Shiny pretty things

Chapter 15

New Thitipoom Techaapaikhun is chaos wrapped in a 5ft 10 man with ivory skin, a dreamy smile, and a boisterous laugh.

The first time Tay saw him, he was stuck in traffic staring at nothing in particular. Then his eyes zeroed in on a billboard. It was not an impressive billboard, less than 5 feet wide but the man on it was anything but unimpressive.

His secretary asked no questions when he showed her a blurry photo of a man smiling at an energy drink. "Find out who this is." He instructed. She returned in 30 minutes with an answer.

New Thitipoom Techaapaikhun.

That was a turning point in his life. He consumed everything New Thitipoom. He read every article he could find and watched anything he was in, down to his audition videos.

When he finally met the man face to face, he understood what it meant for the world to stop moving.

And when New touched him for the first time, there was no doubt in his mind that he was ruined for anyone else.

For someone in his line of business, chaos is unwelcome. One mistake and everything, every effort is flushed down the drain. This is why he is particular about the things he does. He plans his days ahead of time. Descries danger from afar. And makes calculations on how to combat these dangers.

This was all true until he met Newwiee. Newwiee, who bulldozed into his life, shattered all of his well-laid plans and took his heart prisoner.

Tay paces at the door as he waits. Newwiee had sent a text exactly 40 minutes ago that his flight had landed safely at the Chiang Mai International Airport.

The drive to Tay's house should take about 20 minutes. However, it is another 30 minutes before the keycard buzzes the door open.

Newwiee appears in the doorway. He has no overnight bag on his shoulder for the first time ever. He looks haggard and bone-weary. Tay takes his hand and squeezes, an attempt to lend his boyfriend all of the little strength he has left. Newwiee throws him a vapid smile. Then he wraps his arms around Tay in an embrace that ends too soon.

Dread crawls up Tay's spine. "Welcome, New." He wants to kiss him but Newwiee turns and heads straight for the bar.

Tay follows quietly. He watches as New slides behind the bar and starts making a drink. It summons the memory of the first time the actor visited. He wants to mention it but he bites his tongue into silence.

"Here," New hands him a glass of red drink.

He lifts the glass with a sense of foreboding. He almost gags when the liquid breaches his lips. It tastes acrid. Vicious. He pushes it all down with a smile. "Thanks."

There's a tick in New's brows as he looks away. He braces his arms on the bar and looks down at the polished counter. He does not say anything. As the seconds increase to minutes, so does the terror clogging up Tay's airways. He knows what is coming. He feels it in the prickles of his toes and fingers. He tastes it in the bitterness of his lover's concoction.

He foresees it. Yet, the breath is knocked out of him when New whispers into the silence, "I want to break up."

Tay gently puts down the glass, throat working as he gulps down the massive lump in it. "No," he replies simply, meeting New's eyes

The actor appears to falter at the response but he quickly schools his features and sets his jaw in determination. "You can't say no."

"I can. This is not your relationship alone. You can't end it just because you want to."

"That's how relationships usually end. One person wants out and that's it."

New's voice remains calm and so does Tay's. Here they are, discussing the end of their relationship like it is the weather report.