Secret Admirer

11. Candle

Kayu's heart lurched in his chest. The darkness swallowed them whole, pressing in from all sides. His grip on Ciro tightened instinctively, his body trembling with fear.

Ciro, sensing Kayu's distress, held him closer. "Kayu, it's okay. I've got you," he murmured, his voice steady and reassuring despite the sudden blackout.

He was relieved to see that Kayu was gradually calming down. With his arms remaining securely around the latter, he tilted his head slightly in amusement. "How come I never knew that you were so afraid of darkness?"

"There are many things you don't know about me," Kayu mumbled.

Ciro heard it but pretended like he didn't and asked, "Why are you so afraid of the darkness?"

Kayu hesitated, feeling a bit silly about the story he was about to share. "When I was a kid, my cousins used to pull pranks on me every time the electricity went out. They would pretend to be ghosts, make weird noises, and jump out at me when I least expected it. I was terrified, but they thought it was hilarious."

Ciro couldn't help but chuckle at the mental image. "So, you have been haunted by your cousins, not actual ghosts?"

Kayu pouted, even though Ciro couldn't see it in the dark. "It wasn't funny back then! I was so scared I would spend the whole night hiding under my blanket."

Ciro laughed softly, the sound warm and genuine. "That's adorable. I can totally picture you as a kid, huddled up in a blanket, waiting for the 'ghosts' to go away."

Kayu huffed, but he didn't loosen his grip on Ciro. "Laugh all you want, but those were some terrifying nights."

"I'm sure they were," Ciro teased, but there was a fondness in his voice. 

He found it oddly comfortable, holding Kayu close like this, despite the darkness and the strange circumstances. The usual walls between them seemed to have crumbled, leaving only a sense of warmth and closeness.

Midway through his confused thoughts, they heard a soft knock on the door. The inn owner, an elderly man with a kind smile, entered the room holding a lighted candle. The warm glow from the candle chased away the shadows, filling the room with a soft, flickering light.

"Sorry about the inconvenience," the inn owner said, placing the candle on the small table. "It looks like the electricity won't be restored tonight. This should give you enough light until morning."

"Thank you," Ciro replied, his voice calm and appreciative.

Kayu finally loosened his grip on Ciro, though he didn't move far. The presence of the candle made the room feel less oppressive, but the intimacy of the moment lingered.

As the inn owner left, closing the door quietly behind him, Kayu glanced at Ciro, who was now bathed in the soft glow of the candlelight. "I guess we are stuck with this for the night," He said, his tone lighter now, though his heart still beat a little faster than usual.

Ciro nodded, his eyes meeting Kayu's. "Yeah, looks like it. But it could be worse."

Kayu raised an eyebrow, a small smile tugging at his lips. "How so?"

Ciro smirked, the playful glint in his eyes returning. "We could be dealing with real ghosts instead of faulty sockets."

Kayu rolled his eyes, the tension easing from his body. "I think I can handle the dark as long as you're here."

Ciro's expression softened at those words, the weight of unspoken emotions hanging between them once again. "Well, I'm not going anywhere," he said quietly, almost as if he were reassuring himself as much as he was reassuring Kayu.

They both settled back down, the candlelight casting long, gentle shadows on the walls. The room was still, save for the flickering flame and the quiet sound of their breathing. Despite the strange circumstances, there was an undeniable comfort in their closeness, a feeling that neither of them could quite name, but neither wanted to let go of.

And as the night wore on, with the darkness kept at bay by the small, flickering flame, they both felt that maybe, just maybe, they weren't as alone as they thought.

As the inn owner left, the soft glow of the candle illuminated the room, casting dancing shadows on the worn wooden walls. Kayu glanced around, the candlelight highlighting the contours of his face and the gentle lines that spoke of both youth and the weight of his current burdens. Ciro found himself staring, genuinely captivated by Kayu's presence in the subdued light.

Despite working together for so many years, Ciro had never truly taken the time to observe Kayu closely. 

Kayu sat down on the edge of the bed, his face half-lit by the gentle flame, and looked... oddly beautiful. His features, usually masked by his playful attitude or his professional demeanor at work, seemed softer, more vulnerable. There was something about the way the warm light danced across his skin that made Ciro's heart skip a beat.

'What's wrong with me?' Ciro wondered, his mind racing.

 His heart seemed to be moving in a different direction than his brain, both battling to make sense of the emotions stirring inside him. His attraction to Kayu felt strange, unfamiliar, an attraction he had never considered before. 

Maybe it was the darkness, the quiet intimacy of being alone together, or perhaps the way they had held each other just minutes ago.

His mind flashed back to that moment, the way Kayu had clung to him in fear, and the warmth of having him so close. It had felt natural, right even, in a way Ciro hadn't expected. 

Now, as he looked at Kayu, something deeper tugged at him, something he didn't want to admit to himself.

Kayu, oblivious to the turmoil brewing inside Ciro, glanced up and caught him staring. "Khun Ciro?" he asked, a small, teasing smile playing on his lips. "Do I have something on my face?"

Ciro quickly looked away, trying to play it off with a chuckle. "No, nothing. I was just... thinking."

But the truth gnawed at him. He wasn't just thinking, he was feeling. And those feelings were complicated. The attraction was the last thing he expected, yet here it was, lingering in the space between them.

Ciro shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how to deal with these sudden emotions. He tried to push them away, to focus on something else, but his mind kept circling back to Kayu, sitting there in the candlelight, looking far too beautiful for his own good.

No, he told himself firmly. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. Ciro, Kayu is your secretary. You can't think of him like that! You just got dumbed! How could you be looking for someone else in such a short time? Are you a player?

"Khun Ciro? Are you alright?" Kayu noticed how Ciro was frowning and shaking his head.

"Ye-yeah. I am good," Ciro replied with an awkward smile. Has his eyes always been so beautiful? He questioned himself as he stared back at the pair of doe eyes staring at him with concern.

"Ahem," He fake coughed and cleared his throat. "I think it would be better for us to go to bed. There is nothing else to do anyway."

He rushed to the bed without even waiting for Kayu's reply.