To Hold Tight or to Let Go

Chapter Two

"Stop fidgeting," Dean whispered under his breath towards Kongpob who was standing next to him in the main office, clearly antsy. He kept switching from side to side and brushing imaginary lint from his perfectly ironed shirt. His tie was perfect and his black pants fit him so well it showed off the work he'd done in the gym for the past two years. When Dean picked him up for work, he wanted to question why he was dressed that way but he knew better than to question Kongpob about those kinds of things. Especially since they weren't technically dating but still. They kissed and cuddled which made it obvious they were more than friends but Kongpob would never tell anyone they were dating and he didn't ask Dean to be his boyfriend either. Still, Dean could feel himself have a sort of possessiveness where Kongpob was concerned and nicely fit dress pants that showed the outline of his legs and his ass made Dean grumpy. And maybe he was more grumpy when he realized that Kongpob dressed like that because he was going to see the man that broke his heart two years ago.

"Sorry, I'm nervous," Kongpob grumbled.

"What for?" Dean asked him.

"My dad said people will know who I am here. I just—I've not yet worked in the capacity where people know I'm his son."

Dean believed Kongpob's words but he also knew there was more to it. Kong wasn't just nervous for that.

"Are you sure it's just that?" Dean asked him.

Kongpob rolled his eyes and gave Dean a look, one that Dean knew well enough. The one that told him to back the fuck off before Kongpob cursed at him.

"I'm not trying to be rude," Dean told him. "Just want you to be honest with yourself. We both know you're nervous to see him too."

"Does admitting it to you make you feel good?" Kongpob asked him hotly.

"No," Dean replied.

"Exactly. So why would I admit that to you?"

"Because it doesn't make sense not to admit it when it's obvious to the both of us."

"Well if it's that obvious why do I have to admit it?" Kongpob snapped.

Dean placed his hand on the small of Kongpob's back. "I'm sorry baby," he said lowly. "I don't mean to agitate you. I guess I'm a little nervous myself."

Kongpob chewed on his bottom lip and tried to calm his racing heart. He didn't have to snap at Dean but the truth was harsh when you didn't want to admit it. He was nervous as fuck to see Arthit, and he didn't quite understand why. Was it because of his lingering feelings? Was it because he was afraid Arthit had moved on completely? Was he afraid that Arthit would completely disregard him? More than that, was he worried about Arthit's reaction to him having Dean? None of that should matter, yet Kongpob was worried until he was sweating. He didn't even want to think about the fact that he took extra care with his outfit this morning, aiming to please Arthit. Not just physically but he wanted Arthit to see that he was okay. To see that he was still holding up after the breakup and he wasn't a mess. It was important to Kongpob that he appeared that he was okay even if the nerves were racking his body. The worse part about it was that Kongpob knew that if Arthit looked as good as he always looked, Kongpob wanted to measure up. Why he needed to measure up to his ex, Kongpob didn't know. He just knew that he had to.

The other workers in the office began filing into the main conference room. The room was large enough to accommodate the entire team working on the eleventh floor of the tall office building. His father had bought on the floor for the company amongst other companies in the building and it was the perfect place. The canteen in the building had great food and there were plenty of cafes within the building itself. This just went to show Kongpob how far his father thought ahead.