The Painting

chapter 10

“So, what’s the task?” Night asked me.

"It’s pretty simple, just some delivery service-type shit” I replied, even though part of me wished I could tell him to go home. “The hardest part is dealing with the head office. I hate that place.”

We went to the pickup spot, some documents related to the opening of a new branch for one of the cafes. Typical stuff for that greedy pig who’d probably choke on his obsession with money one day. After picking up the papers, we made our way to the head office. Luckily, the boss wasn’t around, so it wasn’t as stressful as usual. After quickly dropping the documents off on the third floor, I got Night out of there as fast as I could.

“So, where do you wanna go next?” I asked, trying to make the day less dreadful.

“Back to work???” he said, shrugging.

“Why are you acting like you’re serving your life for the country? What’s your favourite place here in Bangkok?”

He thought for a moment, “Hmm………….I don’t know. I just got here, but I’ve been wanting to check out a museum. Can we go there?”

“Sure,” I said, although I quickly added, “But you’re gonna have to explain stuff to me, cause I’ve got zero clue about art.”

“Well, you knew about Achilles and Patroclus, though,” Night said and suddenly grabbed my hand, dragging me toward the museum. “it’s not too far from here lets walk”

It was a museum café, I watched Night studying the paintings, it suddenly hit me—I have a stupid crush on him. Could this count as our first date? Probably not, and even if it did, it would be painfully one-sided. How pathetic. I was busy spiralling in my own little world when he broke the silence with a deep question.

“What do you think souls are made of?”

“I don’t know, memories, mostly,” I said, shifting my gaze to the painting he was referring to.

“You believe in soulmates?” he asked again, eyes still fixed on the canvas.

“I do now.”

“What changed your mind?” His eyes moved from the painting to meet mine.

“You did.” The words slipped out before I could stop them, carried by a confidence I didn’t even know I had. I held his gaze, but the longer our eyes stayed locked, the faster my confidence drained. His stare felt heavy.

I panicked, “Let’s order something.”

“Hmmm, sure thing,”

I quickly moved towards the dining section, trying to pretend I wasn’t dying inside.

Night was looking at the menu and I was looking at him, I love his eyes.

“What?? Counting stars in my eyes?” he said still looking at the menu, I panicked and picked up the menu for show purpose, “The fuck is this language”

“Italian cuisine in Italian artists museum” he said

“ohhh, you order for me than” I said

We were sitting side by side at the café, The dining area was small, and Night was talking about Italian art, passionately describing details I didn’t understand. But I loved hearing him speak about the things he was passionate about. When I mentioned Moon, he seemed genuinely impressed by how smart she is, and in return, he talked about Lily and Leo, his childhood friends.

It started raining while I was driving him home, and by the time we reached his place, we were completely drenched. Night insisted I come in and change, warning me I’d catch a cold otherwise.

“You live alone?” I asked as we stepped into his apartment.

“Yup” he replied, drying his hair with a towel. “Lily and Leo live just across the street with their families. This is a student apartment, so it's cheaper, and the rooms are small. I don’t really feel that lonely.”

He handed me a towel and some dry clothes. I went to change first and came back to the living room, where I found a cup of hot tea waiting for me. I wrapped my hands around the cup, feeling the warmth, and couldn’t help but think how oddly domestic this all felt—like I was moving forward, not just as his friend but as something more.

Just then, Night walked into the room, wearing nothing but sweatpants, his hair still damp and the towel casually sitting over his shoulder. My eyes involuntarily lingered a little longer on his bare chest and waist, and I quickly shifted my focus back to the tea, trying to calm the fuck down.

“How’s the tea?” Night asked me casually.

“Ahhhh… great,”

“Stay the night.”

“WHAT?” I nearly choked on my tea. Stay the night? I could barely keep it together, and now he’s asking me to stay over?

“What, what? It’s almost dinner time. You wanna go back to that hell hole?” He reached out and fixed the bangs in front of my hair, and I swear I was on the verge of blacking out from how hard my heart was pounding. I couldn't focus. My brain was spinning.

“Okay,” I said, giving in way too easily. What has become of me? A few months ago, I was the one with all the confidence. People I dated were always down bad for me. Now, I’m a complete mess, practically at his mercy. What happened to the cool, composed me?

“Great! Let’s order food!” Night said with the widest, brightest smile on his face. Damn it, he won. I was completely wrapped around his finger. Now, I was just a guy hopelessly crushing on someone who had no idea the effect he was having on me.

As he scrolled through his phone to pick something to eat, I stared at him, wondering how the fuck I ended up here.