Unwritten Melodies

Chapter 14

A week had passed since the night at Hua Hin where they talked about their past that was left unspoken for years. 

Offroad had taken a much-needed week off, calling Nu early the next morning to ask if she could hold up his schedule. She hadn't asked too many questions; she could tell from his voice that he needed the break.

"I need time to rest," he'd said simply, and Nu had instantly understood. She didn't know what had happened in full, but she knew Offroad well enough to recognize when he needed space to sort himself out.

As for Daou, Offroad had received no messages from him since that night. He wondered if Daou had taken the hint or if he'd decided to give him space out of respect. Either way, the silence had felt strange yet oddly peaceful, like the calm after a long storm.

Until today.

The soft chime echoed in Offroad's apartment. He glanced down, and there it was—Daou's name on the screen, catching him off guard. Taking a slow breath, he opened the message.

"Hey. I was wondering if you'd like to see a musical theater with me tonight?"

The message was simple, yet as Offroad read it through and through, he felt a quiet tremor in his chest.

He sighed, mulling over the message, his finger hovering over the keyboard. A part of him hesitated, wondering if this was a good idea. Was he ready to let Daou back into his life in this way? Or was it wiser to hold back, to leave the message unanswered and keep a safe distance? 

Taking a steadying breath, he finally typed back a simple, "Okay."

He stared at the message, the single word feeling oddly vulnerable. He didn't know what had compelled him to agree—maybe it was the sense of something unresolved between them, or perhaps it was the hope that seeing Daou again would bring the closure he hadn't known he needed. 

Or maybe, just maybe, he wasn't ready to say goodbye to that chapter of his life.

Setting his phone down, he exhaled, running a hand over his face in an attempt to clear the unease settling over him. 

"What's wrong with me..." he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, as if speaking the words aloud might release some of the tension.

It hadn't even been that long since they met again, yet Daou had already found a way back into his thoughts, stirring emotions Offroad thought he'd outgrown. None of this had been part of the plan. 

Five years ago, he'd promised himself that he'd move forward, focusing on his ambitions and leaving the past behind. His goals had been clear-cut: build a life where he could stand on his own, earn enough to support himself, open a business, maybe even dabble in modeling when he felt the itch. It was supposed to be a simple life, one without the complications that came with unfulfilled promises or unresolved feelings.

But here he was, wrestling with old emotions, wondering if he was making a mistake. Agreeing to see Daou again felt like surrendering a part of himself he'd worked so hard to protect.

Daou had always been a kind of chaos, a wild storm that swept through his mind with a force that was both thrilling and unsettling. Even back then, before they'd become anything close to serious, Daou had a way of disrupting the carefully constructed walls Offroad had built around his heart. He'd stir something within him—something raw and real that made Offroad feel both alive and exposed. Daou's energy, his intensity, had pulled him in so deeply, making him feel as if he'd finally found someone who understood him in ways no one else could. And now, even years later, he was back in Offroad's life, challenging the boundaries Offroad had set for himself.