Yes, Love Sucks

Our Cat

Gulf did his best to avoid feeling embarrassed as he quietly left Mew's office and made his way back to his own desk. The whispers had died down a bit, but he knew that once he and Mew left, the gossip would start up again, especially after the incident with Chompoo. Part of him wished he could just quit and avoid any further trouble, but he wasn't one to back down from a challenge. He decided to stay and face whatever came his way. As he placed his paperwork into his folder, he was startled by a soft voice behind him, speaking in a gentle tone.

"Gulf Kanawut?"

"Uhm. Yeah. " Gulf's eyes widened as he caught sight of Thankun Setagawa, the CEO of the company, standing behind him with a smile on his face. In an attempt to appear more formal, he quickly bowed so deeply that he almost felt dizzy. "Yes. Sorry. Sir"

"Sorry to bother you, but as I was about to leave the office, I thought I'd ask if you and Mew would be up for grabbing some drinks tonight. I haven't had a chance to review your project yet, and since the client is a close friend of mine, I wanted to extend the invitation."

"Ah...I... We... I...Cat!" Gulf stammered his mind quickly focusing on their little sneak thief to try and counter his nervousness. Thankun on the other hand was just looking confused and Gulf was extremely thankful when Mew came over to them and said confidently;

"Our cat. She's heavily pregnant. We don't like to leave her alone for longer than we have to. But you are of course welcome to join us at home, sir. "

"Of course. " Thankun smiled and nodded once more. Gulf felt a wave of relief wash over him as he hurriedly packed his belongings into his bag and put on his coat. He couldn't help but notice the hushed conversations happening around the office. If there wasn't any gossip before, there certainly would be now, he thought with a sigh that grew louder as they made their way to the elevator, accompanied by Thankun's cheerful humming. "I believe that Mew said you've been together for three years?"

"Almost." Gulf lied softly bobbing his head in a jerky nod "I'm sorry. For all the commotion today, sir. "

"Think nothing of it, Gulf. You can hardly by responsible for catty tongues. " Thankun hummed as he gazed out into the main office, watching as the elevator doors opened. His eyes were stern and his lips formed a tight line. "I must say, I truly respect your skill in keeping things under wraps for this long. "

". It wasn't easy. " Mew stepped in to speak on his behalf, and Gulf flashed a thankful smile, fully aware that his nerves might hinder his performance. The only other time he had briefly seen the CEO was when someone had casually pointed him out, leaving Gulf clueless on how he would manage to get through an entire evening of drinks with him. They fell into silence as they rode the elevator and it stayed that way as they walked back to the apartment block and finally their apartment. Pak was curled into a ball on the sofa when they arrived and she opened one lazily little eye and let out a meow before stretching out her back by clawing at the fabric "Pak! No!" Mew growled heading over to her and the cat hissed loudly making a swipe for his hand before jumping down and into the safety of Gulf's arms "You spoil that thing too much!"

"She's pregnant. She can't help it, can you princess?" Gulf chuckled rubbing his cheek against the top of Pak's now purring head his nerves soothing away at the vibrations of her throat and the feel of the kittens moving in her stomach.

"Princess? She's a menace!"

"But you love her really. " Gulf playfully waved her paw at him, causing him to feel a mix of embarrassment and amusement. He was caught off guard when he heard his big boss chuckle, making him feel even more embarrassed. It was as if they were acting like a couple of kids.

💻🖱💻🖱

Gulf's unexpected action of sitting next to Mew on the sofa and leaning against him caught him off guard. He had anticipated Gulf to keep his distance throughout the evening, considering the awkwardness between them. Mew couldn't help but feel excited that his boss was sitting so close, even though he was used to interacting with him.