Love Director [ENG]

Chapter 18: Consolation

The first sunlight of the year streamed through the sheer curtains into the bedroom, revealing two men sleeping in each other's arms on a large bed. Aphros was lying on his back, his head resting on his own arm, while the other arm was draped over the pillow, allowing Paint to rest his head on his upper arm. Aphros bent his elbow to place his hand gently on the nong's head. Paint had his forehead pressed against the broad shoulder, his two hands tightly hugging Aphros' waist.

Soon, the swollen eyelids of the nong slowly opened, and he felt a throbbing pain at his temples. Paint wasn't just experiencing a headache; his eyes and nose also hurt, feeling raw and sore.

The first sight he took in was the shirt covering someone's broad chest. He blinked several times, thinking he might still be dreaming, but within a few seconds, the memories of the past hours flooded back. He remembered seeing the neighbor kissing his girlfriend, losing his senses, not sure whom he contacted, but vividly recalling Aphros coming to get him.

He wasn't sure what conversations he had with others, but he remembered every word Aphros had said. That meant he was lying on Aphros' chest. That time, his brain seemed to process slower than usual, not even panicking about waking up on someone's chest. He just tilted his head slightly to see a chin with faint stubble, confident it was Plerng's uncle.

The warmest, most gentle man he knew.

Paint realized that Aphros had comforted him all night while he had been crying like a child, something he had never done before. He had heard that Phi Gus had a girlfriend many times and had seen her often, but yesterday's sight felt like a sledgehammer shattering his walls of endurance. He had heard a sound like a breaking heart, and a flood of despair had overwhelmed him.

It was unbearable pain.

Even at that moment, waking up to a new morning, the pain lingered, but it was pain accompanied by clarity. Crying hadn't helped at all; it only made those around him worry and troubled Aphros.

He wasn't sure why—perhaps because no adult had ever cared about his feelings before, or maybe because he knew Aphros was kind. As soon as Aphros arrived, his resilience crumbled further. He wanted to be in Aphros' arms, to vent, to tell him how much it hurt, because deep down, he believed Aphros could help.

And it really did help. Last night, Paint knew he was a mess, but that morning he felt noticeably better. Waking up in Aphros' embrace didn't make him feel bad. On the contrary, it felt safe and warm. His phi was strong enough to protect him from all external dangers. His phi was the warmest refuge.

But he wondered if he should rely on his phi any more than this. When his brain started working, it told him to get up.

Don't make your phi worry. You're feeling better now. Go smile at your phi and tell him you're okay.

But despite that, even when fully awake, he still didn't want to get up. If he got up, Paint thought the bad feelings from last night would attack him again.

Thump!

Thinking that, his hands, which were hugging Aphros' waist, clutched his uncle's shirt tighter. He moved his head from resting on his phi's shoulder to his chest, adjusting as if to find a more comfortable spot for himself.

"Warm."

"Didn't I tell you? Sleeping with a warm blanket in a cool room is comfortable."

Hearing the soft mumbling, Paint flinched a little and looked up to see his phi smiling teasingly. His hand, which had been resting on Paint's head, was gently massaging his scalp. Paint couldn't help but push against Aphros' chest to pull away.