Fragments Of Us [Completed]

Double Date

【Ping invited Krit and Vel for a double date with his new boyfriend.】 

Krit and Vel stepped out of the apartment building, hand in hand, both in high spirits. The evening air was cool, and the streets were starting to quiet down. As they approached the car where Ping and his new boyfriend were waiting, Vel suddenly froze, his grip on Krit's hand tightening.

"Is that...?" Vel whispered under his breath, eyes fixed on the man standing next to Ping.

Krit squinted in the fading light and then widened his eyes in recognition. "Oh, shit."

Nut stood there, arm casually draped around Ping's shoulder, but his expression mirrored Vel's shock as their eyes met. There was a tense pause, like the air had been sucked out of the atmosphere, as they all stared at each other in disbelief.

Ping, oblivious to the tension, waved excitedly. "Hey! We've been waiting for you guys!" He beamed, completely unaware of the history between his boyfriend and Vel.

Krit glanced at Vel, then back at Nut. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered under his breath before dragging Vel along with him towards the car.

Vel, still in a bit of shock, didn't resist. "Of all the people..." he mumbled, half to himself.

As they reached the car, Ping's smile faltered slightly at the lack of response. "Uh, is everything okay?" he asked, glancing between the four of them.

Nut finally spoke up, his voice tight. "Ping...you didn't tell me your friends with them."

Krit raised an eyebrow. "Them?"

Nut sighed. "Vel is my ex-husband."

Ping's eyes went wide, as if the floor had just dropped out beneath him. "Wait, what? You guys were married?"

Vel cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yeah. We were." He crossed his arms, clearly uncomfortable but trying to play it off.

Ping's mouth hung open in shock. "Well, I had no idea..."

Krit pulled Ping aside, lowering his voice, though not enough that Vel and Nut couldn't overhear. "Out of all the people in this city, you start dating Vel's ex? Really, Ping?"

"I didn't know!" Ping hissed back, clearly panicking. "You never told me Vel was married to Nut!"

"I didn't think it'd come up!" Krit threw his hands up in exasperation. "How could you not know? Didn't you ask your boyfriend about his past?"

"Well, yeah, but-" Ping stammered, "not this kind of past! And Nut never mentioned anything related to Vel either!"

Krit sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This is a mess."

Meanwhile, Vel and Nut stood a few feet away, awkwardly avoiding eye contact. Vel finally broke the silence with a dry chuckle. "This is...something."

Nut looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah . I didn't expect this at all."

Vel shrugged, trying to stay calm. "Let's just...get through this without making it weirder."

Krit and Ping rejoined them, both looking sheepish. "So, uh," Krit started, clearing his throat, "how about we...try to make the best of this?"

Ping nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes! Let's all just...move past the awkwardness. It's just one evening, right? What could go wrong?"

Vel shot him a look. "Famous last words."

Nut cracked a small smile, clearly trying to ease the tension. "I'm up for making it work if you are."

With that, the group awkwardly shuffled into their cars, everyone clearly still processing the unexpected blunder. As they drove off, Ping looked at Krit with a nervous grin. "Well, this should be...interesting."

Krit gave him a side-eye. "You have no idea."

The dinner started off with a heavy silence. Krit, Vel, Nut, and Ping sat around the table, each trying to navigate the awkwardness that had settled in between them. Ping was fidgeting slightly, looking between Nut and Krit, while Vel remained unusually quiet, glancing at Nut only occasionally. The weight of the situation was palpable, especially with Nut barely managing to make eye contact with Vel.

Krit, sensing Vel's discomfort, tightened his grip on Vel's hand under the table, pulling him slightly closer. Vel, in response, leaned into Krit, feeling the warmth and reassurance from his partner. It wasn't lost on Ping, who noticed Krit's protective stance and how Vel seemed to find some calm in it.

Across the table, Nut was visibly the most awkward. His eyes darted between the menu and his wine glass, clearly unsure how to handle the situation. Ping, sitting beside him, noticed how stiff he had become and, in an attempt to calm him down, gently placed his hand over Nut's, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Still, Ping couldn't help but think, This didn't go the way I thought it would.

The dinner continued with forced conversations and hesitant exchanges, mostly between Krit and Ping. Vel remained quiet, though Krit kept him close, their hands clasped under the table. Nut was barely eating, more focused on avoiding Vel's gaze than anything else. The dinner dragged on, each course feeling longer than the last, and every now and then, Ping would look at Nut, silently wondering how they'd make it through the evening.

By the time dessert came, the tension had reached its peak. Everyone could feel it, but no one wanted to be the one to address the elephant in the room. Vel, who had been quiet the entire night, finally cleared his throat.

"So," he began, his voice steady but low, "I guess we should talk."

Nut nodded, finally looking at Vel directly for the first time since they sat down. "Yeah," he agreed. "We should."

Ping and Krit exchanged glances, sensing that the real conversation was about to begin. Krit gave Vel's hand a final squeeze before pulling back slightly, letting him take the lead.

Vel sighed softly, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not going to lie; this is weird," he admitted, meeting Nut's eyes. "But I don't want to make things more awkward than they already are. We've both moved on."

Nut nodded again, visibly relaxing at Vel's words. "You're right. It's just... seeing you here with Krit, I wasn't prepared for that."

Vel shrugged slightly. "Well, I wasn't prepared to see you either. But it doesn't have to be a problem."

Nut glanced at Ping, who gave him an encouraging smile. "Yeah, you're right. We can't let this be a problem," Nut agreed. He looked at Vel more confidently now, the tension between them easing. "I'm happy with Ping. We're both in different places now."

Vel nodded. "Exactly. We're in different places."

There was a beat of silence before Krit, always one to ease the tension, leaned forward slightly. "So, are we good now? Can we agree not to let this be awkward anymore?"

Ping, who had been quiet during the exchange, finally exhaled, clearly relieved. "Yeah, I think we're good."

Nut chuckled softly, his tension melting away. "Yeah. We're good."

The mood at the table lightened considerably after that. Though there was still a bit of awkwardness lingering, it was no longer unbearable. They managed to finish the rest of the meal in lighter spirits, exchanging small jokes and casual conversation.

After dinner, they all made their way outside. Nut and Ping headed toward Nut's car, while Krit and Vel stood off to the side, watching them leave.

"Are you okay?" Krit asked Vel, his arm still around his waist, holding him close.

Vel nodded, resting his head on Krit's shoulder for a moment. "Yeah, I'm fine now. It was just... strange."

Krit smiled softly, kissing the top of Vel's head. "Well, at least that's over."

Vel chuckled. "Yeah, and we survived."

They watched as Ping and Nut drove off, exchanging one last wave. Vel sighed in relief, glad that the night hadn't ended in disaster.

Krit flagged down a taxi, and as they climbed inside, he glanced at Vel with a small smile. "Next time, I'm not planning a double date with anyone." he teased.

Vel laughed, leaning against Krit's shoulder as the taxi pulled away. "Agreed."

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Last day of trip guys.