Forget Me Not

Unsolicited

It was early evening when Mil found himself waiting for Tine's arrival. He was taken aback when a Mustang pulled up beside his Porsche in front of the café where he was staying. Mil squinted, anticipating the appearance of the young man he had long admired. Instead, a tall, handsome man with light brown skin stepped out and opened the door for Tine.

As soon as Sarawat sensed someone watching him, he raised his head and met Mil's eyes.

He had always thought it was cliché and unrealistic how rivals in romance movies would have that inevitable moment of confrontation. In real life, situations like that rarely happen. Unless his lover still shared a friendship with their ex, Sarawat never met the other guy. In fact, his meeting with Kyle had been purely accidental. Yet, he was glad it happened, as it allowed his relationship with Tine to flourish.

But this situation with Mil was different.

Mil was never Tine's lover, just one of the many admirers vying for a second chance. However, Tine's friends and Sarawat had always been skeptical about that. Seeing Mil in person did nothing to change Sarawat's perception of him.

Mil was tall, though a bit shorter than Sarawat and even Tine. He was handsome in his own way, with pale skin and a wholesome appearance. What caught Sarawat's attention most were his thick brows, full of personality just like their owner.

"I'm sorry, are we late?" Tine asked apologetically as he approached Mil, with Sarawat following closely behind.

It took a few seconds before Mil tore his gaze from Sarawat and turned to Tine. Flashing one of his sweetest smiles, he softened his usually snobbish look. "That's fine. I'm just early since I decided to have my breakfast here."

Tine smiled back, accepting the explanation. "By the way, this is Sarawat. My boyfriend."

Sarawat watched with amusement as Mil's smile froze at the mention of "boyfriend." It wasn't really his fault. He was content with any role Tine assigned him when introducing him to his circle. The sudden change in Mil's expression only proved that the truth was a bitter pill to swallow.

"Nice to finally meet you," Mil said, extending his hand.

Sarawat took it, and they shook hands for what felt like an eternity, the longest handshake Tine had ever witnessed. Amusingly, they both let go at the same moment, realizing they had been staring at each other for too long. Tine wanted to laugh but held back, not wanting to add to the awkwardness. In his opinion, both Sarawat and Mil looked constipated. Maybe they wanted to kiss too? Should he give them some privacy?

"Thank you for letting Tine come with me, even though you are his..." Mil's words trailed off, struggling to find the right term.

Unlike him, Sarawat was confident and quickly interjected, "He agreed to come with you, didn't he? I wouldn't want him to back down on a promise."

Mil nodded. "Yes, of course. I just think that's... very kind of you."

"I can be kind too."

Mil glanced at Sarawat when he wasn't looking. He didn't mean to, but he couldn't help it. The way Sarawat spoke and carried himself was a far cry from any of Tine's past lovers, even Kyle. This was a man who knew exactly what he wanted in life, and his maturity reminded Mil of his Uncle Thierry. If he thought about it that way, he would only lose hope of winning even more. Besides, was there any competition to begin with when Tine had already made his choice blatantly clear?

"You call me when you get there, okay?" Sarawat whispered as Tine mumbled a response, busy fixing the collar of his shirt. "If you want to go home, just send a text. I'll be there like a flash."