Forget Me Not

Heartstrings

Tine never imagined he'd find himself wishing the day would never end. Yet here he was, thoroughly enjoying every moment spent talking, laughing, and having fun with Sarawat.

At the end of the night, Sarawat walked Tine to the door, flowers in hand.

"I had a terrible time. Absolutely dreadful," Tine joked.

Sarawat remained unfazed. "So did I. Halfway through dinner, I wanted to..." He mimicked putting a gun in his mouth and pulling the trigger, making Tine burst into laughter. Sarawat joined in, but after a moment, they paused, looking at each other.

"You're lovely, Wat," Tine admitted.

Without waiting for a response, Tine leaned in and kissed Sarawat on the cheek before darting inside his house. Sarawat, taken aback by the gesture, watched him go. His heart stirred at Tine's adorableness, and though it was still early, he couldn't help but feel he was falling fast.

Inside the house, Tine peeked through the gap in the curtains, watching Sarawat walk back to his car. Sarawat took his time, then honked twice before driving off, knowing Tine was watching. Tine smiled.

"Oh, shoot!" Tine cursed as his phone rang, playing "Barbie Girl." He scowled, realizing Fong had changed the ringtone.

"How was it?" Fong asked, talking to him on Bluetooth while running on a treadmill. Ohm was nearby, busy eyeing the buff-looking girls with perfect abs.

"I just walked in," Tine muttered. "How do you always time this?"

"I've been texting every ten minutes. I got bored while working out. So... how was it?"

"Honestly, it was pretty great. How about your date?"

"A disaster as always. But I don't want to talk about mine; I want to hear about yours. Out of the eleven people we've found for you, you've only considered Sarawat. Have you thought about going out with others?"

"I don't know... Sarawat said he's taking me to a special place tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Fong paused his treadmill. "Wow, that eager? Remember, Tine, one good date doesn't make a lifelong relationship."

"I know..."

"So, you like this one. But what if you like someone else more? You don't know yet. Besides, you should always have a main one and a backup. That way, if something goes wrong with the main one, you've got a backup. Come on, experiment!"

"I don't know, Fong. I'll see how it goes tomorrow before I decide on anything else..."

"Alright, and I'll be calling you the same time tomorrow night."

As soon as they hung up, Tine realized he had a lot to think about. Sarawat wasn't the only guy vying for his attention. At work, there was Mil, who constantly gave him gifts and blatantly invited him out. Tine hadn't accepted these invitations, too preoccupied with his current date. Also, there was so much he still wanted to unravel about Sarawat.

During their date, Sarawat made Tine feel secure and ecstatic. When they were together, his apprehensions faded, and his initial plan to peel back Sarawat's layers disappeared. They chatted as if they had known each other for ages, and Tine loved Sarawat's dark humor. Sarawat was versatile, with a wide range of interests, but he wasn't overly imposing. He had strong stances on certain things but never undermined Tine's beliefs, allowing him to shine in his own right.

Though Tine wondered if Sarawat might be hiding something, he found it harder to believe the more time they spent together. Tine hated that he was falling so quickly, worried about repeating past mistakes. But whenever Sarawat was with him, he couldn't help but wish the day would never end, so he could be with him a little longer...