After Us

Bonus Chapter Four : Re-kindled

"Type, I miss youuuuuuuu," Tharn was whining again, prompting a smile out of him despite himself. Next to him, he spied Tharn's brother rolling his eyes on cue, followed by Thanya's muffled giggles from the backseat.

"LDR is so hard, why are we even doing it? You promised you're moving in with me once you're done with your internship and yet you're still there and you won't even let me visit you!" Tharn was full-on complaining now, and God, Type couldn't resist rolling his eyes in answer.

He chuckled, careful not to give too much away as he met Thanya's gaze through the overhead mirror. She was smiling so brightly that Type couldn't help but do the same.

"I told you I still have to take care of some stuff before I can leave. It's not like I'm lying to you or anything." he had to make something up if only to pacify this screaming man-child, given his tendency to overreact the same way he was doing right now.

Tharn whined yet again, and the sound went straight to Type's lovesick heart. It had been close to three weeks now since they last saw each other in person, and the ache of missing Tharn's presence had been making itself known the longer he tried to ignore it. But he hadn't been lying when he said there were things he had to put in order back home before he could leave - the completion of his internship at the clinic, finding and hiring someone to help his parents, most especially his mother, and lastly, setting up his mother's maintenance therapy plan for them to follow.

"But I want to see you, Type," Tharn was at it again, insisting something Type had no qualms of granting him with, but not right now. "I miss your face, but you won't even let me videocall you. Is this a punishment or what? Type? Type?"

"I'm here," he sighed. Trust Tharn to act all dramatic and make him feel guilty for opting on doing something he hoped would make Tharn happy in the end. "We'll video call later. Told you I'm on my way to the clinic to pick up the documents they signed for me."

"Fine."

"Oh god, please tell me you're not sulking," he quipped, just because he could. He could already imagine his boyfriend pouting royally in answer, rolling around on the sofa and whining like a toddler who'd been forbidden to eat his candies.

"Am not," Tharn denied. He liked doing that lately, especially when Type would call him out just to embarrass him. "Okay, fine, so what if I am? I am allowed to sulk, Type. I miss you and I'm lonely. This apartment is so lonely without you."

His chest expanded on a breath, biting down on the urge to smile despite the difficulty. Warmth spread through him like wildfire hearing Tharn's confession, embarrassed and equal parts charmed despite himself.

"It's your fault for staying there, then," he quipped, glancing to his left where P'Thorn was grinning too. "You have the choice to stay at your parents' house, of course, but you decided to stay there. That's not my fault now, is it?"

"It is, since you won't come to Bangkok to be with me." Tharn huffed.

"But I thought you're used to that already. You lived for two years without me after all." he piped up, more to tease Tharn than anything.

Tharn made another whining noise in answer as if Type was being unfair on purpose. Next to him, P'Thorn snorted as if he couldn't help it. He whipped around to remind P'Thorn to be quiet, but Tharn obviously already heard.

"Huh? What was that, Type?" Oh fuck. "I think I heard someone -"

"Ah, Ai'Tharn, I have to hang up now, okay? I'm almost at the clinic. I'll call you back once I get the documents I need. Okay? Right, bye." he ended the call and sighed heavily before turning to eye Tharn's brother properly.