Love Director [ENG]

Chapter 44: Gentle and fierce

"Aphros, please stop looking at those pictures."

"They're interesting. Nice angle. The photographer is good."

Why do I feel shivers down my spine?

After the mother and daughter left, Aphros went to the police station with his brother to file a report and record the incident. They then returned to have lunch with everyone, acting as if nothing had happened. Once lunch was over and everything was cleaned up, each family member went their separate ways. Some went to see their partners, others went home. Only Paint remained, along with the host who... couldn't stop looking at those photos.

Aphros was looking at one photo after another. One picture showed a tight embrace, another had faces nuzzled into necks, and the next showed a hand around the waist, almost grabbing the butt. If he would just talk while looking, it might ease the tension, but the more he looked, the colder his smile became, making it increasingly uncomfortable.

"I thought you said you trusted me." Paint quickly reiterated, moving in to snatch the photos away, but the bigger man was quicker.

"I do trust you, but it still irritates me. Seeing his face makes me annoyed."

He's probably referred to Phi Gus.

"He was drunk."

"You're defending him too."

"No," Paint quickly responded.

The other person turned back to the photos, causing him to sit down beside them. "Handsome."

"What?" Paint repeated, looking at him in disbelief, not expecting Aphros to compliment Phi Gus.

"You, Paint, are handsome. This shirt is sexy, and your hairstyle looks good... He got to see it, but I didn't." Aphros continued with a faint smile, sending chills down to his core.

The young man thought it would be easier to deal with Aphros' irritation directly, but this smiling and talking was frightening.

"Can I order a hit on him?"

"Aphros!"

The big man's question made the nong shout in alarm. His eyes showed he wasn't joking. When he called out, his phi sighed and tossed the stack of photos onto the table.

"I can't stand his face."

Paint wasn't sure how Aphros felt. Aphros trusted him but was upset by the photos. Reflecting on it, if he saw Aphros hugging his ex-wife, he'd feel a pang too. So, the nong tentatively reached out to touch Aphros' arm, blinking and looking up at him, rubbing the back of his hand in hopes of cheering him up.

That day, just dealing with the ex-wife was enough to give Aphros a headache; he didn't want Aphros to feel worse. When Paint was down, it was Aphros who comforted him. So, he wanted to do the same for Aphros.

The question was how to cheer him up. Even though Aphros once said he found him amusing, Paint wasn't a funny person. All his friends said he was serious. So, he couldn't be funny like Andrea or be sweet like Plerng. The nong decided to do what felt most like himself.

"What can I do to make you happy?" He asked directly.

"I'm not angry."

"But you are annoyed." Paint argued, and the phi shrugged.

"Not at you, Paint." Aphros was telling the truth, and Paint didn't have to do anything, but he wanted to.

"Well, I want to make you happy. Even if you're not angry or annoyed with me, I just want my boyfriend to be happy." Paint said seriously, prompting a sideways glance from the other.