortable armchair. He sighed deeply with his hands across his chest as he waited for his cousins to come back.

He had sent the two of them to take a bath in ice-cold water so that both of them could sober up and clear up their heads.

After a few more minutes both Ohm and Boun came down, dressed in a fresh set of clothes. They sat on the couches on either side of Kao without looking at each other.

Kao straightened his back. "Alright, are we all sobered up?" He looked from Boun to Ohm.

"Khrab," Both Boun and Ohm said in unison, enthusiastically.

"Good. Now, apologise to each other." Kao felt that he sounded like a military trainer himself.

Silence

Kao was starting to get irritated. He hadn't had many drinks so he was still sober even without taking a bath. But his two cousins acting like brats were pissing him off. He put on the best smile he could muster in the situation and said "Boun, why don't you do it first?"

Since Boun was the one who got agitated first, he felt that it was only fair to have Boun apologise first.

Boun had shimmered down but he was still hurt by Kao and Ohm's attitude earlier. He kept mum.

"Boun, we know that you only reacted like that because you felt that we were cornering you. But you do owe Ohm an apology. You shouldn't have raised your hands on him." Kao said.

"I am sorry, Ohm," Boun said rather unwillingly. "I am sorry that I got worked up and grabbed your collar."

Kao turned to Ohm "Ohm? It's your turn."

"I don't think I have to apologize, phi. I haven't done anything wrong." Ohm said nonchalantly.

"Ohm, Boun might be just a few months older than you but in the family hierarchy, he is still you Phi chaai, your elder and you have raised your hands on an elder. So apologize." Kao dictated.

"I am sorry, Boun," Ohm mumbled.

"Great! Now hug each other!" Kao said with a big smile of relief.

Ohm and Boun looked at Kao as if they were asking him if he was serious.

"Go on. Hug" Kao said gesturing them at each other.

The two cousins rolled their eyes and complied. They hugged each other.

"Did you bath with shampoo instead of water?" Ohm scrunched his nose as the thick smell of hair care products from Boun's hair assaulted his nostrils.

"I paid for it, asshole," Boun said playfully pushing Ohm away, getting a middle finger from the latter.

The duo sat back on their initial seats bickering with each other like they weren't fighting a while ago.

Kao chuckled seeing his cousins make up. He let out a sigh of relief. "Boun."

Boun turned his attention to his elder cousin. "Khrab, phi?"

"About James... we weren't joking earlier. Nor were we trying to rile you up. But as bystanders, we feel that you are getting way too close to your secretary. Closer than a boss and secretary should be" Kao said tentatively.

He didn't want to start another fight. But wanted to discuss the matter and get it over with. He was afraid that the growing closeness between his brother and the secretary might end up hurting Prem.

"Phi, I agree that James and I are close. But not the way you guys are painting it." Boun explained. "And my relationship with Prem is in no way going to be affected because of that."

"You still don't realise it, do you?" Kao asked weakly.

"Realise what, phi?" Boun asked in return.

"Realise how attached you are getting to your secretary" Ohm chimed making Boun frown. "You literally chant his name at least a hundred times a day. No matter what the topic of conversation we have with you, you would somehow bring the name 'James' into it. If his name had been a mantra, you would have already ascended to heaven by now for chanting it so many times every day."

Boun let out an air chuckle "You must be joking, right?"

"No, we are not, Boun" Kao stated. "Even earlier this evening, when I asked you something about Bew's studies, the matter automatically took a turn and ended in James this-James that. Even after we started the discussion, the number of times you praised James just because his job, is really high, Boun."

"You even missed Prem's Wimbledon because of him, Boun!" Ohm chidded.

"No, it was because of the accident in the company." Boun retorted.

"Others might not know but both I and Ohm know that the accident occurred because of James's negligence, Boun. You should have long fired him from the position."

"It really wasn't his fault, Phi. I was the one who allowed him to leave early."

"If he got permission from you to leave early, he should have informed the staff in charge before leaving as well, right? He didn't do it. Hence the accident happened and the company almost suffered a huge loss. I can't believe that you are still defending him." Kao was very dissatisfied with Boun's actions.

"Phi, he is new to the job and he is still learning."

"He is your chief secretary for god sake, Boun. It is a position with a lot of responsibilities. If he is a rookie then why give him that position?" Kao questioned.

Boun was silent. He did have a soft corner towards James as he felt that the latter was very similar to him. He sympathised with James who had been kicked out of the family for being gay just like him.

"Phi, let's drop the matter here. I am sure he will figure it out himself." Ohm held Kao's wrist as he was sure that the latter was going to give Boun an earful.

"Okay. Let's drop the matter with James." Kao stared at Boun who had his head hung low. "Let's talk about Prem. Just tell me now, where does Prem stand in your life? What value does he have in your mind?"

"W- What do you mean, phi?" Boun clenched his trousers.

"It's like you don't care about Prem at all these days. You don't remember his birthdays or your anniversaries. You don't go to his programmes. You don't congratulate him. The last day I heard Earth mention that you don't even call or text him properly when he is away. Seriously what is going on with you and Prem? I am really curious."

"You guys are overthinking. We both are busy with our own work. That is why we often forget things." Boun reasoned.

"Don't use the word 'we' Boun. You are the only one who is forgetting. Prem remembers it. He remembers everything" Kao spouted. "Last year, on your birthday, he didn't forget to bake a cake for like he always did. But you, on the other hand, forgot about his birthday completely. If not for the fan service, you wouldn't even have remembered the date back then."

Boun's shoulders sagged downward as Kao's words started hitting him on his face.

"Do you know how sad he was when you didn't show up at the Wimbledon? He was so excited about participating in it and really wanted you to be there to see him win gold, Boun" Kao added.

"I already explained everything to him and also made it up to him, phi. Prem understands everything" Boun answered.

"Just because he acts as if understands your situation and doesn't throw a tantrum, it doesn't mean that he is not hurt, Boun." Ohm hissed. "You say you made it up to him. How exactly did you make it up to him for missing the proudest moment in his life? By cooking some food for him? Come on, Boun. You must be fooling yourself!" 

✨✨✨

For those who haven't realised who the 'James' in the story is, it's none other than Jamessu. I saw his interactions with P' Boun and felt that he would be the best person for the role of the secretary to cause rift between Bounprem.

No offence. I love James as much as I love p' Boun and p' Prem.

Don't worry James is not going to be left alone. P' Net will also be included in the cast.